Bangalore gets new British start-up zone

London, March 14: The

India Business Council will offer a unique start-up zone at its new business centre in Bangalore to help early stage British enterprises there. The UKIBC centre at Koramangala in the southern Indian tech hub, to be officially opened in July, is the council's second base in the country as part of British government- backed and business-led pan-India network of business centres.

Its remit is similar to the first centre already operational in Gurgaon, which is to be a home away from home for Bangalore-based early stage British enterprises. In addition, there will be a special focus on helping start-ups by hosting a Start-up Zone, projecting Koramangala as the 'New Start-up Hub' within Bangalore.

"The UKIBC has marked a major milestone (this week) in the creation of a pan-India network of UK India Business Centres, by holding a puja to mark commencement of work on its business centre in Bangalore, the second of six we will open in India," said UKIBC Group CEO Richard Heald.

"With the addition of Bangalore to the Gurgaon centre, and the forthcoming centre in Mumbai, UKIBC will have a geographic footprint which covers approximately 75 per cent of the country's economic activity; a robust platform from which to support British business in India," he added.

The new UKIBC centre is being designed along the same multi-functional format of the centre in Gurgaon, opened in September last year and will offer a full suite of market entry advisory and support services – including Launchpad, market research and intelligence, mentoring, networking, events and training.

Richard McCallum, managing director of UKIBC India Private Limited, said: "The centre will be run by a dedicated, in-house facilities management team as well as a team of market entry advisors in fields relevant to Bangalore's status as a pioneering city for digital innovation, defence and aerospace.

"The team will provide market entry support to start-ups and SMEs, and offer events, knowledge and policy insight into the market for our members."

The UK government is already engaged with the state to work on initiatives such as co-funding UK start-ups with the KITVEN Fund (Karnataka Information Technology Venture Capital Fund), connecting UK and Indian innovative technology companies via IP Bridge and developing incubation linkages for entrepreneurs, according to the UKIBC.

Ian Felton, Britain's Deputy High Commissioner, Bangalore, added: "Bangalore is one of the future faces of India – hi-tech, cosmopolitan and global in outlook. It is a great place for British-Indian collaboration in science, innovation, trade and cultural relations. "I am delighted that the UKIBC has chosen Bangalore for its next business centre. Working closely together we will add even greater value to the expanding UK India trade relationship."

PTI