KSUM Ties up with German Incubator to Give Startups Smoother Access to Europe

KOCHI:
The Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) has tied up with leading German incubator Mainstage, facilitating the state’s nascent firms to gain smoother access to the European market.

KSUM Chief Executive Officer Dr Saji Gopinath signed a memorandum of understanding with his counterpart Swen Wegner of the Frankfurt-based firm that fosters early-stage companies. Present at the function here last week was M Sivasankar, Secretary (Electronics and IT), Government of Kerala.

The agreement facilitates Kerala’s startups to incubate at Mainstage and, in the process, get introduced to companies in Germany and other countries under the European Union. This will also enable them to get into commercial deals with suitable firms in the continent. Mainstage will shortly list the Kerala startups that are to benefit from the pact and publish their names on the incubator’s website (www.mainstage-incubator.com).

The MoU triggers the prospect of a symbiotic relationship between the two parties, Sivasankar said after Friday’s ceremony at KSUM’s Integrated Startup Complex in Kalamassery, 20 km north of the city. “We have opened a gateway to Kerala’s startups to enter Europe,” he added.

Dr Gopinath said the pact will enable Kerala’s startups to go for high-quality products that are of demand in Europe. “KSUM’s products have largely been world-class. This MoU will further help our startups develop business relations with European firms and supply products of their specifications,” he noted.

Wegner said the agreement will function as a bridge between Kerala’s startups and European companies. “We already know Kerala’s startups come up with products of international standards. Only that they need a proper channel to market them abroad,” he noted. “Mainstage will handhold the startups and groom them in ways that make them visible across the market in Germany and the rest of Europe.”

Kerala’s startups that are into space technology have a guaranteed future in Europe, said Wegner, adding that Mainstage is soon convening a workshop here to enable the KSUM firms to benefit from the bilateral agreement.