Ascentic AI Launch Pad: Building the next generation of creators

Artificial Intelligence is changing not only how software is built, but what it means to begin a career in technology. For young people, this raises a difficult question: if the traditional pathway into the industry is changing, what should replace it?

That question was behind the Ascentic AI Launch Pad, a voluntary community initiative that brought together university students and young talent for an eight-week weekend program. The aim was not to teach another technology, but to help participants use AI to move from an idea to something they could actually build, and develop the confidence to identify problems and create solutions.

At Demo Day, held on Saturday 19th September at Trace City, we saw exactly that.

Ten finalists presented products they had developed through the program. What mattered was not the sophistication of the technology, but young people beginning to think like builders and entrepreneurs.

The 10 finalists of Ascentic AI Launch Pad 2026.

Crop Care (Raashid Arquil): An AI-powered mobile app that identifies crop pests and diseases and recommends treatments.

Unblock AI (Nethmi Rathnayake): Works out institutional approval workflows and runs them automatically.

Triage (Punjitha Bandara): Turns production emergencies into diagnosed issues by pinpointing the exact code at fault.

Athlete IQ (Shamal De Arthur): Uses smartwatch and training data to predict performance and flag injury or burnout risk for coaches.

Vetcare Pro (Kalhara Tennakoon): Adds an AI copilot to veterinary clinic systems to manage records and aftercare.

Nira (Chamodi Fernando): An AI audio companion that gently guides people living with dementia in real time.

Aisle (Amzal Foumi): An inventory and purchasing system for small supermarkets, usable through a web interface or an AI agent.

Context Core (Kavinda Weerasinghe): A central intelligence layer for an organisation’s business and engineering knowledge.

CountWise (Gamodya Rajasooriya): An AI accountant that works inside WhatsApp to track and manage finances.

Velovs (Senuka Chandunu): An AI intelligence layer designed to understand what is happening across financial markets.

Some of these ideas may become startups. Others may pivot, or become the foundation for something built years from now. That is perfectly fine. The most important outcome is not the first product someone builds. It is the belief that they can build one.