Startup engine T-Hub has completed one year this month. To commemorate the same, it announced a slew of strategic initiatives to boost Hyderabad ecosystem.
The anniversary celebration was inaugurated by Telangana IT Minister KT. Rama Rao amid senior industry leaders and government officials. Among those present were the T-Hub Board of Directors; Jayesh Ranjan, IT Secretary, Telangana State; B.V.R. Mohan Reddy, Executive Chairman, Cyient; and Srini Raju, Managing Director and Founder of Peepul Capital.
Commenting on the occasion, KT. Rama Rao, Minister for IT, NRI Affairs, Municipal Administration & Urban Development, Industries & Mining, Govt. of Telangana, India, said, “When we started T-Hub a year back there were many questions about how we will create a mark in the startup world. But looking at what we have achieved, makes me proud. Today the world wants to talk to Hyderabad, and know how we can bring in more investments. Through T-Bridge we will access and bring the best to you to grow and make the city one of the top startup cities in the world.”
T-Hub is a unique public/private partnership between the government of Telangana, IIIT-H, ISB, NALSAR, and key private sector leaders. Currently T-Hub stands as the largest startup ecosystems in India,with over 70,000 sq. ft. of space.
Through its networking sessions T-Hub has reached out to over 700 entrepreneurs, and claims to have benefitted over 200+ startups with over 90 workshops conducted in last one year.
Speaking on the occasion, Jay Krishnan, CEO, T-Hub said, “Innovation is the core of what we do. Through the year we have strived each day to build a strong structure that fuels a culture of innovation through capacity building and mentorship. This has enabled us to catalyse deal flow and take Hyderabad on the world map in the startup ecosystem. Some of the products and services we launched through the year, T-Bridge, Sandbox, Playbooks have truly set us apart. We have brought structure to the madness which investors and corporates are recognising.
The startups within T-Hub are clustered into various stages of growth across seven sectors of specialisation – fintech, healthtech, agritech, SmartCity, transportation & logistics, sustainability and social tech capturing big data, IoT, analytics, sensors, cloud and mobility.
Krishnan also announced that the team at T-Hub has succeeded in building the world’s fourth fastest supercomputer, and it will soon be available to the startups at Catalyst.
Catalyst – T-Hub’s incubator currently hosts 206 startups. The first batch of startups will graduate by the end of this year.
In the current batch there are 23 fintech startups, 21 healthtech startups, 19 agritech, 22 social, 12 sustainable, 16 transport & logistics, 22 SmartCity. Apart from these there are about 65 other startups that work in the space of – big data, IoT, mobile tech, edutech, nano-technology, billing management, legal, etc.
T-Hub is nurturing the Telangana startup ecosystem via creating programmes and partnerships with corporates, investors, mentors, and academia. With T-Hub, the government is working intensely with the investor and the partner community to fuel innovation and facilitate enterprise. As of now, about 23 startups have successfully raised funding in the past year. However, T-Hub does not invest in startups. The startups at the Catalyst building have claimed to have raised over $3 Mn.
A few notable startups from T-Hub are: Banyan Nation (into waste management), Flat Pebble (Online marketplace for high quality photographers, videographers), V-Deliver (logistics Co), Life Cycle (Home nursing and professional caregiving startup)
The inauguration witnessed MoU signings with several strategic partners, corporate partners and announcement of partnership programs.
The Strategic Partnerships
PwC Innovation Hub Partnership
Leading consulting firm PwC has partnered with T-Hub to create an Innovation Hub within the Catalyst building. This strategic partnership is aligned with PwC’s Innovation Program to support and mentor startups. The Innovation Hub will give startups access to PwC clients across 157 countries and open floodgates for new opportunities.
Carnegie’s Policy Hub within T- Hub
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, India, a public policy think-tank has partnered with T-Hub to create a ‘Policy Incubator’ within Catalyst. The objective of this ‘Policy Incubator’ is to help startups guide through the regulatory and policy implications of innovation.
Also this partnership will help to operationalise a tracking system to record innovation within T-Hub.
Corporate Partnership
DBS Asia Hub-2 partners with T-Hub to create an ‘Innovation Hub’ for Fintech startups. The Innovation Hub will be aimed at building a culture of innovation to lead digital transformation in the fintech space in India. Under this partnership DBS would Leverage T-Hub’s network of fintech startups, provide them support, mentorship, and a global platform with an aim to build emerging technologies that would make banking simpler and seamless for customers.
Programme Announcements
Agri-Tech Accelerator announcement with ICRISAT, RVP & T-Hub – T-Hub’s AgriTech Accelerator Program is a startup focussed initiative created in partnership with ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid-Tropics) and powered by RViP (Riverbridge Ventures Innovation Platform). It is a three-month accelerator program, which enables agritech startups to move game-changing products to market and scale their existing businesses, providing market, business scale, global exposure, funding support, expert advice, corporate partnerships, government connects, and more game changing opportunities.
CL Educate – T-Hub and CL Educate entered into an MoU to make innovation accessible to millions of youngsters in schools, colleges and jobs. Awareness, research, technology-platform, curriculum, access to mentors and funds, are some of the benefits that will reach young entrepreneurship aspirants through this collaborative partnership. Wainconnect.com, the innovation platform from CL Educate and the T-Hub ‘PlayBook’ will play a crucial role in the implementation of this partnership.
