IEDC 2017: Student Entrepreneur Summit to Feature Innovative Prototypes

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
More than 3,000 student-entrepreneurs from across the state will converge on Kochi next week to participate in ‘IEDC 2017’, the largest summit of its kind in India and a platform for budding innovators to learn, share knowledge and network with eminent tech personalities and decision-makers.
Organised by Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), the day-long summit will bring together nearly 200 Innovation Entrepreneurship Development Centres (IEDCs) — small incubators set up at engineering, technical, management and arts and science colleges to help students pursue innovative ideas and embrace the entrepreneurial spirit.
Four precursor events conducted across the state on August 5 offered a preview of things to come with around 800 students from 13 districts participating in the sessions in B’Hub (business hub) – Mar Ivanios Vidya Nagar, Amal Jyothi College of Engineering, Adi Shankara College of Engineering and Government Polytechnic Kozhikode.
Chief Minister Shri Pinarayi Vijayan will be the chief guest at the event, which is to be held on August 19 (Saturday) at Adlux International Convention & Exhibition Centre in Kochi.
IT Secretary M. Sivasankar, Google India Vice-President and Managing Director Rajan Anandan, KSUM CEO Dr Saji Gopinath, ICFOSS Director Dr Jayasankar Prasad and a host of tech luminaries, including prominent angel investor Nagaraja Prakasam and Dentcare Dental lab founder and Managing Director John Kuriakose will speak at the event.
KSUM supports 193 IEDCs across the state. Each IEDC has hundreds of students with an idea and the drive to change the world.
“The IEDCs have helped create around 200 startups in Kerala by conducting technical, leadership and business modeling workshops that have enhanced student skills and changed mindsets within the state’s campuses to create emerging entrepreneurial ventures. The summit serves to complement and boost these efforts,” Dr Gopinath said.
The summit will feature a keynote speech on social entrepreneurship, panel discussions, lightning talks, power discussions and parallel sessions on business modeling, design thinking and activity tracks.
IEDC 2017 will also see more than 50 student prototypes unveiled at a Project Expo, parallel events such as ‘Robowars’, round table talks, VR/AR gaming, sessions on future technologies as well as a Startup Expo and Incubator Expo. Further, there will be startup mentoring and idea pitching stations.
The summit will bring together two levels of entrepreneurs from Kerala: the ones who have succeeded and established their businesses across the globe and the young generation entrepreneurs who are currently building their enterprise globally, Dr Gopinath said.
Corporates are welcome to attend. Registration details and additional information can be found at www.iedcsummit.startupmission.in.