# Dhananja 'DJ' Jayalath

> Dhananja “DJ” Jayalath is an electrical engineer and product executive who co-founded Athos in 2012, developing sensor-equipped athletic apparel from a University of Waterloo design project with Christopher Wiebe. He held CEO and chief product officer roles at Athos and later joined Palmetto, where his public work includes consumer energy software. Waterloo recognized his entrepreneurship and student mentorship with its 2022 Young Alumni Achievement Medal.

- **Role:** Vice President of Product at Palmetto (title documented in the 2024 TEDx biography; public Palmetto product work documented in 2025)
- **Organizations:** Athos / Mad Apparel, Inc., Palmetto, University of Waterloo, Hack the North
- **Nationality:** Sri Lankan (self-described in a 2015 interview)
- **Education:** BASc, Electrical Engineering, University of Waterloo, A.B. Lucas Secondary School
- **Known for:** Co-developed an award-winning Waterloo design project that became Athos., Forbes 30 Under 30, 2016; Athos featured in Inc. 30 Under 30, 2015., Waterloo Engineering Young Alumni Achievement Medal, 2022.

## Career timeline

- **2012** — Graduated from Waterloo; the Muscle Activation Detection Suit won two Ontario Engineering Competition awards; co-founded Athos with Christopher Wiebe.
- **2013** — Waterloo reported $3.5 million in Athos seed backing from Social+Capital Partnership.
- **2015** — Athos appeared in Inc. 30 Under 30.
- **2016** — Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 with Wiebe.
- **2018** — Listed as a Hack the North judge.
- **2022** — Identified as VP of Channel Strategy at Palmetto Solar in August; received Waterloo Engineering’s Young Alumni Achievement Medal in November.
- **2023** — Spoke at TEDxUW on taking unreasonable bets.
- **2024** — TEDx talk published February 15; biography identified his role as Palmetto VP of Product.
- **2025** — Publicly introduced consumer energy app work at Palmetto in September.

## Achievements

- Co-developed an award-winning Waterloo design project that became Athos.
- Forbes 30 Under 30, 2016; Athos featured in Inc. 30 Under 30, 2015.
- Waterloo Engineering Young Alumni Achievement Medal, 2022.
- Athos hired and mentored nearly 100 Waterloo engineering co-op students under his leadership by the 2022 award account.
- Named co-inventor on US9498128B2, granted November 22, 2016.

## Latest updates

- **2025-09** — Introduced the Palmetto app initiative, describing utility-connected energy recommendations and rewards toward home upgrades.
- **2024-02** — TEDx Talks published Taking Unreasonable Bets on February 15.

## Links

- Website: https://about.me/dhananja
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhananjaj
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dhananja.dj

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/dhananja-jayalath
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23