From Intern to Managing Director: A Final Farewell to Dee.
As you may have heard at last week's Elevensies, our fantastic Community Manager Dileepa Ranawake has moved on to an exciting new role with another tech company.
Connecting businesses, organising events and bringing the community closer, Dileepa has been part of the furniture at C4DI almost since day one.
We caught up with him on his last day to find out how he has found his C4DI experience and what's in store for him at his new role.
What made you want to be a part of the C4DI community?
For me, C4DI has had a central role in my professional and personal growth.
I wasn't always in the tech sector, but I've always been interested in digital and technology.
My C4DI journey started after a conversation with Matt Gibson from Sauce.
We were sat listening to David Keel. As soon as I heard about the concept and the community, I knew I had to get in there somehow.
I started out as an intern with the C4DI and gradually it became my full-time post.
My time here has helped me to become the Managing Director of a health tech company. A lot of the stepping stones that have allowed me to be where I am today have been offered to me by this brilliant place.
What value has the community brought to you?
The people, the attitude, the sharing of knowledge and the openness of the community has put me on a process of accelerated learning.
I have C4DI to thank for every step of my career; from being an intern to developing my own startups, as well as becoming the Community Manager and eventually joining Kinata.
And, of course, you've also seen a lot of other startups and individuals grow?
Yes, I didn't quite realise it at the time, when I was sat next to Matt during David Keel's talk. But, we've both come such a long way since then. Sauce has flourished from a three-person team to a company that now employs 17 members of staff.
There have been so many success stories; Alex Youden, Hayden Barton, Moodbeam, Mattix Design, Good2Learn...there are too many to name.
And, they've all come so far since the inception of the C4DI only five years ago.
Seeing all these people grow and progress has helped my own learning. It's an inspiration for me, it's made me think 'How can I grow?', 'What can I bring to a business?'. It's been very exciting to witness.
So, the question on everyone's lips is probably where you're going now?
I've joined Kinata, a healthtech company. We work with NHS organisations and healthcare professionals to reduce referrals and outpatient clinic appointments through digital and tech solutions.
We're based in Leeds and Hull - so you'll still be seeing me inside the C4DI from time-to-time!
We'd just like to take this opportunity to thank Dee for his hard work and dedication over the past few years. We're extremely happy that he's progressing in his career, but we're also very sad to see him leave.
You can contact Dee via his new email: dr@kinata.co.uk and find out more about what Kinata does here: www.kinesisag.co.uk