Can Startups Redesign Public Spaces? Kerala Launches a Challenge to Find Out!

What if a visit to a city park could offer more than just green grass and a jogging track? Imagine stepping into a thoughtfully designed urban mini centre equipped with clean restrooms, a baby care zone, smart kiosks, a solar-powered café corner, and even a small souvenir shop—all packed into an eco-friendly, aesthetic structure that reflects India’s startup innovation spirit.

That’s exactly what the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) and Startup India are aiming to bring to life. In a unique and timely collaboration, both organisations have launched a nationwide Design Challenge for DPIIT-registered startups to redefine how India experiences public spaces.

And there’s still time to jump in—the deadline has been extended to June 10, 2025.

Building the Future of City Parks

In an era where India is buzzing with over 1.77 lakh DPIIT-recognised startups and growing momentum in innovation, this design challenge feels like the perfect blend of startup energy meeting real-world impact.

The aim? To design “Mini Amenity Centres” that will be installed in parks across Kerala’s urban centres. These aren’t just benches and bins—but compact, modular, and tech-enabled urban micro-hubs offering comfort, convenience, and care for citizens from all walks of life.

What’s the Challenge All About?

Titled “Innovate Public Spaces”, the competition invites startups to dream big yet build practically. The idea is to create space-efficient, sustainable structures that are both beautiful and functional. Startups are encouraged to craft blueprints that strike the balance between form and function, while promoting smart, green, and inclusive urban living.

Each Mini Amenity Centre must include:

• Hygienic and accessible toilet blocks

• Clean drinking water stations

• Baby care and nursing rooms

• Resting zones for all age groups

• First aid and emergency access

• Interactive digital kiosks

• Retail/souvenir counters

• Eco-conscious waste management

• Security & surveillance systems

• Solar & rainwater harvesting mechanisms

• A mini café or vending machine corner

• Ad/information display boards

These are not optional extras—they are the heart of the concept. The aim is to deliver high-utility, low-maintenance and socially inclusive micro-infrastructure, inspired by the evolving needs of urban citizens.

Why Should Startups Join?

While the prize money is attractive—₹1,00,000 for the winner and ₹50,000 for the runner-up—the real win is impact.

Winning startups will get the opportunity for their designs to be implemented in multiple city parks across Kerala. This isn’t just exposure—it’s infrastructure transformation powered by the startup ecosystem.

Imagine your idea turning into a live, scalable public utility model used by thousands of families, tourists, joggers, children, and senior citizens every day. It's not just a product, it’s a public legacy.

Who Can Apply?

Only startups registered with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) are eligible.

New Submission Deadline: June 10, 2025
Apply here: ksum.in/Design_challenge

Startups must include:

• Sketches, floor plans or 3D renders

• Material palette

• Cost estimation

• Technical details and implementation feasibility

Kerala’s Vision: Local Innovation, National Inspiration

This initiative isn't happening in isolation. Kerala has been steadily emerging as one of India’s most progressive states in startup adoption and public-private innovation. Through this challenge, the state aims to set a national benchmark for sustainable and inclusive urban public infrastructure—something that many Indian cities sorely lack.

In the backdrop of India’s booming startup ecosystem, initiatives like this reflect a larger trend—startups moving from just consumer products to solving civic challenges. From mobility to clean tech, and now to urban infrastructure, the entrepreneurial ecosystem is gradually becoming a change catalyst for public good.

In a country where public spaces often get overlooked in planning and maintenance, the Startup India & KSUM Urban Design Challenge offers a refreshing take—bringing design thinking, green engineering, and tech innovation to city parks.

And what’s more promising? It’s the startups themselves who are being invited to lead this transformation.

For those with a passion to design, a heart for sustainability, and a vision for better cities—this is your call to action.
Because the future of public spaces might just have your startup’s name on it.