Kerala, famous for its rich culture, high literacy rates, and beautiful green landscapes, is getting attention for something more exciting. All reasons point to the young and aspiring entrepreneurs here. These young hearts have a strong desire to create and aren’t afraid to take chances. They’re turning their passions into businesses and their ideas into real companies. Talking about “young entrepreneurs in Kerala” isn’t just a passing fad anymore; it’s becoming the next biggest thing. This shift is also fueling the rise of digital ventures, including SEO services in Kerala, as startups look for smart ways to grow online. This change is probably going to have a major impact on how the economy works in this small southern state.
Gone are the days of seeking out government jobs and considering them as the only holy grail of career success. This has become annals in the history of Kerala, and to add to it, the youth of Kerala are going beyond hunting for jobs—in fact, they are embracing entrepreneurship. This is not something fanciful that is just spoken or written about. In fact, today Kerala is witnessing an increasing number of its youth joining the race into entrepreneurship. And this is powered by technology, mentorship, and global connectivity.
The Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), incubators, and state-funded initiatives support these young minds and their entrepreneurship dreams without a second thought. With access to co-working spaces, seed funding, and mentorship programs, the young entrepreneurs in Kerala have a launchpad like never before.
He’s one of Kerala’s well-known and professional edtech leader who is recognized for his significant role as the CEO of BYJU’S India. However, he took the experiences he gained from Byju’s in stride, and today he is known as the global CEO of upGrad. His educational background played a huge role in defining the person that he is today. With a background in engineering and an MBA from IIM Kozhikode, Arjun played a pivotal role in shaping India’s online learning landscape. Under his strategic leadership, upGrad grew aggressively, and today it has reached global markets and diversified its offerings.
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Dr. Ananthu S is the founder and CEO of Xylem Learning, an ed-tech platform revolutionizing education in Kerala. With a vision to make quality learning accessible to all, Dr. Ananthu has developed innovative solutions that cater to diverse learning needs. His commitment to educational excellence has positioned Xylem Learning as a key player in Kerala’s educational landscape.
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With just ₹5,000 in his pocket, Mohammed Abdul Gafoor, a college student from Kerala’s Malappuram district, started his entrepreneurial journey. In 2020 he founded ‘FIX IT,’ a startup that deals with home maintenance and associated repair services. Within a span of two years, the company achieved a monthly turnover of ₹30 lakh. He owes this success to the dedication and innovative strategies of his whole team working behind it. The end result of it all is that his efforts did not go unnoticed. He won the state-level Global Student Entrepreneur Award (GSEA) instituted by the Kerala Chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization.
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Together, they shared a common mission—to eliminate manual scavenging in India. Four young men—Vimal Govind, Rashid, Arun, and Nikhil—co-founded Genrobotics to turn this mission into reality. What triggered their project was a tragic incident in 2015 involving sewer workers, which deeply moved them. Determined to make a difference, they dedicated their efforts to developing Bandicoot—a robotic solution designed to clean manholes safely and efficiently. What began as a college project soon evolved into one of India’s most impactful social-tech ventures. Today, Genrobotics is revolutionizing sanitation work across the country, restoring dignity to thousands of workers.
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Orwell Lionel and Adheesh Damodaran co-founded IIC Lakshya with a mission to redefine commerce education in Kerala. Starting in 2011, their goal was to provide accessible, high-quality training for professional courses like CA, ACCA, CMA, and CS. With a deep understanding of student needs and Kerala’s academic ecosystem, they built one of India’s top institutes for commerce education. Their commitment to academic excellence and career-oriented training has helped thousands of students realize their professional goals.
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Neenu Rathin, based in Kochi, is the founder of The Social Town, a platform dedicated to connecting changemakers with opportunities and resources. Her initiative stands out in Kerala’s tech-dominated startup ecosystem by focusing on social development and community empowerment.
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Akash Raju, based in Kochi, is the founder of DESSI, a popular boba tea brand that has gained significant traction in Kerala’s food and beverage scene. His entrepreneurial journey began with a passion for innovative beverages and a keen understanding of market trends. Through DESSI, Akash has introduced a unique fusion of flavors, catering to the growing demand for trendy and refreshing drinks among the youth.
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Ramesh Menon is the founder of One Zero Eight by Save The Loom, an initiative dedicated to preserving and promoting Kerala’s handloom heritage. Through his efforts, he has provided crucial support to weavers and spinners affected by the 2018 Kerala floods. His work has brought attention to the rich craftsmanship of Kerala’s artisans and has contributed to the revival of traditional weaving practices.
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A.K. Shaji is the founder and managing director of myG, a leading electronics and mobile retail chain based in Kerala. Starting in 2006 with a single mobile store in Kozhikode, he transformed the business into a regional powerhouse. Today, myG operates over 100 outlets across South India, including 22 large-format stores under the ‘myG Future’ brand, offering a wide range of electronics and home appliances. Shaji’s vision is to achieve a turnover of ₹5,000 crore by 2025 and expand the workforce to 5,000 employees.
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A well-known figure behind the birth and growth of Kerala’s startup ecosystem. It was his vision and passion that led him to be one of the founders of the Startup Village, India’s first telecom incubator. He later launched SV.CO with the aim of digitally mentoring student entrepreneurs across the country. He is very much impressed by Silicon Valley’s innovation mindset and is on the journey to replicate it within Indian college campuses.
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Most of Kerala’s youth are not driven by money but by mission-led goals. This includes everything from sustainability to education or social change. Most often the mission behind these businesses deeply reflects their personal values.
Kerala is well-known for its high rate of literacy and is often initiated as the state that has the most number of literate people. Therefore, it is often seen that those seeking entrepreneurship in Kerala often come with a solid academic base. They are usually found to have backgrounds in engineering, management, or the sciences.
The youth of today have been brought up in a digital age amidst a growing digital revolution. They live and breathe social media, AI tools, and e-commerce platforms in such a manner that their daily lives circulate around them. Therefore, it is a part of their lifestyle to build and scale digital ventures with agility. It comes easy and effortlessly to them.
Yet again the state government has come up with a lot of support for these dreamy-eyed youth aiming for entrepreneurship. Schemes from KSUM, KSIDC, and various startup incubators provide the funding, mentorship, and exposure necessary to thrive.
The contribution of young entrepreneurs in Kerala is both multifaceted and transformative:
Young entrepreneurs not only empower themselves but also empower the number of jobless youth around us. Thus, they create direct employment opportunities in areas like IT, digital marketing, agritech, and education tech. Apart from that, they are also well-known for generating indirect jobs across logistics, finance, and customer service sectors too.
The young entrepreneurs of Kerala are not limiting their dreams within the shores of Kerala. In fact, several of these Kerala-based startups are developing export-ready products and services. These range from medical devices and gaming software to handcrafted goods and organic foods. Thus, they are opening new revenue streams and foreign market access.
The startup ecosystem is one that forcibly attracts local angel investors and venture capital firms. What happens with such a move is that it encourages more entrepreneurial ventures to bloom within the state. Cross-border collaborations and startup pitch events are also drawing global attention to Kerala.
Coupling technology with tradition isn’t a bad idea. And Kerala’s entrepreneurs have experienced this magic too. By infusing technology into age-old industries like Ayurveda, handloom, coir, and organic farming, these entrepreneurs are modernizing production methods, improving supply chains, and reaching a wider market both nationally and internationally.
Despite the inspiring momentum, young entrepreneurs in Kerala encounter several roadblocks:
However friendly our government policies may be for startups, certain bureaucratic procedures of the state are still stubborn and refuse to change. Even today the common man faces delays in getting licenses, clearances, and funding approvals from the government. These are highly demotivating to the aspiring young entrepreneurs. While everything else may be right, the slowness in paperwork can bog down these young hearts, forcing innovation out of their minds.
Starting a business is not enough; it is only by scaling them that we can sustain them in the long run. In small states like Kerala, the government as well as private investors are there to back new entrepreneurs to start their venture. But everyone turns their back when these entrepreneurs seek funding to scale them. Scaling up to Series A and beyond still remains a challenge. Investors often look to Tier-1 cities, and Kerala-based ventures may struggle to gain national VC attention.
Local startups can flourish only if they have the manpower to sustain them. What happens in Kerala in the case of manpower is close to a disaster. Most often the educated youth are attracted to the lives in metropolitan cities or foreign countries and so make a move to these places on the pretext of having a high-quality life, creating a significant brain drain in the state. This affects the availability of skilled professionals for local startups.
Some startups struggle with product-market fit. Their product or service might be good and necessary but launched in the wrong market. Innovative ideas may not always translate into immediate commercial viability due to limited market awareness, demand, or distribution support.
That said, these challenges are not insurmountable. With continuous policy support, the emergence of startup accelerators, investor networks, and entrepreneurial communities, Kerala is building an ecosystem where young innovators can thrive. The mindset shift—where entrepreneurship is now seen as a prestigious and purposeful career—is paving the way for long-term success.
Young entrepreneurs in Kerala are really getting things going, and their drive is only getting stronger. Each success story inspires the next generation to aim higher, learn from failures, and take bigger risks. Whether it’s a tech company in Kochi, an eco-friendly farm in Wayanad, or a fashion label started by students, Kerala is full of ambition, energy, and big ideas. This is just the start.
Kerala’s young business owners aren’t just starting companies—they’re making big changes in both culture and the economy. With determination, imagination, and a strong sense of what matters, they’re helping steer the state toward a better future.
There’s no doubt about it: the world should pay attention, take notes, and cheer on these young entrepreneurs from Kerala.