About Invest Karnataka
Under the Government of Karnataka, Invest Karnataka Forum (IKF) is a flagship global investment promotion platform. The Forum works to promote the state as a premier investment destination. It brings together industry leaders, policymakers, investors, and entrepreneurs from across the world to explore opportunities across key sectors such as technology, manufacturing, renewable energy and infrastructure in Karnataka. IKF also supports policy formulation, business collaborations, and building strategic partnerships, reinforcing Karnataka’s position as a hub for innovation, ease of doing business, and sustainable economic growth.
Industries in Karnataka
Karnataka holds a national or global edge across several key sectors:
- Aerospace & Defence: Karnataka contributes 65% of India’s aerospace exports and produces 50% of India’s total machine tool output. The Devanahalli aerospace cluster near Bengaluru anchors this sector, alongside major defence public sector units.
- Technology & GCCs: Over 40% of India’s Global Capability Centres are headquartered in Bengaluru, functioning as co-innovation engines where global companies collaborate with local startups, universities, and government bodies. The state introduced the Karnataka GCC Policy 2024-29 to double the number of GCCs to 1,000 by 2029, projected to generate $50 billion in economic output and create 350,000 jobs.
- Startups & Innovation: Bengaluru-Karnataka ranked #14 in the Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2025 with total ecosystem value reaching $136 billion in 2024 and 32 unicorns produced between 2020 and 2024.
- Biotech: Karnataka hosts 60% of India’s biotech companies and over 1,000 biotech startups, contributing 33% of India’s biotech exports and 12% of pharma exports, supported by 100+ R&D centres, and dedicated biotech parks. Startup Genome
- Semiconductors & ESDM: Karnataka contributes 10% of India’s electronics output and is home to over 100 fabless semiconductor design firms, making it India’s largest chip design hub.
- AI & Deep Tech: Bengaluru is the world’s second-largest AI talent hub, with 600,000 AI/ML professionals. Karnataka advances this through ARTPARK at IISc — India’s first AI and robotics hub — and a 2025–26 budget allocation of $117 million for the LEAP programme, including a dedicated Fund-of-Funds for deep tech.
Connecting Industry with Students & Academia
The focus on strengthening industry-academia connect has been embedded within the Industrial Policy framework, placing strong emphasis on developing a future-ready workforce. The policy promotes the adoption of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) by industries to design curricula, train instructors, and ensure placement-linked learning. This initiative reduces industry training costs by 40% and ensures immediate employability in sectors like food processing, CNC operations, and 3D printing. Comprehensive district-level skill-gap studies are planned to identify local employment needs. Industry partners will act as “ITI champions” to drive cluster-based workforce training, ensuring that education is tailored to real-time industrial demand.
Implemented by the Department of Skill Development and IT/BT, Nipuna Karnataka Initiative bridges the education-employability divide by offering sector-specific, technology-enabled training across IT, manufacturing, and agriculture, with industries guaranteeing job placements.
Furthermore, over 30 Government Toolroom and Training Centers are being utilized for advanced, industry-led training in partnership with Siemens, PTC, SAP, and Dassault Systems. These centres act as regional hubs for hands-on learning and continuous skilling at nominal costs.
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The policy also incentivizes companies that set up research and manufacturing facilities together to foster innovation, rapid prototyping, and knowledge transfer. This strengthens the feedback loop between academic research, industrial application, and workforce capability.
For student entrepreneurs, platforms such as the VentuRISE Global Startup Challenge engage startups in manufacturing and green technologies, offering exposure, funding opportunities, and collaboration with global experts. The upcoming KWIN City is designed to embed universities within an R&D and tech-forward ecosystem — 13 universities, including St. John’s University, New York, have expressed interest in setting up campuses there, along with several ongoing conversations with acclaimed international universities.
