Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) will hold this weekend the fourth edition of the IEDC (Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Centre) Summit billed as Asia’s largest event of its kind for business aspirants.
‘Accelerating Ideas to Industry 4.0’ will be the theme of the October 19 event at Sahrdaya College of Engineering and Technology in Kodakara of Thrissur district. Around 4,000 delegates and 100 startups will participate in the summit, 60 km north of here.
The day-long conclave comes when the world is in the midst of an exciting Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0), pointed out Dr Saji Gopinath, CEO of KSUM that is the Kerala government’s nodal agency to develop the state’s technology startup ecosystem. The summit aims to give IEDCs a chance to play a significant role in exposing the student community to the needs and aspirations of the society propped up by Industry 4.0 transformation.
The event gives student delegates from across Kerala an opportunity to express their entrepreneurial ideas and get in touch with the experts attending it from different parts of the world. With a separate session on success stories, the conclave features 25 speakers and a string of technical workshops.
The IEDC summit will be addressed by Kerala Education Minister Prof C Raveendranath, ISRO former chairman Dr K Radhakrishnan, Kerala Electronics and IT Secretary M Sivasankar, APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University Vice-Chancellor Dr Rajasree M S, Hungry Lab founder Bian Li, Google Developer Relations Program Coordinator Siddhant Agarwal, anchor-entrepreneurs Rekha Menon and Santhosh George Kulangara, besides KSUM’s Dr Gopinath and founders of several startups.
Organisers noted that a key determinant of a country’s competitiveness is its students’ talent pool: their skills, knowledge and experience, overall known as the ‘soft capital’. The Saturday event will serve as a platform to engage with young entrepreneurs, understand their needs, develop networks and share their success stories with a wide audience.
Subsequently, industry leaders and top officials with government, research and educational organizations will play a critical role in formulating and developing the implementation of Industry 4.0 strategy through IEDC Summit 2019.
An annual event, the summit is typically packed with activities such as startup expo, extended reality, blockchain track, activity hubs and panel discussions. The agenda for the event can be viewed here.
