THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As many as 188 applications were received from entrepreneurs, innovators and startup enthusiasts belonging to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) communities for the first batch of the Startup City project.
Jointly launched by Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) and the state government’s empowerment initiative Unnathi, the project primarily aims at supporting entrepreneurs and innovators from SC/ST communities to set up or expand their enterprises.
Prasanth Nair, special secretary of SC/ST and Backward Classes Development Department, said the project will help young entrepreneurs to scale up their ventures and become job providers. Minister for Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes K Radhakrishnan, who is also chairman of Unnathi, launched the project in July.
KSUM CEO Anoop Ambika said besides providing essential facilities to set up a productive work environment, KSUM will provide expert mentorship to the entrepreneurs selected under the project.
Meanwhile, the first phase of the evaluation process of applications mainly representing Livelihood and Traditional MSME Business, MIS, Healthcare, IT, Hardware, Internet of Things (IoT) and Data Analytics project sectors has been completed.
The orientation programme for the first batch of innovators and entrepreneurs will commence soon. The selected entrepreneurs will receive financial assistance, expert mentorship, business establishment and development assistance.
the Startup City project will provide incubation facilities and support for entrepreneurial ventures promoted by entrepreneurs from SC/ST community in multiple sectors. For details, visit the website https://unnathikerala.org.