As the year 2015 comes to an end, we take a quick look into the top five achievements in Kerala's start-up world:
1. Lookup, a free messaging app that helps consumers to chat with those running local businesses, now has Twitter on it's side. The Co-fouder popular micro-blogging site, Biz Stone, said that he would be investing in the firm and would also act as their mentor. Lookup has raised over USD 2.5 million.
2. Chillr, the multi-bank payment application, raised USD 6 million from Sequoia Capital, in an yet to be closed Series 'A' round of funding.
3.Rahul Alex Panicker, president and co-founder of Embrace Innovations, a Bangalore-based health-tech start-up, was named one of the top 35 innovators of the year by MIT Tehcnological Review. Rahul, hailing from Thiruvananthapuram, founded Embrace, a medical device company that helps save vulnerable babies in rural areas through its embrace infant warmer, according to MIT Technology Review. Rahul joins an elite list which includes Google founders Larry Page and Sergie Brin as well as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who are among the previous winners.
4. Exploride Inc, raised USD 512, 718 in a period of 40 days, making it the first start-up to attain such a feat.
5. Rainmaker Ventures, run by Insustrialist Sudhir Menon and Atul Hedge launched a start-up fund worth USD 50 million.
6. StartupVillage bagged the National Award for Technology Business Incubator by the Union Ministry of Science and Technology.
7. Corporate 360, a data technology firm, has become Kerala's first start-up company to win the Stevie Awards for Sales and Customer Service.
8. Corporate 360 also laid the foundation stone for Kerala's first private IT park. The IT park would be functioning from Pathanapuram, Pathanamthitta district.