SimCentric helps build Lanka’s global business future from Port City Colombo

At first glance, it may seem improbable that a company developing advanced military simulation technologies for organisations such as the US Marine Corps, the US Military Academy, the UK Ministry of Defence and armed forces across NATO and Commonwealth countries would have its engineering nerve centre in Colombo.

Yet, over the past 17 years, SimCentric has evolved into a globally recognised defence technology company, specialising in innovative commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products that are transforming training and operational effectiveness worldwide, with its operations driven from Sri Lanka.

“People often ask how we managed to scale from a small engineering team into a business serving some of the world’s most demanding customers. Truth be told, it took years of building capability, refining products, earning trust and delivering consistently,” said Haridhu Abeygoonaratne, Managing Director/COO of SimCentric and Vice Chair of SLASSCOM.

Abeygoonaratne said SimCentric’s journey demonstrates that Sri Lanka is capable not only of supplying talent to the world, but also of creating globally competitive intellectual property, pioneering advanced technologies and building businesses that expand internationally.

“We recognised early on that the country possessed something far more valuable than a cost advantage. Today, every core product developed by SimCentric is engineered in Port City Colombo. Our software powers training environments used by some of the most sophisticated defence organisations in the world, yet the engineers behind those products are graduates of local universities and schools,” he said.

He said this should fundamentally change the conversation about Sri Lanka’s potential in the global technology industry.

For a company serving defence and technology customers across multiple jurisdictions, the ability to operate within an internationally oriented business environment directly affects how quickly it can hire, contract, transact and expand.

Sri Lanka’s digital economy has reached a defining stage, with the Export Development Board ranking ICT services as the country’s third-largest export sector, comprising more than 400 companies and a workforce of over 140,000 professionals.

According to the Sri Lanka Association for Software and Services Companies (SLASSCOM), the sector’s overall export value is currently around US$2 billion and continues to grow.

Abeygoonaratne said that, through his work with SLASSCOM and regular engagement with founders, technology leaders and international investors, he has seen a noticeable evolution in conversations surrounding Sri Lanka’s technology sector.

“One of the realities of building globally competitive technology businesses is that success increasingly depends on the quality of the environment surrounding the company as much as the quality of the company itself,” he said.

While talent remains fundamental, he said the modern innovation economy also requires rapid access to specialist expertise, sophisticated supply chains, international capital and regulatory certainty.

“This is where Port City Colombo can provide a springboard,” he said.

For companies operating in knowledge-intensive sectors, the ability to transact in major international currencies, attract specialist global talent, operate under internationally familiar regulatory frameworks and access long-term investment with greater certainty can contribute to making Port City Colombo a competitive location from which to build internationally.

He said these advantages, taken together, could create an operating environment aligned with the way modern global businesses function.

Compared with established financial centres elsewhere in the world, Port City Colombo presents a different investment proposition, he added.

“What matters is whether a business can move quickly, hire internationally, transact efficiently and plan with confidence. For global businesses looking beyond mature markets, it offers the potential for higher long-term value creation and the opportunity to shape a new regional financial hub from its inception,” Abeygoonaratne said.

He added that investors in Port City Colombo have the opportunity not merely to participate in an established ecosystem, but to help build one.

“If we succeed in creating those conditions, the most enduring legacy of Port City Colombo will be reflected in the companies that choose to build from Sri Lanka, the ideas that are transformed into globally recognised products and the generations of local and global entrepreneurs who see Port City Colombo as the best place in the region to build their future,” he said.