‘Our aim is to make Hyd one of top 10 global startup hubs’

T-Hub chief says 2nd phase of the incubator will commence operations in 2018

T-Hub, a unique public-private partnership of the Telangana government, International Institute of Information Technology-Hyderabad (IIIT-H), the Indian School of Business (ISB) and Nalsar, completed one year of operations last month. And, steering the successful growth of T-Hub, which stands at the intersection of the startup, academic, corporate, research and government sectors, is Jay Krishnan, a passionate serial entrepreneur and thinker-doer. Jay Krishnan, who in the capacity of the CEO of T-Hub, has been instrumental in fostering innovation through technology platforms like Sandbox and Playbook to empower entrepreneurs with solutions at every stage of their journey, shares with K Rajani Kanth, T-Hub’s journey so far and way ahead. Edited excerpts:

Last month, T-Hub completed one year. How has been the journey so far in terms of progress etc?

The journey at T-Hub has been very exciting. We have had a lot of firsts since we began operations in 2015. Our 70,000-sft incubation centre ‘Catalyst’ houses more than 200 startups and we have had more than 20 startup success stories emerging from T-Hub in this one year. Besides Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, more than 60 corporate leaders, including Satya Nadella, Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft, have visited us. We signed an MoU with Uber for UberEXCHANGE programme and also launched the T-Bridge initiative. We have also partnered more than 10 co-working spaces like 91springboard, CIE, Nasscom, Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and others to facilitate better facilities to startups. Some corporate houses who have become our partners in the last year are HP, DBS, Intel, Yes Bank, Microsoft and Intel. We have been recognised by the DST as a Technical Business Incubator and awarded a grant, a first-of-its-kind for non-IIT/IIIT/IIM institutes.

What is the vision set forth by T-Hub?

T-Hub is India’s largest startup engine, catalysing innovation, scale and deal flow. As a startup engine, T-Hub is nurturing the startup ecosystem via creating programmes and partnerships with renowned corporates, investors, mentors and academia. It is the only model where the government (Telangana) is working intensely with the investor and the partner community to fuel innovation and facilitate enterprise. The idea is to develop numerous partnerships with governments and corporates across the world to facilitate smooth functioning, learning and leveraging platforms for startups with an aim to position and develop Hyderabad as among the top 10 startup ecosystems in the world by 2020.

At what stage is Phase-II of T-Hub?

The Phase-II of T-Hub will commence in 2018 with an investment of around Rs 150 crore. In Phase-II, there would be space for 125 startups. T-Hub works around seven predominant sector verticals – health tech, fin-tech, agri-tech, social, sustainable, transport and logistics and smartcity. Apart from these sectors, we look at big data, internet of things (IoT), mobile tech, artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) as enabling layers that are embedded into the value chain of startups in these sectors.

How many applications does T-Hub receive from other countries? How is T-Hub’s plan to set up extension centres (outposts) in other countries panning out?

On a monthly basis, we receive around 200 applications of which around 15 per cent are from startups originating from other countries. Out of the 200 applications, we shortlist around 15 per cent of the startups to join the T-Hub ecosystem.

We recently launched T-Bridge, a new programme that will connect Indian startups with global market opportunities and help bring global startups to India. T-Bridge will enable startup communities in India and around the world to cross-pollinate ideas, innovate and create channels for knowledge transfer. It will also create a network of mentors, venture capitalists (VCs), incubators and accelerators that is advantageous to the Indian startup ecosystem. T-Bridge will provide a platform for fast-track technology companies looking to tap into India’s huge consumer market for technology. Through T-Bridge, startups will get an access to UberEXCHANGE, Uber’s flagship startup mentorship programme, and The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) Silicon Valley’s mentor network.

T-Bridge is our flagship programme that we plan to launch with key ecosystems from the US, Israel, France and Australia. This programme will enable startups from corresponding ecosystems to access markets in India and vice versa.

What is T-Hub’s Sandbox initiative all about?

The Sandbox initiative is to enable entrepreneurs from different ecosystems to access our technology infrastructure that houses a super computer, which can solve large problems that otherwise needs larger pools of capital or infrastructure.

Are there any other initiatives that T-Hub is looking at?

We keep our startups, from across sectors, engaged and involved with partner companies, who further help them scale, gain exposure and network. In the last year, we have had successful associations and fruitful programmes, including UberEXCHANGE, IBM Smartcamp, AgriTech Accelerator Programme, Intel-DST Innovate for Digital India Challenge 2.0 and Global Mobile Challenge.

There is a problem of plenty with respect to incubators in India. How is T-Hub different from all other players out there in the market?

At T-Hub, we know that startups/entrepreneurs need guidance and support at all stages and to help them ideate, scale and get ready. We have curated several initiatives. These include mentorship programmes, workshops, one-on-one sessions with corporate partners such as accounting firms, legal firms and human resource firms, and access to the ever-growing T-hub network and ability to showcase the startup throughout the network. We even host events like hackathons, pitching workshops, startup investor meets, design workshops, team building workshops, HR meetups and influencer talks, which help the startups network and improve their skills.

Which characteristics, in your opinion, would make Hyderabad a preferred startup destination?

The startup ecosystem the world over is fragmented but because T-Hub is based out of Hyderabad, the ecosystem is tightly knit and all the stakeholders (startups, mentors, investors, government, academia, co-working spaces and incubators) work together rather than against each other. Another important factor to note is the support of the Telangana government, which not only acts as a facilitator but also a customer. Hyderabad has also recently been ranked first in India in the ease of doing business. This is what truly makes Hyderabad a preferred destination for startups from all over the world.

What is your take on the Indian startup ecosystem? Are there any potential challenges that need to be ironed out?

Indian startups should focus on solving problems that are unique to their environment rather than aping the west. There exists a huge market for solutions that solve local problems and that is what Indian startups should concentrate on.

- K Rajani Kanth