Karnataka Digital Economy -Start-Up Ecosystem

Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM), in collaboration with TiE Bangalore, launched a special bus yatra called the Start up EXPRESS today from Bangalore in preparation for the TiE Global Summit (TGS) 2022. The trip brings together  start up founders and mentors/investors for a 12hour journey that ends at TGS’ host city, Hyderabad.

25 start-up founders will be joined by 25 investors/mentors who will network and interact with them to fine-tune their eventual pitches at the showcase event. The bus ride will give the founders ample opportunity to hold in-depth discussions with some of the start-up industry’s finest leaders and entrepreneurs in a unique, fun setting. During the trip, founders will participate in peer learning and pitch development activities, as well as receive feedback on their proposals, which will help them refine their overall strategies and product pitches at the summit.

B V Naidu, Chairman of KDEM, and Madan Padaki, President of TiE Bangalore, launched the journey from Bangalore today. The bus will stop in Tumkur and Bellary, two emerging start-up clusters, to encourage the ecosystems and shed light on the benefits that future investments can bring to these regions. Academicians, business influencers, researchers, incubators, and the student community will meet the bus’s residents in another exchange of ideas and knowledge, as well as a demonstration of the state’s start-up prowess.

“We’ve incorporated over 400 start-ups through the Beyond Bangalore start-up grid in our vision of deepening the link between start-ups/ESDM/GCC and talent in these regions,” said BV Naidu, Chairman of Karnataka Digital Economy Mission. And we expect to more than double that figure by the end of the fiscal year. Our focus continues to be on making significant contributions to realising a $300 billion contribution to the digital economy, primarily through an innovation and technology start-up ecosystem that creates jobs, improves market access, and allows for infrastructure upgrades and policy implementation.

The Start-up XPRESS is a microcosm of our attitude, and it will play a minor but significant role in our larger journey.”

The TiE Global Summit will be held in Hyderabad from December 12 to 14. The event will feature mentoring sessions, marquee key notes, roundtables, master classes, and showcases covering a variety of topics and focus areas, as well as eminent entrepreneurs and leaders. KDEM will have a pavilion at the summit, highlighting the state’s start-up growth through clusters outside of Bengaluru, recent opportunities, and the potential for investors to connect with Karnataka’s favourable markets.

“KDEM seeks to empower organic growth across cities and to build on it by establishing a supportive ecosystem in which different communities collaborate to raise the state’s profile through investments in technology and business,” said BV Naidu, Chairman of the Karnataka Digital Economy Mission. Startups play an important role in this strategy: We are constantly assessing opportunities for promising entrepreneurs and businesses to capitalise on the manufacturing, IT, educational, and industrial strengths of emerging clusters.

We used cyber security, ESDM, and AI/VR in Mysuru; fintech in Mangalore; and agritech, edtech, and Industry 4.0 in Hubballi. We’ve also facilitated critical investments in these areas, and the Karnataka Skill Connect Portal was recently launched.

“TiE Global Summit is like the kumbh-mela for entrepreneurs,” said Madan Padaki, President of TiE Bangalore, of the bus yatra. “This is the first time that we are organising this Start-up Xpress as a concept.” From both ends of the spectrum, the reaction to the bus trip has been fantastic. The founders are looking forward to rich, insightful conversations with some of the industry’s best mentors.

Our mentors, for their part, have expressed excitement about meeting the next generation of start-up talent. We believe the journey will inform, educate, and open new ideas not only for the founders but also for those lending their expertise, while also having a similar impact on the two clusters along the way.