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.

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.

Investment of ₹ 70 Crore in Startups from Various Sectors Announced by KSUM of Kerala

Investments of Rs 70 crore into startups from various sectors were announced on Saturday at the fifth edition of the two-day 'Seeding Kerala' investment summit, organized by Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) here.

The startups that lapped up the funds include Sporthood, Astro-Vision Futuretech Pvt Ltd, Bumberry, ilove9months, Entri and ZappyHire, an official release said.

The announcement was made on the concluding day of the summit in the presence of M Sivasankar, Principal Secretary (Electronics and IT), Kerala government and Dr Saji Gopinath, CEO, KSUM.

Bengaluru-based Sporthood, a startup for sports enthusiasts, got investment from SEA Fund, which made its fourth investment in Kerala out of its seven investment ventures.

Founded by Rahul Antony Thomas, Arun V Nair, Nikhilesh M R and Vikram Devare, Sporthood has a community of 30,000 kids and adults subscribed to the platform. It has 21 established sports clubs across Bengaluru and Kochi.

Astro-Vision Futuretech Pvt Ltd has got investment from matrimony.com, one of the largest matrimonial companies in India. It's the first investment by the Chennai-based firm.

Astro Vision has been providing Vedic-based astrology solutions to consumers in more than 10 Indian languages for over three decades and has generated more than 110 million horoscopes.

Bumberry, a startup that manufactures eco-friendly and re-usable cloth diapers, has raised fund from Kerala Angel Network (KAN), led by a group of investors, the release said. It is KANs maiden investment in a startup. Bumberry was founded by Kutty Krishnan, an educator by profession.

Bumberry diapers come as natural bamboo cotton pad and pocket diapers.

US-based Equifin VC will be investing in Maternia Care Technologies Pvt Ltd., which owns the brand ilove9months, a women-led maternity-focused startup.

It is also the maiden investment venture in India by the US firm.

Another startup Entri, a learning app in local languages that has over 1.6 million users, is funded by Good Capital.

Founded by Mohammed Hisamuddin, Entri first started providing a database of questions for government recruitment examinations in Malayalam.

Smart Sparks Angel Network will invest in ZappyHire, which gives companies the flexibility on what tools they would like to use, based on their hiring requirements such as assessment and candidate profiling.

On the occasion, officials of Pavizham Oil and Rice handed over its Corporate Social Responsibility fund of Rs 9.4 lakh to startup Red Button as part of the Red Button public safety programme.

The project, to be implemented in Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur initially, is about installing a robotic system in public areas to ensure public safety, especially for women, and also bridge the gap between the police and public.

Moreover, Kochi-based startup Watasalere paid the Rs six lakh seed fund to the Kerala government as a goodwill gesture.

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

India's 1st Super Fab Lab Inaugurated by Kerala CM

The country's first Super Fab Lab, which will give a major push to the hardware industry in the country and the only such facility outside the U.S., was launched at the Integrated Startup Complex of the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) here on Saturday.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the facility through remote control from Palakkad, where he attended a function at the government Polytechic College.

The Super Fab Lab will function in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

The Fab Labs concept, the only one outside the U.S., is the brainchild of Dr Neil Gershenfeld, presently the Director of MIT Centre for Bits and Atoms, who set up the first Fab Lab in the U.S. about 17 years ago, KSUM said.

Dr Gershenfeld was in the city for nearly a week to personally supervise setting up of the Super Fab Lab.

Fab Labs are fabrication laboratories offering digital fabrication and computation.

Dr Gershenfeld asserted that the new facility, the only one outside the U.S., not only "has the tools to make anything, it also makes the tools that make things. It will break down boundaries between the digital and physical worlds," he said.

Relying on Computer Aided Design with additive and subtractive manufacturing, the Super Fab Lab allows
researchers, innovators and developers to do things beyond the purview of the states existing fab labs.

Dr Gershenfeld said the Super Fab Lab is a pioneering venture by Kerala and would let people produce what they consume

The state-of-art facility enables the state to produce machines locally, for access throughout Kerala. It can be for business, education and almost anything.

"It is an exciting initiative and the whole world is watching what is happening here so that they can follow on your footsteps", Dr Gershenfield was quoted as saying by Kerala Startup Mission in a release.

The Super Fab Lab, which is poised to give India's hardware industry a huge leap by allowing researchers, innovators and developers to do things beyond the purview of the states existing fab labs, will function in collaboration with MIT, it said.

KSUM CEO Dr Saji Gopinath said the Super Fab Lab will give a huge boost to Keralas industrial sector.

"Innovations that happen at the Lab can soon gettranslated to the industrial sector and we may see quite a few startups springing up in the near future," he said.

The KSUM Super Fab Lab has state-of-the-art machines worth more than Rs seven crore in a 10,000 square feet area.

The Super Fab Lab is set to make ISC one of the country's most sought-after investment hubs, coming as it is after electronics hardware incubator Maker Village and its biotech counterpart Bio-Nest.

DP World launches Log-X, A National Tech Accelerator for Logistics

Global trade enabler DP World today launched Log-X, a national technology accelerator platform for logistics, in partnership with Invest India, Kerala Start-Up Mission and its accelerator partner Startup Réseau, to encourage innovation and technology adoption in the Indian logistics sector.

The accelerator program is specially curated for entrepreneurs in the logistics and other associated sectors. The goal is to catalyze Indian entrepreneurs and the start-up community to develop smart trade solutions by leveraging massive opportunities offered by digital technology.

Log-X was launched by Rizwan Soomar, CEO and Managing Director, DP World Subcontinent; in the presence of Mike Bhaskaran, Global Chief Digital Officer of DP World.

The Log-X technology accelerator platform will focus on digital technologies like blockchain, artificial intelligence, robotics, simulators and Internet of things (IOT systems). The platform will seek to identify logistics-focused technology start-ups through Startup India portal and will look to onboard up to 10 selected start-ups for conducting pilots, with a long-term objective of partnerships, strategic engagements and proof-of-concept development. The finalized start-ups will be mentored by DP World leadership team and external mentors on-boarded to the program.

Rizwan Soomar, CEO and MD, DP World Subcontinent, said: “Technology adoption and innovation will play a strong role in building an integrated logistics platform which offer end-to-end solutions for cargo owners. DP World wants to encourage the creation of a start-up eco-system for logistics and supply-chain focused innovators with an aim to reduce the costs of logistics in India and make India’s exports more competitive. The LogX accelerator program is a unique partnership between DP World, Invest India and the Start-Up Kerala Mission to encourage innovation across the value chain in the logistics sector in India. Stronger technology adoption in the logistics sector will also improve transparency, reliability and predictability in the supply chains across the country. This will be transformative for India.”

Deepak Bagla, MD & CEO, Invest India, said: “This is a unique partnership and the first in the logistics sector. We are very pleased to be partnering with DP World on this unique initiative to drive innovation in the sector. We look forward to working with the final start-ups who are chosen by the Log-X accelerator platform.”

Invest India is the national investment promotion and facilitation agency for India, envisaged to be the first point of reference for potential investors. Invest India also has a series of initiatives including the India Investment Grid which showcases up-to-date information on investible projects, Startup India, an initiative to catalyse and support the startup ecosystem, AGNii, for linking Indian science and innovation to enterprise, and the Project Monitoring Group to accelerate large-scale projects.

 

Kerala Startup Mission Signs MOU With OVHcloud to Provide Infrastructure Support for Startups in Kerala

OVHcloud, a global hyper-scale cloud provider and Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU)to provide support and mentoring for startups in Kerala. OVH will work closely with startups to understand their pain points when entering into a market with very minimal resources. The MOU was exchanged between Sudheesh Sudhakaran, R&D & Managing Director, OVHcloud India and Dr. Saji Gopinath, Chief Executive Officer, Kerala Startup Mission.

Under the MOU, OVHcloud will provide OVHcloud services as per OVHcloud startup accelerator program guidelines to KSUM based start-ups. Start-ups will also be benefited with an infrastructure budget of up to $100,000 to deploy a solution built on the OVHcloud infrastructure. The OVHcloud startup accelerator program, earlier known as Digital Launch Pad program aims at encouraging aspiring entrepreneur professionals to take up their entrepreneurial campaign and develop right from the innovation stage. OVHcloud has supported 1,500 start-ups across 120 countries.

“We are happy to partner with OVHcloud for their services and believe that OVHcloud services will be able to spark innovation in Kerala’s startup community,” said Saji Gopinath, CEO, Kerala Startup Mission.

Speaking on the occasion, Sudheesh Sudhakaran, R&D & Managing Director OVHcloud INDIA “It’s very encouraging to see Kerala building a strong ecosystem for startups and we are delighted to partner with Kerala Start-up Mission as their vision matches our motto “Innovation for Freedom.” Our mission is to strengthen the entrepreneurship community in Kerala by support them through product development and faster go-to-market capabilities.
About OVHcloud

OVHcloud is a global, hyper-scale cloud provider that offers businesses industry-leading performance and value. Founded in 1999, the group manages and maintains 28 data centres in 12 locations on 4 continents, deploys its own global fibre optic network, and manages the entire supply chain for web hosting. Running on its infrastructures, OVH provides simple, powerful tools for businesses, revolutionizing the way that more than 1.5 million customers work across the globe. Respect for individuals’ right to privacy and equal access to new technologies is central to the company’s values.

~ Business Wire India

Kerala's KSUM to Organise Funding Sessions for Startups in Early-stage

Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), the nodal agency of the Kerala government for entrepreneurship development and incubation activities in the state, has floated a platform for early-stage startups to raise funds by presenting their ideas before investors.

The sessions 'Venture Capital for Startups 101' would be held in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode from August 7 to 9. Only 10 selected startups from each venue would get the opportunity to pitch, and they should have a KSUM UNIQUE ID, a press release said.

Chief technology officer of 100x. VC Vatsal Kanakiya would address the startups on venture capital and other topics related to investments.

An early-stage SEBI-registered investment firm, 100X.VC is focused on investing in early-stage startups to effectively become their coach. The final session would be held at KSUM, Technopark, on August 9.

In May, Kerala announced a slew of attractive incentives to encourage women-led companies-- including INR 5 lakh marketing incentives -- which currently account for 13% of the start-ups in Kerala. The state government has issued a notification endorsing the proposals, submitted by KSUM CEO Saji Gopinath. The same is implemented under the "Youth Entrepreneurship Development Programme" (YEDP).

Last month, KSUM hold its "Startup to Scale up" programme at the Integrated Startup Complex at Kochi on July 19 and at Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram, on July 20. The programme, meant for start-ups that have completed the 'prototype' stage, offers orientation on a host of topics like the timing to scale up, selection of team, resource mobilisation, finance management and effective networking.

PTI UD

Kerala's "Startup to Scale Up" Programme to Commence on July 18

"Startup to Scale up" programme, launched by Kerala Startup Mission to train startups to take off, will commence at UL Cyber Park, Kozhikode, on July 18.

This will be followed by training sessions at the Integrated Startup Complex at Kochi on July 19 and at Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram, on July 20.

The programme will be led by renowned tech entrepreneur and mentor Avelo Roy, who is also Startup Advisor to the Prime Minister of Nepal.

Roy, Managing Director of Kolkata Ventures, is leading a programme for the first time in Kerala. He had handled similar events at leading institutions including IITs in different parts of the country, a press release said.

The programme is meant for start-ups that have completed the 'prototype' stage. They will be given orientation on a host of topics like the timing to scale up, selection of team, resource mobilisation, finance management and effective networking.

Related - India Has More Startup Incubators and Accelerators Than Israel - Nasscom

In May, the state government of Kerala has announced a slew of attractive incentives including free incubation to encourage women-led companies, which currently account for 13% of the start-ups in Kerala.

This month only, networking major Cisco signed an MoU with the Kerala State IT Mission (KSITM) to bring the benefits of digital technology including Internet of Things (IoT) and data science to farming communities in Kerala, as part of its Country Digitization Acceleration (CDA) programme.

~ PTI

In Slew of Incentives for Women-led Startups, Kerala Announces Free Incubation, ₹5 Lakh Marketing Endorsement

In a bid to strengthen women entrepreneurship and promote women founded startups, the state government of Kerala has announced a slew of attractive incentives to encourage women-led companies, which currently account for 13% of the start-ups in Kerala.

The state government has issued a notification endorsing the proposals submitted by its nodal agency for technical entrepreneurship, the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), in this regard. The proposals, to be implemented under the "Youth Entrepreneurship Development Programme" (YEDP), was submitted by KSUM CEO Saji Gopinath.\

Two cohorts of 10 startups exclusively for women shall be taken as part of this scheme.

Incentives announced for Women-led startups -

1. Free 3-months pre-incubation support, including mentorship and technical help,



2. KSUM to bear the registration cost and travel expenses of women founders who have a valid start-up product to exhibit in national and international exhibitions (upto 4-times in the start-up life cycle, subject to review)



3. KSUM to endorse marketing activities for up to Rs 5 lakh per start-up per year for two years.




4. The moratorium (a temporary prohibition) on the seed funding support scheme of the KSUM will be extended to two years from one year.


5. Technology transfer support for women-led startups with a ceiling of Rs 10 lakh

Other highlights of the initiative include fast track soft loan against purchase order, fast track soft loan as advance for projects received from the Government departments. About 10% seats will be earmarked for women in International Exposure Programmes.

In India, the participation of women in the Indian funded startup ecosystem stands at 22%, largely mirroring trends in the West.

However, women constitute around 14% of the total entrepreneurship i.e. 8.05 million out of the total 58.5 million entrepreneurs, said the 6th Economic Census released last December. Out of total women entrepreneurs, 2.76 million women constituting 13.3% of women entrepreneurs work in agriculture sector whereas 5.29 million women constituting more than 65% work in non-agriculture sector. The average employment in women-owned enterprises is meager 1.67.

Recently, in an event in Kerala, Satyajeet Singh, a top Facebook official in India said that lack of networks and accessible technological infrastructure are holding India's women entrepreneurs back in their tracks despite of the fat that 4 out of every 5 women from metros as well as smaller towns in India are eager to start their own businesses and become entrepreneurs.

Earlier this year, KSUM partnered with Unity Technologies, a San Francisco, California-based game development company, to launch a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) and gaming, in order to help the startup culture boom in the gaming and AR/VR sectors.

In March, Kerala, with support from Indian space agency ISRO, had launched Space Technology Application Development Ecosystem (STADE) in Trivandrum, which is aimed as a facilitation centre for companies and startups that are into space data analytics and development of space-tech technologies and components.

India's Largest Integrated Startup Complex to be Opened in Kochi on January 13

Kerala is setting up the country’s largest Integrated Startup Complex, which will house a Maker Village, Bionest, and BRINC, the country's first international accelerator for Hardware startups, among other facilities.

State officials have said that the initiative would put Kerala’s vibrant startup ecosystem at full throttle. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the innovation hub, Integrated Startup Complex, at Kalamassery in Kochi on January 13. The complex promises to provide top quality infrastructure for incubation and acceleration.

Set up by Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), the sprawling complex, spread over 180,000 sq ft in Technology Innovation Zone (TIZ), will house Maker Village, Bionest and BRINC, the country's first international accelerator for Hardware startups, BRIC, an incubator dedicated for developing solutions for cancer diagnosis care; and a Centre of Excellence set up by industry majors like UNITY and CERA.

Spread over 13.5 acres, KSUM’s TIZ will host incubators, accelerators, centres of excellence in emerging technologies and provide high quality infrastructure for the development and growth of startups.

Once fully developed into a full-fledged campus having over half-a-million sqft built up area, TIZ would become the largest Work-Live-Play space exclusively dedicated to startups in the country, said officials from the State.

Over a 100 startup companies in various stages of growth are already operating in the three incubators functioning within the facility. The Electronics Incubator Maker Village, set up by the Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management-Kerala (IIITM-K) in association with KSUM and supported by MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology), houses 65 startups working in electronics hardware technologies.

BIONEST, a biotech startup set up by KSUM in association with Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) with financial aid from BIRAC, Department of Bio Tech, Govt. of India, has 20 companies involved in deep research in biotechnology and allied fields.

The facility also has a general purpose incubator with more than 20 companies and provides with over 10,000 sqft of dedicated space for startups in scale-up stage.

During the last 12 months of operation, the startup companies operating in TIZ have filed over 30 patent applications, making this as one of the largest IP-based (intellectual property) incubation space in the country.
TIZ also has a full-fledged Fab Lab set up in association with MIT, USA and a large ESDM facility for supporting electronics startups working out of Maker Village.

[Top Image is for representative purpose only]

India to Get 1st Cancer Tech Focused Startup Incubator in Kochi, Kerala

India will get its first cancer technology incubator at the Kerala Technology Innovation Zone in KINFRA Hi-Tech Park, Kochi, to create India-focused innovations and developments in the cancer care sector, reported New India Express.

Floated by Cochin Cancer Research Centre (CCRC), the incubator will support in converting research into entrepreneurship in the cancer care sector. The incubator will also get research support from University of Illinois, which have recently signed an MoU with Kerala.

CRCC, which will help the incubator with its clinical expertise, will sign an MoU with KSUM on January 13.

Setup by Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), the nodal agency of Government of Kerala for entrepreneurship development and incubation activities in the state, the new centre is Called as "Centre for Biomedical Research, Innovation and Commercialization in Cancer" (BRICS).

The incubator will focus on technology innovations in cancer care, frugal innovations that can improve the access of best cancer treatment for the public, sector-specific fintech innovations and converting academic researches to products.

The incubator will have Deep Tech infrastructure, various labs for cancer research including Cytology, and an advanced prototype creation and validation facility.

Each startup selected for the incubation will get a maximum incubation period of three years without extension and it is due to the fact that gestation period in cancer research is relatively higher. However if recommended by an an expert committee then an additional one year will be considered as an extension.

KSUM CEO Dr Saji Gopinath, said in a media statement, "We are providing the basic infrastructure now. We hope that international start-ups and companies will join in future. Developing countries have a bigger cancer challenge because of late detection and financial issues. The solutions created here should increase the productivity of doctors, too,” said KSUM CEO Dr Saji Gopinath.

According to Dr Moni Abraham Kuriakose, Director at CCRC, “Most of the studies are done abroad and purely based on the needs and types of diseases faced by their population. We need a unique platform for ourselves and this would be the first step towards it. The use of imported technology is also the reason why the cost of cancer care treatment goes high. If we can develop our own technology, the expenses will also go down."

"We will be guiding the programme by bringing out the key areas where research and innovation is necessary. Our doctors will help out in their specific field of expertise.", he said.

Industry partnership with private players like Biocon, Siemens Healthineers, NeST Technologies, and IBS are being explored in order to address the issue of marketing channels for the products in future.

India contributes to 7.8% of the global cancer burden and 8.33% of global deaths due to cancer and was reported that the number of new cancer cases in India was 1,219,649 in 2016.

According to the National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (NICPR), for every two women newly diagnosed with breast cancer in India, one woman dies of it.

To recall, it was in year 2016 when two Kerala-based researchers -- Dr. Manzoor Koyakutty and Dr. Shantikumar V. Nair, have had developed a technology alongside a gadget that will detect cancer within 30 minutes. Working at Amrita Center for Nanosciences and Molecular Medicine, the researchers have even got international patent for same and an allocation of Rs 60 lakh funds from the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India.

Kerala Ties with Airbus for Startup Accelerator in Thiruvananthapuram

Soon within few days after announcing the launch of its latest cohort of its 4th Bizlab accelerator batch, Airbus Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kerala state government for setting up BizLab in Thiruvananthapuram city of Kerala.

Under the MoU, an Innovation Centre will be set up here which will be the nodal body for planning and executing all the activities to help startups in the state. The MoU was inked between Siddharth Balachandran, Airbus Bizlab India and Saji Gopinath, CEO, Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), in the presence of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Aerospace Innovation Centre in #Kerala at Trivandrum - A significant step towards reality. Kerala Government signs a MoU with Airbus BizLab, a global aerospace accelerator part of the Airbus group. @CMOKerala @airbusbizlab @Gutbruno @SidRdy @Csanth @ShashiTharoor @Airbus pic.twitter.com/LczeQIMSc4

— Kerala Startup Mission (@startup_mission) November 17, 2018

With this, Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala will second Bizlab center in India after Bengaluru and fifth globally. Airbus Bizlab already has four startup accelerator sites globally -- Toulouse (France), Hamburg (Germany), Bangalore (India) and Madrid (Spain).

"We are confident that this partnership with Airbus Bizlab will help the industrial ecosystem of Kerala. It will up-skill the local youth and enhance employability," said Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan.

Besides accelerating startpus in aerospace field, the proposed Airbus BizLab site in Thiruvananthapuram will also provide support and mentoring for startups in Kerala and conduct regular workshops and discussions with experts from the aerospace and defence sectors.

Additionally, Airbus will also identify opportunities for Kerala to adapt aerospace technologies across sectors and bring all the relevant Airbus teams and startups to demonstrate technologies.

This year, KSUM, the nodal agency for entrepreneurship & startup activities in Kerala, has partnered with several global business houses in varied industries. in June this year Kerala partnered with aotomobile major Nissan, which already set up its first digital innovation hub in India in Technocity, Thiruvananthapuram. The Nissan Hub is for research and development in electric and autonomous vehicles.

Most recently, KSUM has invited request for proposal (RFP) from SEBI-accredited alternative investment funds (AIFs) under its ‘Fund-of-Fund’ (FoF) scheme to invest in the startups from Kerala and thus meet the fund requirements of fledgling technology enterprises.

Also, to incubate and promote startups in the satellite and space technology sector, a space tech park is also coming up in Thiruvananthapuram and for this Kerala has already tied up with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in March this year. The one of its kind Space Park would likely to be up and running by June next year. An MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) between the two will be signed soon.

Source - The Hindu

[Top Featured Image - Bizlab@Twitter]

Kerala Invites Proposal from AIF for its Fund-of-Funds Scheme for Startups

Kerala state government's nodal agency for entrepreneurship development and startup activities, Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), has invited request for proposal (RFP) from SEBI-accredited alternative investment funds (AIFs) under its ‘Fund-of-Fund’ (FoF) scheme.

Selected AIFs will receive funds from the State Government to invest in the startups from Kerala and thus meet the fund requirements of fledgling technology enterprises.

KSUM has invited the RFP online and the details are available at - startupmission.kerala.gov.in/programs/fof/. Interested AIFs who meet the pre-qualification criteria can submit their expression of interest on or before November 30. After completing the bid process, the final selections will be announced on December 29.

The State Government had launched the Kerala Startup Corpus Fund, a first-of-its-kind initiative in India. A total corpus fund of ₹25 crore was then created with the support of two SEBI-registered AIFs -- Unicorn Ventures India, and SEA Fund. Out of this ₹25 crore, an amount of ₹12.5 crore was contributed by the State Government, and the other half by the two AIFs.

So far, seven investments have been made into startups based out of Kerala, using the Kerala Startup Corpus Fund. One of the startups funded (by Unicorn India Ventures) was Genrobotics, which developed Bandicoot, a robotic system to clean sewers/manholes instead of manual scavenging. Besides, Unicorn India Ventures also made two more investment in Kerala-based startups -- SectorQube and Perfectfit Fashion. The Fund has been actively exploring investment in Kerala post partnering with KSUM.

The objective of the present RFP is to make additional investment into eligible AIFs for supporting exclusively the emerging startups in the State through venture investments, said Saji Gopinath, CEO, KSUM.

More than 200 startups are presently working from KSUM’s five incubation facilities at Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode and Kasargod.

In September last year, chief executive of the KSUM, Saji Gopinath, had announced that it is targeting a corpus of Rs 500 crore under its FoF scheme over the next three years, which will be for Kerala-based startups.


Source - Business Line

Kerala Startups - GenRobotic, SectorQube, Perfectfit Raise Seed Funding from Unicorn India Ventures

Unicorn India Ventures announce three investments in Kerala-based startups -- GenRobotic, SectorQube and Perfectfit Fashion. The Fund has been actively exploring investment in Kerala post partnering with Kerala Start-up Mission (KSUM), which is also an investor in Unicorn India.

With the State Government’s backing, KSUM is aggressively promoting entrepreneurship in the state aligned to the vision of Startup India and Unicorn India is at the forefront to provide strategic guidance and financial support to Kerala’s fast growing startup story.

Unicorn India Ventures is a Mumbai ­based VC fund that invests in early stage startups working on business ideas spanning sectors like consumer, enterprise, healthcare, ESDM and deep technology domains. These investments are made from Unicorn’s first fund launched in 2015 with investments across 10 startups made over the last 2 years.

Anil Joshi, Managing Partner, Unicorn India Ventures, says, “Kerala is the hotbed for growing startups in the country today. The State Government backed accelerator, KSUM, is working aggressively with the industry experts to nurture the startup ecosystem in the State and we are excited to partner with KSUM in fostering the spirit of entrepreneurship by way of investing and mentoring the Kerala-based startups, which is core to Unicorn India.”

GenRobotic is founded in 2015 by Rashid Bin Abdulla, Vimal Govind MK, Nikhil NP and Arun George. The Team specializes in powered robotic exoskeletons with RC Controlled Humanoid Robotic Systems and Artificial Intelligence in order to find best solution for socially important issues.

Vimal Govind, Co-founder, GeneRobotic, says, “We are working towards a mission to use robotic technology to eliminate manual labour from areas like sewer cleaning which results in 9,000 – 10,0000 death every year. The funds raised from Unicorn India will aid us in developing a market ready version of Bandicoot and meet our commitments to the clients that we have signed.”

The Company has also received a grant from BPCL to further research in the area and develop Bandicoot, a product under design to build an automatic robotic system for manhole and sewer cleaning to eliminate manual scavenging. The seed round raised from Unicorn India will be used for achieving product market fit and strategic hiring. The Company also plans to foray into international markets like Middle East and South East Asia.

Started in 2011, SectorQube, was founded by six passionate engineers – Sabarish Prakash, Nibu Alias, Ani Abraham Joy, Arjun S, Midhun Skaria, and Biniyas VL – B Tech students at Toc H Institute of Science and Technology (Kochi). Over the years the company has worked on making smart kitchen appliances and is working on next generation Roti Maker. The funds raised will be used to complete the Rotimaker and make it market ready. SectorQube also has international expansion plans where the Indian diaspora is strong.

Nibu Alias, CEO and Co-founder, SectorQube, says, “Our company is at a phase where infusion of funds from the right investor like Unicorn India can accelerate our growth and help us gain the first mover advantage. Our ongoing work on a smart kitchen appliance and an IoT platform needs funds to scale up the platform. It is at this very right and crucial point that Unicorn has decided to come on board. This will be hugely beneficial for our future journey. We plan to use the funds to fast track our R&D and begin tooling and manufacturing the product.”

Perfectfit Fashion, a Kochi-based startup, specializes in 3D body scanning systems for fashion and healthcare industry. The Perfectfit Fashion 3D scans the user to generate exact body measurements, which are used to cut apparels pattern from fabric sheet. Their highly evolved scanning systems produces the final apparel in a fraction of time taken by conventional manufacturing techniques. Perfectfit Fashion has raised seed funding from Unicorn India Ventures and will be used for product enhancement & customer acquisition.

Eobin George, Co-founder, Perfectfit, says, “We are excited to have found a passionate and like-minded investor like Unicorn India Ventures. The seed round will help us deploy our first commercial product line - The Perfit Uniform Solutions – this year. We also plan to double our team strength, set up a new development center and fast track our research and development."

The three startups are under KSUM, which will be helping them with critical operational responsibilities like scaling up, tapping new markets, product pricing and placement. The joining of hands of Unicorn India and KSUM are likely to inspire confidence among other budding entrepreneurs in the State.

Dr Saji Gopinath, CEO, KSUM, says, “The State Government is committed to build a proactive start-up ecosystem by extending financial and strategic support to the startups in the state. It is under this vision that we have partnered with Unicorn India Ventures, making it the first early stage venture fund to invest in startups in Kerala. We are hoping to work even more closely with the team to help them identify other potential companies here.”

Started in 2015 by Anil Joshi and Bhaskar Majumdar, Unicorn India Ventures invests solely or co-invests with another fund or institution in a startup with an innovative business idea, which can solve a real life problem. The deal size will vary from $1,00,000 to $2 million and should meet the few of certain criteria.

Unicorn Ventures has already announced investments in startups like Boxx.ai, Sequretek, SmartCoin, GrabonRent, Inc42, NeuroEquilibrium, VLCC VanityCube, Roder, and Pharmarack.

Additionally, it recently announced its foray into venture debt by launching a Rs 600 crore venture debt fund.

Kerala Startup Ecosystem

Kerala startup ecosystem has seen lot of activities in last one year or so. Just yesterday, KSUM along with Kerala IT have joined hands with the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) to set up the Mobile 10X Incubation Centre in Cyberpark, Kozhikode.

In August 2017, in order to promote mobile app entrepreneurs and startups in the state, Kerala state government dictated that the government has officially sanctioned direct purchase of mobile applications from startupswho have found a mention in the list cleared by KSUM up to a cost of Rs 5 Lakhs.

Earlier in December, KSUM has also launched a 2-year structured incubation programme for startups stitching together various government schemes available for them.

Prior to that, India’s first United Nations Technology Innovation Lab for startups was set up in Kerala too, in May 2017.

To recall, in July 2016, Kerala’s Startup has launched a digital incubator for students startups – Start In College, making it the first of its kind in the entire world.

Kerala Startups - GenRobotic, SectorQube, Perfectfit Raise Seed Funding from Unicorn India Ventures

Unicorn India Ventures announce three investments in Kerala-based startups -- GenRobotic, SectorQube and Perfectfit Fashion. The Fund has been actively exploring investment in Kerala post partnering with Kerala Start-up Mission (KSUM), which is also an investor in Unicorn India.

With the State Government’s backing, KSUM is aggressively promoting entrepreneurship in the state aligned to the vision of Startup India and Unicorn India is at the forefront to provide strategic guidance and financial support to Kerala’s fast growing startup story.

Unicorn India Ventures is a Mumbai ­based VC fund that invests in early stage startups working on business ideas spanning sectors like consumer, enterprise, healthcare, ESDM and deep technology domains. These investments are made from Unicorn’s first fund launched in 2015 with investments across 10 startups made over the last 2 years.

Anil Joshi, Managing Partner, Unicorn India Ventures, says, “Kerala is the hotbed for growing startups in the country today. The State Government backed accelerator, KSUM, is working aggressively with the industry experts to nurture the startup ecosystem in the State and we are excited to partner with KSUM in fostering the spirit of entrepreneurship by way of investing and mentoring the Kerala-based startups, which is core to Unicorn India.”

GenRobotic is founded in 2015 by Rashid Bin Abdulla, Vimal Govind MK, Nikhil NP and Arun George. The Team specializes in powered robotic exoskeletons with RC Controlled Humanoid Robotic Systems and Artificial Intelligence in order to find best solution for socially important issues.

Vimal Govind, Co-founder, GeneRobotic, says, “We are working towards a mission to use robotic technology to eliminate manual labour from areas like sewer cleaning which results in 9,000 – 10,0000 death every year. The funds raised from Unicorn India will aid us in developing a market ready version of Bandicoot and meet our commitments to the clients that we have signed.”

The Company has also received a grant from BPCL to further research in the area and develop Bandicoot, a product under design to build an automatic robotic system for manhole and sewer cleaning to eliminate manual scavenging. The seed round raised from Unicorn India will be used for achieving product market fit and strategic hiring. The Company also plans to foray into international markets like Middle East and South East Asia.

Started in 2011, SectorQube, was founded by six passionate engineers – Sabarish Prakash, Nibu Alias, Ani Abraham Joy, Arjun S, Midhun Skaria, and Biniyas VL – B Tech students at Toc H Institute of Science and Technology (Kochi). Over the years the company has worked on making smart kitchen appliances and is working on next generation Roti Maker. The funds raised will be used to complete the Rotimaker and make it market ready. SectorQube also has international expansion plans where the Indian diaspora is strong.

Nibu Alias, CEO and Co-founder, SectorQube, says, “Our company is at a phase where infusion of funds from the right investor like Unicorn India can accelerate our growth and help us gain the first mover advantage. Our ongoing work on a smart kitchen appliance and an IoT platform needs funds to scale up the platform. It is at this very right and crucial point that Unicorn has decided to come on board. This will be hugely beneficial for our future journey. We plan to use the funds to fast track our R&D and begin tooling and manufacturing the product.”

Perfectfit Fashion, a Kochi-based startup, specializes in 3D body scanning systems for fashion and healthcare industry. The Perfectfit Fashion 3D scans the user to generate exact body measurements, which are used to cut apparels pattern from fabric sheet. Their highly evolved scanning systems produces the final apparel in a fraction of time taken by conventional manufacturing techniques. Perfectfit Fashion has raised seed funding from Unicorn India Ventures and will be used for product enhancement & customer acquisition.

Eobin George, Co-founder, Perfectfit, says, “We are excited to have found a passionate and like-minded investor like Unicorn India Ventures. The seed round will help us deploy our first commercial product line - The Perfit Uniform Solutions – this year. We also plan to double our team strength, set up a new development center and fast track our research and development."

The three startups are under KSUM, which will be helping them with critical operational responsibilities like scaling up, tapping new markets, product pricing and placement. The joining of hands of Unicorn India and KSUM are likely to inspire confidence among other budding entrepreneurs in the State.

Dr Saji Gopinath, CEO, KSUM, says, “The State Government is committed to build a proactive start-up ecosystem by extending financial and strategic support to the startups in the state. It is under this vision that we have partnered with Unicorn India Ventures, making it the first early stage venture fund to invest in startups in Kerala. We are hoping to work even more closely with the team to help them identify other potential companies here.”

Started in 2015 by Anil Joshi and Bhaskar Majumdar, Unicorn India Ventures invests solely or co-invests with another fund or institution in a startup with an innovative business idea, which can solve a real life problem. The deal size will vary from $1,00,000 to $2 million and should meet the few of certain criteria.

Unicorn Ventures has already announced investments in startups like Boxx.ai, Sequretek, SmartCoin, GrabonRent, Inc42, NeuroEquilibrium, VLCC VanityCube, Roder, and Pharmarack.

Additionally, it recently announced its foray into venture debt by launching a Rs 600 crore venture debt fund.

Kerala Startup Ecosystem

Kerala startup ecosystem has seen lot of activities in last one year or so. Just yesterday, KSUM along with Kerala IT have joined hands with the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) to set up the Mobile 10X Incubation Centre in Cyberpark, Kozhikode.

In August 2017, in order to promote mobile app entrepreneurs and startups in the state, Kerala state government dictated that the government has officially sanctioned direct purchase of mobile applications from startupswho have found a mention in the list cleared by KSUM up to a cost of Rs 5 Lakhs.

Earlier in December, KSUM has also launched a 2-year structured incubation programme for startups stitching together various government schemes available for them.

Prior to that, India’s first United Nations Technology Innovation Lab for startups was set up in Kerala too, in May 2017.

To recall, in July 2016, Kerala’s Startup has launched a digital incubator for students startups – Start In College, making it the first of its kind in the entire world.

Kerala To Launch 2-Year Incubation Programme for Startups

Kerala Startup Mission, a nodal agency of Government of Kerala for entrepreneurship development, has announced that it is launching a two-year structured incubation programme for startups stitching together various government schemes available for them, said a press release via PTI.

Startups will benefit from curated industry participation and mentoring, national and international exposure programmes, access to government grants and funding, and investor networking opportunities.

The programme will begin here in the first week of January, a Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) statement said here.

Startups should apply through the KSUM website by December 10 for this program and shortlisted ones will be notified through mail by December 16.

Final selection pitch will be held here on December 21, it said adding that the induction programme for the selected startups will be held from January 8 to 12.

The subsequent months will have sector connect programmes, demo days and other networking and community events.

Every three months, the performance of the startups will be assessed, based on which, they will be provided idea, product and growth acceleration, an official said.

"Startups are expected to graduate in 9-12 months. But startups that have longer development and sales cycles can continue in the programme for up to 2 years," Ashok Panjikaran, Manager at KSUM, said.

KSUM is in advanced talks with a few global incubators and accelerators to run this programme in Thiruvananthapuram.

Similar programmes will be launched in partnership with reputed startup ecosystem enablers in Kochi and Kozhikode subsequent to this programme, the statement said.

Startups incubated through this programme will be able to work from KSUM's co-working spaces, which includes both plug and play desks and cabins, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Calicut, it added.

Startups, registered as a private limited company or a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP), can attend the programme.

If any of the selected startups have not registered their companies, they would be required to do so before January 31 next and KSUM will facilitate necessary assistance for this, the statement added.

Just a day ago, KSUM had also announced to release funds for 50 innovative, scalable and relevant ideas from different industries.

Additionally, KSUM is also organizing an event called Idea Day -- to be held at Kochi on December 23 -- where students, professionals and innovators, from Kerala as well as outside the state, who are currently working on their product or innovative concepts can apply and participate.

Now, All Govt Dept. Apps in Kerala To Be Developed Through Startups Only

Acknowledging the mobile internet trend gripping the entire country where everyone nowadays wants an app to make processes easier and faster, the Kerala government has instructed its departments to join the party and utilise the services of startups registered in the state or cleared by its Kerala Start Up Mission (KSUM) for coming up with some easy to navigate but fun mobile apps for all their official projects.

The order issued by the Kerala state government dictates that the government has officially sanctioned direct purchase of mobile applications from startups who have found a mention in the list cleared by KSUM up to a cost of Rs 5 Lakhs. A purchasing officer is not allowed to buy more than two mobile applications in a given financial year from one KSUM registered/cleared startup.

The order allows Kerala state government's departments and agencies the power to right away purchase an already developed mobile application or get one made from scratch or even add a mobile interface to an already developed web app for inter or intra-departmental use or for service delivery.

Since egovernance is being pushed by centre ever since the Modi government came to power, several departments in Kerala state government are already making use of mobile applications to make processes less tedious and faster for the general public.

According to KSUM director Saji Gopinath, with the new order, the state departments can start by identifying if they have a requirement for a mobile app. If they do, the next step can be assessing if there's an app readily available with a startup, and if it is, the department can go for a direct purchase if the product has already been evaluated by the technical committee and listed by KSUM with features, price, service level, support cost etc.

He further added that there's just one condition that startups from which the apps are being purchased or being developed need not be incubated at the KSUM. They have to be registered in the state and meet the parameters mandatory for a startup firm in the state of Kerala. According to Gopinath, a few departments have already started planning apps, some for internal communication and updation and others for external interaction with different user-groups.

Gopinath also shared that if a particular product (mobile app) isn't evaluated by KSUM, the state department can approach KSUM with its proposal for purchase and support. The Kerala Start Up Mission has also been given the responsibility of evaluating things like financials, proposals etc. and recommend startups to state departments according to their requirements.