Google inks deal with Karnataka to support emerging startups, women founders

Google has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Karnataka government to support emerging startups in the state. As part of the deal, Google will provide training and mentorship programs to startups, certifications to job seekers, and organise online safety and digital programs for school children. 

The Alphabet company said that it will work with Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society (KITS) to provide women-led founders and startups in tier 2 and tier 3 cities with access to partners and essential training in the cloud, user experience (UX), Android, Web, product strategy, leadership, and marketing. 

Google will also provide scholarships to “underserved youth” and “job seekers” and help qualified individuals to take up Google's Career Certification program that will prepare them for digital skills that are in high demand such as IT, project management, UX design, automation, and data analytics. Google will also help certificate holders find jobs in the industry. 

For safety programs in schools, Google will help teachers in training students on how to be safe and smart online. It will also help teachers create an interactive curriculum for digital learning. 

“Karnataka has been at the forefront of the startup revolution. As we move forward, we want to enable a collaborative and inclusive digital environment for startups to grow and thrive. I am sure this collaboration (with Google) will also support many of our entrepreneurs and innovators from the emerging tech clusters beyond Bengaluru,” said C.N. Ashwath Narayan, Minister for Higher Education, IT, BT, Science and Technology and Skill Development, in Government of Karnataka. 

Karthik Padmanabhan, Developer Relations Lead at Google India, pointed out that India has a flourishing startup community, however, not all founders have access to capital, support, or mentorship programs that can help them innovate and scale. 

“Through our collaboration with KITS, we want to strengthen the support for the local startup ecosystem, and enable equal representation for women. We are also proud to support the Karnataka government in helping young school children develop early online safety awareness, and in equipping youth with essential skills to secure in-demand jobs and advance their careers,” added Padmanabhan. 

Karnataka has the second highest number of startups (8,902) recognised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) out of the 73,205 startups in India.  Maharashtra has the highest number (13,541) of such startups as of July 5, according to DPIIT.