KOCHI: The brand name Startup Village is synonymous with the mushrooming startup culture in Kerala. The New Year marked a change in functioning of the iconic Startup Village in Kalamasserry as Kerala Startup Mission took the reins of the village. But will the iconic brand name—Startup Village—remain with the state government?
There is no surety for that. The owners of the brand name is Indian Telecom Innovation Hub-Technology Business Incubator (ITIH-TBI) Trust.
The logo of the Startup Village is an intellectual property and is trademarked. A final decision on the name will be taken by the 12-member Director Board of the ITIH-TBI Trust, headed by Sanjay Vijayakumar. Incidently, Vijaykumar is also the founder of MobME Wireless, which many believe will not let go this brand from its fold.
The other members include representatives from Kerala Startup Mission, Venture Capital sector, Startups and academicians. “The entire incubation facility at Kinfra Park in Kalamasserry will be known as Technology Innovation Zone (TIZ). Startup Village is the telecom incubator in TIZ along with other incubators in different sectors. Since the brand name Startup Village is the property of ITIH-TBI Trust, the director board, should take a decision on whether to continue the brand name or not,” said Jayasankar Prasad, CEO, Kerala Startup Mission.
The name retention issue is a perplexing one as the Startup Village team set up a similar venture in Visakhapatnam.