The State government has set up a Rs. 2-crore fund to assist eight startups that will develop ideas and products for the tourism sector which can enhance the tourism experience in Karnataka.
Selected under the “Idea2POC” scheme of the Karnataka Startup Policy 2015-20, the startups were hand-picked from 127 online registrations. The selected startups, which were announced during the “Pitch to Government - Tourism Challenge” on the occasion of World Tourism Day on Tuesday, will receive funds ranging from Rs. 5 lakh to Rs. 40 lakh. The open-challenge to crowd-source innovative solutions and products from startups working in the tourism sector was organised by the Karnataka Startup Cell, Karnataka Biotechnology and Information Technology Services, Department of IT and BT and the Department of Tourism. The KBITS team identified startups in the first round on parameters such as relevance and impact on tourism and the availability of a website or an app showcasing their product.
Forty-nine startups were shortlisted for the first round by a jury comprising representatives from the Tourism and IT Departments as well as from industry associations such as the National Association of Software and Services Companies. The final round ultimately had 12 startups.
