Curtain comes down on TiECon Kerala ’17
KOCHI: Improved infrastructure, optimum utilisation of technology, industry-oriented research and internationalisation of higher education hold the key for creating the best climate for growth of entrepreneurship in the state, said T P Sreenivasan, diplomat and former vicechairman of the Kerala State Higher Education Council, here on Saturday. He was addressing young entrepreneurs on the concluding day of TiEcon Kerala 2017 - the state’s largest entrepreneurship conference - at the Le Meridian Convention Centre.
Detailing the reasons which resulted in the higher education system not doing enough to promote entrepreneurship in the past, Sreenivasan said, “We have now reached a stage where the state’s higher education system plays an active role in e n c o u r a g i n g entrepreneurship.” “Industry-oriented researchers are the need of the hour. If we had carried out research and developed patents and the patents were taken on board by the industry and developed over a period of time, it would have greatly helped entrepreneurship in the country,” he said.
The session on Opportunities in Rural India took stock of the issues faced by ‘Grampreneurs’. Addressing the session, Shivadas B Menon, managing director, Sterling Group of Companies said agricultural entrepreneurship suffers from lack of visibility and deficiencies in logistics, marketing and failure to establish a well-integrated consortium of various stakeholders. The first real offline crowdfunding event held at the conference provided both fun and excitement as 28 startups pitched their idea and products for crowdfunding before a large audience.
The crowdfunding gave the young entrepreneurs a unique opportunity to validate their early stage disruptive startup ideas and meet potential investors. Role of Medical Cluster Industries On the opening day, the conference witnessed insightful panel discussions on the role of Medical Cluster Industries in Kerala. Leading the session, Thomas John, managing director, Agappe Diagnostics Ltd said all the major cities in Kerala had the necessary attributes which could be integrated into specialty healthcare hubs.
This will allow the state to become a fixture on the global healthcare and wellness travel map. “ The setting up of Medical Clusters needs a multifaceted approach. The stakeholders have to form a cluster and make a collective effort to build the brand name across the world for their location as the seat of highly integrated and top quality healthcare,” he said.