Kerala: KSIDC to host Scale-up Conclave 2024 for startups on March 4

Kochi (Kerala) [India], March 1 : Seeking to ramp up support for start-ups in the state to enable them to scale up operations and forge partnerships, the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) will organise a one-day conclave here on March 4.
State Industries Minister P Rajeev will inaugurate the conclave, 'KSIDC Scale-up Conclave-2024', at 10 am on March 4 at the Taj Vivanta in Ernakulam.
The conclave will provide a platform for industry leaders, entrepreneurs, administrators, researchers, and young professionals to interact.
The event will be a platform to network with other start-ups, policymakers and eco-system enablers, said KSIDC Managing Director S Harikishore, who is also Director, Industries and Commerce.
The meet will seek views from delegates on changes, if any, required in the implementation of the incentive schemes through the New Industrial Policy 2023.
The event will have around 250 select startups from within Kerala and outside.
The conclave, being held against the backdrop of recent achievements of Kerala's start-up ecosystem, will showcase the policy initiatives of the state government.
The Union Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade ranked Kerala as the 'Best Performer' in India for the last three years. Further, Kerala was also ranked first in Asia in 'Affordable Talent in Global Startup Ecosystem', as per the Global Start-up Ecosystem Report.
The conclave will host two pre-lunch sessions, followed by a success-story presentation and a panel discussion in the afternoon.
The sessions will be on 'Kerala -- Opportunities Galore' and 'My Journey' by top ten startup employers in the state. The success story presentation will feature five speakers, while the panel discussion on 'Suggestions and Strategies for strengthening the Kerala Start-up and Scale up Ecosystem' will have three speakers.
The state boasts of more than 5000 start-ups spread across its 14 districts, traversing sectors including Artificial Intelligence, SaaS, health-tech, manufacturing and fintech. These start-ups have raised investments totaling around Rs 3,000 crore from various funding agencies. Many such nascent companies are in the cusp of scaling up.
The speakers at the opening session will include Industries and Norka Principal Secretary Suman Billa, KSIDC Chairman Paul Antony, State Electronics and IT Secretary Dr Rathan U Kelkar, KINFRA Managing Director Santhosh Koshy Thomas and KSUM CEO Anoop Ambika, besides Harikishore.