As KSUM Starts 2-Day Conclave, Kerala To Intensify Gender Equal Entrepreneurship Vision

Gender equality key to entrepreneurial advancement: Minister at KSUM summit

Kerala is intensifying its efforts to promote entrepreneurship with parallel focus on gender equality, Health Minister Smt Veena George said today. “The government’s vision and policy make it compulsory to implement steps that encourage women to enter entrepreneurship and innovation in stronger numbers. We have been increasingly organizing programmes to up-skill and re-skill talents to increase their confidence,” she said inaugurating a two-day conclave by Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) in its efforts to further promote female participation in the founding companies.

“KSUM has been working for long to remove all obstacles towards gender neutrality in entrepreneurship. This event envisages the creation of a solid ecosystem for females,” the Minister pointed out in a video appearance at the ‘ Women Startup Summit 4.0,2022 ’ that began on Friday with seven key sessions in the run-up to the formal inauguration in Edappally on Saturday.

The two-day summit had sessions that promised to carry forward administrative ideas and make them fruitful, she said at the WSS 4.0, which overall hosted 30 live sessions addressed by 80-plus speakers in the presence of more than 500 delegates. The day’s proceedings featured a string of sessions with speakers who included founders and managing partners, predominantly women, of a range of successful companies.

The summit at Marriott Hotel, a day after its inaugural sessions in KSUM’s Technology Innovation Zone at Kalamassery outside the city, featured an expo of more than 100 products, while simultaneously conducting master-classes, workshops, pitch fest, SheLovesTech and Investor Café.

Actress-danseuse Remya Nambeesan speaks at '2022 Women Startup Summit 4.0’ organised by Kerala Startup Mission at Edappally in Kochi on September 24, Saturday

Actress-dancer Ms Remya Nambeesan, addressing the inaugural ceremony, said conventional gender biases cannot anymore stop women from becoming entrepreneurs in a changed world marked by renewed fighting spirit amid institutional support.

All the same, the state’s film industry “has only 20 per cent female presence” even as the artistes “celebrate womanhood and our abilities”. “Each person has her unique performing capacity. We must not only recognize this fact, but respect it as well,” she said, capping up her talk by delivering with a popular Hindi song.

KSUM CEO Mr Anoop Ambika, addressing the inaugural ceremony, said entrepreneurship in the state merits newer ideas that cater to the needs of its geriatric people when Kerala has aged men and women contributing to 60 per cent of the population.

Kerala Startup Mission CEO Anoop P Ambika at the inaugural ceremony of Women Startup Summit 4.0, 2022, organised by the nodal agency at Hotel Marriott, Edappally in Kochi on Saturday, September 24, 2022

"Also, we are set to set up community innovation centres in the state’s rural parts to scout talents in the villages as well as small towns to groom them. Further, the government is to work with NRIs in a bigger way to create new enterprises in the state,” he revealed, while welcoming the inaugural session at WSS, through which KSUM provided a view of leaders in “real action” from all across the globe.

A session on 'Building Future India through Startups' on at 'Women Startup Summit 4.0 2022' organized by Kerala Startup Mission on at Edappally in Kochi on September 24, Saturday

The forenoon sessions of the day included a panel discussion on ‘Building Future India Through Startups’ after a dialogue on ‘Women Pulling the Indian Startup System.” The afternoon sessions were on ‘Leaders of Tomorrow’, ‘Overview about KSUM’, ‘Sustainable Future in Business’ and ‘Role of Media in Women Empowerment’.

The first day of the summit held a pivotal She Loves Tech India ’22. The day also hosted a pitching session on productization grant for women startups. The money will be for those Indian startups that have women holding more than half the ownership stake. The winners are set to get Rs 12 lakh. They will also be eligible for soft loans of Rs 15 lakh (6 per cent interest) and seed funds.

She Loves Tech India was addressed by the largest accelerator platform’s Co-founder Leanne Robers. The inaugural day of the summit chiefly held four panel discussions and three fireside chats.

The summit on Friday hosted a panel discussion on ‘Exploring the Plethora of Opportunities and Support to Promote and Encourage Women Startups and Entrepreneurship’. The afternoon sessions featured three workshops and a pitching under ‘Investor Café’, before a panel discussion on Smart Steps. This was followed by networking.

Farmers Fresh Zone Acquires Milk Delivery Platform AM Needs for $2 Mn

Farm produce online retailer Farmers Fresh Zone (FFZ), incubated in Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), has acquired milk delivery platform AM Needs for $2 million (Rs 15.95 crore) in cash and stock deal.With this acquisition, FFZ adds country-milk and value-added products to its product category and it can provide unadulterated country milk to its consumers. Last September, FFZ got Rs 6 crore Pre-Series A funding led by Indian Angel Network (IAN). The online company targets Rs 1,000 crore revenue in the next five years.

FFZ, which operates in Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Kottayam, and Coimbatore, directly procures products from local farmers within 16 hours of harvest by giving them remunerative prices and take them to consumers.

Founded in 2019 by Sujith Sudhakaran and Ranjith Balan, AM Needs has built a technology stack and platform to ensure delivery of fresh items to customers before 7 am every day. The delivery platform, which is present in four cities in Kerala, offers products like milk, vegetables, and breakfast essentials.

Currently, AM Needs collaborates with Milma to sell milk and dairy products. It delivered more than 1.2 million orders last year.

Commenting on the takeover, Pradeep PS, Founder and CEO, Farmers Fresh Zone, said the acquisition adds locally sourced pure country-milk to their portfolio. “Using the AI-based app, ‘Captain Farm’, we can ensure food safety and traceability for fresh products. We will also be expanding to more cities,” he noted.

According to Sujith Sudhakaran and Ranjith Balan, Co-founders of AM Needs, the collaboration brings in tremendous scope for the company, besides ensuring more effective service to their customers.

Nagaraja Prakasam, Lead Angel investor and Board Member, FFZ, said FFZ pioneered ‘Know your farmer’ and now customers can ‘know their milk’ as well.

 
Padmaja Ruparel, Co-founder, IAN and Founding Partner, IAN Fund, said consumers are aware of the quality of food and its impact on health. FFZ has created the farm-to-fork supply chain to ensure food safety and such a benchmark in quality will also be applied to the sale of milk.

KSUM is the nodal agency of the Kerala Government for entrepreneurship development and incubation activities in the state.

KSUM Invites Proposals to Partner With Fund of Funds Scheme To Finance Startup Ventures

Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) has invited proposals from SEBI-accredited funds to become partners in the Fund of Funds scheme, set up by the Kerala Government to financially support startup ventures.

The request for proposal (RFP) aims to consider proposals from interested bidders for receiving a corpus fund from the government which will be channelized to emerging startups in the state through venture investments. According to the RFP, the government will be a limited partner in these funds.

The Fund of Funds scheme is for helping startups obtain investments and attracting venture capital funds to the state. Currently, the government is partnering with four funds under this scheme. Around Rs 750 crore worth corpus fund has been made available for the startup ventures in the state through these four funds.

Moreover, investments of over Rs 75 crore have been received by various start-ups through this scheme.

More details about the scheme can be obtained by visiting https://www.etenders.kerala.gov.in/ Tender ID: 2022_T TBI_471602_1.

Last date for submitting proposals is April 30 till 6pm.

KSUM is the nodal agency of the Kerala government for entrepreneurship development and incubation activities in the state.

Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) to Hold India’s Largest B2G Summit for Startups

Public Procurement Summit to be held on April 26

Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) will host the country’s largest Business to Government (B2G) summit focusing on bridging the gap between the state’s vibrant startup ecosystem and the government departments/organisations in order to create an avenue for leveraging the innovations of startups.

The ‘Public Procurement Summit 2022’, to be held at Hotel Mascot in the capital city on April 26, will set the stage for startups to interact with government and public sector undertakings (PSUs) and understand the latter’s requirements. The event will also provide a platform to startups to display their products.

The government departments/PSUs can present their requirements before startups and procure the products and services from them.

The summit will also pave the way for setting up Startup Innovation Zones in the government departments, which will be facilitated by KSUM. This will bring process or product innovation in the departments.

Mr John M Thomas, CEO, KSUM, said the summit would introduce innovative solutions from startups that can be implemented in the government departments.

“This is one of the largest B2G summits happening in the country. The event will create a platform for deeper engagement between startups and departments. Startups can showcase their innovative products and services that are useful for departments,” he added.

Mr Thomas said the event is an opportunity for startups to build rapport with officials and representatives of the state government.

“Policy-level interventions and schemes will be announced and proposed at the summit. The Kerala government has the ‘Government as a Marketplace’ scheme, which enables startups to sell their products to government departments. Through the summit, startups can also learn about the best startup procurement practices in India adopted by various state governments and PSUs,” he added.

For registration of the summit, visit: https://pps.startupmission.in/

Public procurement from startups has been formalized from the Kerala State IT Policy 2017, which mandates the state government to act as an early adopter for promising technology startups from Kerala.

Startup products/services up to a ceiling of Rs 20 lakh can be directly procured and from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 1 crore can be procured through a limited tender among the startups.

The scheme has successfully facilitated completion of 135 procurements worth more than Rs 12 crore from startups. Startup India and Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) have recognized the scheme as one of the best practices in the country and the same was showcased to various states.

KSUM is the nodal agency of the Kerala government for entrepreneurship development and incubation activities in the state.

BigBasket Acquires Kerala Startup Agrima Infotech

(From left) Founders of Agrima Infotech Anoop Balakrishnan, Arun Ravi and Nikhil Dharman

Deal announced on sidelines of KSUM’s Huddle Global 2022

India’s largest online grocery seller BigBasket has acquired the enterprise business unit of a deep-tech company incubated by Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) with a view to revolutionizing offline retail in the country.

BigBasket, a TATA enterprise, will be implementing Kochi-based startup Agrima Infotech’s unique customer vision technology platform, Psyight, at the self-checkout counters of the former’s retail stores.

The acquisition was announced by Mr Hari Menon, CEO, BigBasket, on the sidelines of a two-day virtual ‘Huddle Global 2022’ of KSUM that got underway here on Saturday.

Psyight, created by Mr Anoop Balakrishnan, Mr Arun Ravi and Mr Nikhil Dharman under Agrima Infotech, helps identify all Indian fruits and vegetables uniquely from an image without using barcodes.

KSUM Chief Executive Officer Mr John M Thomas described the acquisition as a “milestone” for any Kerala startup. “It not only reiterates the strength of our startup ecosystem, but shows the great impression firms such as BigBasket have about our startups,” he noted. “I hope the deal would encourage startups to move ahead strongly in their attempt to scale up their business.”

Agrima Infotech Co-founder and CEO Mr Anoop Balakrishnan said his startup joining hands with BigBasket will redefine the offline shopping experience in the country.

Agrima Co-Founder and COO Mr Arun Ravi said detecting raw food items such fruits and vegetables uniquely from an image is a complex machine vision problem since the appearance of those items may vary with respect to the location of its origin and seasons. “We have captured thousands of images of each SKU (stock-keeping unit) across the seasons and from different locations to achieve cent per cent accuracy,” he added.

Mr Menon, noting that the acquisition brings “a lot of value to our business”, said BigBasket will use this expertise on AI (artificial intelligence) and ML (machine learning) to enrich and enhance a whole lot of technological innovation in the company. “We look forward to working with Agrima team to build solid innovation in the grocery space.”

Recently, BigBasket opened its first technology-driven self-service ‘Fresho’ retail store in Bangalore.

KSUM is the nodal agency of the Kerala Government for entrepreneurship development and incubation activities in the state.

Kerala to Have 15,000 Startups, 2 Lakh Jobs in 5 Years: CM Pinarayi Vijayan

CM opens state’s first Fintech Accelerator as KSUM’s Huddle Global 2022 kicks off

Kerala has set an ambitious target of having over 15,000 startups and 200,000 jobs in emerging technologies in five years, Chief Minister Shri Pinarayi Vijayan today said.

He was inaugurating the third edition of the ‘Huddle Global 2022’, organised by the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM).

The Chief Minister also opened the state’s first Fintech Accelerator and Finishing School on the sidelines of the two-day big-ticket conclave that brings together global leaders from the startup ecosystem to strengthen networking and forging partnerships.

Shri Vijayan said the state government has plans to set up an emerging technology startup hub in the state capital, on the lines of the facility existing in Kochi, considering the vital role of the startups in the emerging scenario.

“Startups being the future of the country, Kerala is committed to providing the right ecosystem. Our startups have raised Rs 3,200 crore as equity investments since 2015. Along with startup infrastructure in the Technology Innovation Zone Kochi, the government is considering a similar campus at Thiruvananthapuram, focusing on emerging technologies,” the Chief Minister said.

‘Huddle Global 2022’ offers startups a platform to showcase products and interact with technology/industry leaders, besides providing them the scope to explore ways on moving ahead in the world emerging from Covid-19.

“Given that India is the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem with more than 55,000 startups, the government is aware of the significance of each state’s contribution to the overall development of this national startup ecosystem. Startup India ranking places Kerala as one of the top Indian states for startup environment,” Shri Vijayan said.

“The approach adopted from schools, colleges and to the professional ecosystem has created innovative startups in the state. Various government initiatives such as IEDC (Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Centers, for colleges), YIP (Young Innovators Programme), programmes for incubation and acceleration, corporate innovation, besides Center of Excellences, infrastructure facilities, government as a marketplace scheme, innovation grants, Fund-of-Fund and International Exposure programmes have made Kerala the best place to start and grow enterprises,” the Chief Minister added.

Minister for Industries, Law and Coir Shri P. Rajeeve, in his presidential address to the meet, said Kerala has built a unique model to nurture startups from ideation to the scale up stage.

“KSUM is dedicated to fostering global entrepreneurship to strengthen the startup community in the state as well as across the nation. The goal of Huddle Global is to create an environment where the passion meets the purpose to learn, network, bridge the gap between business, expose potential and see actual result,” Shri Rajeeve added.

In his video message, Mr Alderman Vincent Keaveny, The Lord Mayor of the City of London, and partner in business law firm DLA Piper, said India is on to the way to becoming Asia’s top fintech hub just as the UK is Europe’s top fintech hub. Mr Keaveny added that Kerala is scaling new heights in technology by becoming a stable model ecosystem for startups.

The Fintech Accelerator and Finishing School is an initiative of Kochi-based Open Financial Technologies in collaboration with KSUM to support startups coming up with fintech solutions. Open will be investing Rs 200 crore for the next five years as part of the Centre of Excellence (CoE) and Fintech Accelerator.

Open Fintech Accelerator, which will launch its first cohort from March 1, is led by Anish Achuthan, Mabel Chacko, Deena Jacob and Ajeesh Achuthan.

On the first day of the event, KSUM has signed MoUs with Google for Startups, Habitat, Jetro, Global Accelerator Network, I Hub Gujarat, NASSCOM and CSL, among others.

One of Asia’s largest startup ecosystem congregations and India's biggest networking platform for entrepreneurs, the event focuses on business, investment and partnership opportunities for startups amid sustained fights against the pandemic-induced stalemate.

The event, featuring keynote sessions, leadership talks, tech talks, startup demo and other business-oriented activities, has a startup expo of both global and Kerala-based startups. Also, there are pitch sessions and dedicated mentoring sessions.

The event is being held on a platform created by KSUM to accommodate more than 2,000 people. Kerala IT Parks are also joining hands with KSUM in the conference.

Fablab Kerala Wins Fab Academy’s First Fame Award for World’s Best Fab Lab

Image Credit

Fablab Kerala won the inaugural FAME (Fab Academy Masterpiece Execution) award for the world’s best fab lab.

The honour came from the US-based Fab Academy, which conducted an online voting for 18 nominees it shortlisted from participants across the globe. The Thiruvananthapuram-headquartered Fablab Kerala emerged the topper by earning the most number of votes for its product that functions with the assistance of internet and mobile app.

Earlier, Fab Academy Program Director Prof Neil Gershenfeld prepared a final list of 18 participating labs in the Academy’s 2020-21 program.The selection was based on the merit of the projects by the fablabs participating in the Fab Academy’s 2020-2021 program. Each of them were asked to post on Instagram a video of their product. Based on this, an online poll followed.

The product developed by Abel Tomy brought the award for Fablab Kerala. Abel’s gadget works as per commands to show time or, say, token number. It can be operated using Google Assistant as well.

The voting for the FAME award ended on October 4 at 11 pm (American Standard Time), having started at 9 a.m. on September 27. The verdict was announced over Instagram.

Kerala fablabs function under the Kerala Startup Mission. They are based in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi. Of these, the one at Kochi is a super fablab.

KSUM is the state’s 2006-founded nodal agency for entrepreneurship development and incubation activities.

Kerala Startup Mission and Aries International Maritime Research Institute (AIMRI) Tie Up for Maiden Edition of Indywood Billionaires Club Startup Awards 2021

AIMRI, in association with Kerala Startup Mission and Indywood Billionaires Club (IBC), has announced the maiden edition of Indywood Billionaires Club Startup Awards.

 The event will be a virtual award show scheduled for February 23rd, 2021.

Indywood Billionaires Club Startup Awards 2021 aims to recognize and provide business collaboration opportunities to outstanding startups that build innovative products and solutions. They must also have a high potential to generate wealth, employment, and demonstrate measurable social impact. Indywood Billionaires Club Startup Awards 2021 will incorporate a virtual award ceremony, panel discussions, and product presentation opportunities for organizations to present their concept. Besides offering organizations a chance to pitch their products in front of investors, AIMRI shall also open incubation possibilities for deserving projects.

Dr. Sohan Roy, Founder President of Indywood Billionaires Club, stated, "This is the first time we have initiated such a concept. As part of the 'Made in India' vision, our aim is to promote indigenous products and innovative concepts and have the potential to simplify lives globally. This unique initiative will be a golden opportunity for startup owners to showcase their brands and raise their brand value. This will also be a perfect platform for organizations to raise investments by promoting their winning products/concepts in the Indywood Billionaires Club circle. So, if you have a product/concept which you believe in, then this is the platform for you."

Some of the award categories include Innovative Startup of the Year, Technology-Based Startup of the Year, Art & Craft Startup of the Year, Digital Startup of the Year, Promising Startup of the Year, Mobility Startup of the Year, Energy Startup of the Year, Logistics Startup of the Year, Food & Beverage Startup of the Year, Healthcare Startup of the Year, Education Startup of the Year, retail Startup of the Year, Tourism & leisure Startup of the Year, Real Estate Startup of the Year, Social Impact Startup of the Year, E-Commerce (B2B) Startup of the Year, Rural Startup of the Year, Agricultural Startup of the Year, Women-led Startup of the Year, and Green Startup of the Year.

Preliminary Evaluation & Filtering will be conducted by the Research & Incubation Hub of the project – ARIES INTERNATIONAL MARITIME RESEARCH INSTITUTE (AIMRI). Initial Filtering of the registrations will be performed from February 01st, 2021 - February 05th. Detailed Evaluation from February 5th, 2021- February 12th, 2021, and Jury Evaluation will be conducted from February 13th, 2021 - February 20th, 2021. Virtual Event & Winner Announcements: February 23rd, 2021The Final Evaluation will be conducted by INDYWOOD BILLIONAIRES CLUB (IBC). The last date for nomination is January 31st, 2021.

To nominate your organization or to know more details visit: http://indywoodbillionairesclub.com/startup/ or contact +91 – 9539000509 (India), +971 – 566796096 (UAE) or email startup@indywood.co.in

COVID-19: KSUM to Hold Webinars for Mentoring Startups

The Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) has planned a series of online mentorship sessions for startups, in association with industry bodies, on a range of topics to equip them meet the challenges arising
from the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

High profile Industry leaders, including those from Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and Paytm, are also part of the year-long webinar series.

Startups can ingest ideas from industry stalwarts by taking part in the free sessions from their convenient places.

During this lockdown period, startups are facing difficulty in meeting and networking with industry heads and get expert advice on various aspects of business such as marketing, managing funds, investors perspective on the pandemic, business modelling, technical sessions and much more, a press release said.

The webinars seek to bridge this gap by keeping fledgling entrepreneurs engaged and help the startups learn the best practices to adopt at the time of crisis.

It will also bring in active number of participants than in the physical assembly of conferences.

KSUM is the nodal agency for entrepreneurship development and incubation activities in the state.