The three-day event, themed “Futurise”, brings together global leaders, policymakers, investors, startups and researchers from sectors including deep tech, biotech, semiconductors and space technology.
Published Nov 18, 2025 | 4:39 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 18, 2025 | 4:39 PM
The 2025 edition hosts more than 600 global speakers and over 1,200 exhibitors, along with delegations from more than 60 countries.
Synopsis: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah opened the 28th edition of the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2025 on Tuesday and announced new policies to strengthen the state’s technology and start-up sectors. The three-day summit brings together global industry and research leaders under the theme “Futurise,” with a focus on linking innovation to social and economic progress. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar called for investments beyond Bengaluru and launched an AI-ready personal computer developed by KEONICS.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday, 18 November inaugurated the 28th edition of the Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS) 2025 at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre, Tumkur Road.
The three-day event, themed “Futurise”, brings together global leaders, policymakers, investors, startups and researchers from sectors including deep tech, biotech, semiconductors and space technology.
The 2025 edition hosts more than 600 global speakers and over 1,200 exhibitors, along with delegations from more than 60 countries.
“This is an extraordinary gathering of visionaries, creators and changemakers who are here to build a future that is smarter, inclusive and transformative. For nearly three decades, the Bengaluru Tech Summit has been a beacon for the world, a place where ideas take flight, where technologies converge, where partnerships are forged, and where the world looks to understand where the future is headed,” the Chief Minister said in his address.
He further announced the launch of three major policies at the summit: the Karnataka Information Technology Policy 2025–2030, the SpaceTech Policy 2025–2030 and the Startup Policy 2025–2030.
Calling the summit “a movement that amplifies every voice of innovation,” Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said Karnataka “continues to lead as a tech powerhouse,” and that BTS reflects the government’s commitment to “nurturing startups, strengthening industry and driving global collaboration.”
At the 28th Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS), I reaffirmed Karnataka’s place as India’s innovation capital and a global hub for deep-tech, research and entrepreneurship.
For nearly three decades, BTS has connected ideas, talent, industry, academia and global investors – and this… pic.twitter.com/YFrCTgQccl
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) November 18, 2025
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the Bengaluru Tech Summit has, for nearly three decades, been “a beacon for the world, a place where ideas take flight, where technologies converge, where partnerships are forged.”
He added that the summit “links academia to industry,” connects startups with investors, brings researchers to policymakers, and positions Karnataka’s talent pool for global markets.
The Chief Minister said this year’s theme “Futurise” reaffirmed the belief that technology must support “social good, economic justice, sustainable development, inclusion, and prosperity for all.”
He said Karnataka was entering a new phase of the digital revolution driven by AI, quantum technologies, biotech, space and green technology.
Highlighting the state’s institutional strength, he pointed to the 85 universities, 243 engineering colleges and nearly 1,800 ITIs. He said Karnataka’s workforce showed a low unemployment rate of 4.3 percent, “highlighting productivity and employability.”
Listing the city’s premier institutions including IISc, IIM-B, IIIT-B, NCBS, JNCASR, NIMHANS, DRDO labs and ISRO centres, he said these created “an unparalleled intellectual ecosystem.”
He added that Karnataka hosts over 16,000 startups and attracts nearly 47 percent of India’s total startup funding.
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said Karnataka’s rise as an IT powerhouse was “neither an accident nor a coincidence.” He said strategic initiatives from both the government and the private sector have shaped the state into what it is today.
He noted that Karnataka was the first state to introduce an IT policy in 1997 and the first to set up a dedicated IT Department during the tenure of SM Krishna.
“Known globally for IT and biotechnology, it is also a rising powerhouse in aerospace, defence R&D and fintech. The city hosts over 400 R&D and GCCs, top tech firm headquarters, Fortune 500 companies, unicorns and more than 12,000 startups,” he said.
“Contributing over 40 percent of India’s software exports, Bengaluru sets the pace for technological innovation, driven not just by infrastructure or policy, but by its people, the twin pillars of technology and talent.”
Glimpses from Bengaluru Tech Summit 2025, celebrating the spirit of technology, creativity, and global collaboration. pic.twitter.com/jpatYVSAGy
— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) November 18, 2025
Shivakumar said “Namma Bengaluru is flourishing as a centre of technology and enterprise,” but added that Tier-2 and Tier-3 regions were also ready for growth. He urged industry and investors to strengthen rural education. “I urge industry leaders and investors to support education in rural areas,” he said, adding that CSR initiatives could ensure that “rural and semi-urban areas can benefit as well from technology, innovation and investment.”
He said the government remained committed to making “digital learning and opportunities accessible to every corner of Karnataka.”
The Chief Minister further announced the launch of three major policies at the summit: the Karnataka Information Technology Policy 2025–2030, the SpaceTech Policy 2025–2030 and the Startup Policy 2025–2030.
Speaking about the news industry-specific policies, Chief Minister Siddaramiah said the IT policy, aims “to transform the state into a global destination for innovation and deep tech.”
The SpaceTech Policy aims to position Karnataka as the country’s leading space technology hub, “capturing 50 percent of the national market and 5 percent globally by 2034.”
The Startup Policy, he said, is designed to enable the creation of 25,000 startups in five years through interventions in “funding, market access, infrastructure, talent development and social inclusion.”
The event also featured the launch of KEO (Knowledge-driven, Economical, Open-source) an ‘AI-ready personal computer’ designed and manufactured in India by the Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Ltd. (KEONICS).
The device runs AI applications directly on the system instead of relying on cloud processing, making its on-device AI architecture a central feature.
Launching KEO, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said he was “proud to launch KEO, Karnataka’s own AI-ready personal computer designed to make technology accessible, affordable and inclusive for every household, student and small enterprise.”
He said the system was “built on open-source architecture and powered with on-device intelligence,” and reflected the government’s commitment “to bridge the digital divide and ensure that no young mind is left behind in the digital future.”
