Lilan Dayananda has expanded his agritech startup Elzian Agro’s global network by connecting with UN high-level representatives and technical experts since participating in the 2025 UN Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Forum. From a homebase in Sri Lanka, Elzian develops automation, IoT, and geospatial tools that have helped 60,000 farmers produce more crops, reduce water use, and strengthen climate resilience. Last year, the STI Forum invited Mr. Dayananda along with a select group of early-stage startups to showcase Elzian to a global audience. The Forum features startups with the potential to address global challenges, particularly in low-resource settings, and Elzian was one of just ten ventures invited.
Through the Forum, Mr. Dayananda has expanded his startup’s advisory board to support advances in GIS, remote sensing, and space-enabled agriculture. The forum also boosted Elzian’s visibility in one measurable way. Its LinkedIn following jumped from 15,000 to 20,000 in the week of the event.
In the discussion below, Mr. Dayananda details the milestones reached during and after the Forum, including securing grant funding from UNESCO and Nestlé to build a demonstration site in Sri Lanka, piloting a new soil-measurement IoT device, and developing an IP strategy to support future scale-up. He also outlines what’s next for Elzian, from patenting new technology and manufacturing its first devices to pursuing satellite partnerships and seed-level funding to bring its solutions to more farmers.
E4C: What opportunities have you been able to leverage as a result of the STI Forum?
LD: I had a valuable opportunity to network with a wide range of potential stakeholders during the STI Forum, where I was pleased to identify several promising affiliates. One of the key highlights was meeting the United Nations 10-Member Group of High-Level Representatives from civil society, the private sector, and the scientific community.
Recently, I also had the privilege of reconnecting with Prof. Magnus Andersson in Lund, Sweden, to discuss the upgraded version of our Elzian Agro-Eye devices. We are delighted to welcome Prof. Andersson to the Magnus Andersson Advisory Board as an expert in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Remote Sensing, and Space Technology. His expertise and guidance will be instrumental in advancing our mission to leverage deep-tech innovation for sustainable agriculture and climate resilience.
More details: www.linkedin.com/posts/magnus-andersson
E4C: Have you seen other benefits from your time in the showcase?
LD: The showcase opportunity at the STI Forum significantly increased our credibility and social media reach. For example, we had around 15,000 followers on LinkedIn before the event, but within that week, our follower count grew to 20,000.
E4C: What milestones have you reached since participating in the showcase?
LD: We secured grant funding from UNESCO and Nestlé to develop a demonstration site in Sri Lanka. In addition, we have developed a new Internet of Things (IoT) device and successfully completed its pilot run. We are now in the process of formulating its Intellectual Property (IP) strategy.
E4C: What is next for Elzian?
LD: Secure a patent for the newly developed soil-measuring IoT device and raise seed-level funding to manufacture the initial 1,000 units, preferably through grant opportunities, by April 2026.
We are actively seeking satellite partners such as the European Space Agency to enhance the accuracy of the geo-tagging capabilities of our IoT devices. Since the showcase, we have also been successfully accelerated by the International Trade Centre and the G20 Global Land Initiative.
