CM Launches KSUM’s LEAP Membership Card; Opens Renovated HQ

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
Imparting an added thrust to the startup ecosystem in Kerala, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan today launched the statewide membership card of Kerala Startup Mission’s (KSUM) ‘LEAP Coworks’ and also inaugurated the refurbished headquarters of KSUM in Thejaswini Building, Technopark Phase 1, Thiruvananthapuram.

LEAP (Launch, Empower, Accelerate, Prosper) Coworks is a pioneering initiative which comes as part of the government’s mission to transform industry incubators into co-working spaces to provide further impetus to innovation and collaboration for a successful startup ecosystem. For this, KSUM is engaged in transforming its incubation centres, partner incubation centres and IEDC-owned incubation centres into a vibrant co-working space called LEAP Coworks.

As part of this ambitious programme, the new KSUM headquarters in Technopark has been rebranded as LEAP Coworks Space. By this move, KSUM expects to provide standardised co-working spaces across the state for the startups.

After the launch of LEAP membership card and inauguration of the LEAP Coworks, the Chief Minister went around the workspaces, complete with state-of-the-art infrastructure.

Dr Rathan U Kelkar, Secretary (Electronics & IT), Government of Kerala, Sajeev Nair, CEO, Technopark, Arvind Kumar, Director General, Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) and Dinesh Thambi, Head and Vice President (Kerala), TCS were present on the occasion.

According to KSUM CEO Anoop Ambika, the new space aims to create an environment that nurtures innovation, encourages networking and facilitates the success of startups and entrepreneurs. This statewide rebranding reflects KSUM’s mission to provide comprehensive support and resources to startups and entrepreneurs in Kerala.

The LEAP Coworks space offers state-of-the-art infrastructure, well-designed workspaces and meeting rooms, besides high-speed internet connectivity and other essential amenities required for a productive work environment.

Even after the transformation into a coworking model, KSUM will continue to provide valuable incubation support services to startups, including mentorship programmes, business development assistance, access to funding opportunities and expert guidance. LEAP Coworks space will foster a vibrant community of like-minded individuals and startups, creating opportunities for collaboration, knowledge sharing, and networking. Also, KSUM will organise regular events, workshops, and networking sessions to facilitate meaningful connections.

Through LEAP, KSUM seeks to introduce flexible membership plans to accommodate the various needs of the startups, including hot desks, dedicated desks and private office spaces. These plans will provide startups with the flexibility to scale up their operations as they grow. Also, LEAP becomes a single access point for entrepreneurs to enter the startup ecosystem besides facilitating access to the schemes offered by KSUM including various grants, seed loans, market access, mentors connect and investor connect.

The launch of the LEAP Coworks membership card is expected to unlock a world of possibilities and opportunities for startups. This exclusive card will give startups, professionals, angels and venture capitalists “unparalleled access” to KSUM’S premium facilities. Also, the membership card will facilitate subsidised access to all LEAP centre facilities besides providing access to book Flexi Workstations and KSUM’s partner incubation centres across the state.

The other notable benefits of the membership card include additional subsidies for KSUM partnering events, talent acquisition support, cloud credits, uninterrupted internet and electricity, internship drives and tech training, five days of access to flexi seats free of cost at any facility every month, 25 per cent subsidy on all major events done by KSUM, access to LEAP centres across the country, access to startup infinity centres across the world, startup matchmaking opportunity, startup co-founder matchmaking opportunity and access to investors.

For registration, visit https://leap.startupmission.in/

KSUM is the nodal agency of the Kerala government for entrepreneurship development and incubation activities in the state.