Kerala a jewel in India's startup crown: Tharoor

Thiruvananthapuram : Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor, has said that Kerala's startup ecosystem has become a glittering jewel in the crown of India's fast-growing startup landscape by demonstrating its prowess in innovation, inventiveness, sustainability, and inclusiveness.

Tharoor, a four-time Lok Sabha MP, said this while speaking at the Huddle Global 2024, India's flagship startup conclave, here on Saturday.

Tharoor, an eminent writer, former diplomat, and thought leader, titled his address "The Elephant that is becoming a tiger: India's Startup Ecosystem and tech entrepreneurship", an obvious reference to his book "The Elephant, the Tiger & the Cellphone".

While hailing the achievements of Kerala's startup ecosystem, Tharoor said the state needs to further streamline regulatory compliances and procedures to enable aspirational entrepreneurs to start enterprises, attract capital, and grow faster.

"We need to simplify and streamline regulatory compliances and procedures by dismantling the oppressive red tape," he added.

Tracing the evolution of the Indian startup ecosystem, the Congress leader said this was the time to think about making a single imaginative leap to add greater momentum to what has been achieved.

"The elephant is becoming a tiger as startups symbolise industriousness, innovation, and inventiveness, playing a vital role in the remarkable transformation of the country," Tharoor added.

He also said that while coming out with novel and ingenious solutions, the startups have also shown that everything is reusable and re-imaginable.

"The surge of entrepreneurial culture also helped to turn India from a country of job-seekers to a job-creating economy, though it is a paradox that increasing unemployment has sharpened the youth's entrepreneurial spirit," he added.

Lauding Kerala Startup Mission for positioning its flagship startup festival into a major event that brings together the entire spectrum of stakeholders, Tharoor said "it is amazing" that a lot of products from robots, home automation, and medical technology from the startups are displayed here.