THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala will enter into collaborations with globally reputed technology firms at the two-day 'Huddle Kerala' this week, as nearby Kovalam is set to hold one of Asia's largest congregations on startup ecosystem from Friday.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the second edition of the two-day conclave, featuring a range of tech talks by experts from across continents.
The Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) will sign Memorandums of Understanding with giants such as Oppo, Future Group, Wadhwani Foundation and Orbit, an official statement said here on Wednesday.
Biz Stone, co-founder, Twitter, would address the startups through video conference in the opening ceremony of the event, being organised by the KSUM in association with Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).
Anil Agrawal, Joint Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, would be the chief guest at the inaugural function, while state IT and Electronics SecretaryM Sivasankar, KSUM Chief Executive OfficerSaji Gopinath and IAMAI President Subho Ray would be among the speakers.
The event, which hosts an array of technology experts and marketing leaders, would offer a unique platform for startups to showcase their products before technology and industry leaders from around the world.
More than 30 speakers, investors and industry challenges are also part of 'Huddle Kerala', it said.
The sessions would provide opportunities for showcasing the technology to startups, industry experts, decision-makers and others connected to the ecosystem.
The key speakers, investors and mentors at the event include Ajith Mohan, Vice President and Managing Director, India Facebook, Anil Joshi, Founder and Managing Partner, Unicorn India Ventures, Kumar Vembu, Founder and CEO, GoFrugal; Julia Chappel, MD, International Markets, London and Partners, Others include Jukka Holappa, Commercial Counselor, Country Manager India, Business Finland, Ade Sanda, CEO, SGS Capital Partner; Digvijay Singh, COO, Indian Angel Network; Aprajit Bhandarkar, Partner, Varanium Group,Subramanium Chandramauli, author and Sales Trainer andVijetha Shastry, Executive Director, TIE Bangalore.
Kerala has more than 1,500 registered startups with $38 million-plus funding received in 2017-18.
The meet would focus on the emerging and future technology sectors like Blockchain, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, Big Data, Digital Entertainment, AR/VR, Drone Tech, UI/UX, and e-Gov/m-Gov, the release added.