HYDERABAD: Thanks to favourable policies for the IT and industries sector, there has been a huge increase in the number of startups and incubators in Telangana over the last five years, said Industries Principal Secretary Jayesh Ranjan.
Ranjan, who was interacting with the editorial team of TNIE during Express Chat, said, “In 2014, when the government got the idea of setting up an incubator, Hyderabad had two incubators at that time. One was at IIIT and another was in ISB and they were average. At the same time, the city had around 200 startups.”
“Today, there are more than 50 incubators and co-working spaces. We have 4,000 startups. And they are better not just in terms of numbers, but also in terms of quality. The proof lies in whether the startups are getting valuation and funding. Whatever is happening in Hyderabad in relation to startups is an example for the nation,” he said.
The factors that contributed to the success include the physical structures developed by the government. The startup policy and its various features also played a part, he said.
However, Ranjan and his department have now set their eyes on attracting more venture capitalists and investors to Hyderabad. “Right now they are all located in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Gurgaon. How Hyderabad can be made a preferred location is indeed quite the task for us,” said Ranjan.
Telangana is slowly becoming a hotspot for data centres, added Ranjan. “The State government is in touch with big corporates who are looking to data centres here,” he said.
“Many people are looking at data centre opportunities in Telangana,” Ranjan said, explaining that this was happening because of four favourable factors for the State.
“Firstly, we have a dedicated data centre policy. Many states don’t have one. Secondly, in terms of security and safety, in the whole country, Hyderabad is at the safest location. Seismologically, there would be no earthquake or a cyclone. Thirdly, it is the availability of power. And lastly, there is a user base here. People want to use data centres,” he added.
As of now, CtrlS has established a tier-4 data centre, apart from Flipkart, Reliance and Tata. “You will be surprised to know that the entire database of the Bhutanese government is here in Hyderabad. Similarly, NPCI also has a centre here,” Ranjan said.