Chief Minister hard-sells Kerala as a potent start-up hub

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday made a strong pitch for investments in the State’s burgeoning start-up ecosystem at a function organised in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday made a strong pitch for investments in the State’s burgeoning start-up ecosystem at a function organised in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday. Formally launching the first Infinity Centre of the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) in Dubai, Mr. Vijayan positioned Kerala as among the fastest growing start-up hubs in the country.

Elaborating on the government’s plans to attain a sustainable start-up ecosystem in the State, Mr. Vijayan stressed on the possibility of bridge funding in the sector. He added that there was immense possibility for start-ups in various avenues including software design, information technology, agriculture and arts.

The Chief Minister added that the start-up revolution unfolding in Kerala had made its start-up ecosystem the best in Asia in terms of affordable talent, according to the Global Startup Ecosystem Report. The assessment had also ranked the State fourth globally. In a sign of their growing global appeal, start-ups in Kerala have received investments to the tune of ₹4,500 crore from across the globe.

Mr. Vijayan said the start-ups in the State were bound to generate 20,000 jobs in the current financial year with the opening of the first-ever Infinity Centre in Dubai. More such facilities, which had been conceived as a one-stop destination to strengthen the State’s ecosystem for nascent companies, would be set up in the U.S., Australia, and Europe in the initial phase.

As part of improving the State’s IT sector, the government had adopted steps to establish IT corridors on stretches such as Thiruvananthapuram-Kollam, Alappuzha-Ernakulam, Ernakulam-Koratty, and Kozhikode-Kannur. Land acquisition was underway for these projects. Two more IT parks would come up in the State, Mr. Vijayan added.

KSUM chief executive officer Anoop Ambika signed an agreement with Siby Sudhakaran, the founder of the Dubai-based Startup Middle East, which has been chosen as the Infinity Centre’s partner in the UAE.

Chief Secretary V.P. Joy chaired the event. Indian Ambassador to the UAE Sunjay Sudhir; IT and Electronics Department secretary Rathan U. Kelkar; Consul General of India in Dubai Aman Puri; NoRKA Roots vice chairman M.A. Yusuff Ali; director Azad Moopan; resident vice chairman P. Sreeramakrishnan; and IBS executive chairman V.K. Mathews also participated.