Kochi: Kerala’s rising tide of entrepreneurship has industry honchos saying three cheers at TiEcon Kerala 2014, the annual conference of industry leaders and budding entrepreneurs which started off here on Friday.
And the speakers also passed on an all important message to them: don’t be afraid of failures.
TiE global president Ashok Rao, who inaugurated the two-day event, said every entrepreneur is responsible for his success or failure but said that for every success, there are hundreds who have failed.
Industries principal secretary P H Kurian said the government is now promoting entrepreneurship and is trying to make it easy to do business in India. India is ranked at 140 in the index of doing business and there is now a thinking at the top echelons of government that Indian should improve it. “We now aim at bringing it down to 50,” he said.
Rajesh Nair, research scholar- MIT and founder, TechTop Innovation Competition, who made a presentation on a study on entrepreneurship in India, said the colleges and universities in India take great pride in displaying the number of placement they have got.
“In the US, great universities do not talk about placements but the number of companies they have created,” he said.
K E Faizal, founder-chairman, KEF Holdings, Ashok Mani, CEO, Inter-Grow Foods & Beverages and James Joseph, CEO, Jack Fruit 365, Dr. Shriram Nene, managing director, RnM Moving Pictures Pvt Ltd, also made presentations on their ventures. A V George, president, TiE Kerala, presided the inaugural session which was followed by technical sessions.
Meanwhile For Rao, Kerala is like Gujarat
For Ashok Rao, TiE Global chairman and Chairman & CEO of US based-Whodini Inc., Kerala looked like Gujarat. “It’s dry,” he said, evoking laughter at the inaugural session of TiEcon 2014 here.
Later, talking to Deccan Chronicle, Mr Rao, who flew in from the US to attend the meet, said the ban on liquor will affect Kerala’s tourism the most.
“People who come to Kerala for vacationing will not be interested in this beautiful place anymore,’ he said, and cautioned: “I am not talking of alcoholics, but people who come to Kerala for a holiday.”
He said Kerala took this decision at a time Indian wine is being celebrated the world over now. “You don’t have to spend a fortune to taste great quality wine these days as they are being manufactured in India,” he said.
