Thiruvananthapuram, March 29 Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday highlighted the state’s rapid strides in fostering startups, revealing that in the last nine years, around 6,200 startups have emerged in the state, attracting investments of Rs 5,800 crore and generating 60,000 job opportunities.
“Today, Kerala is one of the most startup-friendly states in the country. It ranked as a top performer in the Startup Ranking 2022 and secured the first position in Asia in the Affordable Talent Ranking, as per the Global Startup Ecosystem Report. Between 2021 and 2023, our startup ecosystem grew by 254 per cent, compared to the global average of 46 per cent. This success is a result of the government’s proactive intervention in the sector,” Vijayan said.
He made these remarks while inaugurating ‘Permute 2025,’ one of India’s largest skilling festivals, organized by GTECH MuLearn to position Kerala as the country’s talent capital for the knowledge industry.
“The industry-driven digital platform MuLearn, which provides students with free access to industry mentors, can significantly contribute to Kerala’s emergence as a talent hub in collaboration with the state government,” Vijayan added.
He emphasised that MuLearn, an initiative of the Group of Technology Companies (GTECH), marks a crucial step in this direction, with its innovative ideas poised for implementation through discussions.
GTECH, comprising over 250 companies and employing more than 80 per cent of the state’s tech professionals, plays a key role in fostering innovation. Vijayan also announced plans to develop a deeptech ecosystem in Kerala to further strengthen its startup landscape.
GTECH Chairman V.K. Mathews, speaking at the event, underscored the importance of ‘Permute 2025’ in ensuring a robust talent pool for the accelerated growth of IT and IT-enabled services (ITeS) in the state.
He also highlighted MuLearn’s role in bridging the gap between industry and academia.
“Last year, the global technology sector grew to $5.2 trillion and is projected to expand by 10 percent this year, reaching $5.9 trillion. India’s IT industry is expected to grow to $282 billion this year and is projected to hit $300 billion next year,” Mathews stated.
However, he noted that growing deglobalisation trends and uncertainties linked to artificial intelligence (AI) pose significant challenges.
“As per a McKinsey report, the productivity impact of Generative AI will account for four per cent of the world’s GDP, primarily affecting areas such as customer interaction, sales and marketing, R&D, and software engineering,” he added.
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