“The government puts forward the ‘Work from Kerala’ idea as the state has a pleasant milieu for IT industry and other sectors.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala has the best startup ecosystem in the country, said Industries Minister P Rajeeve. He was speaking during the launch of the first outlet of VendnGo, a virtual food court promoted by Versicles Technologies, on Saturday.
“The startups coming up in the country will find the state as the most conducive place to enter and flourish. Kerala facilitates hassle-free entry for startups, which is underscored by the significant presence of big global IT companies,” he said.
Rajeeve said an interaction with Indian Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA) at the recent Defence Expo revealed that Kerala is the only place where companies can come with their products straightaway, whereas a formal submission of brochures and posters is initially required in other states.
VendnGo is a pioneering micro-commerce platform that allows customers to order their food from multiple restaurants in a single order and have it delivered to a kiosk pickup location or at their doorstep.
The startup commences its operations with the launch of its first outlet at Mall of Travancore. Noting that a whirlwind of change is happening in Kerala’s IT sector, Rajeeve said Cognizance Technologies opened its 1.5 lakh sq/ft facility in Kochi, Tata Elxsi has 50% workforce in Kerala, and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is setting up a 36-acre campus near Infopark at Kakkanad.
“The government puts forward the ‘Work from Kerala’ idea as the state has a pleasant milieu for IT industry and other sectors. We have limitations in terms of land so we must focus on startups and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), which have immense possibilities,” he said.
Rajeeve said this financial year is being observed as ‘Entrepreneurship Year’ with the goal of creating 1,00,000 MSMEs across the state. “In the first seven months itself, we have crossed 80,000 MSMEs while normally the annual average is 10,000,” he said. The minister added that MSME clinics have been set up in every district for providing consultation to youngsters, who come up with new ideas.
In his address, Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) CEO Anoop Ambika said the kiosks of VendnGo have possibilities far beyond ordering multiple things and can become a centralised vending mall. VendnGo co-founder Kiran Karunakaran said the venture was born out of the motivation that something has to be given back to the state. “We wanted to have a mechanism to offer some societal good. In each VendnGo location, we can create at least five direct jobs and 10 indirect jobs. We are also planning to set up outlets outside the state,” he said.