Shri. Pinarayi Vijayan, Honourable Chief Minister of Kerala, officially launches the state’s inaugural Campus Industrial Park & Zoho R&D Labs at CE-IHRD, Kottarakara.The Minister of Finance, K.N. Balagopal, and the Minister of Higher Education and Social Justice, Dr. R. Bindu, along with Shreedhar Vempu, the CEO of Zoho and CO-founder Tony G. Thomas, Dr. V. Arun Kumar, the director of IHRD, and Anoop Ambika, CEO of KSUM, participated.
Zoho’s Rural Expansion: From Tenkasi to Kottarakara
Back in 2011, Zoho Corporation, a leading SaaS giant, made a pioneering move by establishing its rural office in Tenkasi, Tamil Nadu, with just 10 employees. Over the years, this initiative blossomed into a thriving campus housed in a repurposed fruit pulp factory, now employing around 900 professionals in a non-urban setting. Building on this success, Kottarakara, situated approximately 80 km from Tenkasi, is poised to replicate this model.
Fostering a ‘Work Near Home’ Culture
In a bid to promote the ‘work near home’ (WNH) culture and cultivate technical job opportunities in rural areas and Tier III cities, the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) and the Institute of Human Resources Development (IHRD) have joined forces to establish Kerala’s first Campus Industrial Park and R&D centre at the College of Engineering, Kottarakara. This initiative aims to provide cutting-edge training, including AI and robotics, with Zoho Corporation as a key partner.
Strategic Location and Government Support
The decision to set up this facility in Kottarakara was further bolstered by a visit from Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal to Zoho’s Tenkasi office in April 2023. Minister Balagopal highlighted the need for hubs specialising in advanced technologies to propel Kerala towards a knowledge economy. Kottarakara’s strategic location, well-connected to densely populated regions like Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram, and Pathanamthitta, along with its proximity to Tenkasi, made it an ideal choice.
Zoho’s Rural Hub-and-Spoke Model
Zoho Corporation has demonstrated the effectiveness of its hub-and-spoke model by establishing offices in various rural locations, encouraging individuals to work closer to their hometowns. While hub offices can accommodate over 1,000 professionals, spoke offices typically employ around 100 employees.
Focus on Industrial R&D and Skill Development
Jayaraj Poroor, principal researcher at Zoho Corporation, underscores the significance of the Kottarakara centre as a solid industrial R&D facility, with a sharp focus on AI and robotics. The centre aims to handpick around 30 students for on-the-job training initially, with potential for permanent or temporary positions based on performance and potential.
With the inauguration of Kerala’s first Campus Industrial Park & Zoho R&D Labs in Kottarakara, the region is poised to become a hub for technological innovation and high-end job creation, driving Kerala towards a brighter future.
