THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Huddle
Kerala, a two-day conclave for startups, innovators, investors and technology majors began on Friday. Pegged as one of Asia’s largest startup congregation, Huddle is expected to become a benchmark event for startups across the world, chief minister
Pinarayi Vijayan said while inaugurating the event at
Kovalam here.
The event will provide an opportunity for startups across the state have a close interaction with founders of international startups and technology experts. The aim is to create a fund for startups coming up in the state with a corpus of over Rs 500 crore in the next three years, Vijayan said.
Kerala has built a startup ecosystem that nurtures talented innovation within the state. It was the first state to launch a startup policy and youth entrepreneurship development policy, the CM added.
Currently, Kerala has over 1,000 startups registered under the
Kerala Startup Mission and the state has more than 2L sq ft of incubation space available for startups. For the past one year, the
KSUM has funded over 100 ideas which have the capability to become successful ventures and bring about a change in the society, he said.
Sharjah Digital Transformation Higher Committee chairman
Sheikh Fahim Bin Sultan Al Qasimi said when technology experts and company chiefs enter into partnerships with governments for development of future technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain, he would put citizens first.
“The question is whether new technologies will be useful for the society and ensure protection of the citizens,” he said. He also lauded Kerala’s efforts to create a strong startup ecosystem.
