“Karnataka has always stayed ahead of the curve in technology. Our policy clarity and targeted fund backing continue to make it the best destination in the country for tech startups to scale,” Kharge said in a post on X.
The statement comes ahead of the release of a joint report by Nasscom and Zinnov, which highlights strong momentum in India’s startup ecosystem despite a more selective funding environment.
According to the report, Indian tech startups raised $9.1 billion in 2025, marking a 23% year-on-year (YoY) increase.
The report further said that Bengaluru accounted for 28% of India’s deeptech startups as of 2025, followed by the National Capital Region at 21% and Mumbai at 10%.
Describing the findings as “encouraging,” Kharge said they reinforce the city’s leadership position in India’s tech ecosystem, particularly in deeptech innovation driven by strong talent and a base of repeat founders.
He added that the state’s IT/BT department is backing this growth through targeted interventions, including the deeptech decade programme, under which Rs 600 crore has been committed to a dedicated fund.
This is in addition to Rs 1,000 crore earmarked under the local economic acceleration program (LEAP) to promote decentralised innovation and Rs 150 crore under the state’s Elevate Next initiative to support deeptech startups with grants of up to Rs 1 crore each.