City may get incubator for disaster mgmt startups

Kochi: The city may get India’s first incubator for startups focusing on disaster management solutions.
The Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) is mooting a plan for creating a separate incubator for disaster management startups to explore this possibility and promote creative innovations in rescue and rehab operations.

KSUM will submit a proposal to the department of science and technology by this month-end.

KSUM CEO Saji Gopinath said that the decision was in the light of more startups coming up with products and solutions post-floods, which could prove viable in disaster management and rehabilitation operations in future.

“Kerala has one of the most nurturing startup ecosystems in India and a focused incubator here would leverage support for disaster management startups across the country, including the ones which are in research and development stage. We are looking to set this up in Kochi,” he said.

Kerala State Disaster Management Authority will also be part of the project.

“Disasters happen frequently all over the world and we need innovative ideas to handle it. Disaster management solutions are now becoming a trend among new startups. Also, a number of existing startups are tweaking their products and technologies to serve during disasters. So, we are planning an incubator for such startups that looks into rescue, rehabilitation and rebuilding operations,” Gopinath said.