Often referred to as the “Silicon Plateau,” Bangalore holds many nicknames.
The green, sprawling capital city of Karnataka, a state in the southwestern region of India, is situated beneath a towering, 2,600-foot tall rock formation called the Mysore Plateau, which is bounded by the Sahyadri mountains and the sloping Kaveri river.
Over the past few years, Bangalore has earned the mantle of India’s “Silicon Valley.”
Although historically an outsourcing hub, the city is becoming its own technology business center. In 1909, the first Indian Institute of Science was established in Bangalore, and today it counts 3,500 students. The school’s most renowned education centers for climate change, neuroscience, and engineering have spurred more interdisciplinary research.
Today, Bangalore ranks as the 15th hottest startup ecosystem in the world, according to a recent report from Crunchbase and research firm Compass. The metropolis counts around 4,900 active startups, with nearly $2.3 billion in company investments last year.
A wide range of startup activity is happening in Bangalore. Internet penetration throughout India, especially, presents many opportunities for digital entrepreneurs. The country’s current population is a staggering 1.3 billion, and a July report from the Internet and Mobile Association of India projects that the country will count 500 million Internet users by 2017.
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