NRIs to help startups link with Silicon Valley

BENGALURU: The Kannadiga NRIs from the

Silicon Valley

are on a mission to bridge the gap between angel funding and mentoring to ensure startups in Karnataka get the much needed push.
The

Association of Kannada Kootas of America

(AKKA) has put forward a proposal for crossborder entrepreneurship as a business model at the PBD. A series of meetings with regard to the project were held by AKKA members and the

San Fransisco-Bengaluru Sister City Board

members with Priyank Kharge, IT - BT minister of Karnataka.

AKKA joint secretary

Raghu Shivram

said the aim is to bring mentors from the Silicon Valley and provide their services to startups in Karnataka.

Shivaram Malavalli, resident chairman of the San Fransisco-Bengaluru Sister City Board, said the cross-border project will have angel funding from the Silicon Valley.

“The companies in the tri-city region have deep pockets, and are on the lookout for startups. We want to utilize our reach in bringing them on board to fund startups here,“ Malavalli said.

The NRI Kannadiga community is also providing incubation possibilities for such endeavours. In September 2016, the

Kannadiga NRI community

held a startup showcase event wherein a local company, Eventosaur, was chosen as the winner. “We, along with the Karnataka Biotechnology and Information Technology Services, are looking at a bigger platform for incubation,“ Shivaram added.