Catherine Carlton, Mayor of the US city of Menlo Park, today said up to 100 technology startups from Kerala could be given a chance to travel to the Silicon Valley to learn about the nuances of building a billion dollar tech company.
Carlton, who is leading a three-member delegation on a six-day visit to Kerala, toured the Startup Village incubator and interacted with the officials and young entrepreneurs here. "We will be very pleased to welcome select startups, possibly 100 companies this year, to Silicon Valley and provide them an opportunity to expand and grow their business there. We can also extend support in identifying potential markets in the US," she said.
The delegation included Menlo Park City council member Ray Mueller and Bootup Ventures managing partner Mukul Agarwal. The team is on a visit to Kerala ahead of the signing of a historic twin city agreement between Kochi and Menlo Park, a city in California which is home to a number of tech giants like Facebook.
"Kerala has got abundant talent and huge potential for growth. One of the objectives of the twin city agreement is to promote sharing of talent and ideas in the technology sector, thus boosting employment opportunities in both the countries," Carlton said.
A memorandum of understanding with regard to the sister-city agreement will be signed between Carlton and Kochi Mayor Tony Chammany in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday in the presence of chief minister Oommen Chandy.
It will be the first such agreement between an Indian city and Menlo Park, an affluent city in the heart of the Silicon Valley, also known as the Capital for Venture Capital.
"Through this collaboration, Kochi will be able to get to the global stage and emerge as a key player in the telecom-technology sector," Startup Village chairman Sanjay Vijayakumar said.
