Thiruvananthapuram: Keralam Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Thursday announced a major shift in the state's startup strategy, from quantity to quality, with a focus on building globally successful enterprises.

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He outlined the proposed shift in a post on X after inaugurating the eighth edition of Huddle Global 2026, a beachside startup festival organised by the Keralam Startup Mission (KSUM) at Kovalam here.

He said the state's startup ecosystem had grown to more than 9,200 startups, generating over 76,000 jobs, building on the Technology Startup Policy introduced in 2014 under former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.

"Today, we are announcing a major shift in our startup strategy: from quantity to quality, from creating startups to building globally successful enterprises. Our ambition is to nurture more than 100 startups with annual revenues exceeding Rs 100 crore," he said.

Outlining the government's priorities, Satheesan said it would establish 10 world-class, research-driven incubators through the Translational Research and Innovation Centre-Kerala (TRIC-K), an academic-industry incubator hosted at the University of Kerala.

The government also plans to strengthen startup funding, innovation grants, research and development support and seed financing, besides developing new debt-financing instruments through the Kerala Financial Corporation (KFC), Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) and banking partners, he said.

It aims to empower young innovators through Gozip, its flagship GenZ Innovation programme, with district-level innovation clusters and builder residencies, he added.

"From underwater robotics and semiconductor design to artificial intelligence, biotechnology and maritime innovation, Keralam has the talent to build technologies for the world. Our message to every young entrepreneur is simple: You don't have to leave Keralam to build something the world needs," Satheesan said in his post.

He said the foundation laid by the Oommen Chandy government had evolved into a thriving startup ecosystem, and the next goal was to build globally competitive enterprises, nurture high-revenue startups and create greater opportunities for young innovators through advanced research and incubation facilities.

"With Vizhinjam opening new gateways to global markets, we are determined to take Keralam's innovation, talent and enterprises to the world," he said.

Noting that Huddle Global had brought the world to the state's shores for eight years, Satheesan said the focus would now be on taking Keralam's innovations to the world.

The goal, he said, was not merely to create more startups but to make Keralam a place where startups could grow and compete successfully on the global stage.

State Industries Minister P K Kunhalikutty, film actor Keerthy Suresh, Belgian Ambassador to India H E Sophie Karlshausen and KSUM CEO Anoop Ambika were among those who attended the event.

(This story has not been edited by Mathrubhumi and is published from a syndicated feed.)