A Tryst with the South: Kochi

State: Kerala
Language: Malayalam, English
Population: 21,20,000 (2011)
Weather: Humid tropical climate
Food: Fish, Banana chips
Places to Visit: Cherai Beach, Mattancherry Palace, Willingdon Island, Paradesi Synagogue, Hill Palace Museum
Industry Specialization: Technology, Industrial Design, Infrastructure
Kochi’s Own: Chillr, Sastra Robotics

 

Kochi, popularly known as the Queen of Arabian Sea is full of colonial bungalows and diverse houses of worship. A few reasons why it has been described as one of the most beautiful places in India is that it is home to lakes, beaches, backwaters, lush greenery, ancient monuments, and hills. 

The Kochi ecosystem has been the torchbearer for all ecosystems in Kerala. The growth of the ecosystem in the past few years has been remarkable, leaving passer-bys in awe. Over the last few years, the ecosystem has immensely developed, orchestrating every piece of a vibrant and ideal startup. The knowledge and the skills that the startups possess in the ecosystem are one of a kind.

Read more about how Kochi is leading the way for the Kerala Ecosystem –
https://inc42.com/features/kochis-startups-are-shining-proof-of-keralas-thriving-startup-ecosystem/

Kochi, The Ecosystem

Kochi’s ecosystem has thrived on Technology, Design, Medicine, and Infrastructure unknowingly creating a band of startups that have propelled growth for all startups in those industries.

As mentioned earlier, the past few years have been good to Kochi, giving rise to Entri, SurveySparrow, Fourth Ambit, Astro-Vision, Rideblock, Agrima Infotech, Reelmonk, and Riafy- all trailblazers in their respective fields.

The city receives funding from both in-house and out-of-state investors often amassing huge amounts of money- Entri (USD $3 Mn), SurveySparrow (USD $1 Mn), Fourth Ambit (USD $864K), and Astro-Vision (USD $724K).

Funding

Kochi is also home to some very well established investor networks- with close to 20 investing organizations like Konglo Ventures, Progno Advisors, Kerala Ventures, and TiE Kerala. They also have many individual investors and a community of angel investors, the Kerala Angels Network- they work towards providing funds and mentorship to the startups under their umbrella.

Read more about how Kochi has evolved and emerged as a successful ecosystem –
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/newsbuzz/kochi-gets-one-of-indias-biggest-startup-ecosystem/articleshow/67515798.cms?from=mdr

Incubators, Accelerators, and Stakeholders

The city may be geographically small but that hasn’t stopped them from cultivating sprawling campuses of incubators and accelerators throughout the city. Maker Village, a 60000 sq ft facility developed at the Technology Innovation Zone, KINFRA Hitech Park, Kochi for the Electronics Incubator, is one of the highlights of this city.

Accelerators like BRINC, Bionest, and BRIC are very well known for their work and support. There are some incubators that double up as co-working spaces, the best examples for this would be inQ Innovation Global and Center A.

Alongside that, Headstart has a chapter in Kochi that works towards the empowerment of startups in the region. In 2020 alone, the team had worked towards organising multiple Startup Saturdays in Malayalam. In case you’d like to reach out to our team in Kochi, write to kochi@headstart.in

Government

Kochi’s rapid growth has intensified thanks to the Kerala government’s active involvement in the ecosystem. They run Kerala Startup Mission, a wildly successful programme, one which has won Kochi and Ernakulam the title of being one of the top startup destinations in the country in 2019. Not only that, but investments of INR 70 Cr into startups from various sectors were also announced in early February 2020 at the fifth edition of the two-day ‘Seeding Kerala’ investment summit, organized by Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM).

Read more about what stands out about the Kochi ecosystem-
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/326900

Conclusion

The city is currently working towards making the ecosystem more technology-friendly. While it has come a long way, there is still a lot of hard work that needs to be put to become one of the startup hubs of India. The enablers have now started working in fields such as biotechnology, augmented/virtual reality, and advanced communication for the improvement of the already inspiring ecosystem.

Kochi is the next emerging entrepreneur community, a major thanks to the efforts and initiatives taken by the government to promote the entrepreneurship culture in the city. In a nutshell, Kochi never fails to provide a boost to all its startups and makes sure to give them all the opportunities to bloom, flourish, and succeed.

Meet HerMoneyTalks and Avasarshala, two startups that embody the vibrancy of the Kochi ecosystem here!

Contributed by:

Anoushka Chopra & Sanskriti Bhatnagar
Headstart Network Foundation