How the Telangana Government is Pushing Innovation Through Incubation Government of Telangana has been able to push the start-ups to take the first step towards entrepreneurship, here's how

India's startup ecosystem is on a rise and Bengaluru is at the top of every young entrepreneur's list to start their innovative business ventures. Termed as the Silicon Valley of India, the city has developed a viable infrastructure for every organization to flourish. Hyderabad, however, has been catching up and Telangana government deserves all the credit for their immersive efforts.

The state government has championed the startup game with its strategy to incubate and accelerate. Over the years, Hyderabad has grown to be known as a city that houses T-Hub which is now the largest startup incubator in the country. Entrepreneur India transverses through how these efforts have been able to push the start-ups to take the first step towards entrepreneurship.

T-hub – The Initiative

Ever since the birth of Telangana, Hyderabad has been struggling to re-establish itself as an entrepreneurial destination for the tech-savvy generation. Despite having profound institutions producing individuals with unique talents around the state, the pressure to prove its worth was sitting heavy on the Chandrashekar Rao's shoulders and this led to the birth of T-Hub.

The T-hub is an initiative between the government of Telangana, the private sector and India's leading academic institutions. This unique PPP model has re-ignited the dampened entrepreneurial spirit that people were earlier hesitant to follow due to the lack of mentorship available. "The government has launched different features under this project to help start-ups from seed to maturity," shared Amarpreet, Director of Operations and Co-founder, Neeman's.

He further stated, "T-hub has given a platform and opportunity for startups and talent from all over the world to showcase and work with mentors, investors and industry experts," adding, "It helps the complete start-up community and investors to communicate easily so that sharing ideas and closing deals become easier for both sides."

Push for Innovation

T-Hub has opened tonnes of opportunity for institutions like FICCI to start their own incubation cells. "With 35 incubators in total across various verticals, like T-Hub, ICRISAT, CCMB, IIIT to name a few and tremendous growth in the number of startups as well as the various domains they cover, Hyderabad is currently one of the strongest upcoming cities for start-ups," states Uday Pilani , Venture Partner , 50K Ventures.

Telangana government also runs a dedicated innovation cell called Telangana State Innovation Cell (TSIC) that extensively works towards promoting startups with startup founders leading it. "For young start-ups, Hyderabad is the perfect place to set up base owing to the availability of tech talent, working spaces and low costs overall," concluded Pilani.

Having become the home for tech giants like Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Deloitte and Amazon, Telangana has been able to tap the underserved domains like deep tech and utilize to their advantage. With its amiable climate, cosmopolitan culture, economical living, apt infrastructure and new recreation options, Hyderabad has become the land of opportunity for young entrepreneurs.

Hailing the progress the state has achieved, Radhika Choudary, Co-Founder, Freyr Energy says, "It is wonderful to see that the local and national government are encouraging and supporting people's startup dreams with these hubs and incubators. The community that these hubs create is perfect for ideas to grow and for talent to be nurtured."

Pool of Opportunities

In the past years, Hyderabad has developed an overall system for incubation that further pushes enterprises to scale. Giving an example, Choudary shared, "Microsoft launched a 90-day accelerator program with the T- hub. Microsoft did not make any investment in the start-up but let their sales channels be used to reach a broader market."

The accelerator concept allows start-ups to identify areas where they need help to grow to the next level, she stated. "The Incubator is another great way that start-ups can obtain support and foster an entrepreneurial environment. One such example is the Incubator set up by Indian Business School (ISB) called DLabs." The initiative aims to support the creation of a vibrant and high impact entrepreneurial ecosystem focused on innovation in key sectors including technology commercialization.

Hyderabad's ecosystem provides a good deal flow for investors along with a chance to interact with more offbeat and innovative start-ups, ensuring a profitable market for funders. "Due to the big companies selecting Hyderabad to set their campuses, investors will definitely find potential in investing in Hyderabad," believes Amarpreet.