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The Karnataka government has announced the launch of KATALYST, a dedicated ease of doing business cell to support Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in the state. The initiative, which aligns with the State’s GCC Policy 2024-2029, aims to streamline new investments, fast-track setup processes, and deepen collaboration between GCCs and the broader innovation ecosystem.

The announcement was made at a meeting on August 11 attended by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, along with over 200 CEOs from diverse sectors. The meeting was held to announce the 28th edition of the Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS), scheduled for November 18-20.

Karnataka’s goal is to add 500 GCCs by 2029, creating 350,000 jobs and US$50 billion in economic output. The state government is engaging with industry captains to gather their views on strategies and initiatives to maintain its leadership position in technology sectors.

The meeting brought together industry bodies such as Nasscom, IESA, TiE Bangalore, ABLE, and ABAI, with CEOs, founders, and innovators from various sectors, including IT, deeptech, biotech, health tech, electronics, semiconductors, defence, space tech, fintech, and AVGC. The dialogue with the Chief Minister aimed to foster collaboration and drive growth in Karnataka’s tech industry.

Priyank Kharge, Minister for Electronics, IT/BT and Rural Development & Panchayat Raj, Government said on X: “At the CEO Breakfast Meet 2025, @ITBTGoK (Department of Electronics, Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science & Technology) launched KATALYST – Karnataka’s dedicated Ease-of-Doing-Business Cell for Global Capability Centres”. 

“KATALYST is a single-window support platform to: enable new investments, fast-track GCC setups with a less than 45-day turnaround, facilitate deeper collaboration between industry, government and our innovation ecosystem, offer dedicated investment facilitation and streamlined setup processes. Karnataka is home to 40% of India’s GCCs, with over 850 centres driving global innovation,” Kharge said. 

“Under our ambitious GCC Policy 2024-2029, KATALYST will complement this leadership by making Karnataka the most attractive and efficient destination for GCC growth. This initiative is a direct outcome of extensive consultations with the industry and ecosystem and a major step forward for the GCC sector in Karnataka.,” the minister said. 

The gathering was also addressed by the Chairpersons of the four Vision Groups of the Government of Karnataka – S Gopalakrishnan, Chairperson, Vision Group on IT & Electronics; Dr Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairperson, Vision Group on Biotech; Prashanth Prakash, Chairman, Vision Group on Start-ups; and Dr AS Kiran Kumar, Chairperson, Vision Group on Space.

“The launch of KATALYST will make Karnataka one of India’s most business-friendly States. Karnataka is known for its technology leadership. From the first IT policy in 1997 and the GCC in 2024, we have always planned for the future. Karnataka is India’s largest software-exporting State, contributing 44% of the nation’s software exports. The IT and ITeS sector accounts for 26% of our State’s economy. We host over 875 GCCs, which is 30% of the total number of GCCs in India, and are building tech clusters beyond Bengaluru to ensure growth across the State,” the Chief Minister highlighted.

BTS is said to bring together over 20,000 start-up founders, more than 1,000 investors, 600 speakers, and 1,200 exhibitors from over 60 countries and all 36 States/UTs. Announcing the summit, IT, BT, and Minister of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Priyank Kharge said BTS 2025 will feature 10 thematic tracks, 100 knowledge sessions, 5,000 curated meetings, and a focus on start-ups through the Startup Springboard platform.

The theme of BTS 2025 is Futurise, a call to action to imagine, innovate, and implement technologies that will shape the decades ahead, driving transformation across diverse sectors of the tech ecosystem.

The conference will feature 10 tracks, including IT & DeepTech, Electro-Semicon, Digital Health & Biotech, the Startup Ecosystem, Global Collaboration, and India – USA Tech Conclave, along with new tracks – AI Universe, Finverse, Defence & Spacetech, and My Planet My Future. A major highlight will be the ‘Future Makers Conclave’, a programme showcasing changemakers, entrepreneurs, adventurers, artists, and pioneers to be attended by over 20,000 start-up founders and ecosystem members.

With over 1,200 Indian and global exhibitors, the event will feature a special focus on start-ups through the Startup Springboard, a curated programme that connects ventures with investors, mentors, and global networks. Activities will include investor pitching sessions led by top VC networks, one-on-one mentoring clinics with industry experts, a dedicated ‘Startup Pavilion’ in the exhibition and exclusive investor connect opportunities. Start-ups will also benefit from focused thematic sessions on scaling, fundraising and international market access, alongside recognition through the Startup Awards.