Kerala has a literacy rate of 92.2%, which is the highest among all states in India. Kerala has gone a step ahead by linking colleges, schools, incubators, government institutes, and startups in order to create a structured ecosystem. The state has launched over 4,000 startups between 2016 to 2021 with an investment of $551 million.
Kerala is building a strong ecosystem for startups in India. These startups being backed by KSUM and the state government has immense potential to grow globally. On Friday, while attending a tech conclave- Huddle Global 2022 at Kovalam, several delegates agreed to the growth of the ecosystem and applauded the state’s efforts towards developing entrepreneurs. The delegates also brought to notice the initiative taken by KSUM (Kerala startup mission) aiming to make the state the startup powerhouse of India. During a session, Jonas Brunschwig, Consul General of Switzerland & CEO of Swissnex in India, said “startups from around the world are looking at India more as a product-making space than a market.”
Another delegate present at the conclave, Tanapat Sangaroon, Vice Consul-Commercial Affairs of the Royal Thai Consulate said that “in Kerala apart from human development, one of its capabilities was its connection to the Middle East where food sector was the key.” Further adding that the country can also put its focus on sustainability in niche sectors such as IT, healthcare, and the service industry.
Deputy Counsul General of Israel to the Southern part of India Limor Bletter said “Israel was looking at India for collaborations in the long run as it would be fruitful for both countries. We have a collaboration with the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms in Bengaluru. We also have some programmes coming up in 2023 which will be finalized following the meeting between the officials concerned from both countries.”
