Telangana relies on strong infrastructure and supportive policies to boost startup space
Telangana relies on strong infrastructure and supportive policies to boost startup space
On June 28, when T-Hub’s Phase II doors formally opened, the technology startup incubator got a permanent address and made Telangana a place of pride.
With a built-up space of 5.82 lakh square feet, the 10-storey cantilever structure developed in the IT hub of state capital Hyderabad is the world’s largest incubator beyond Station F in Paris. Funded from the state budget, the ₹400-crore facility furthers the Telangana government’s emphasis on achieving scale with new projects.
Be it the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project to bring more land under cultivation or the ambitious Pharma City proposed near Hyderabad, the state has gained a reputation for thinking big. The new facility is part of the world’s largest innovation campus to be built on 18 acres. As neighbors, the incubator will have two more projects envisioned by the state government – Maker Lab T-Works and the 1.6 million sq ft Image Tower that will house entities focused on work in the areas of multimedia, animation, gaming and entertainment.
The innovation complex will have a total built-up space of 2.3 million square feet and is set to take shape in the next 18-24 months, state IT and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao said after his father and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. Dedicated T-Hub facility to young Indians. “If they propose to build an innovative startup, we will provide them with a collaborative innovation ecosystem,” the Chief Minister announced.
Behind the vision of Telangana is the growing aspirations, especially of the youth, the imperative to plan for the future and the benefits of being a young state. Often referred to as a startup state, Telangana’s many projects and programs, along with policy measures, have helped garner nationwide attention. He also strengthened his case for the central government to approve a rail coach factory, that it had promised and approved defense industrial corridor and bullet train projects to the state.
Read also | ‘T-Hub 2.0’s vision big, bold’
The changed equation between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), especially after the by-elections and the Centre’s refusal to procure paddy in specified quantities, gave a new purpose to the development projects implemented. Is. in the state. They are bound to assist the TRS as the party considers playing a national role and forming a non-Congress, non-BJP front ahead of the next general elections.
Thus, when the CM said that the incubator had emerged as a national role model, the message was not lost.
Launched in 2015, T-Hub soon transformed from a plug and play space provider into an innovation ecosystem enabler, creating programs for startups, connecting them with other players globally and most importantly for entrepreneurs To emerge as a platform for accessing venture capital. , Government Schemes and Consultancy Services. Phase I, the 70,000-square-foot facility at IIIT-Hyderabad, helped over 2,000 entrepreneurs, besides playing a role in the $1.19 billion raised in funding by startups.
With the opening of the second phase, Hyderabad has conveyed its intention to consolidate gains. Aiding in this process would be measures taken by the state government to improve ease of doing business and the metropolitan outlook of Hyderabad. A lot will depend on how startups respond as Bengaluru, Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR), Mumbai-Pune region are ahead, mainly being early movers and backed by a strong ecosystem.
The emerging startup culture, the rise of unicorns (startups valued at over $1 billion) and the challenges that can be solved using technology have ensured that there is room for all players. As a Nasscom official says, the available capacity to host startups is less than the opportunity now.
Given the comparatively strong infrastructure, the cosmopolitan nature of Hyderabad and the image of a proactive government, Telangana is likely to build on those strengths. In doing so, Mr. Rama Rao also tried to highlight the fact that the state wants more startups to be successful, remain sustainable as an enterprise and look long-term rather than just getting high valuations. In terms of numbers, T-Hub aims to support 20,000 startups over the next five years.
ravikumar.n@thehindu.co.in