Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 11 (UNI) India’s largest beachside startup festival, Huddle Global 2025, organised by the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), will get underway at Kovalam near Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, December 12.
The three-day festival will showcase the journey of India’s startup ecosystem, with Kerala serving as the focal hub for innovation, entrepreneurship, and emerging technologies.
Besides opening vast opportunities for startups, including funding and mentor support, the three-day event, now into its 7th edition, is packed with insightful debates, expo of innovative products, an all-India hackathon with attractive prizes up for grab and a host of other exciting programmes.
In his visionary talk, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will address a session on ‘The Kerala Future Forum: A Dialogue with the Chief Minister’ on December 14 at 11 am.
Finance Minister KN Balagopal will speak on ‘Vision 2031 – What is in store for Kerala’s Knowledge Economy’ at the opening session of the event at The Leela Kovalam, a Raviz Hotel on December 12 at 10 am. Minister for General Education and Labour V Sivan Kutty will speak at the session to be addressed by the Chief Minister.
More than 3000 startups, 200-plus HNIs (High Networth Individuals), 100-plus mentors, corporate, exhibitors and 150 speakers have confirmed their participation for Huddle Global 2025, where startups will also launch their products and solutions.
Deepak Bagla, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission, Government of India, will deliver a keynote address on ‘Choosing Wise Kerala’s Role in the Indian Deep-Tech Mission’ at the opening session. Seeram Sambasiva Rao, IAS, Special Secretary (Electronics & IT), Government of Kerala, will deliver a talk on ‘Actions Speak Louder than Words Report on Startup Ecosystem.’
The opening session will also see Dr Philipp Ackermann German, Ambassador to India & Bhutan, speaking on ‘Innovation Without Borders: Building the India–Germany Partnership for Global Impact;’ Anoop Ambika, CEO, KSUM, on ‘Entrepreneurs and Bureaucrats Huddling Together for a Better Tomorrow;’ and Sridhar Vembu, Founder, Zoho Corporation, on ‘Prosperity with Purpose Why Kerala must Build Domestic Wealth to Build its Future.’
The session with CM will have the presence of Mr Saeed Al Falasi Executive Director – Dubai Centre of AI Dubai Future Foundation; Mr S Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India, Nivin Pauly, Actor and Founder of Pauly Jr Pictures and Co-Founder, CRAV.
Minister for Higher Education Ms R Bindu will speak on ‘Vision 2031 – What is in Store for Kerala’s Research and Innovation Economy’ at 2.45 pm on December 12 while Minister for Law, Industries and Coir P Rajeeve will share his views on ‘Vision 2031-What’s in Store for Kerala’s Industry’ at 4.25 pm.
A session on ‘From Mission to Momentum: The Evolution of Kerala’s Startup Ecosystem and Way Forward’ will have Mr Bishwanath Sinha, Additional Chief Secretary, Home & Vigilance Department, Govt. of Kerala; Seeram Sambasiva Rao, Special Secretary (Electronics & IT); Dr Rathan U Kelkar, Chief Electoral Officer, Govt. of Kerala; Dr Saji Gopinath, IIM Kozhikode & Former VC of Kerala University of Digital Sciences; Dr Jayasankar Prasad, Director, Centre for Management Development; Tapan Rayaguru, Analytics Leader; P H Kurian, Former Chairman, Kerala Real Estate Regulatory Authority and M Sivasankar, Former Principal Secretary to Kerala CM, as panellists. Anoop Ambika, CEO, KSUM, will moderate the session.
Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Astronaut, Gaganyaatri, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), will deliver a keynote address on ‘Developing an Astronaut Mindset towards Nation Building’ on the inaugural day.
On the second day, Pradeep Jayaraman, CEO, Adani Ports; Sreekumar K Nair, CEO, Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd; Ramesh Ramakrishnan, Chairman, Transworld; and Praful Poddar, Chief Product Officer, Shiprocket, will take part in the session on ‘Ships, Shores and Supply Chains Kerala’s Big Opportunity in Maritime Innovation,’ to be moderated by Akhil Saxena, Board Advisor, Supply Chain Consultant, Ex VP-Amazon.
A session on ‘Business Beyond Borders’ on the final day will be attended by Erik af Hällström Consul General of Finland in Mumbai; Hans Hoertnagl Trade Commissioner Advantage Austria; Dr. Angela Honegger CEO & Consul General at Swissnex in India; and Martin Barratt, Consulate General of Canada in Bengaluru. Irfan Malik, National Associate Chair President, New South Wales Australia India Business Council Ltd, will be the moderator.
The closing ceremony of the event at 4.15 pm on December 14 will have Shri Anoop Ambika, CEO, KSUM; Dr Panneerselvam Madanagopal, CEO, Meity Startup Hub and Director, Digital India Programme; and Dr S D Sudarsan, Executive Director, C-DAC, Bengaluru, as speakers.
The expo of the December 12-14 event will showcase the Next-Gen innovations and technology that can boost Kerala’s transformation into a knowledge-based industry hub.
It will feature a stunning array of transformative solutions and products from across India and beyond, including groundbreaking products and services from EduTech, HealthTech, FinTech, Life Sciences, SpaceTech, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, Blockchain, Robotics, AR/VR, IoT, GreenTech, and e-Governance.
Humanoid robots, autonomous drones, sustainable energy solutions, biomedical devices, and smart city innovations designed to address pressing global challenges will be on display at the expo.
Huddle Global 2025 is focusing on startup funding, business and technology, besides identifying novel business model and raising capitals for startups. The panel sessions and discussions will highlight the immense opportunities emerging from global technologies for startups.
