Mizone

Pick the right door

• Want desks or mentoring: use the Apply for Incubation form. It asks for your team size, current location, how long you need co-working space and a short note about your startup.
• Want angel funding: email your pitch deck to the network's secretariat at the role inbox on the site, admin@mizone.in.
• Not sure yet: the site runs a free help desk for startups and MSMEs, and lists phone numbers.

Know the lean

• The angel network says it prefers Kerala-based startups that create local jobs and solve local or rural problems. If you are outside Kerala, ask whether they would look at you before you invest time.
• The site names no sector list and no fixed intake window or deadline, so ask for current dates.
• The funded startups page was last updated in March 2019. Ask what the network has backed since.

Mizone, short for Malabar Innovation and Entrepreneurship Zone, is a non-profit based near the Kannur University campus in Kalliasseri, Kannur, Kerala. It runs two things that matter to a founder: an incubation centre with desks and private cabins, and the Malabar Angel Network, which it describes as the first regional angel network in Kerala. The listing is best read as a regional incubator with an angel group attached. It is not a venture fund and it does not describe itself as a micro fund.

Who it is for

The site says its aim is to create successful entrepreneurs with business ideas that apply information technology to open new opportunities, preferably relevant to the Indian context, and to create jobs in the Malabar region. The angel network says it gives preference to Kerala-based startups that can create local employment and solve local, rural problems at scale. The site does not name a sector list or a stage cut-off, so treat it as open to early-stage and small businesses, with a clear lean towards founders from North Kerala.

The incubation centre

The centre is described as a public-private set-up. Kerala Startup Mission funded the building fit-out through a grant, the land and building belong to Kerala Clays and Ceramics Private Limited, and Mizone operates the incubator. The facilities page lists air-conditioned workstations, a conference room, discussion rooms, Wi-Fi, 16 private cabins, access control, power backup, housekeeping, parking and a resume data bank for sales and technology professionals. It says the centre is built to host around 300 entrepreneurs and was more than 60% occupied at the time of writing. Besides space, Mizone says it offers management advisory help with business plans, training, introductions to experts and early-stage funds, and need-based mentoring from a mentor pool.

How the angel network works

The Malabar Angel Network says it has a secretariat that builds a deal pipeline, runs pitch sessions at regular intervals, and helps lead investors with due diligence and legal support. Its members are described as corporate professionals, small business owners, academics and high net worth individuals in Kerala and abroad. The network also says it has tie-ups with the Indian Angel Network and with Native Angel Leads of Tamil Nadu. Funding is described as seed investment through equity and convertible loans, following Kerala Startup Mission guidelines and SEBI rules. The funded startups page was last updated as of March 2019, so do not read it as a current portfolio.

How to reach them

For angel funding, the network asks startups to email their pitch deck to its secretariat at the address on the site. For desk space, the site has an Apply for Incubation form that asks for your team size, location and how long you need the co-working space. There is also a contact form and a free help desk for startups and MSMEs, with phone numbers listed on the site. The site publishes no fixed intake window, deadline or application fee, so ask before you plan around a date.