Women in tech meet discusses operational barriers to business

Dignitaries and participants of an interactive meeting for women entrepreneurs in Bengaluru on Thursday. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The Ministry of Electronics, IT and Biotechnology organized an interactive session with women entrepreneurs in Bengaluru on Thursday to address operational hurdles and align state policy with industry needs.

Organized ahead of the 29th Bengaluru Tech Summit, scheduled for November 17-19, the event was themed ‘Empowering Women in Tech in Karnataka: From Policy Intention to Action’.

The discussion was moderated by N. Manjula, Secretary, Department of Electronics, IT & Biotechnology, along with Sanjeev Kumar Gupta, CEO, Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM).

During the open interaction, entrepreneurs raised key concerns affecting their ability to build and scale businesses. These included securing seed capital for DeepTech and biotech businesses, accessing affordable computing power for AI firms, expanding market reach and managing government procurement processes.

Responding to the feedback, Ms. Manjula emphasized the need to evaluate the implementation of the policy on the ground. She said shared feedback, particularly on access to finance, markets and infrastructure, would help the government move these talks forward and work towards more acceptable solutions.

Karnataka currently hosts around 8,000 women-led start-ups. Officials highlighted existing state initiatives, including Women@Work, WEScalate, BioWise and ELEVATE Shakti, which have committed ₹118.98 crore to more than 400 women-led businesses since 2017, including ₹23.19 crore to 63 start-ups in 2026.

To address specific challenges, the department has agreed to explore subsidized access to artificial intelligence computing through a proposed AI hub and shared facilities for hardware and robotics startups.

Ms. Manjula also encouraged the founders to take advantage of the ‘Government First’ initiative, which provides pilot support of up to ₹ 25 lakh to validate solutions within ministries.

The panelists further highlighted the importance of expanding mentorship, industry partnerships and regional incubators to support entrepreneurs operating outside Bengaluru.

Published – 13 Nov 2026 0:20 AM IST