The proposed move to shift ‘XLr8’, the technology business accelerator of Andhra Pradesh Innovation Society (APIS) to Visakhapatnam is feared to give a deadly blow to Tirupati’s start-up and incubation ecosystem, being carefully nurtured by none other than Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in his native district.
The APIS has been established with Tirupati as its headquarters to develop human and technical capital for the industrial needs of the backward Rayalaseema and also keeping in view the abundant talent pool available in the academic hub. Powered by Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Texas-based IC2, the ‘XLr8’ is mandated to guide entrepreneurs in churning raw ideas into marketable products/services, by studying the technical and operational feasibilities. In return, the entrepreneurs will be required to invest in Andhra Pradesh which will benefit the fund-starved State through flow of investments and local jobs.
However, APIS moved its activities to Amaravati some time ago for ‘administrative convenience’. Now, the accelerator is also being reportedly moved to Visakhapatnam, citing the presence of a sizeable number of start-ups. This decision has drawn flak from Tirupati’s nascent IT and innovation sector, which feels that the government has given the proverbial ‘miss the forest for trees’.
The officials are under fire for their failure to estimate the advantage of developing talent pool from the readily-available academic hub and instead mooting a proposal that hinges on a partially-developed start-up environment.
“We have seven universities in and around Tirupati and four more in Rayalaseema districts, besides Central government institutions like IIT, IIIT and IISER and scores of engineering and medical colleges. It is this availability of ready-to-tap raw talent that is required to set up incubation centres. The yardstick should certainly not be the availability of start-ups,” an innovator has told The Hindu pleading anonymity. The region also falls under the Vizag-Chennai and Chennai-Bengaluru industrial corridors and hence Tirupati can boast of higher land availability, compared to Vizag.
To vacate premises
The ‘XLr8’ has officially decided to vacate its existing premises on Karakambadi Road, but has not chosen an alternative place. The cohorts training date for the fifth batch has also not been announced yet, sending rumour mills grinding and giving credence to the fears being expressed on shifting its base to Vizag. The move has already assumed regional colour, as various parties, including the TDP’s youth wing, has appealed to the State to drop the move.
