We need our own Facebook and Google: Kris Gopalakrishnan

Start-ups in India need to become household names and they should create Internet successes on the lines of 'Facebook and Google', Infosys executive co-chairman Kris Gopalakrishnan said today.

"We need our own Facebook and Google," he said at a function at Startup Village, the country's first telecom incubator, at KINFRA Park at nearby Kalamassery.

Urging the starts-up to scale up and become household names, he said the speedy growth of Startup Village would greatly enhance Kerala's investment and industrial environment.

The impressive performance of Startup Village within a short span of time has helped change the very perception of the state as these new ventures had turned out to be entrepreneurs and job-creators at the same time, he said.

Congenial atmosphere and sufficient infrastructure were integral to the growth of the start-up firms, he said.

Startup Village was able to put them in place to incubate the new companies. It began its operations with 5,000 sq ft space which has now gone upto 10,000 square feet. This was likely to touch about 1 lakh sq ft within a year, he said.

Products from Startup Village had already started gaining popularity outside the country, thus enhancing its image globally, he said and hoped that such products would soon be household names all over the world.

Mr Gopalakrishnan, who is also chief mentor of Startup Village, gave away merit certificates to the 20 outstanding start-up ventures on the occasion. There are about 148 start ups being supported at the village.