Startup fest commences in M’luru

Mangaluru: Innovation and entrepreneurship may be deeply rooted in Dakshina Kannada, but its structured startup ecosystem is now gaining momentum, said B Satheesh Kumar Bhandary, vice-president (ISR and CRL) at Nitte (DU). He was speaking at the inauguration of the two-day Nitte-MRPL ‘Coastal startup fest- 2026' at Fiza by Nexus Mall Saturday.Bhandary said India had around 400 startups in 2016, which has now grown to over 1.2 lakh. However, he cautioned that sustaining a startup requires out-of-the-box thinking and original ideas. Mangaluru has all the ingredients needed to nurture successful ventures and must grow as a startup hub, he said.Chethan Dixit, vice-president of Karnataka Digital Economy Mission, urged aspiring entrepreneurs to be part of a strong ecosystem and to stay informed about govt initiatives and support systems. "It is crucial to focus on solving real-world problems," he said.Pointing to a shift in participation trends, he said earlier only 5–10% of applications for platforms such as Elevate came from clusters beyond Bengaluru. "Today, it has grown to 30–40%, indicating the rise of innovation in emerging clusters," he added.The event was organised by AIC Nitte Incubation Centre, K-Tech Innovation Hub and the Nitte-GOK Centre of Excellence in Aquamarin Innovation. Nithin Panchmal, founder and CEO of Invaria Technology, and Arvind Shrivastav, senior centre director at Fiza by Nexus, were present.A panel discussion on ‘Innovation Beyond Metros' was held, and the fest also featured SPARK 2026, a student business idea competition.The event included a coastal startup expo and an investor summit, offering opportunities for networking and funding. The fest will conclude Sunday with Coastal Startup Excellence Awards, recognising innovations and entrepreneurial achievements in the region.