Kerala student startup earns global acclaim for innovation

Kochi, Oct 29: Six student entrepreneurs at the Startup Village here have earned global acclaim for their smartphone app designed to improve the skills of skateboarders. They have now been invited to Canada next month to interact with innovation experts, investors and mentors.

The startup Flip Technologies team's product, "The Smart Riser" (Skateboard tracker), was ranked among the top five in the Next Big Idea Contest 2014 organised jointly by the Bombay Stock Exchange Institute, the Government of Ontario, Canada, IBM Global and Ryerson Futures Inc.

The Smart Riser is designed for skateboarders to enhance their ability to perform and analyse tricks whether one is an amateur or professional.

The device is connected to the truck of the skateboard and it tracks the dynamics of the board and the data is sent to a smart phone app via bluetooth. The app can determine the trick performed and help the skateboarders to improve their skills and acts like a personalized trainer.

The Smart Riser has also been rated as one of the most interesting products by Intel, which will provide its latest Edison board to the students for prototyping and for development support.

Jibin Jose, Abimanyu Nair, Jishnu Vijayan, Balagovind Girish, Rohith Samuel and Abraham Alexander of Flip Technologies will attend a two-week programme in Toronto's Discovery District - a hotbed of innovation responsible for more than $1 billion of R&D annually.

"We are really excited about our visit to Canada, where we will have an opportunity to interact with the top people in the industry. We are focused on developing cutting edge IOT (Internet of things) devices and tracking devices for adventure sports," said Jose, co-founder of Flip.

Startup Village chairman Sanjay Vijayakumar said the student entrepreneurs were "proof that if you have the idea, the enthusiasm and the drive, there is a world of opportunity awaiting you."

While Jose and Nair had passed out from the Toc-H Institute of Science and Technology (TIST) near here, the other four students are pursuing different courses at the same college.

IANS