Thiruvananthapuram: Huddle Global 2026 is set to bring together more than 120 venture capital (VC) and angel investors, offering startup founders an exclusive platform to explore funding opportunities.
The eighth edition of the three-day event, organised by Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), will begin at Kovalam on November 12.
The event will feature 76 venture capital investors and more than 50 angel investors through an exclusive investment platform called ‘Investment Track’.
The platform will facilitate direct interactions between startup founders and investors, providing opportunities to explore funding prospects.
Chief Minister VD Satheesan will inaugurate Huddle Global 2026 at The Leela Kovalam, a Raviz Hotel, Kovalam, on November 12 at 10.30 am, KSUM CEO Anoop Ambika announced at a press conference on November 10.
Minister of Industries, IT, Future Technology and Startups P K Kunhalikutty will deliver the keynote address at the inaugural ceremony. S Suhas, Special Secretary, Electronics and IT Department, Government of Keralam, will preside over the function.
Sophie Karlshausen, Ambassador at the Embassy of Belgium, will deliver the special address. M Vincent, MLA, and actress Keerthy Suresh will also be present at the inaugural ceremony. Several memorandums of understanding (MoUs) will also be signed and exchanged during the event.
Leading VC Firms and Angel Networks to Participate
Several prominent venture capital and investment firms will participate in Huddle Global 2026, providing startup founders with opportunities to connect with potential investors.
The participating VC and investment firms include:
- Seafund
- 8x Ventures
- Celesta Capital
- Bharat Innovation Fund
- Yali Capital
- Kalaari
- IvyCap Ventures
- Colossa Ventures
- Speciale Invest
- 3one4 Capital
- Transition VC
- Sathguru Catalyser Fund
- Tetration Ventures
- Pontaq VC
- Omnivore
Angel investor networks, including KAN, MAN, IAN Group, Phoenix Angels and Real Time Angel Fund, will also attend the festival.
Founding partners, managing partners and general partners from these investment firms and networks will participate in main-stage discussions, serve on evaluation panels and interact directly with startup founders.
The Investment Track, featuring 76 VC investors and more than 50 angel investors, will be a key component of the festival’s funding and investor engagement programme.
Huddle Global 2026 to Bring Together 4,000 Startups and 150+ Investors
Highlighting the scale and objectives of the festival, Anoop Ambika said, “The flagship event will feature panel discussions, an AI film festival, product launches, roundtable conferences of GCC leaders, exhibitions, 500 plus investor matchmaking opportunities, business networking and mentoring sessions.
It is designed as a dynamic platform for startups to showcase cutting-edge innovations, raise capital, find strategic partners and receive mentorship.”
He added that Huddle Global 2026 is expected to bring together more than 4,000 startups, 200 high-net-worth individuals (HNIs), over 300 startup mentors, more than 200 corporates, over 150 exhibitors, upwards of 150 investors and 300 eminent speakers.
The three-day festival will feature panel discussions, investor matchmaking, business networking, mentoring sessions, exhibitions, product launches, masterclasses and vendor clinics. The programme will also include roundtable conferences involving global capability centre (GCC) leaders.
Huddle Global 2026 Expo to Showcase AI, Robotics and Deep-Tech Innovations
The expo at Huddle Global 2026 will showcase next-generation innovations and technologies aimed at accelerating Kerala’s transformation into a knowledge-based industrial hub.
The exhibition will feature transformative solutions and products from across India and other countries, covering sectors such as EduTech, HealthTech, FinTech, Life Sciences, SpaceTech, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Blockchain, Robotics, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Internet of Things (IoT), GreenTech and e-Governance.
Humanoid robots, autonomous drones, sustainable energy solutions, biomedical devices and smart city innovations designed to address pressing global challenges will also be displayed at the expo.
Panel Discussion
On the first day of Huddle Global 2026, Minister for Tourism and Culture P C Vishnunadh will inaugurate an AI Film Festival organised as part of the event.
A panel discussion titled ‘From Vision to Impact: The Journey of Building Something That Matters’ will also take place on November 12. The discussion will feature Shafi Parambil, MP; Ramesh Pisharody, MLA; and PMA Sameer, MLA. Vinitha Joseph, Senior Technology Fellow at Kerala Startup Mission, will moderate the session.
Saral Keralam Session and KERA Fund Announcement on November 14
On the second day, Snehil Kumar Singh, Managing Director of Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC), will lead a session on ‘Saral Keralam’.
On November 14, Minister of Agriculture T Siddique will attend the KERA Fund announcement and grant distribution ceremony. The KERA logo will also be launched during the programme.
The Minister will distribute grants to seven companies and product development grants to 32 companies.
Meanwhile, Minister for Water Resources Mons Joseph will launch a flood prediction robot developed by Thrissur-based robotics company Estrado at Huddle Global 2026.
Car Racing Champion Mathias Lauda to Attend Huddle Global 2026
Car racing champion Mathias Lauda will participate in Huddle Global 2026 on November 14 as part of a project focused on manufacturing affordable Formula One (F1) cars from Thiruvananthapuram.
Huddle Global Roundtables to Feature Government and Industry Leaders
The Huddle Global Roundtables will bring together select groups of 20 to 25 domain leaders in each session. These discussions will be chaired by the Chief Minister, the Minister for IT and Industries, department secretaries, State Planning Board members, university vice chancellors and the CEO of Kerala Startup Mission.
In addition to the roundtables, the festival will feature masterclasses and vendor clinics.
The distinguished list of speakers includes
- Dr Sutapa Choudhury, British Deputy High Commissioner for Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry;
- Gita Krishnankutty, Director-Investment, South India, UK Government;
- Eoghan O’Regan, Head of India, Welsh Government;
- Dr Jae Kyeong Lee, Director, Global Business Center, KOSME, South Korea;
- Tobias Kuhl, Head of Deep Tech Incubation & Acceleration, NXTGN; and
- Pratiti Sharma, Senior Manager, Startup India
Other speakers include
- Mahmood Dhannani, Director, Cylcop Australia;
- Siby Sudhakaran, Startup Middle East;
- Dr Veena N Madhavan, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Government of Keralam;
- Dr Ananda Ramakrishnan, Director, NIIST;
- Shreya Sharma, Director, NASSCOM-Deeptech; and
- Vinod Khader, Executive Director and Engineering Leader, IBM
