KOCHI: Lockheed Martin India Chief Executive Phil Shaw was all praise for the support extended by the Central and state governments to the startups here. Shaw was addressing the national-level hardware conclave ‘Hardtech Kochi’ organised by Maker Village here on Saturday. On the startup scenario in the past, Shaw said government backing for such innovative ventures was virtually non-existent then. He recalled how Lockheed Martin had emerged into a global brand from its inception. According to him, the firm which began like a startup venture encountered difficulties in sourcing funds initially.
Lockheed Martin, a global defence aviation giant which produces fighter aircraft like F16 and F 35, will soon invite innovative ideas from startups in India as part of its annual scheme - ‘India Innovation Growth Programme’. Launched in 2007, the programme focuses on startups and ideas put forward by university students to make them commercially viable.
“The programme intends to take innovative ideas from startups and university students to the next stage, enabling them to enter the market. People need exposure, investors or venture capitalists. The programme is set up to identify the innovation taking place in India. From the ideas, an expert panel will select the best 10, which will be going to the States. They will get an exposure to the innovation ecosystem in the US,” Shaw explained.
M Sivasankar, IT Secretary, Government of Kerala, said Maker Village should associate itself with the talents emerging from the work experience fests being held in schools and colleges. “In Kerala we are trying to give a thrust to democratising internet by ensuring high-quality bandwidth to every citizen,” he said. “We, along with Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), are planning to organise an international conclave of startups in April first week, in which around 2,000 startups will participate,” he said. M Madhavan Nambiar, Chairman, IIITM-K, said the state is now focusing on hardware and semiconductor manufacturing, keeping in mind the rising demand for electronic hardware.