Prior to the 28th Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS) scheduled for November, the Karnataka government's Department of Electronics, IT & BT revealed the establishment of KATALYST — a specialized cell aimed at enhancing the ease of doing business for Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in Karnataka.

This project, in line with the State’s GCC Policy 2024-2029, seeks to simplify new investments, expedite establishment procedures, and enhance cooperation of GCCs with the wider innovation ecosystem. Karnataka plans to establish 500 GCCs by 2029, generating 3,50,000 employment opportunities and $50 billion in economic production.

On Monday morning, a breakfast gathering with 200 CEOs took place in the presence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar. The meeting aimed to reveal BTS 2025, set for November 18-20, and interact with industry leaders from various sectors to collect their insights on strategies and initiatives for Karnataka to sustain its leadership in technology fields.

Industry associations such as Nasscom, IESA, TiE Bangalore, ABLE, and ABAI convened CEOs, founders, and innovators from IT & deeptech, biotech & health tech, electronics & semiconductors, defense & space tech, fintech, and AVGC to participate in discussions with the Chief Minister.

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The meeting was also attended by the Chairpersons of the four Vision Groups of the Government of Karnataka – S Gopalakrishnan, Chairperson of the Vision Group on IT & Electronics; Dr Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairperson of the Vision Group on Biotech; Prashanth Prakash, Chairman of the Vision Group on Start-ups; and Dr AS Kiran Kumar, Chairperson of the Vision Group on Space.

The launch of KATALYST will position Karnataka as one of the most business-friendly States in India.

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Karnataka is recognized for its leadership in technology. Since the initial IT policy in 1997 and the GCC in 2024, we have consistently prepared for what lies ahead. Karnataka is the biggest software-exporting state in India, accounting for 44 percent of the country's software exports. The IT and ITeS industry represents 26 percent of our State's economy.

“We operate more than 875 GCCs, which represents 30 percent of all GCCs in India, and are developing tech hubs outside Bengaluru to promote growth throughout the State,” the CM emphasized.