GIC contestants overwhelmed meeting Kerala Chief Minister

The participants of the ongoing Global Impact Challenge (GIC), jointly organised by the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) and the US-based Singularity University (SU), visited Chief Minister Shri Pinarayi Vijayan at his Chamber at the Kerala State Secretariat on July 4.

Dr. Saji Gopinath, CEO, KSUM, who introduced the participants to Shri. Vijayan, said, "The participants were able to explain their ideas to the Chief Minister and he wished all the participants good luck. Interactions like these clearly convey the government's intention to support innovative ideas that can impact billions. Such opportunities to interact with the decision makers instil more confidence in the startups to take their ventures forward.”  

The participants are overwhelmed with this interaction. Here's what they said

"It was a nice feeling to present ourselves in front of CM. He listened to each idea carefully."

Kumari Komal, Vidhyalay Udhyam, Rajasthan

"I was very happy and equally elated to meet him. He listened to me patiently and I am humbled by his attitude. This definitely shows his eagerness to accept new ideas in the face of conventional processes."

Subhajit Roy, Krishworks

"It was a proud moment for me to speak about innovation and ideas in front of honourable CM Kerala, which he continuously nourishing entrepreneurship culture. Thanks @KSUM providing this opportunity."

Prahlad, SunEmison

"We greatly appreciate the CM for taking time from his busy schedule to meet with us. The Kerala government has always been a great supporter of new ideas and startups. And tons of thanks to KSUM for arranging this opportunity."

Suma, Ilove9months

"Kerala has been one of the top states to provide a nourishing environment for start-ups to quickly setup, scale and grow, especially in the last few years. This was also seen on the part of the Honorable Kerala CM who took time to listen to SU GIC finalists despite his hectic schedule. We are greatly honoured to have met and interacted with him personally. Thank you KSUM and SU Trivandrum for this wonderful opportunity!"

Shahina, Massive Data Analytics, Kerala

"It was a humbling yet profound experience for us to meet the honourable CM. We would like to thank KSUM for giving us the opportunity to share our idea and progress with him. It was equally exciting and reassuring to realize the zealous presence and support from the government of Kerala to ensure the growth of modern technology and modern minds."

Rohith, EyeROV

“I personally felt encouraged by the Chief Minister’s kind gesture of giving us an opportunity to express our innovations.”

Dr. Bhavani PV, Pentavalent Bio Science Private Ltd, Karnataka 

“Refreshing to note that the CM is very interested in what startups offer. I haven’t seen this anywhere else.”

Balaji from Brun Health Pvt Ltd, Delhi 

Ideas pour in at Global Impact Challenge event

Ideas may look vague while they remain on paper.  But the startups taking part in the Global Impact Challenge (GIC) at the Technopark here are confident of giving them concrete shapes and positively impacting lives of millions.

True to their social commitment, 25 startups from different states participating in the event pitched riveting ideas in diverse sectors ranging from Environment, Education to Healthcare.

The India GIC, which commenced at Technopark here on Monday, is jointly organised by the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) and the US-based Singularity University (SU). It aims at inspiring startups to find solutions to address global challenges in learning, healthcare and environment sectors. 

Clensta International Pvt. Ltd, a Delhi-based startup, helps people take a bath or wash hair without even a single drop of precious water. Thus it makes personal hygiene possible for everyone anywhere.

Another Delhi-based startup, Brun Health Pvt. Ltd, offers the first of its kind pregnancy monitoring solutions that can create an ecosystem ensuring better outcome during childbirth.

Moving a step further, Kerala-based ‘I Love 9 Months,’ led by a three-member all- woman team, is dedicated to antenatal and postpartum wellness. According to its founder Anjali, they work towards empowering women to make the right choices during their pregnancy and after.

“We believe that every woman deserves the right to know how best to take care of her body and mind during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum,” she said.

In environment segment, Maharashtra-based Biome’s idea is to manufacture an organic air purifier to improve the quality of ambient air and provide nutritious algae biomass as by-product.

'EasyKrishi' from Karnataka offers a technology that helps farmers save money while buying agriculture inputs and selling produce. It provides a mobile-based aggregation platform for credit facilitation and entrepreneurial interventions for marginal farmers.

There are also participants from Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Telengana. Genrobotics; Valley Labs; Inforich Technology Solutions; and Navalt Solar and Electric Boats are some of the participants from Kerala. 

The boot camp of the event was launched on the opening day and the finale will be held on July 7. The pitch day is scheduled on July 6.

  

The KSUM has selected 25 finalists belonging to different states from the applicants, which include 11 in healthcare, 8 in environment and 6 in education.

On the final day, the best idea will be selected and taken for the SU Incubation programme that lasts for nine weeks.