Mr. V. Sunil Kumar at the Global Kerala Business Summit: A Perspective on Growth, Enterprise, and the Future

The Global Kerala Business Summit, hosted by Asianet News and held in Abu Dhabi on October 25, 2025, brought together leading voices shaping the economic direction of Kerala. Centered around the theme “The world is changing, so is Kerala. Where should Kerala be moving to?”, the event featured insights from distinguished business leaders, including Mr. V. Sunil Kumar, Founder & Managing Director of Asset Homes.

Sharing perspectives shaped by decades of entrepreneurial experience, Mr. Sunil Kumar began by redefining the idea of wealth. He reflected that money gains real value not by being accumulated, but by moving from one person to another. Each transaction, he said, builds value far greater than what most people imagine, transforming lives and driving progress across society.

Recounting the start of his career, Mr. Sunil Kumar remembered his first job after completing civil engineering — working as a site engineer for the construction of Model Engineering College under the Institute of Human Resources Development. With a starting salary of ₹1,800, this phase offered more than income. It taught discipline, strengthened technical understanding, and laid the foundation for a future in real estate.

Discussing challenges in entrepreneurship, he highlighted a universal truth: finding the right people is often the hardest task. Success, he said, depends not only on talent but on building teams with complementary strengths. A business partner should not be a clone of oneself, but someone who fills the gaps in one’s own abilities. Honest self-assessment is the first step toward building such meaningful partnerships.

When speaking about Kerala’s direction, he pointed to cinema as a powerful societal mirror. Earlier films like Varavelpu and Ee Nadu often portrayed business ventures negatively, emphasizing failure and adversity. Today’s cinema, however, reflects a changing Kerala – a state where entrepreneurial success is visible, celebrated, and increasingly central to economic development. According to him, the state’s progress is now being largely driven by the rise of private enterprise and strong individual initiative.

To young and aspiring entrepreneurs, Mr. Sunil Kumar offered practical and grounded advice: be willing to work hard, choose the right people, and build businesses on the right practices. Revisiting Varavelpu, he noted that the protagonist’s failure was not merely due to systems or bureaucracy, but because of flawed business decisions. The lesson remains relevant – long-term success requires integrity, discipline, and doing things the right way.

Mr. Sunil Kumar’s insights at the Global Kerala Business Summit underscored a powerful message: Kerala is at the cusp of transformation, and it is the strength, vision, and persistence of its entrepreneurs that will continue to shape its future.

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