COVID-19 Pandemic and Startup Sector in Kerala

Abstract

In the year 2020 so far, the entire world is slumped by a COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in lockdowns, social distancing, economic slowdown and financial setbacks. All these have adversely affected the Indian economy and have made the lives of the common man in the country miserable. The COVID-19 crisis has seriously hampered almost all the businesses irrespective of their size and reputation. In spite of this pessimistic situation, there are few Indian startups that are growing well and playing a critical role in the economy by helping the country to shift towards fully digital work environment, run educational courses, ensure the availability of FMCGs and even in terms of innovation in health services and medical field. A startup is an entrepreneurial venture that has been launched recently, where founders attempt to develop an innovative as well as technology driven product or service The proposed article examines the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on startup sector in the state of Kerala. Kerala, an investor friendly state with high literacy rate makes it ideal for startup community and the state has taken many policy measures to this regard that included the launch of India’s first startup policy to create an entrepreneur-friendly ecosystem.