IT Minister inaugurated ‘Technopreneur 14’

TechnoparkToday.com>> July 22, 2014: Kerala government has initiated a number of programmes to promote young entrepreneurs as the state’s hopes and expectations are pinned on its younger generation, Minister for Industries and IT Shri P K Kunhalikutty said on Tuesday.

Inaugurating the workshop ‘Technopreneur 14’ in Technopark here, the minister said that the main objective of the initiative was to develop an entrepreneurial mindset among youth in Kerala.

The workshop, organised by DSIR TOCIC, Technopark in association with the Union Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Kerala IT, Technopark-TBI and Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC), largely targeted prospective innovators, student innovators, startup companies and MSME clusters.

“Within two years, Technopark would become a premium technological hub. The workshop will help aspiring entrepreneurs to evolve a road map whereby they can establish their own enterprises”, Smt Aruna Sundararajan, IAS, Addl Chief Secretary & Managing Director, KSIDC, said while presiding over the function.

“Summits and workshops will help the government to encourage more youngsters to take up entrepreneurship. Kerala has now changed its mindset with the society accepting innovative ideas,” she added.

At the inaugural function, Shri P K Kunhalikutty launched the official website of “Young Entrepreneurs Summit (YES)”, a key initiative by the Kerala government to promote young entrepreneurs in the state. The summit, to be held in Kochi in September this year, will be organized by KSIDC along with Technopark, Infopark, KINFRA, Technopark- TBI, Startup Village, TiE and CII.

“Budding entrepreneurs were taken to foreign countries to get more exposure to their ideas. Last year, as many as 52 entrepreneurs were taken to Europe for the purpose,” said Technopark CEO Shri K G Girish Babu.  “The workshop is designed to give clarity on how to transform ideas into reality and become successful ‘Technopreneurs’. It is a platform for technology entrepreneurs in the state to know more about business opportunities,” said Shri Hrishikesh Nair, Technopark TBI CEO.

The workshop helped the innovators understand how to transform their crazy ideas or technology innovations into technical prototypes and later into market value prototypes through utilizing the PRISM (Promoting Innovations in Individuals, Startups and MSMEs) funding mechanism of DSIR, Govt of India. Sessions on PRISM, Patenting of Innovations, R & D Scenario and Innovations in MSMEs were also held. Successful entrepreneurs from the state shared their experience with the youngsters.

President Software division, Accel Frontline Ltd and Chairman PIE, IEEE Kerala Section Shri Philip John and CFO Technopark, Secretary Registrar, T-TBI and TOCIC Coordinator Dr K C Chandrasekharan Nair spoke on the occasion.