Top infrastructure, healthy startup ecosystem, better commute — the ways Bhubaneswar is winning the hearts of small businesses

For Devadatta Sahoo, co-founder and CEO of HyScaler, a software and IT consulting firm, selecting Bhubaneswar to base his startup was a decision taken due to personal motives. In hindsight, he says it appears to have been a great move.

“This realisation stems from the city’s tranquil business atmosphere, a stark contrast to the high-intensity peer pressure often encountered in larger startup ecosystems. The city's unique landscape, characterised by less intense competition in the early days, provided a nurturing ground for growth,” says Sahoo, a native of Bhubaneswar.

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He points out that it's crucial to understand that not every business flourishes overnight; some of the most resilient businesses in history have taken time to bloom.

“Bhubaneswar’s balanced pace allowed our business to mature steadily, reinforcing the belief that success expands with each year of persistence,” he says.

The city’s IT sector is made up of more than 150 companies and approximately 35,000 IT professionals, Sahoo explains. He lauds the city's infrastructure and its manageable commute times for creating an ideal setting for startups and established companies alike.

“The increasing realisation of these benefits among new-generation entrepreneurs is evident in the city's rising startup count. Bhubaneswar offers a unique blend of facilities without the fatigue of metropolitan cities, making it a conducive environment for IT businesses,” Sahoo says.

The IT industry in Bhubaneswar has shown steady growth, which accelerated after the pandemic. This surge can be attributed to remote workers recognising the city's advantages and advocating for extended work-from-home arrangements.

“Consequently, many IT companies have begun establishing their presence in Bhubaneswar, recognising these benefits. This trend points towards a promising future, with more players likely to enter the market, enriching the IT landscape of the city. Also, many promising homegrown Bhubaneswar-based startups have come up in the past few years, bolstering this growth,” he says.

This growth isn’t limited to IT, even the fisheries, seafood and edtech sectors are thriving in the capital of Odisha.

Aditya Dash, MD of Ram's Assorted Cold Storage Limited, a seafood processing and exports company of Bhubaneswar-based Suryo Group of Companies, also lauds the city for being an enabler for the fisheries and shrimp business. “Bhubaneswar has provided small businesses with great infrastructure. A lot of new players have come and signed MoUs.” He adds that the state fisheries department has come out with an ambitious policy for small businesses in this sector.

Besides, the city also has a thriving drone ecosystem that aligns with the state government’s initiatives. This is driving innovation and skill development. “Bhubaneswar's growing startup ecosystem, led by Omkar Rai, Executive Chairman of Startup Odisha, and over 20 incubators are creating a unique drone ecosystem in both hardware and software. Usha Padhi, Principal Secretary of Skill Development, is focussed on teaching women in Odisha to be drone pilots,” says Satyabrata Satapathy, Co-Founder and CEO of Bhubaneswar-based drone technology company BON V.

He says they chose Bhubaneswar for its supportive startup ecosystem which offers facilities like a 5,000-sqft hangar space and testing land at AIC CV Raman Global University. The city houses various centres of excellence (CoE) for fabrication, including welding, 3D printing, and precision cutting with state-of-the-art machines. “Bhubaneswar Engineering College, Skill Development Institute (SDI), CTTC, ITI Cuttack, IIT Bhubaneswar Research Park, and KIIT are actively investing in their hardware CoEs, fostering the local hardware ecosystem,” he says.

In April 2023, BON V made headlines when Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched a heavy-lift electric vertical take-off and landing drone made by the company.

A dedicated drone testing corridor and drone parks will attract many startups to Odisha. “Quick induction of drones to modernise disaster response, security and port surveillance, for mapping and constructing monitoring will help many startups to deploy their solutions that are manufactured locally,” adds Satapathy.

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