Karnataka to Set Up Indo-German Startup Accelerators in Bengaluru and Berlin

Karnataka state government's department, Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science and Technology (IT, BT and ST), is in talks with German officials to set up Indo-German accelerators in Bengaluru and Berlin that will serve as hubs for startups to grow their businesses, get mentorship as well as seed investment by providing access to venture capitalists and other private investors.

Gaurav Gupta, principal secretary, Department of ITBT, Karnataka, is leading a Karnataka delegation in Berlin, where he held talks to set up Indo-German accelerators to enhance collaboration between startups & SMEs in Bengaluru and Berlin.

Yesterday, the Gupta-led Karnataka delegation visited Digital Innovation Hub in Düsseldorf with an aim to develop new digital business models, products and solutions. Digital Innovation Hub in Düsseldorf, a city in western Germany, is an innovation centre for startups, small & medium-sized enterprises, companies and universities to develop new digital business models, products and solutions.

The Karnataka delegation visited 'rent24', one of the leading co-working and co-living providers in Europe, to meet startups and exchange ideas and knowledge for further collaboration between Bangalore and Berlin.

A networking event "EU-India Incubators/ Accelerators" was also held on Tuesday in Tehnopol in Tallinn, Estonia, where the delegation discussed synergies between India and Germany for exploring opportunities for Startups in terms of Softlanding etc

#Startup_kar at the #EU India Incubators/ Accelerators Networking Event in #Tehnopol in #Tallinn, #Estonia discussing synergies between both the countries and exploring opportunities for #Startups in terms of Softlanding etc pic.twitter.com/JqQY96qVtm

— ITBT Karnataka (@ITBTGoK) May 15, 2019

Separate discussions were held with Asia-Pacific Forum Berlin, SAP Labs Network, the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry and several dignitaries.

Gaurav Gupta, in a media statement said, "This is also being done to promote Karnataka government’s flagship programme, Bengaluru Tech Summit, to be held from November 18 to 20. A delegation from the department is currently visiting Berlin, Düsseldorf and Munich and taking part in the Asia Pacific Week 2019 in Berlin, which started on May 13. They will engage with officials in Germany for startup engagement. So far, they have had discussions with Dr Hinrich Tholken, ambassador, special envoy for International Digital Policy and Digital Transformation, Federal Foreign Office, Germany, to share the digital trends and policies in Bengaluru."

The delegation also met with Division of Higher Education, Science and Research, Federal Foreign Office of Germany to collaborate for R&D and student exchanges in STEM.

Earlier in January, Bavaria, a state in southeastern Germany, had invited Indian Start-Ups to explore business horizons by forging new alliances in the form of technology, business collaborations and exchange of ideas in the sectors of Information Technology, especially in the segments of Internet of Things (IOT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

In November last year, DMG MORI, one of Germany's largest manufacturers of cutting machine tools and a manufacturer of CNC-controlled Lathes and Milling machines, had acquired a 30% stake in an Indian startup, INTECH, a developer of software for AM, machine learning and AI.

Source - New India Express, Twitter@Startup_Kar

[Top Featured Image - Startup Karnataka@Twitter]

Freshdesk Expands Global Presence with New Office in Berlin

Freshdesk, the leading provider of cloud-based customer support software, today announced the opening of a new regional office in Berlin, Germany. Freshdesk has doubled its customer base in just over a year, from 40,000 to 80,000 customers, with nearly a third of the business coming from Europe. Adding to their existing UK office, the new Berlin office will enable the company to better support and grow their mid-market and enterprise business in Continental Europe.

The Berlin office will be led by Arun Mani, Managing Director in Continental Europe. Mani joined Freshdesk in early 2016 with the goal of supporting the European market and growing the company’s presence in the region. Mani’s initial focus is on hiring exceptional talent in Berlin, to service customers in Europe and scale the business in the regions.

Prior to joining Freshdesk, Mani built and scaled a global sales team for AppNexus, growing revenue of their core network business by five times in just three years. Mani previously worked at McKinsey & Company and Accenture, managing client relationships and advising C-level executives on growth strategies and sales enablement. He also holds an MBA from INSEAD.

“We understand that customer needs differ from region to region and we’re looking forward to expanding our presence in Europe. Our Berlin location presents an opportunity to provide a higher level of service, increase local awareness and be active members of the local business community,” said Mani. “Our team is already growing quickly and we are looking to make key hires in sales, marketing and project management before the year is over.”

"Berlin is a great choice for a European hub for Freshdesk with the availability of a multi-lingual talent pool and booming startup scene", says Dr. Stefan Franzke, Management Spokesperson of Berlin Partner for Business and Technology. "We are very pleased to welcome a leading global customer support software company to Berlin."

This announcement comes on the heels of several major company milestones. Freshdesk was the only company added to Gartner’s 2016 Magic Quadrant for CRM Customer Engagement Center1 this year. The company also surpassed the 80,000 customer mark, made five key acquisitions to expand product capabilities, and launched the in-app messaging solution, Hotline.io.