• Stefan de Alwis on podcasting, entrepreneurship, and ‘The 3i Show’

Over the past decade, podcasts have moved from niche habit to mainstream media form. Globally, millions tune in daily, during commutes, workouts, or late evenings, seeking voices rather than visuals, ideas rather than spectacle.

A podcast is, at its simplest, an on-demand programme, most often audio-based, recorded and published online for listeners to access at any time. 

Unlike radio, podcasts are not tied to schedules or stations. They allow long-form conversation, depth, and specificity. Hosts speak directly to listeners, often without time limits, creating a sense of intimacy and trust that traditional formats struggle to offer.

In recent years, the format has expanded beyond audio. Video podcasts follow the same on-demand structure but add a visual layer, allowing audiences to watch conversations as well as listen. 

Distributed across platforms such as YouTube and social media, video podcasts bridge digital media and broadcasting, combining long-form discussion with visual engagement. Facial expression, body language, and setting add context, while viewers retain control over when and how they consume content.

Podcasting in Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, podcasting remains relatively young but is steadily gaining ground. More creators are entering the space with conversations around business, culture, politics, wellness, and personal experience. Video podcasts, in particular, have accelerated adoption, offering visual familiarity for new audiences and greater shareability across platforms. 

Within this evolving landscape, podcasts are emerging as a serious platform for ideas, reflection, and influence. Episodes are recorded, published online, and accessed at any time through phones or computers. 

Unlike radio, podcasts are not bound by schedules or stations. They allow long-form conversation, depth, and specificity. Hosts speak directly to listeners, often without filters or time limits, creating intimacy and trust.

It is within this evolving space that ‘The 3i Show with Stefan de Alwis’ has begun to find its footing. Conceived and hosted by Stefan de Alwis, the video podcast centres on long-form conversations around entrepreneurship, leadership, and personal journey. 

Launched after years of planning and hesitation, the show has moved slowly and steadily, prioritising quality over quantity. That quiet consistency has now been recognised on a regional stage, with ‘The 3i Show’ being named Asia’s Best Emerging Podcast Show of the Year for 2025–2026.

Stefan is a media personality, strategic business leader, and philanthropist with a diverse background spanning entrepreneurship, finance, digital transformation, and media. He holds a BA (Hons) in Entrepreneurship (UK) and an MBA in Finance from the University of Bedfordshire (UK). 

His professional experience includes leadership roles at Digital 365 Holdings Ltd., which is a foremost digital transformation organisation in Sri Lanka, and Hands International Group, a diversified conglomerate. 

Stefan has further represented global organisations and Fortune 500 companies as well as advisory work across investment and private equity sectors and collaborations with internationally recognised brands including Manipal Group and Far East Hospitality.

The birth of ‘The 3i Show’

The idea for ‘The 3i Show’ did not arrive suddenly. The concept had been sitting in Stefan’s mind for years. “The planning probably began two years prior, with the concept and what I wanted to do. We started it mid last year,” he explained.

The name ‘The 3i Show’ is deliberate. “The 3 ‘i’s in 3i are ‘Impact, Influence, and Inspire,’” Stefan said of the show’s structure and intent. “The main purpose of the podcast is to highlight successful journeys of entrepreneurs, business leaders, and corporate figures and to show their journeys, their struggles, and the obstacles they overcame to get where they are.”

The emphasis remains on process rather than polish. Guests speak about discipline, setbacks, and repetition. The show positions success as earned rather than inherited. Stefan described the podcast as a way of encouraging listeners “to break barriers and achieve greatness, and impact the society they live in,” and the speakers on ‘The 3i Show’ – business leaders, creatives, changemakers – reflect that aim. 

From idea to execution

While the concept stayed clear, execution required a different mindset. Stefan acknowledged the gap between thinking and doing.

“You can think of an idea,” he said. “But to execute it is a whole other game.” The shift came through action rather than preparation. 

Stefan shared that ultimately he reached a point where planning gave way to starting. “You just need to do it,” he said. “Stop the procrastination. Stop the overthinking. Stop being a perfectionist. As you start, the perfection and the things you need to do iron out and happen along the way.”

That approach shaped the early stages of the show. The learning curve unfolded in public. Equipment improved. Production workflows developed. Distribution expanded gradually.

Podcasting also required a personal adjustment. Stefan admitted public speaking had once felt uncomfortable, despite having served as a news anchor on one of Sri Lanka’s largest television networks. “Public speaking and communication was something I thought I was terrible at,” he said. “And often afraid of.”

The podcast forced a different relationship with communication. Repetition replaced fear. Practice replaced avoidance.

For listeners, the podcast sounds conversational. Behind the scenes, the challenges sit elsewhere. Stefan noted that the interviews themselves rarely presented difficulty.

“The challenge is behind the scenes,” he said. “Getting everything ready on time. Ensuring the edit is perfect. Making sure the quality of the content is the way I want it.”

Production demanded consistency. Scheduling, equipment, visual quality, and editing standards required constant attention. For Stefan, the responsibility lay in delivering an episode aligned with internal expectations.

One unexpected skill emerged through hosting: adaptability. “I might have a framework of questions in my mind. But mainly it’s off script. Sometimes the questions you prepared might not be the most relevant at the time and you have to adapt.”

Entrepreneurship as a throughline

Entrepreneurship is undoubtedly one of the key themes of ‘The 3i Show.’ As someone who studied entrepreneurship and is an entrepreneur himself, Stefan describes entrepreneurship as one of the things he feels most passionate about. 

“Entrepreneurship is very important in the development of any country,” he said. “I definitely see myself as an entrepreneur, and have been since my childhood. When I was 10 and living in the UK, I used to freeze Ribena and sell it during the summer. That was how I started my entrepreneurship journey.” 

That passion for fostering entrepreneurship shaped the core of ‘The 3i Show.’ The first guest, Rakshitha Tudawe, from the Tudawe family, whose work spans construction and healthcare, showed that focus and opened the series.

Now on its third episode, Stefan shared that while the show initially focused on local entrepreneurs and C-suite figures, over time, he hoped for international voices to enter the mix. “There are so many gems and stories behind different personalities in this country, and I want to highlight those stories first,” he explained. 

The show also pays attention to generational change, speaking to second- and third-generation leaders stepping into established businesses and speaking about successors to legacies navigating responsibility and continuing these established businesses while driving change.

Challenging comfort

One of the more unusual pieces of entrepreneurship advice Stefan has received in life has come not through ‘The 3i Show,’ but from a mentor, and is something he lives by. It challenged his personal temperament. 

“What I was told was that if you want to win in the marketplace, you have to be the opposite of who you are,” he recalled. “Sometimes the marketplace is shrewd. There is always someone trying to get ahead of you the moment you step off or take a break. If you’re too nice, you can get eaten up.”

Stefan acknowledged the tension between being easy-going and operating within competitive environments, stressing that you don’t have to be cruel to get ahead, but simply more aware and more focused. “You don’t have to be a bad person,” he said. “You have to be wise. Sharp. On the ball.”

Failure is also something to prepare for. “Most entrepreneurs today, before they made it, tried many times and failed,” Stefan said, referencing familiar examples, including Colonel Sanders, whose recipe faced repeated rejection.

“Try something. If it doesn’t work, that’s okay. Learn from it. Grow from it. Keep going,” Stefan said, noting that every failure brought an important lesson with it. 

What success looks like

A question posed to Stefan: what are the most important qualities in an entrepreneur? What does it take to be a success?

 Across conversations, no single trait defined success. Instead, patterns repeated. “It’s not just one characteristic that gives you success. I would say there are three,” Stefan shared. “Discipline. Commitment. Consistency.”

It is these qualities that keep anyone successful. It’s what keeps you showing up even when motivation fades, being the first to the office even when you don’t want to be, and being consistent with that commitment day in and day out till you reach that point of success. 

“The idea of overnight success is a myth,” Stefan said. “There’s no such thing. Success takes time.”

Motivation surfaced repeatedly during the interview. Stefan referred to a quote attributed to Mark Twain. “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why,” he said. “When you know your purpose and calling, that is what will fuel you. When doing a product or service, ask why. What problem are you solving? Whose lives are you changing?”

With ‘The 3i Show’ and the future, Stefan realises that international recognition has arrived earlier than scale, something which he is very humbled by, and gives him zeal for the future. The long-term ambition extends beyond podcasting. Media, in broader form, remains the direction. 

“As we progress, I want to get more international people on board,” he said. “Connect with TV stations. I eventually want ‘The 3i Show’ to become a media powerhouse driven by the whole purpose of impacting lives.”