DENSO Partners T-Hub To Foster Auto Startups In Telangana

SUMMARY

As part of a MoU signed between the organisations, DENSO will mentor the selected startups by offering access to R&D resources and technical expertise

The collaboration will focus on startups operating in sectors such as AI, electrification, advanced driver assistance systems and V2X

Launched in 2015, startup incubator T-Hub is a partnership between the Telangana government, three academic institutions, and the local private sector

Telangana government-backed incubator T-Hub has partnered with Japanese auto components manufacturer DENSO to foster automotive startups in the state.

As part of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the two organisations, DENSO will mentor the selected startups by offering access to research and development (R&D) resources and technical expertise.

Besides, the Japanese major will also help autotech startups, selected by leveraging T-Hub’s networking platform “T-Connect”, generate ideas, break down complex challenges, and “conduct a targeted search for solutions” to build intelligent automotive technologies.

In a statement, DENSO International India’s CEO Yasuhiro Iida said that the collaboration will focus on startups operating in sectors such as artificial intelligence (AI), electrification, advanced driver assistance systems and V2X (vehicle-to-everything) communication.

The partnership will also see DENSO sponsor T-Hub’s hackathons and innovation challenges related to automotive technologies.

“Through T-Hub’s T-Connect platform, we look forward to engaging with startups aligned with our vision for a sustainable and intelligent future in mobility. Our support will include access to R&D resources and technical expertise, empowering these startups to scale successfully,” Iida said.

Chiming in, T-Hub’s interim CEO Sujit Jagirdar said, “… This partnership highlights the state’s capability to attract and support global automotive leaders, providing a platform for them to co-create impactful solutions with local startups that cater to India’s unique automotive landscape.”

Launched in 2015, startup incubator T-Hub is a partnership between the Telangana government, three academic institutions – International Institute of Information Technology, Indian School of Business, and National Academy of Legal Studies and Research, and the local private sector.

Since its launch, the incubator claims to have launched 100 innovation programmes that have “enabled” more than 2,000 local startups to scale.

The state government last infused INR 300 Cr in T-Hub in 2022 as part of the second phase of the incubator. In the first phase, the incubator fostered nearly 1,100 startups and raised an aggregate of INR 1,860 Cr via its various programmes and other avenues.

T-Hub has set its eyes on mentoring as many as 20,000 startups via its various “program interventions” in the next five years.