Kerala Startup Mission conclave bats for creative economy with vibrant role for start-ups

Experts attending Kerala Startup Mission’s conclave in Kochi in Kerala highlight the importance of creative economy for sustainable growth and job creation

Start-ups will be playing a vibrant role in creative economy which is based on people’s use of novel imagination to increase an idea’s value rather than the traditional resources of land, labour and capital, felt experts who attended Beyond Tomorrow, a two-day conclave organised by Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) aimed at driving innovation to foster sustainable growth in Kochi.

A creative economy merits stronger investment than other conventional sectors in the new age because the resultant generation of jobs will benefit local population the most. Employment opportunities will be higher in a stronger creative economy than most other industries in the future, they observed.

“Creative minds should join hands with start-ups in a big way,” said Kerala Chief Secretary V. Venu at during the opening session of the two-day event that featured expert panels and discussions on policy changes and job creation, besides integrating arts in education, tourism and technology.

Initiated by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and UNESCO under the guidance of the Union Ministry of Culture, the event which kicked off at Le Méridien on July 20 was held in collaboration with The Art Outreach Society (TAOS) with the aim of shaping Kerala’s creative economies for social and economic development.

Hibi Eden, MP, in his inaugural address, emphasised the need for governmental support to cultural and creative endeavours. “Development is not just about improving infrastructural facilities, we also need to nurture culture and sustaining heritage,” he said.

KSUM chief executive officer Anoop Ambika, while pointing out an “intrinsic relationship” between technological knowledge and creative art, said the nodal agency was scouting for young brains in areas such as coding, designing and developing.

Shah Faesal, Deputy Secretary in the Union Ministry of Culture, stressed the need for developing creative industries into sources of guaranteed income to the economy. “For this, we need to adopt a clear policy and its clean execution,” he added.