Proud Co.Lab · Paris · Est. 2021
Built to transform workplace culture. So every individual inside can show up fully, speak freely, regardless of who they love, how they identify, where they come from, what they look like, or how their mind and body work. They bring their best work. Every day.
“When employees are unhappy, it costs the global economy $438 billion. Change isn't just policy. It's in belonging.”
Three years ago, Kayleb Hash Bandara moved to Paris on a FrenchTech talent Passport, all by himself.
Not because he had it all figured out but because he finally stopped pretending he didn't know what he was called to do.
He had built Sri Lanka's first skateboarding brand at 22. Ran a boutique design studio that collaborated with the Jimmy Carter Foundation, Nike and the US Embassy. Was a celebrated Human rights advocate and an Entrepreneur for 13+ years. Had the career, the recognition, the life that looked right from the outside.
But everything shifted during his MA in 2020, at his personal development program conducted by Lucy Vittrup Christensen and with his spiritual alignment, he found himself, his purpose in life all over again. He finally took the decision to transition, to stop hiding and do what he always knew his calling was. "Transforming workplace culture"
He had spent years navigating workplaces and systems that weren't built for people like him.
He knew what it felt like to edit yourself before every meeting. To calculate the risk before speaking. To be measured against a template you were never part of.
He also knew what happened to organisations that allowed that culture to persist. The talent that quietly left. The ideas that never got heard. The performance gap that kept getting blamed on strategy.
He tested different methods at his companies, with hundreds of people he collaborated with over the years. And this is why Proud Co.Lab was born. It is the platform he built during his MA thesis because he couldn't find it anywhere else.
“I committed my life to creating what I couldn't find and giving what I received from my support system to as many people as possible. This is when Proud was born.”
Feel at home, at work.
Bring your authentic self to work and rise up to your highest potential.
We believe that when people speak freely and show up fully, regardless of who they love, how they identify, where they come from, what they look like, or how their mind and body work. They work with passion. And when they work with passion, organisations perform at their highest potential. That's not idealism. That's the research.
$438B
Lost to disengagement globally in 2024.
— Gallup, 2025
39%
Performance uplift. The most diverse leadership teams most likely outperforms by 39%.
— McKinsey, 2023
230%
Average return on every dollar invested in belonging.
— Workplace Options, 2024
Each part of the Proud Co.Lab ecosystem supports a different stage of growth. From people discovering where they can contribute at their best, to leaders creating the conditions where diverse talent can thrive, to a hiring platform designed to connect potential with opportunity. Different pathways. One ecosystem. Built around Human Intelligence.
01
For people who know there's more in them and are ready to unfold it. Six weeks of coaching, with action designed to help you rise to your highest potential and support you in showing up as you. For talent ready to stop fitting in and start flourishing.
02
The strongest cultures don't grow from sameness. They grow from diverse perspectives, shared purpose, and leaders who know how to bring out the best in people. We help organisations build Human Intelligence, psychological safety, and cultures where people can contribute fully. For organisations ready to grow from the inside out.
03
A new way to connect talent and opportunity. Skills-first. Privacy-first. Human-first. Designed to reduce bias and create better matches by focusing on what people can do, not assumptions about who they are. Where skills beat stereotypes. Every hire.
Coming soon
Proud Co.Lab wasn't built in a boardroom. It was built by people who've navigated systems not designed for them and committed their lives to changing that.
Six people. One mission. Workplaces where everyone belongs and everyone GROWS.
Join the waitlist for Proud Rise and Proud Leadership Coaching.
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