AUW graduate and professor team reach the finals of Women Entrepreneurs 4 Good (WE4G) and are headed to Europe. The ‘Soil Doctor’ team lead by Edirimanna Arachchige Vindya Hemali Edirimanna and supervised by Dr. Ahmedul Kabir, became one of the 18 finalists in this 7-month program providing women entrepreneurs with unique tools, support, and networks to develop their enterprises.

Vindya, coming from Sri Lanka, graduated in Spring 2022 with a double major in Environmental Science and Bioinformatics; she completed her senior thesis titled ‘Vermicomposting as a waste management method and organic fertilizer among local farmers in Sri Lanka’, with Dr. Kabir, Assistant Professor in Chemistry and Biochemistry. The research inspired the business model with an addition of soil tests for crop suitability assessment. The green business concept included multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targeting poverty, hunger, health, economy and environment.

The journey to the final saw the ‘Soil Doctor’ team competing with hundreds of applicants, most of whom with business experience, through different rounds including a pitch video, a presentation to the grand jury followed by Q&A which eventually led Vindya and team to the final.

After completion of an online incubator program, Vindya will showcase the project at the Women’s Forum Global Meeting 2022 in Paris, France. She along with her team members, Ramesha and Shanee, are proud to represent AUW as women entrepreneurs in the international platform.