Kharge Urges International Stakeholders to Collaborate with Karnataka Government Karnataka has been perceived as the top hub of activity when it comes to the startup ecosystem and the IT minister added that it is the first state in the country to come up with policies around entrepreneurship, cybersecurity, global capability centers (GCCs), and startups.
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Entrepreneurs are not just job creators but are change makers, said Priyank Kharge, Minister for Information Technology and Biotechnology of Karnataka and urged the international investor and innovator community to foster collaborations with the government of Karnataka at the ongoing TiE Global Summit in Bengaluru.
"As a government, we need to understand what entrepreneurship means. Karnataka government understands and values entrepreneurs and we see entrepreneurs not only as business leaders but as disruptors, and market drivers who are shaping a better and sustainable tomorrow," said Kharge.
Karnataka has been perceived as the top hub of activity when it comes to the startup ecosystem and the IT minister added that it is the first state in the country to come up with policies around entrepreneurship, cybersecurity, global capability centers (GCCs), and startups.
Kharge added, that if the ecosystem grooms talent and provides the right tools, entrepreneurship will not just be an aspiration but a more conventional career path in the future.
The state has been setting an example for other states to follow and has been dubbed the world's largest entrepreneurial ecosystem with 1.25 lakh startups and 110 unicorns. According to the minister, 18,000 of these startups are from Bengaluru, which has played the part of a melting pot for talent across the globe.
According to Kharge, 28 per cent of the soonicorns have been from Karnataka, and over the last decade, 47 per cent of all startup funding has been attracted by the state.
"2256 corporate venture funds, 17000 angel investors, 983 startups funded with the state government's Elevate program with INR 50 lakh each, and now with the advent of GCCs, Ktaka is now inventing and innovating for the world," said Kharge.
The Elevate scheme was launched by the Karnataka government in 2015, and it has provided close to 1000 startups INR 50 lakh in capital, which minister Kharge calls, "a much-needed life-jacket to navigate the challenging environment that startups face."
Earlier this year, Kharge also pointed out that Bengaluru was a natural choice of venue for events like TiE Global Summit and that the city has become the epicenter of the Indian startup ecosystem.
