To foster the spirit of innovation, a startup pavilion and conclave will be held in Mysore during August and the curtain was raised on Monday from the event scheduled in the city.
Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, who delivered the keynote address, said that the heritage of Mysore goes beyond traditions, cultures and other tangibles.
“The intangible side of Mysore heritage is the spirit of innovation”, he said and explained it as an inherent ideal of Mysore, which led to the rise of Bengaluru, apart from the development of other parts of the state.
He entered history and said that the time when the Kingdom of Mysore was restored to the Wadiyars by the British, was a formidable phase and the area was a battlefield with the asylum movement. But the solutions that emerged out of the crisis for the betterment of the lives of the people through the reconstruction of the state were a testament to that innovative spirit, he said.
Shri Yaduveer cited the example of Raja Seat School which later became the University of Mysore and the rise of the city as an educational base for improving the talents and skills of the people. Similarly, the establishment of industries and the manufacture of products that emerged as brands and survived for more than a century promoted self-reliance at a time when India was importing products produced by the colonialists at exorbitant prices.
It is this spirit of innovation that has to be revived, said Mr. Yaduveer and Mysore, who have taken the lead in protecting borders geographically, can play the same role in the cyber world today by emerging as a cyber security hub.
Madan Padaki, Founder and CEO, 1BRIDGE, who underlined the importance of startups, said that India is facing challenges not only in ensuring gainful employment to its youth but also in harnessing their potential. India is expected to add another 150 million youth to the existing workforce in the next 10 to 15 years. The formal sector employs less than 10% of the 500 million strong workforce and Mr Padaki said that 150 million new jobs can be created only when 10 to 15 million young entrepreneurs revolt.
The Mysore Startup Pavilion and Conclave will be held from 5th to 7th August and will give startups and entrepreneurs a glimpse of the opportunities that are available to them to nurture and foster the entrepreneurial spirit of Mysore.
Supported by Excelsoft Technologies, the program will provide startups an opportunity to network with potential investors and clients, apart from providing exposure to in-house technologies. Organizers said over 150 visiting companies in and around Mysore will participate and help startups connect, network, build customer connections, explore potential collaborations, meet investors, etc.