Bangalore to host the first-ever British start-up zone at the UKIBC’s Business Centre

UK India Business Council is opening its first start up zone at its UK India Business Centre, Bangalore, in Koramangala this July. A pooja to mark the occasion was held today. It was attended by a business delegation of 20 companies from the UK, Ian Felton, British Deputy High Commissioner, and Indian business leaders including T.V Mohandas Pai, Chairman, Manipal Global Education. It is the second UK India Business Centre being opened as part of a UK Government backed, business-led pan-Indian network of Business Centres. It will support UK companies with market entry advisory and facilities support, and be home for Bangalore-based early stage enterprises.

Speaking about the Centre opening, Richard Heald, Group CEO, UKIBC said, “Today the UKIBC has marked a major milestone in the creation of a pan-India network of UK India Business Centres, by holding a pooja to mark commencement of work on its Business Centre in Bangalore. The second of six we will open in India”

“The UKIBC has the full support for its plans from the Deputy High Commission in Bangalore, UKTI, the British Business Group and from the British Council in India, as well as of Bangalore based members of the UKIBC Advisory Council – Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chair and Managing Director of Biocon Limited and T.V. Mohandas Pai.”

Ian Felton, British Deputy High Commissioner, Bangalore said. “Bangalore is one of the future faces of India – hi tech, cosmopolitan and global in outlook. It is a great place for British – Indian collaboration in science, innovation, trade and cultural relations. I am delighted that the UKIBC has chosen Bangalore for its next business centre. Working closely together we will add even greater value to the expanding UK India trade relationship.”

The UK government is already engaged with the State to work on initiatives such as co-funding UK start-ups with KITVEN Fund (Karnataka Information Technology Venture Capital Fund), connecting UK and Indian innovative technology companies via IP Bridge and developing incubation linkage for entrepreneurs.
TV Mohandas Pai, Chairman, Manipal Global Education said, “I welcome this initiative by the UKIBC which will provide a platform for UK start-ups to explore and enter the India’s innovation capital. I believe the Centre would work wonders for closer and deeper ties between UK and Indian companies, especially, in the areas of technology, innovation and training.”

The UK India Business Centre, Bangalore, is being designed along the same multifunctional format of the Centre in Gurgaon, opened in September 2013. It will offer a full suite of market entry advisory and support services – including Launchpad, market research and intelligence, mentoring, networking, events and training – as well as facility services including cabins, desks etc.

In addition to the above services, what makes this Centre special is its focus on helping start-ups.
• The Centre will host a Start-up Zone reflecting Koramangala area’s status as the ‘The New Startup Hub’ within Bangalore. .
• The Centre will also include a dedicated and exclusive Business Lounge, a first at a UKIBC Business Centre.

The Centre, located on the leafy, gated Prestige Blue Chip office campus, is home to a number of established companies such as Vodafone, Oracle and TATA’s Voltas Ltd.

Speaking about the Centre in Bangalore, Richard McCallum, MD, UKIBC India Pvt Limited, said “The Centre will comprise 12,500 sq. ft, and interior will replicate the fresh and distinctive, look and feel of the Business Centre in Gurgaon. The Centre will be run by a dedicated, in-house facilities management team as well as a team of market entry advisers in fields relevant to Bangalore’s status as a pioneering city for digital innovation, defence and aerospace. The team will provide market entry support to start-ups and SMEs, and offer events, knowledge and policy insight into the market for our members.”

Mr Heald added “With the addition of Bangalore to the Gurgaon Centre, and the forthcoming Centre in Mumbai, UKIBC will have a geographic footprint which covers approximately 75 per cent of the country’s economic activity. A robust platform from which to support British business in India.”
“We’ve had tremendous interest in Bangalore from UK companies, our members and stakeholders. Bangalore – fifth largest Indian city – has a GDP of £ 50 billion and is a leader in technology and innovation. It benefits from direct connectivity to the UK. Not only do we have leading British firms Rolls Royce, BAE, Tesco, ARM, HSBC, Aviva operating here, we also have Bangalore based companies such as Wipro, and Infosys well established in the UK. Bangalore’s talented workforce, research institutions and innovation are of particular interest to UK firms.”

In planning its entry strategy into Bangalore, the UKIBC has continued to work with its Indian Real Estate Partner, Pacific Business Centres, so as to replicate the efficient speed of travel achieved in the opening of the UK India Business Centre in Gurgaon.

ENDS
Notes to Editors

For more info contact Ishara.Callan@ukibc.com 0207 592 30450207 592 3045 or Adam.Pollard@ukibc.com 0207592 3850

About Bangalore: Bangalore is the State capital of Karnataka and is widely known as the Tech Hub of India. The short corridor between Bangalore and Chennai the State capital of Tamil Nadu is called the Silicon Valley of India. Advanced Engineering, particularly Aerospace, IT and ITes, Electronics and Lifesciences are key business sectors of the economies of both of States. For the UK economy, this is a natural fit as it excels in these sectors – particularly in the upstream innovative areas. Moreover, trade between UK and India in these areas is increasing.

KICT GROUP 2020: Karnataka ICT Group 2020, of which Mohandas Pai is the Chairman, is working towards building on the current success the IT industry in the State by supporting 1000 start-ups, and increasing the IT workforce from 800,000 in 2012 to 2,000,000 by 2020).

UK India Business Council: UK India Business Council is the premier business-led organisation promoting bilateral trade and investment between the two countries. Our mission is to facilitate an increase in trade between the UK and India through business to business dialogue.

UK India Business Centres: The UK India Business Centre, Bangalore is the UKIBC’s second Centre in India, after Gurgaon. Positioned in the leafy, self-contained Prestige Blue Chip office campus the Bangalore Centre is located amongst major corporates such as Vodafone, Oracle and TATA’s Voltas Ltd. When complete, the Centre will comprise 12,500 sq. ft. of office, training, event and meeting space, all located on one floor. The Centres are designed to transform the quantity and quality of support available to British businesses, especially SMEs, seeking to enter or expand in India.

UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) in India is working with the Karnataka ICT Group on three important initiatives.
– Incubation Linkage: UKTI will work towards developing and delivering mentoring programmes for entrepreneurs in Bangalore who have a UK linkage. UKTI will do so in collaboration with National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) – the industry body for Indian software industry and with the recently established Karnataka Biotechnology and Information Technology Services (KBITS) which has set up an incubator in Bangalore. This will be a link between startups in London in Tech city and the Bangalore Incubator.
– Linkage for “IP Bridge”: The International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IITB) is building an ESDM (Electronic System Design and Manufacturing) Innovation Centre in Bangalore. The IP Bridge one of the major components of the Innovation Centre – it looks to develop IP bridge linkages between India and other countries. UKTI is actively working with IIITB and has already initiated a few discussions to connect UK and Indian innovative technology companies.

– Startups in Karnataka: UKTI is also looking to work with the Karnataka Information Technology Venture Capital Fund (KITVEN Fund). Under this agreement, KITVEN will consider co-funding UK start-ups with capital that set up a base in Karnataka. KITVEN is a State & Central Government financial institution backed Venture Capital Fund (VCF) operating in the State of Karnataka since 1999.

Photo Caption (L-R): Richard Heald, CEO, UKIBC, TV Mohandas Pai, Chairman, Manipal Global Education, Ian Felton, British Deputy High Commissioner Paul Dass, Chairman, Pacific Business Centres PVT Ltd, and Richard McCallum, MD, UKIBC India, participating in an inaugural pooja for the UK India Business Centre, Bangalore.