THIRUVANANHTHAPURAM:
Kerala will enter into collaborations with globally reputed technology firms at the two-day ‘Huddle Kerala’ this week, as pictures que Kovalam is set to hold one of Asia’s largest congregations on startup ecosystem from Friday.
As Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the second edition of the September 27-28 conclave featuring a range of tech talks by experts from across continents, the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) will sign memorandums of understanding with giants such as Oppo, Future Group, Wadhwani Foundation and Orbit. The opening ceremony at 12.45 pm is to also see the launch of Adobe Creative Jam, where thought leaders will give a behind-the-scene peek into their projects.
Biz Stone, Co-Founder, Twitter, will address the startups through video conference in the opening ceremony. The two-day event at Hotel Leela Raviz is being organised by the KSUM in association with Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).
Anil Agrawal, Joint Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, will be the chief guest at the inaugural function. Other speakers will be M Sivasankar, Secretary, Electronics and IT, Government of Kerala; KSUM Chief Executive Officer Dr Saji Gopinath and IAMAI President Dr Subho Ray.
The event, which hosts an array of technology experts and marketing leaders, will offer a unique platform for startups to showcase their products before technology and industry leaders from around the world. More than 30 speakers, investors and industry challengers are also part of ‘Huddle Kerala’. The conclave will be the focal point for tech startups and the entire spectrum of stake holders of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, including the government, investors, mentors, and industry.
The sessions provide opportunities for showcasing the technology to startups, industry experts, decision-makers and others connected to the ecosystem. Besides, there will be scope for partnering with the Kerala government, one of the most proactive state regimes in embracing emerging technologies and creating a vibrant ecosystem for innovation.
The key speakers, investors and mentors at the event include Ajith Mohan, Vice President and Managing Director, India Facebook; Anil Joshi, Founder and Managing Partner, Unicorn India Ventures; Kumar Vembu, Founder and CEO, GoFrugal; Julia Chappel, MD, International Markets, London and Partners; Jukka Holappa, Commercial Counselor, Country Manager India, Business Finland; Ade Sanda, CEO, SGS Capital Partner; Digvigay Singh, COO, Indian Angel Network; Aprajit Bhandarkar, Partner, Varanium Group; Subramanium Chandramauli, Author and Sales Trainer; and Vijetha Shastry, Executive Director, TIE Bangalore among others.
Kerala has more than 1,500 registered startups with $38 million-plus funding received in 2017-18. The conference will be packed with several side events like Leadership Talks, Tech Talks, Fireside Chat, Beach Side Huddle, Speed Dating with Investors on Boat, Startup Demo, seminars and many more fun-filled activities. The meet will focus on the emerging and future technology sectors like Blockchain, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, Big Data, Digital Entertainment, AR/VR, Drone Tech, UI/UX, and e-Gov/m-Gov.
The first edition of ‘Huddle Kerala’, held here in April last year, had around 2,000 startups, more than 30 speakers, 15 investors, Beach Side Huddle with industry leaders, and Hackathon. The event was attended by more than 1,500 delegates.
