The Kochi Startup Village is immediately open for investments to the tune of Rs. 750 crore, including Rs. 100 crore in angel funds; Rs. 50 crore from potential patrons and Rs. 50 crore for a digital platform that would give the sensationally successful Village the global reach both for fund raising and mentoring.
The digital platform project, which will cope with the rising number of start-ups, is open to equity funding, said Chairman Sanjay Vijayakumar on the sidelines of the Global NRK Meet 2015 that concluded here on Saturday.
In addition, the Startup Village is looking for Rs. 50 crore investment to set up an electronics lab in collaboration with the Department of Information Technology and Electronics.
Built-up space
A big part of the total expected investments would go into building a million square foot of built-up space after the Stanford University Model, which would be a residential campus where its residents would live, work and play.
Mr. Vijayakumar said that the Startup Village had sufficient land bank to expand its physical infrastructure. However, the amazing pace of growth in the start-up sector needed more reach and a digital platform would be the best way to cope.
The number of applications from start-ups now is above 6,200 and the proposed new platform would give the new arrivals a digital platform for global visibility, fund raising and mentoring.
He said that the digital platform would also help in turning the Student Entrepreneurship Project of the State government into a paperless project.
On his presentation on the Startup Village at a session on investment opportunities in infrastructure, Mr. Vijayakumar said that the NRIs had responded positively and that many of the potential investors called on the Village to hold road shows to create awareness about what was happening back in Kochi on the start-up front.
Startup Village has sufficient land bank to expand its physical infrastructure. However, the amazing pace of growth in the start-up sector needs more reach and a digital platform would be the best way to cope.
Sanjay Vijayakumar
Chairman, Startup Village
