KDEM to ramp up the digital economy by developing cluster cities

As part of its Beyond Bengaluru initiative to ramp up the digital economy across the state of Karnataka through the development of cluster cities, the Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM) organised a mega event in Belagavi, Karnataka.

As part of the event, KDEM organised three important sessions – i) Symposium on Understanding Requirements of Co-working Spaces for their Expansion in Tier-2 and 3 Cities, ii) CEO Roundtable on Boosting Belagavi as the next big Destination for the growth of IT and Start-ups iii) Inauguration of Vayavya Labs by Hon'ble Minister, Dr. C N Ashwathnarayana, Dr. Ramana Reddy, ACS, Dept of IT BT & S&T and BV Naidu Chairman, KDEM.

These events have been organised with a focus on strengthening digital infrastructure in these cities while nurturing talent and addressing industry challenges.

Speaking at the momentous occasion, B V Naidu, Chairman, Karnataka Digital Economy Mission said, “We are constantly making strides in creating a veritable digital ecosystem across Karnataka while facilitating the development of Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. This mega-event in Belagavi stands testimony to our commitment to ensuring Karnataka leads from the front in the country’s digital growth story. With the introduction of the IT Policy in the state, our concerted efforts will be to strengthen digital infrastructure across cluster cities while understanding their challenges and requirements towards expanding IT infrastructure and affordable co-working spaces to encourage organisations to set up officers here.”

The mega-event also witnessed a CEO Roundtable with participation of top 30 CEOs from Karnataka. The Roundtable was chaired by Hon’ble Minister Dr. C N Ashwathnarayana, Minister of Electronics, Science and Technology, Higher Education & Information Technology, Biotechnology of Karnataka, and focused on detailed discussions, exchange of ideas, and policy recommendations on making Belagavi the next big destination for start-ups and digital infrastructure. The participants of the CEO Roundtable included industry experts such as Bishwanath Shukla, Director, Aarya Ocean Logistics Park Pvt Ltd, Dr. Prabhakar Kore, Chairman, KLE Society & Chancellor, KLE University Belagavi along with Parag Naik, CEO Saankhya Labs & RK Patil, CEO Vayavya Labs. These visionaries came together to identify action points on creating a strong academia-industry collaboration as a growth steerer in cluster cities along with job creation, nurturing talent, and integrating a logistics hub in Belagavi.

Addressing the Roundtable, Hon’ble Minister Dr. C N Ashwathnarayana, Minister of Electronics, Science and Technology, Higher Education & Information Technology, Biotechnology of Karnataka said, “Karnataka has a strong talent pool of ideas, the drive to make it big and contribute immensely to the digital economy of the nation. What we need to focus now is on harnessing emerging markets in the state such as Belagavi, Hubli, Mangaluru, and the likes and bringing them at par in terms of infrastructure, manpower, and opportunities. I am very happy to see KDEM successfully taking its Beyond Bengaluru vision to markets such as Belagavi and empowering them to contribute to Karnataka’s digital growth.”

The event also extended to a Symposium on Understanding Requirements of Co-working Spaces for their Expansion in Tier-2 and 3 Cities. This entailed a panel discussion represented by Smart City, BUDA, CREDAI, Heads of Co-Working Spaces such as WeWork, Innov8, IndiCube, WorkFlo by OYO, BHIVE, Workshaala, Embassy Group and Prestige Group along with Industry Bodies to understand the need for creating demand for space through an effective public-private partnership model with Government support.

KDEM’s Beyond Bengaluru mission has been creating waves through several mega-events, cluster events, and international technology platforms to provide network, market access, mentorship, and investment access for the growth of start-ups in Karnataka while strengthening talent for the future needs of the industry.