Kerala Start-up Mission racing ahead with innovation
Kerala – Innovation has become a way to thrive in today’s volatile world. In spite of utopian business beliefs, the modern world ‘start-ups’ have raised a positive vibe in today’s business world.
India has spring boarded in this regard with young entrepreneurs, in zeal to bid something new, surfacing with superb out-of-the-box ideas.
With the rise of the Indian start-up ecosystem, innovation in India is at its peak —45,444 patent applications were filed in 2016-17 alone, data show. Nearly 3,000 start-ups joined the Indian startup ecosystem in 2018, and the culture only seems to be growing each day. While the Indian start-up landscape is highly concentrated in Hyderabad, Mumbai and Bangalore, Kerala is seeing a surge of pioneering and entrepreneurial efforts from distinct sectors with its start-up ecosystem well equipped to cater to the next quantum leap, officials say.
“Kerala also possesses a unique model of connecting academics, industries, R&D institutions and start-ups, apart from other start-up ecosystems in India. The Government of Kerala initiated the start-up movement through Kerala Start-up Mission by implementing futuristic policies for creating an energetic start-up ecosystem in Kerala to promote the growth of innovation lead technology entrepreneurship,” Dr. Saji Gopinath, CEO of this mission which started in 2014 told the Business Times in an interview in Kerala, India late last month.
Now the Kerala Start-up Mission (KSUM) has initiated various steps to nurture a sustainable ecosystem, he said noting that out of the 19,000 start-ups registered in India, Kerala has 1,800.
Cavli Wireless Inc, a cellular Internet of things (IoT) based module manufacturer and provider of eSIM enabled global connectivity, is one of KSMU’s early ventures based in California. It is getting into Smart City and IoT deployments in Sri Lanka, partnering with various telecom operators and start-ups, John Mathew, CTO of the company told the Business Times.
Enabling eSIM (embedded SIM) for M2M (Machine to Machine) with connectivity and computer hardware, this company is helping enterprises, start-ups and small and medium enterprises in the region build IoT devices in a much faster and efficient way. “Cavli Wireless, strictly following the security guidelines as per the GSMA specifications, has successfully completed proof of concepts, which will be later taken in to the digital transformation future of Sri Lanka. We recently released our flagship product P32-Series, enabling companies to get into IoT market much faster into the market,” Mr. Mathew added.
YOU CAN is where a team is trying to develop an assistive system for bedridden patients which is automated using brain signal mapping. This is a Robotic mobilisation aid for paraplegic persons, who need mobility and that cannot be achieved with a normal wheelchair, N.M. Nasif, Assistant Manager Business Development KSUM told the Business Times.
Another start-up, Smart Furniture implements the idea of foldable or self- assembly type furniture which is suitable for populated cities and smart homes at an affordable budget. “Its first smart furniture series was SWASTHI SMART FURNITURE SERIES, which was presented as a model of our idea in the KSUM Idea day,” Mr. Nasif added.
A machine to separate mace from nutmeg which is a herculean task for humans was made by a team at KSUM and also a pepper plucker cum separator that comprises two guiding vanes that direct the pepper spikes to the conical drum in which the separation of the pepper grains from the spikes takes place was made by another team.
A project that aims to reduce vehicles falling into potholes called Roadway Mapper was also made. “It maps sudden drops by collecting data to determine the condition of roads and traffic,” Mr. Nasif explained. A sensor array is attached to a vehicle that detects variations in level, sudden drops and lifts, and other related equilibrium shifts, and processes the gathered data using machine learning algorithms in order to identify potholes, hazards on roads, etc. This would allow the competent agencies to set more accurate speed limits and prioritise maintenance.
Impact Latinno is a device invented to provide collection, storage and transportation of latex (natural rubber) in an easier, safer and comfortable manner. Parkin uses LAN and Internet to monitor parking inside a city. Parkin will increase the probability of finding parking space around their destination by creating a new parkin network structure. Matrix is an IoT based security system which offers authentication service with better security than a biometric system and is simple.
Stormpad is a tool used to select the right individuals for any job. It maintains a database of their education, achievements, and projects like a resume, but in an extensive manner. The main issue faced while recruiting candidates mentioned by companies is that they can’t really understand an individual merely by looking at their resume or by conducting an interview.
Dr. Gopinath asserted that start-ups entrepreneurship is crucial because it brings innovations, new jobs and competitive dynamics into the business environment. “India has made giant growth towards the most innovative start-ups, and it has developed as the third highest growing country for technology-based start-ups in the whole world.”