817 startups enroll for Karnataka's startup programme ‘Elevate 2003’, says Priyank Kharge

Karnataka's information technology minister Priyank Kharge on Friday announced that 817 startups have enrolled for Elevate 2023, the state's programme for backing startups with disruptive ideas.

The response underscored Karnataka's status as the most favourable environment for innovation and entrepreneurship, the minister said in a post on social media platform X. "The Government of Karnataka is committed to supporting startups’ growth by providing comprehensive assistance in every possible manner," he added.



The enrollment for 2023 edition is more than double the number of startups that enrolled for Elevate six years ago.

The IT/BT department says Elevate/Idea2PoC scheme has been designed to identify top innovative startups, which will get the government support to scale up their products or solutions so that they can elevate to the next level.

Only startups registered in Karnataka with revenues of Rs 100 crore plus since their incorporation are eligible to participate in the programme. They should, however, be not older than 10 years.

The government aims to back startups working towards innovation, development, or improvement of products or processes, or services, or if it is a scalable business model with a high potential of employment generation or wealth creation.

Kharge also held a meeting in Bengaluru for establishing the Centre of Excellence for Wireless and Wired Technologies in Karnataka.

This initiative, he said, will serve as a hub for research, innovation and skills, positioning Karnataka as a leader in the rapidly evolving field of connectivity.