Thiruvananthapuram, June 15 (IANS) Seeking to bridge the gap between India’s fast-growing startup ecosystem and established industrial and business sectors, the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) has launched BRIDGE (Business Revolution through Innovation, Digital Growth and Enterprise), a corporate-startup convergence programme aimed at accelerating technology adoption and innovation partnerships.

The state-run KSUM, through this initiative, expects to enable structured collaboration, faster deployment of emerging technologies and new growth opportunities by bringing startups and established enterprises onto a common platform.

KSUM CEO Anoop Ambika said BRIDGE would create a structured pathway for collaboration between startups and established businesses with measurable outcomes, fixed timelines and end-to-end partnership support.

“By bringing together innovation and industry, BRIDGE aims to enable enterprises to access emerging technologies while helping startups scale through market opportunities,” he said.

The programme has opened applications for its first cohort and is targeted at corporates and SMEs with annual revenues of Rs 50 crore and above.

Through BRIDGE, businesses will be able to adopt startup-built technologies, invest in innovative ventures, acquire technologies or startups, and strengthen digital capabilities without developing extensive in-house R&D infrastructure.

Over the next three years, KSUM aims to facilitate more than 500 corporate-startup partnerships, enable over 100 technology adoptions, and support corporate investments exceeding Rs 250 crore into selected technology-driven startups.

The initiative will focus on key sectors including manufacturing, logistics, retail, banking and financial services, healthcare, agri-tech and professional services, among others.

BRIDGE will provide a range of support mechanisms, including startup discovery, demo days, pilot project frameworks, AI-enabled investment matchmaking, and assistance for technology pilots, investments and acquisitions.

The programme is expected to create a stronger innovation pipeline by combining the agility of startups with the scale and market access of established businesses.

With Kerala’s startup ecosystem expanding rapidly, KSUM said BRIDGE represents a shift from standalone startup development towards building deeper industry linkages that can translate innovation into commercial growth.

KSUM is the state’s nodal agency for promoting entrepreneurship, innovation and technology-driven enterprises.

Over the years, it has helped position Kerala as a leading startup destination by enabling young entrepreneurs to convert ideas into scalable businesses.

–IANS

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