KSUM invites applications for Women Startup Summit 3.0

Kochi: Seeking to encourage inclusivity in the startup ecosystem by accelerating and empowering women with upskilling and global collaboration opportunities, the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) is organising a Women Startup Summit 3.0 next month.

KSUM aims to inspire women in entrepreneurship by facilitating their participation in three sections - Innovation Challenge, Investor Caf and Hackathon.

The winners of the Innovation Challenge as part of the December 15-16 summit will receive a grant of Rs five lakh, the KSUM said in a release.

"Applicants should be Indian startups with one or more women as the principal shareholders. Also, they should have conceived a feasible product model. The startups must have registered with DPIIT and must bear KSUM's unique ID," the KSUM said.

Applications for the December 15 Innovation Challenge can be made till November 30 at https://bit.ly/WomenInnovationGrant

"Besides the Rs five-lakh grant, the winning entrepreneurs will be eligible for soft loans of up to Rs 15 lakh (with an interest rate of six per cent), besides seed funds. The Investor Caf will be to promote investment in existing startups. It will provide entrepreneurs an opportunity to directly interact with investors so as to further strengthen business," the release said.

As for the Hackathon, which will be a hybrid event with both online and offline sessions, the winning women entrepreneurs will be eligible for a three-month pre-incubation at KSUM or internship at Ernst & Young, it said.

Women Startup Summit 3.0 aims to bring together women leaders and entrepreneurs from various fields on a common platform to share experiences, aspirations and success stories.

With Rise To Equal Post-Pandemic Era' as the focal theme, the Summit will feature influential women from the ecosystem.

"Being hosted with an objective to build awareness of business innovations, the two-day summit seeks to encourage inclusivity in the ecosystem by accelerating and empowering women with upskilling and global collaboration opportunities," it said.

KSUM is the nodal agency of the Kerala government for entrepreneurship development and incubation activities in the state.