KASARAGOD:
Driven by innovation and entrepreneurial spirit of the youth, the IEDC Summit 2025 held by Kerala Startup Mission (KUM) here today turned out to be a strong platform to showcase the state’s bourgeoning innovation ecosystem with the participants coming out with a range of riveting products and ideas.
Student innovators from across the state imparted dynamism to the 10th edition of IEDC (Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Centre) summit, hosted in association with L.B.S. College of Engineering here. The summit saw participation of 7000-plus startups.
C H Kunhambu, MLA, who represents Uduma Constituency, inaugurated the flagship summit where N A Nellikkunnu, MLA, presided.
In his address, Kunhambu said apart from being innovative, entrepreneurship should be a determination of youth to contribute for the benefit of the society.
“Entrepreneurs and innovators have a major role to play in transforming Kerala into a knowledge economy. Beyond our traditional economy, we need to build an ecosystem coalescing technology and productivity to ramp up production. This summit assumes added significance in this perspective,” he added.
N A Nellikkunnu said the IEDC summit is a new experience for Kasaragod that has witnessed several historical events.
Lauding the activities of KSUM, the MLA said the innovative potential and innate talents of youth in all districts need to be leverage and the summit will open new avenues of opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Noting that youngsters must consider entrepreneurship seriously, KSUM CEO Anoop Ambika, in his welcome address, said innovative ideas of youth actually define the future of the country.
The CEO also stressed the impact of IEDCs in creating entrepreneurs and fostering their nascent companies.
District Collector K Inbasekhar; Director, Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), Kasaragod, Dr K B Hebbar; NASSCOM CEO Jyoti Sharma; Director of Directorate of Technical Education, Kerala, Dr Jayaprakash P; Finance Officer, Central University of Kerala Rajendra Pilankatta; Joint Director of LBS Centre for Science and Technology, Dr Jayamohan J; and Principal of L.B.S. College of Engineering, Kasaragod, Dr Mohammad Sekoor T, also spoke.
On the occasion, Anoop Ambika and Jyoti Sharma exchanged an MoU for the collaboration between KSUM and NASSCOM for promoting student-led social innovation and entrepreneurship across academic institutions in the state. It aims to support implementation of CSR-backed programmes that provide students with structured exposure to innovation, digital learning, mentoring and incubation opportunities.
Also, learning and training vertical app Startup Middle East launched the logo of ‘Founders Hub’ at the inaugural ceremony. ‘Founders Hub’ is a resource and knowledge platform designed to support founders at every stage of their entrepreneurial journey, equipping them with practical insights, global perspectives and aspects to expert-led learning.
Abid S from Lourdes Matha College of Science &Technology, Thiruvananthapuram and Mohammed Renz Iqbal, CET Trivandrum, received gold and silver medals respectively for the hackathon-style sessions held onboard the ‘Innovation Train’ that carried 950 campus innovators from the state capital to Kasaragod for attending the IEDC Summit.
The event also saw the launch of IEDC Talent Accelerator Programme, a joint initiative of KSUM and K-Disc. It is a two-month skill development and acceleration programme in selected emerging and cutting-edge technologies. Guided by industry mentors, the programme will be curated in partnership with global skill providers LinkedIn and Cursa.
Prizes to the winners of NASA Space App Challenge were given away at the function. The global finalists of the Challenge are teams Meteor Rizzlers (Riyan Raz, Zakiel Chungath, Sanjay Varghese, Shwethin Nikesh Kumar and Roshith Robert) and Celesta (Janeetta Cardoz, Athira S, Aparna Antony, Melvin George Mathew, Abisha Mariam Biju and M Sumith Muralidharan).
Meanwhile, it was also announced that IEDC Startup Summit 2026 will be held at Amal Jyothi College of Engineering, Kanjirappally on March 7, 2026.
The opening session was followed by a panel session on ‘IEDC: From Campus Cells to Venture Engines—Lessons from the Past, Roadmap for the Future’. The speakers included Anoop Ambika and Dr Saji Gopinath, Professor of IIM-Kozhikode. Ashok Kurian Panjikaran, Senior Manager, KSUM, was the moderator.
The summit featured expo, panel sessions, master class and fireside chat, besides pitching of ideas by students.
By empowering students at the campus level with early exposure to entrepreneurship, prototyping support and mentor access, IEDCs have enabled ideas from classrooms, hostels and local communities to evolve into startups, social enterprises and scalable solutions.
The one-day IEDC Summit 2025 brought together students, startups, investors, policymakers and ecosystem leaders.
