Startups have potential to address problems overlooked by others: Kanimozhi

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K. Kanimozhi, MP, addresses the startup summit in Thoothukudi on Thursday. | Photo Credit: N. RAJESH

Thoothukudi MP K. Kanimozhi on Thursday highlighted the ability of startups to address the needs of smaller groups of people, as larger corporates often could not afford to focus on such specific needs.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of a two-day AICCI National Startup Summit 2026, organised by All India Chamber of Commerce and Industries (AICCI) in association with V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority, here, she touched upon the exponential growth of artificial intelligence (AI), which was replacing several things in the current era.

“Once we thought manufacturing industries were important. But today, AI is replacing workers in those sectors, raising questions about their future. We are at a point where many countries are thinking about how we are going to face these challenges and how many people will have jobs and what their future will be,” she said.

Participants at the startup summit in Thoothukudi on Thursday. | Photo Credit: N. RAJESH

She urged the students and startup founders to identify issues and problems around them and develop solutions to address them. There were so many things that AI, government and corporates could not solve. “One great thing about a startup is, it cares about smaller groups of people. But corporates cannot afford to do that,” she felt

Students and startup founders must identify the needs of such people and reach out to them with innovative solutions, she added.

C.K. Kumaravel, co-founder, Naturals Salon & Spa, Vincent Menachery Devassy, executive director, TMB Ltd, and Ramesh, senior deputy traffic manager, VOC port, were present at the event.

AICCI functionaries, including S. Sankar Marimuthu, president, S. Suresh Kumar, secretary general, and Joseph Cascarino, treasurer, were also present.

More than 150 startup exhibition stalls were set up at the summit, which were visited by entrepreneurs and college students. Several industry experts participated in the summit and spoke about various aspects of starting a business.

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