Zoho Corp opens new campus in Kottarakkara; acquires Kerala-based Asimov Robotics

KOTTARAKKARA: Zoho Corporation, the parent company of Zoho and ManageEngine, on Wednesday announced that it has acquired Asimov Robotics, partnered with Kerala Startup Mission for its Deep Tech Product Studio initiative, and formed associations with startups and organisations for a range of R&D collaborations.

These announcements were made during the inauguration of the company's new campus in Kottarakkara, Kerala.

The campus was inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Finance Minister KN Balagopal. From Zoho's side, Shailesh Davey, co-founder-CEO, Zoho Corp., Tony Thomas, co-founder-CEO, Zoho US, and Sridhar Vembu, co-founder-chief scientist, Zoho Corp, were present at the ceremony. Other dignitaries included Kodikunnil Suresh, MP, Anoop Ambika, CEO, KSUM, and S Somanath, Isro's former chairman.

"This collaboration with Zoho would be a significant step in strengthening Kerala's local ecosystems by enabling intellectual property creation, product research, and development from rural areas. The Zoho campus at Kottarakkara, currently nearing completion, stands as a pilot model for this transformative approach. This is a concerted effort between multiple agencies, which included employers, skilling, academia, infrastructure, capital and public participation and could be adopted as a model for the rest of the state," said Balagopal.

"Our Kottarakkara office will be dedicated to enhancing our R&D projects in various fields starting with AI and Robotics. Apart from our own work in these fields, we also will be collaborating with like-minded deep-tech organisations to further amplify our efforts. Our goal remains the same: to develop these capabilities in India and make the country self-reliant in terms of critical technology," said Davey.

"Zoho’s entry into the state further validates our argument that the state’s startup ecosystem is an excellent enabler to attract big companies into the state. We are pleased Zoho has agreed to partner with KSUM in establishing a deep tech product studio in Kerala," said Ambika.

The Kottarakkara campus, which has a seating capacity of 250, will initially be dedicated to AI and robotics research. Zoho Corp. opened its office in the town in 2024, and has been hiring locally and from other neighbouring towns and villages. The company has started an internship programme to nurture talent and overcome the skill gap.

For the first three months, the trainees undergo a skill development course, where they can choose what they want to specialise in, with coding in C, C++ and Python being mandatory skills across disciplines. After this period, the trainees work on a variety of projects for six months and are evaluated based on their problem-solving abilities and initiatives. Those who successfully complete the second stage join Zoho's workforce. Throughout the nine months of training, the interns receive a stipend. So far, 40 employees have been hired through this programme.

Zoho Corp. has acquired Asimov Robotics, a Kerala-based startup. Founded in 2012, the company specialises in providing robotic solutions to industries for addressing hazardous, inefficient, and repetitive scenarios. Asimov Robotics and its employees would continue their R&D efforts from the Kottarakkara office with guidance and mentorship from Zoho's team. The acquisition was done to expand Zoho's R&D capabilities into robotics.

KSUM will be opening a deep tech product studio to bring together startups and organisations dedicated to deep-tech research and product development. Zoho Corp is the first industry partner for the initiative. Zoho will seek synergies with organisations and provide mentorship and guidance, explore collaborations, and work towards strengthening the ecosystem.

Zoho Corp has formed R&D associations with Boson Motors, Vipus Advanced Materials, vTitan, Zentron Labs, Verdant Telemetry & Antenna Systems, Netrasemi, Genrobotics, Energy 24by7 and IIT Bombay.