Start-up village launched

KOCHI : The country’s first PPP (public-private-partnership) telecom-based incubator start-up village was inaugurated by Kris Gopalakrishnan, co-founder, Infosys, on Sunday. Kris said the village is a significant milestone in the industrial development of the state.“The Technopark is one of the successful ventures, which is yet to get its due. A Startup needs a conducive atmosphere that boosts confidence and nurtures ideas, he said, adding that education, innovation and entrepreneurship will help create a robust economy. There is no success formula for startups, but with right environs and facilities it is possible, said Kris, who is also the mentor of the village.IT Secretary P H Kurian promised full support to the start-up village by clearing bureaucratic hurdles.Industry Secretary and the KSIDC managing director Alkesh Kumar, Cusat Vice-Chancellor Ramachandran Thekkedath, entrepreneur Ravi Pillai, B K Shukla of the Union Department of Science and Technology (DST), TIE Kerala chapter president John Paul and Sanjay Vijaykumar, chairman of the governing board of the start-up village, also spoke.Situated at Kinfra Park in Kalamassery, the village plans to incubate 1,000 start-ups over 10 years and spur students to exploit their ideas.It is being projected by the DST, Centre and the state governments. The village will have 4G network, telecom labs, innovation zones, legal and intellectual property services, fully furnished office spaces and video conference rooms and perks like three-year service tax holiday to fund building startups, break and innovate.