KOCHI: To boost startup ecosystem in the country by bringing multiple technology incubators under one roof, the work on the first phase of Kerala Technology Innovation Zone (KTIZ) complex got underway at Kinfra Hi-Tech Park at Kalamassery on Wednesday.
IT Secretary M Sivasankar, in a release, said KTIZ will be developed as the largest startup ecosystem of the country and a global innovation hub. “Once completed, KTIZ will be the country’s largest startup ecosystem. Besides, the 13.2 acre-KTIZ complex will also serve as a global innovation incubator hub for different players in the technology space,” he said.
This ambitious project, funded by Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board, will be the largest infrastructure project for a startup ecosystem in the state. The Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure Ltd, the nodal agency to carry out all infrastructure works under the IT Department, will be the special purpose vehicle for implementing this project. The incubator model of KTIZ will focus on ICT, electronics, IoT, robotics, biotech and other industries, by creating individual verticals for each sector with dedicated infrastructure and research facilities.
“One of the major demands of a startup entrepreneur is to have every facility available, required to begin a startup without any hassles. This will be the apt solution for that,” KSUM CEO Saji Gopinath said. The complex will come up at 13.2 acres, received from the state’s infrastructure development agency Kinfra. The first building will be of 2.07 lakh sq ft. A building of 1 lakh sq ft to be constructed by Software Technology Parks of India will also come up in the same zone and it will be funded entirely by the Centre.