States » SouthPosted at: Nov 14 2026 9:01PM


Huddle Global 2026 concludes; Rs 8 crore investments announced

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 14 (UNI) The eighth edition of Huddle Global 2026, Asia's largest beachside startup festival, concluded here on Friday with investment announcements worth Rs 8 crore and fresh initiatives to accelerate the growth of Kerala's startup ecosystem.
Two startups secured investments totalling Rs 1.5 crore, with deeptech aerospace startup Tessat Space raising Rs 1 crore in an angel funding round and Kerala-based Bustler receiving a proposed seed investment of Rs 50 lakh.
Organised by the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), the three-day event brought together around 10,000 participants, including more than 90 venture capital investors, over 50 angel investors, 4,000 startups, 200 high-net-worth individuals, 300 startup mentors, more than 200 corporates, over 150 exhibitors and 300 speakers.
The event also facilitated more than 200 startup-investor meetings and witnessed the launch of over 27 products.
Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan inaugurated the event at The Leela Kovalam, a Raviz Hotel, on November 12. Industries, IT, Future Technology and Startups Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty and Special Secretary, Electronics and IT Department, S. Suhas attended the inaugural function.
Delivering the keynote address at the valedictory function, Ramanan Ramanathan, a member of the Mission Governing Board of India AI Mission, urged entrepreneurs to be bold and develop imaginative solutions by harnessing artificial intelligence, which, he said, had evolved from being merely a technology into a capability.
KSUM CEO Anoop Ambika said Huddle Global had grown over the years into a major technology conclave in Kerala and the mission aimed to transform it into a global event in the coming years.
Tessat Space's Rs 1 crore angel investment came from Xylapay, a blockchain-powered cross-border payment platform. Discussions between the two companies were initiated through KSUM's Connect funding programme during Huddle Global 2025, with the investment finalised in the current edition.
TIRF (Tevanova Incubation and Research Facility), an emerging incubation and research ecosystem based in Palakkad, announced a Rs 50 lakh seed investment in Bustler, a Kerala startup developing a Skill Identity Platform. The investment is expected to strengthen the startup's efforts to promote human skills and skill identities in the age of artificial intelligence.
The Group of Technology Companies (GTech), the industry body representing technology companies in Kerala, issued expressions of interest for funding to four startups during the Cheque Mate investor pitch session. The selected startups were Leadmetrics, Cloudpositive, Zeev (ZSS Technologies) and Spacetime 4D.
Three startups -- CDISC Technologies, Sixdots Design and Kalqy -- were selected through the Tiger's Claw pitching session and won an opportunity to participate in the GITEX Dubai expo without any participation fee.
Prizes were also distributed to winners of the first cohort of the Student Unicorn Programme (SUP), aimed at nurturing emerging student entrepreneurs. Team BharatWorks won the first prize of Rs 1.5 lakh, while Eldora secured the second prize of Rs 50,000 and Tattvic Labs the third prize of Rs 25,000.
Ramanathan and Anoop Ambika jointly launched KSUM's Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) Accelerator programme, scheduled to commence in January. The one-year programme will select 10 D2C startups and provide structured mentoring, grants and seed investment. Applications will open on December 15.
The event brought together startup founders, investors, government officials, social entrepreneurs, innovators, policymakers and industry leaders to explore opportunities in technology and entrepreneurship.
The accompanying exhibition showcased innovations and products across sectors such as education technology, healthcare technology, financial technology, life sciences, space technology, artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain, robotics, augmented and virtual reality, Internet of Things, green technology and e-governance.
Humanoid robots, autonomous drones, sustainable energy solutions, biomedical devices and smart city innovations were among the major attractions at the exhibition, highlighting emerging technologies aimed at addressing global challenges and accelerating Kerala's transition into a knowledge-based industrial hub. Varun G, Project Director, KSUM, proposed the vote of thanks.
UNI DS
Tags: #Huddle Global 2026 concludes; Rs 8 crore investments announced
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