Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM)

Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) is the state government's coordinating body for startup development and incubation in Kerala, based in Thiruvananthapuram, India. Rather than offering one deal, it runs a menu of public schemes that cover early grants, growth support and national seed schemes routed through the state.

Services

• Idea grant: non-dilutive support for Kerala-based innovators at the idea and proof-of-concept stage.
• Productisation grants: help for teams that take tested concepts or prototypes to market-ready products through engineering, design and testing, including dedicated grants for women and transgender founders.
• Scale-up support: scale-up grants and a loan-based seed fund for startups adding capacity and reaching larger markets.
• Centrally funded schemes: national seed schemes routed through KSUM, including the Startup India Seed Fund and the Nidhi Startup Seed Support Scheme.
• Government procurement: a route for government bodies to buy products developed by startups directly.

Who it serves

Idea-stage and growth-stage startups. Some schemes are limited to Kerala-based innovators, and productisation support includes women and transgender founders.

Key facts

• Based in: Thiruvananthapuram, India
• Disbursement: grants are paid in milestone-based tranches, with the balance released after a progress review