The 27th edition of Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS) – 2024 will be held in Bangalore Palace from November 19 to 21.
Minister for Information Technology, Priyank Kharge, said on Saturday that Karnataka is intent on creating 10,000 new start-ups in smaller town and cities in the next five years under the Beyond Bengaluru initiative.
We have a target to create 10,000 new startups in Kalaburagi, Belagavi, Mangaluru, Hubballi, and Old Mysore region. Many of these places already have dozens of start-ups, but our target is to achieve 10,000 new startups in the next five years, the Minister said.
According to a recent data released by the State government, Karnataka has witnessed an 18.2% increase in the number of start-ups, rising from 2,568 in 2022 to 3,036 in 2023. This growth has propelled Karnataka to the forefront, now housing 8.7% of India’s total start-ups, the highest percentage for any state in the country.
Ropes in IVCA
The State has recently roped in the Indian Venture and Alternate Capital Association (IVCA), a non-profit organisation that serves as an apex industry body dedicated to promoting the alternate capital industry (private equity and venture capital), to facilitate easy connect and fund access for start-ups, said Mr. Priyank.
The Minister said that the State, in collaboration with the IVCA, has brought together 300 start-ups and 100 funding firms to ensure better connect and access with pitching sessions, mentoring, and fund allocation, all in a structured way.
The 27th edition of the Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS) – 2024, the State’s annual tech exposition, is scheduled between November 19 and 21 in Bangalore Palace. It would feature Spring Board, a platform set up to fuel start-up growth through three key initiatives – investor connect, mentorship, and innoverse (innovation), the Minister said. The product launch arena at BTS would witness products, services, and solutions from over 50 start-ups, representing 30 different industries.
“The theme for this year’s BTS is ‘being unbound’, embracing the spirit of breaking boundaries, and reflecting what’s possible through the use of technology,” he said.
Among the invitees of the summit are Mr. Amandeep Singh Gill, Under Secretary-General, Tech Envoy, UN, Mr. Rishad Premji, executive chairman, Wipro Ltd, Mr. S. Somanath, chairman, ISRO, and Mr. Anne Neuberger, Deputy Assistant to the President & Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technologies, The White House. The event’s official country partner is Australia and delegations from 15 countries are expected to participate. Another highlight of the inaugural would be signing of two memoranda of understanding with Switzerland and Finland, and a letter of intent with Sharjah Innovation Authority.
BTS will be inagurated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Novermber 19.
Published – November 16, 2024 11:30 pm IST
