2003. First born on the way and my wife was in labour. I was trying to get a struggling company off the ground and had a deadline to complete a project. Both of us ended up delivering!
It’s official.
Surge Global and Calcey are merging, and will come under a single holding entity—Short Circuit. If you haven’t heard about it yet, check out the full press release here.
Surge, of course, was founded and is run by the one and only Bhanuka Harischandra, whom I met almost ten years ago at a startup conference in Jaffna. He was a 20-year-old who simply wanted to build a globally competitive digital marketing company out of Sri Lanka. I saw the fire and the chip on his shoulder, I got involved then and there as an advisor and an investor. I also ended up introducing him to the previous investor where that investment laid the foundation for Surge’s next wave of growth, and interestingly, led us to where we are today.
I founded Calcey in 2002 when I came back to Sri Lanka after the dot-com bubble burst. For the first three years, this tiny company went nowhere, and I even had to let go of my only two employees. We turned a small profit in the fourth year, and that’s when things really began to fall into place. As I write this, Calcey works with more than 150 people and is one of the ‘elders’ of the Sri Lankan tech sector.
I’ve worked double shifts practically every day of my life since 2002 to build Calcey, and if my calculations are correct, that amounts to around 40 years at a full time job. There was a lot of sacrifice involved (full credit to my wife, Chinthi, for putting up with all of it), and I think it’s time to take things a little slower now.
As an entrepreneur, founder, or even just a regular salaryman, there comes a point in your life where you look back and realize that it’s time to take the next exit and get off the busy freeway. I am fortunate enough to have reached that point while I still don’t require the services of a walking stick. And I consider myself doubly fortunate because many don’t even get the luxury of making this choice at all.
Surge’s (and Bhanuka’s) decision to buy out the majority stake just happened to line up perfectly with my search for a suitable M&A partner for Calcey, and because there was a clear fit and sound underlying economics, we decided to pursue a deal.
So is this notice of my retirement?
Absolutely not. I will still be involved with the company in my role as a Director of Short Circuit, and Bhanuka will be taking over as Group Managing Director. The two companies will mostly continue to operate independently.
I will continue to help Bhanuka with growth and wherever my help is needed, however I’m free of the day-to-day responsibilities of running a company. I plan to make use of my time productively by traveling and spending time with my family and friends. I will tend to Asaya Sands, my brand new hospitality venture for which I’ve got big plans. And yes, I will continue to invest in brilliant startups and founders, while helping Bhanuka take the Short Circuit group to where we envisage it.
Finally, I’d like to thank the entire Calcey team for their hard work and unwavering support to build Calcey into what it is today. Chinthi, my wife, for everything, and my children, Mathisha and Mali, for keeping me grounded and my heart full.
To my loving dad, who departed this world a few weeks ago—Thaththa, I know I was the troublemaker in the family, but I hope you’re proud of how far I’ve made it.
Mangala.