The air in Bengaluru hummed with a different energy this year. It wasn’t just the usual buzz of the Bengaluru Tech Summit, but something… more. Karnataka, the state that built India’s software empire, was changing gears. At the 2025 summit, the focus had clearly shifted: it was all about deeptech.
I remember walking through the exhibition hall on that second day. The booths weren’t showcasing the same old services. Instead, I saw robotics, AI applications, and biotech innovations. It felt like a deliberate move, a conscious decision to steer the ship towards a new horizon. The shift from IT services to deeptech isn’t just a change in focus; it’s a bet on the future, a recognition of where the real value lies.
One of the most striking things was the number of startups. According to reports, over 300 deeptech startups are now operating in Karnataka. This wasn’t just a government initiative; it was a movement. The state government, as reported by Inc42 Media, has been instrumental in fostering this ecosystem. They’ve been investing in research, providing grants, and creating infrastructure to support these new ventures. It’s a long-term play, and it seems to be paying off.
I spoke with a venture capitalist, Priya Sharma, who’s been investing in the region for over a decade. “Karnataka has always been at the forefront of technological innovation. This move into deeptech is a natural progression. We’re seeing a lot of promising companies that are solving real-world problems,” she told me. Her words echoed what I was seeing on the ground: a sense of optimism, a feeling that something significant was happening.
What struck me most was the quiet confidence. There was no fanfare, no aggressive marketing. Just a quiet determination to build something new, something lasting. It felt like the beginning of a new story, a new chapter in India’s tech journey.
