KOCHI:
Curtain came down on the second edition of the National Deeptech Startup Conclave, Hardtech ‘19, organised by Maker Village, in Kalamassery, Kochi on Saturday, sending out a clear message that the future of industry in the state lies in startups.
The two-day event featured addresses by 50 speakers, who included senior government officials, leaders from global technology firms, entrepreneurs from across the country and the world, besides academicians from top universities.
Noting that entrepreneur should have a connect with community, Karthik Padmanabhan, Lead Developer Systems, Google, said startups should not confine themselves to the labs. Instead, they should regularly keep a contact with people and society. He was talking about “Triggering Entrepreneurship” at the meet.
“Startups have the freedom to think differently compared to other industries. They can create wonders with incubation facilities like Maker Village,” Padmanabhan pointed out.
In his valedictory address, Muralee Thummarukudy, Chief of Disaster Risk Reduction, United Nations, said the situation of losing jobs due to digitalisation is nearing. “Kerala should leverage on technology and knowledge. The state has to utilise the talent pool of new technology by shedding the mindset that we are a small state,” he added.
Hardtech ’19 showcased live products matured by startups with cutting-edge technologies. They include ones from Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad. The event also featured a technology expo displaying products of technology firms, service providers, vendors and products from SMEs and MSMEs from the technology space apart from those by startups.
The conclave coincided with the setting up of advanced/scaled-up prototyping and productisation facilities, commencement of Center of Excellence (CoE) on Engineering Design and Simulation and the initiation of the operation of International Hardware Accelerator.
