Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM)
2017 onwards

When MD Niche was assigned to do Public Relations for Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), the word 'startup' in the industrial scenario was looked upon with ambivalence and negative connotations.  The high and the mighty in industrial corridors brushed it aside as a fanciful concept that was destined to fail.

But as startups began to script the history of enterprise and entrepreneurship all over the world in a most spectacular manner, MD Niche had the perspicacity to realise their potentiality as a game-changing phenomenon. We got down to the task of positioning KSUM in Kerala and in India in the trendsetting vanguard. The result is now there for everyone to see: start-ups and KSUM have become synonymous in Kerala. Even though the fledgling enterprises under KSUM are more of a technical nature, any new business in any domain has in the mind of the people, the name KSUM is attached to it.

MD Niche had been consistently and diligently building up the brand KSUM over the last three years through dedicated campaign and strategy. Even when Kerala IT was struggling with recent allegations in the public sphere, KSUM remained unscathed as a clean and transparent entity, supporting and delivering high-quality products and enterprises for the public.

Sustainable PR resulting in transparency

MD Niche could bring media close to KSUM through consistent campaigns with routine press releases and fruitful engagements between them. Our success is underlined by the fact that we have been able to create a pool of dedicated reporters specialising in startups in Kerala and at the national level.  They eagerly wait for news from and engagements with KSUM’s top officials.

These reporters have spent considerable time and effort in spreading the message of KSUM globally through special features, interviews and articles. These messages have brought investors from around the world to many startups incubated KSUM.

Every event mattered

Activities of KSUM are not just contained in facilitation for startups. There is no other organisation in Kerala which is engaged in a diverse range of events and meetings from local to global level. MD Niche has risen to every such occasion for their effective dissemination among the target audience.  Local events like Demand Days, Idea Days, Meet-up Cafes and national events like Huddle have been runaway successes owing to the publicity and active participation they generated.

Out of the box ideas

MD Niche does not believe in employing textbook theories of PR for KSUM. Unique PR tools were created for consistency in media exposure besides taking utmost care to ensure that there is no media fatigue. One such tool was a monthly e-magazine which was content-rich as well as design-rich. It had all the activities of KSUM attractively packaged.

Top officials of KSUM were receptive to the ideas of MD Niche so that it could pre-empt negative stories before they made their entry into the media. As a result, rarely were negative stories that needed to be countered. 

Community Building

In short, MD Niche has not only publicised KSUM but also built a close-knit community of its stakeholders. Also, we have created an atmosphere of trust and knowledge in which the startup ecosystem has become a durable entity in Kerala!