An interview with Chathura Sudharshan, Founder & CEO of Seamless Source.
In 2019, Chathura Sudharshan founded his business in Nottingham with the aim of empowering fashion businesses and enhancing supply chains to ensure they are ethical, compliant, sustainable and efficient.
With support from NBV, Nottingham Trent University and Innovate UK – funding partners of Create Growth N2 (CGN2) – Chathura turned his vision into a reality.
Tell us a little about your business.
Many fashion products go through bad supply chains, often facing issues related to unreliable suppliers, complex networks, costly operations, time-consuming follow-ups, sustainability and limited transparency.
Seamless Source offers two solutions to these challenges: pre-built, sustainable value chains that seamlessly integrate with your products, or the technology to construct your own.
Our Product Relationship Management platform connects suppliers, brands, consumers and recyclers all in one place for a transparent and circular value chain. This empowers businesses to manage and streamline the production process to save time, money and reduce waste – for fashion products that positively impact the world.
How did you start your business journey?
It all began when I first discovered that the fashion industry is complex, limited transparent and non-circular. I saw that with my own eyes while I was working in different parts of the world before I moved to Nottingham.
I was first introduced to NBV at an event in Nottingham. With their guidance, I was able to connect with some great advisors, and I quickly realised the value of the free business support opportunities they offered. Through NBV, I attended a range of courses on cyber security, digital marketing, contract law and more to develop a scalable business.
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I also won our first grant in 2019, which was for £2,000 from Nottingham Trent University. This helped me to go the extra mile to fund the initial development of my business and create the first version of my platform.
How did NBV’s business mentoring support inspire you?
My mentor, David Hallam, helped shape our customer targeting strategy – something that’s been crucial for our growth. I also learned a lot about using LinkedIn to build our online presence, which has been instrumental in reaching new customers and expanding globally.
Seamless Source has supported fashion businesses across the globe, including the UK, US, Canada, Germany, Australia, South Africa, and Europe, with plans to keep expanding into new markets and product categories.
How has your business grown?
What started as a more basic, chat-based model in 2019 has evolved into a powerful Product Relationship Management platform.
Our technology empowers fashion brands to connect, boost efficiency, comply with EU regulations, add repairers, resellers, and recyclers to a product’s lifecycle, manage compliances, perform geo-verification, and benefit from a complete view of the supply chain using advanced analytics and Al to forecast trends and uncover inefficiencies, all in one place.
As our technology developed over the years, we’ve recruited more staff and updated our branding to better represent our business and services. Seamless Source has also received several grants, including £50,000 from Innovate UK’s Creative Catalyst programme as well as business growth grants from the Department of International Trade and Nottingham Trent University.
How has your commitment to innovation helped your business to reach new heights?
Our intention with Seamless Source was to support fashion businesses with innovative mechanisms to resolve fashion industry problems. We’ve been selected for Innovators for Sustainable Fashion programme by the University of Cambridge, received the Top Team Award by the European Innovation Academy, and won the Digital Disruptor Award by Mainframe, among others.
This recognition has helped us to build our reputation in the industry, attract more clients and expand our services. Most recently, Seamless Source won the Innovate UK Creative Catalyst 2024 award. The support from Innovate UK, the UK’s leading innovation agency, will further boost our product development and global competitiveness.
What is your background and experience in the fashion industry?
With more than 15 years’ experience in the fashion industry, I’ve experienced first-hand the supply chain challenges faced by fashion brands. I’ve worked in various roles across Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, China, Germany, Italy, and France.
I have a BDes (Hons) in Fashion Design and Product Development from the University of Moratuwa, a Charted Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing from the Charted Institute of Marketing in the UK, and an MSc in Entrepreneurship from Nottingham Trent University.
What are your plans for the future of the business?
To continue to grow and partner with fashion brands, suppliers, manufacturers and recyclers globally. I want businesses to plug transparent and circular value chains to their business with a click of a button, to make sure all the products in the world are made ethically and sustainably.
What advice would you give to small business owners?
To anyone starting a business, my advice is to stay persistent. Attending business seminars, applying for funding, and building relationships has empowered me to build my knowledge, network and my business.
Progress doesn’t happen overnight. Build connections and make the most of every opportunity.
CGN2 offers fully funded business support to help creative, digital, and creative technology businesses in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire thrive.
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