VTU gets tech incubator to give startups a leg

Belagavi: A technology business incubator (TBI), established by Visvesvaraya Research and Innovation Foundation (VRIF) in collaboration with Karnataka govt’s K-Tech initiative, was inaugurated at Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) campus on Saturday.VTU vice-chancellor and VRIF president Prof S Vidyashankar and Neha Revanakar inaugurated the facility, aimed at strengthening the university’s startup ecosystem and helping aspiring entrepreneurs turn innovative ideas into enterprises.Prof Vidyashankar said the incubator would give innovators and entrepreneurs a platform to develop technology-driven solutions and sustainable businesses while bridging the gap between academia and industry.VRIF CEO Santosh Ittanagi said the foundation was committed to promoting research, innovation, entrepreneurship and industry-academia partnerships. The incubator will support startups from ideation and product development to business growth and commercialisation.Ten startups operating in healthcare, education, language technology and fashion have already begun functioning from the VTU campus.VTU registrar and VRIF director Prasad Rampure, registrar (evaluation) UJ Ujwal, VRIF committee member Venkatesh Patil and executive board members Dilip Krishna and Sunny Raj attended the programme.Stay updated with the latest Hubballi news. Download the TOI App.