HDB Techceleration 2024: A Game-Changer for Hubballi-Dharwad-Belagavi
‘Beyond Bengaluru’: Karnataka transforms HDB (Hubballi-Dharwad-Belagavi) into a startup, tech & ESDM hub
- Industry to work with Govt to make EMC 2.0 a big success – Set up Industry Led Special Interest Group on ESDM for the Cluster
- 6 VC’s visited HBD Cluster, part of HDB BLUE startup pitch grand jury – selected top 10 fund ready startups from the cluster who also showcased at the Techceleration event. HDB is becoming a gold pot for investors.
- HBD Cluster: A New Frontier for GCCs and Global Tech Unlocking Strategic Advantages, Talent, and Ecosystem to Outshine Traditional Metro Cities
The Hubballi-Dharwad-Belagavi Techceleration 2024 held at Hotel Denissons completed on Aug 28-29, 2024 has further consolidated Karnataka’s second-largest tech hub status for this HDB Cluster. At its fourth edition conclusion, this event showcased the region’s technological advancements, entrepreneurial vigor and strategic significance in India’s digital future, making it a focus for global tech investments.
HDB Techceleration 2024 promised & delivered an immersive experience featuring an impressive array of activities and initiatives designed to foster business networking, knowledge sharing, and growth opportunities. With over 300 delegates, 43 global speakers (most from outside HDB), 50 students, 3 country partners, 10 colleges & incubators, media and technology stakeholders attended this event.
Following were the event details held:
HDB Blue Startup Pitches: Third edition saw over 40 companies apply for exclusive sets of business growth benefits from government and industry partners. Post the initial
screening top 10 fund ready startups were shortlisted for the grand finale and also given the opportunity to exhibit at the event.
The grand jury were
| Shivankar Mayur, Product manager, We Founder Circle |
| Utpal Doshi, Partner Corporate Venture, 100x |
| Vijay Sivaram, CEO, Quess Corp |
| Jit Goel, CEO, Xcel Corp, US |
The top 3 fundable startups are follows
- Startup 1: Mavron Tech Private Limited
- Startup 2: Rapture Innovation Labs Pvt Ltd
- Startup 3: Physics Motors
– Some of the key benefits of this program along with our partners in progress
KDEM
- Priority onboarding for KDEM’s programs
- Onboarding on to the Karnataka Acceleration Platform
- Invite to KDEM’s Mixxer events
- Representation at the Pre-IC for Cluster Seed Fund
- Chance to display products/services at Techcelerator – Top 10
KITS / GoK
- Access to booster kits
- Free stalls at Bengaluru Tech Summit – Top 3
TiE
- Stalls and access for TiE Global Summit at discounted rates
Deshpande Startups
- 2x Free passes to Startup Dialogue by Deshpande Startups
- 1x Free stall space for exhibition during Startup Dialogue
- Discounted co-working space (upto 25% off)
- Access to ecosystem mentors, community and events
DELL for startups at no cost
- Access to global mentors
- Dedicated technology advisors
- Scalable business solutions
- Exclusive industry mixers
- Connections with investor communities
Product Launches and Announcements: A number of important product launches and announcements were made, including:
KLS GIT: Introduction in the ecosystem as an ERP tool incubation.
Sonic Lamb (Rapture): Presentation of IP headset designed and manufactured in the HDB Cluster.
Devo Edutech: A new edtech product is launched.
Svasti Innovation Lab: New tools/software products.
Towner: Application of cab self management technology, with focus on job creation being the ultimate goal in the cluster
BK Studio: An ethical podcast platform which focuses on global job opportunities and training.
Industry Recognition: Over the past year, 16 tech companies have established themselves in the cluster, creating a total of 650 new jobs. Companies like Xcel Soft, Ahana Systems, Evobi System, Enventure Engg LLp, Towner, BK Studio, Axis Finance, Eicher Motors, Clix Capital, Naukari, Cardekho, Vodafone, G-Code were all recognised for their contributions to the development of the region.
Strategic MoUs: During the event, several MoUs were established strategically. These include the following:
Dakshina Global Development Foundation (Kalaburagi Cluster): driving training and job creation from Kalaburagi cluster
IIIT-Dharwad: Partnership on incubator/accelerator initiatives and access to R&D labs.
Deshpande Startups: Making the cluster a breeding ground for innovative companies, providing all required facilities from end to end for startups.
Karnataka Accelerator Network: with cluster accelerators
Women@Work (W@W) Segment: Emphasizing gender inclusiveness, this section emphasizes creating jobs and self-employment for women in the tech industry. Led by Supria Dhanda, the Co-Founder & Managing Partner of WYSER, 20 women leaders spent 12 months devising an action plan Chaired and Ruchi Bindal IAS, Deputy Secretary, KITS, Government of Karnataka.
Informative Sessions: Dive deep into the digital landscape of Karnataka and explore the growth potential of the HDB Cluster. Covering areas of startups, AI, GCC, ESDM, Talent etc.
AVGC Policy Awareness Program for StartUps: Karnataka being in the forefront to work closely with industry came out with AVGC policy recently. We had over 50 industry and 40 student participants with whom GoK shared the benefits of policy and how they can avail the same. Karnataka has over 500 AVGC companies and HDB being one of the key clusters for the same. This was delivered in partnership with ABAI AVGC.
ESDM EMC2.0 discussion: with over 40 members from cluster, various policy benefits and industry partnerships were discussed. Challenges and opportunities for our current industry and how we can invite new investments in the EMC2.0 along with anchor companies like NIDEC were taken up. HDB has a healthy investment pipeline which the government will be addressing in the coming months. This was chaired by
- Darshan HV, IAS, Managing Director, Department of Electronics, IT & Bt,
Government of Karnataka
- Parnika Pavanram, KAS, General Manager, Department of Electronics, IT & Bt, Government of Karnataka
Sri. Priyank Kharge, Hon’ble Minister for Electronics, IT/BT, and Rural Development & Panchayat Raj, Government of Karnataka said “Along with our sector-specific Ease of Doing Business initiatives, we are working on a Preferential Public Procurement Policy to ensure government support for startups with unique intellectual property registered with our startup cell. If these startups are invested in and engaged with the ‘Beyond Bengaluru’ initiative, the Karnataka Government can be their first customer.Very happy that Tessolve has opened their office today on VLSI and is serving global clients. A new addition of ESDM in the Cluster. This only makes our clusters stronger on the global map. This is a unique cluster to have national level academic institutions like IIT, IIIT, VUT & KLE which cater to global talent supply. These also house advanced incubators like VRIF, HEX & UAS & KAHER. We are committed to creating a conducive environment for businesses through more subsidies, policies, and investments, especially in the HDB Cluster, which signifies the robust policies of our government for sustainable development and progress.
Sri Sharath Kumar Bache Gowda, Chairman, KEONICS, Government of Karnataka added, “that HDB talent is one of the key ingredients to drive innovation & investments into the cluster. It’s nice to see more global companies coming together at HDB Techcelerator 2024. We have created lots more avenues for home grown companies for GTM & growth opportunities from this platform. We hope to see new investments doubling in the coming months.”
Dr. Ekroop Caur, IAS, Secretary, Department of Electronics, IT, BT & ST, Government of Karnataka said “Hubballi holds immense potential for achieving equitable and sustainable growth. The strategic development in the Hubballi-Dharwad-Belgaum Cluster which falls under the Bengaluru-Mumbai industrial corridor is a clear indicator of Karnataka’s vision for the future. We are proud to recognise private industry clusters which contribute to the state’s economy like Aerospace, Defence, Toys & FMCG. We are witnessing the emergence of more clusters poised to become tech epicenters, reinforcing our state’s position as a leader in the digital economy.
This year the event has brought leaders like Suhas Gopinath, Jose Jacob K, Bhaskar Verma, Anuj Agrawal, Vijay Sivaram, Avinash Vashistha, V Veerappan. The event showcased the readiness of the cluster in terms of students innovation, incubators, accelerators, academicians, R&D professionals, startups, manufacturing and service industry players & GCCs. We also invite the cluster to our flagship event – Bengaluru Tech Summit 2024 scheduled on Nov 19 – 21 in Bengaluru. Upcoming GCC policy will add newer investments into our HDB cluster.”
Venkatesh Patil, Managing Director, Belgaum Oxygen Pvt Ltd, and HDB Lead Industry Anchor, added that “it’s important for us to come together as one unit and drive investments & innovation. We are seeing global companies explore this cluster and it’s encouraging that we are getting good support from GoK and KDEM to facilitate the same. This year at HDB Techcelerator we have seen more IP, innovation & global leaders come and seek partners & business at the cluster level.”
Sanjeev Kumar Gupta, CEO, Karnataka Digital Economy Mission, mentioned that “it’s nice to see the growth over the years. Karnataka leading with industry friendly policy benefits and readiness of emerging tech clusters for global companies to evaluate their new business expansion plans. From #doittheHDBway to #HDBforBHARAT is the new wave and we encourage all stakeholders to be part of this journey. We also thank all our industry anchors and partners for their continued support over the years to keep making our cluster stronger.”
About Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM)
The Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM) is a Section 8 organization effectively a bridge of knowledge between the Government of Karnataka (GoK) and the industry, endeavoring to drive IT, BT and S&T sector growth in the state. KDEM focuses on IT, ITeS, BPM & GCC, Innovation & Startups, Electronics System Design Manufacturing, Beyond Bengaluru, and Talent Accelerator initiatives. www.karnatakadigital.in
KEDM contact: Gaurav K Punjabi [email protected]
