BENGALURU: The Department of Information Technology and Biotechnology is all set to create the biggest eco-system for start-ups, which will be the biggest in India. It has earmarked `75 crore for this purpose and the Cabinet has appoved the plan recently.
According to officials, Karnataka is the first state to create such a huge eco-system for start-ups. As per the information available from the department, in the first phase, the incubation centre for start-ups will be set up in association with state-owned KEONICS on 35,000 sqft of land at HSR Layout in Bengaluru. The facility will have all necessary infrastructure for start-ups.
Explaining about the project, IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge said, “As per my knowledge, no state has set up such a big incubation centre for start-ups. Our aim is to build the biggest eco-system for start-ups in the country.”
According to the minister, presently there are over 5,000 start-ups in the state, but not all are doing well. “Though start-ups are coming up in the state, 90 per cent of them are failing due to lack of mentoring and infrastructure. The aim of the centre, to be set up at HSR Layout, is to ensure mentoring for start-ups, infrastructure and give them proper directions,” said Kharge.
The incubation centre will have both software- and hardware-related facilities. “We are looking at increasing the number of start-ups in the next two years to 20,000. Of them, 6,000 will be product-oriented,” the minister said.
Even in districts
Along with Bengaluru, five more incubation centres will come up in the state. The department is looking at districts which have engineering colleges and has short-listed Mysuru, Shivamogga, Mangaluru, Kalaburagi and Belagavi to set up incubation centres. Each centre will have facilities like housing, temporary offices for start-ups, internet, product testing centres and experts’ help.