THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: More and more startups from Bengaluru and Chennai are shifting base to Kerala, a welcome sign for the startup eco system in the state. Bengalurubased Clootrack and Open Financial Tech plan to set up their offices in
Kerala while Chennai-based Survey Sparrow and Bengaluru-based Best Doc have already shifted to Kerala.
“A few startups from Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad have moved in here and a couple of startups plan to move in. It is a sign of growing confidence in the startup ecosystem here. The policies are more supportive with government incentives and good
infrastructure,” said Kerala Startup Mission CEO Saji Gopinath.
On what attracts them to Kerala, Bengaluru-based Clootrack Software Labs founder member Shameel Abdullah said it is the emerging ecosystem for startups in Kerala with its tech resource quality that draws them here. With co-founder Subba Krishna Rao, he had launched Clootrack in Bengaluru with its product on data analytics which is driven by
artificial intelligence. “We are in the process of setting up an office in Kochi. In Kerala, we are able to cut down the costs,” says Shameel Abdullah.
No different is the version of Bengaluru-based Open Financial Tech Co-founder and CFO Deena Jacob, who also finds the emerging startup ecosystem in Kerala with tech talent and development attractive. “We have developed a product in banking and financial relations for small and medium enterprises and emerging entrepreneurs and a banking startup in digital banking with wealth management card. Our focus is to offer more evolved entrepreneurship solutions. We are expecting two lakh SMEs on board in a couple of years,” she said, adding that returning to home state was the added bonus.
Bengaluru-based Best Doc, a startup that offers patient relationship management solutions to healthcare providers and professionals, moved in last year. It found Kerala as a hotspot for healthcare ventures. Its co-founder CEO Afsal Salu with co-founder Fayaz Bin Abdu, said Best Doc uses technology and data for healthcare connecting patients, doctors, hospitals, clinics, diagnostic labs and pharmacies. “It is the advanced healthcare system in Kerala, availability of expert doctors, high per capita expenditure on healthcare and talent availability which is attractive for a healthcare startup. My wife and I are from Kerala, so it is appealing to come back home and ensure worklife balance,” he said.
Survey Sparrow founder & CEO Shihab Muhammad finds that the company has got huge traction after moving to Kochi. “Cost incurred is relatively lesser and traffic hassles are less compared to Bengaluru and Chennai. We are getting better government support and KSUM is helping startups in a big way,” he said.
