KOCHI: Menlo Park Mayor Catherine Carlton on Monday promised that 100 technology startups from Kerala would be given a chance to visit Silicon Valley this year.
Catherine Carlton, who is leading a three-member delegation on a six-day visit to Kerala, toured the Startup Village incubator and interacted with officials and the young entrepreneurs.
She said that technology startups from Kerala would be given a chance to travel to Silicon Valley to learn about the nuances of developing companies. “We can also extend support to the startups in identifying potential markets in the US. We are extremely impressed by the talent of the youngsters here and the kind of support the government is extending to them. We will be very pleased to welcome selected startups, possibly 100 companies, to Silicon Valley this year and to provide them an opportunity to expand their businesses there,” she added.
The delegation included Menlo Park City Council Member Ray Mueller and Bootup Ventures Managing Partner Mukul Agarwal.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed between Catherine Carlton and Kochi Mayor Tony Chammany in Thiruvananthapuram on February 11 as part of a sister-city agreement between the two cities.
The MoU, which will be signed in the presence of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, aims at initiating new partnerships in the educational, cultural, social and economic sectors.
“Through this collaboration, Kochi will be able to get to the global stage and emerge as a key player in the telecom-technology sector. We also plan to boost Landing Pad, a project supported by the Kerala Government, in Silicon Valley,” Startup Village chairman Sanjay Vijayakumar said.