[TechSparks 2020] How UK-India Tech Hub is boosting tech entrepreneurship across borders

The UK-India Tech Hub is a global network of international tech hubs developed by the UK Government's Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) to build a digital ecosystem and support tech entrepreneurship in India. 

At the 11th edition of YourStory’s flagship event TechSparks 2020, officials of the UK-India Tech Hub — Anubhav Jain (Country Director), Lakshmi Misra (Deputy Director), Nikita (Deputy Director), Angel Terresa Rani (Operations Coordinator), and Milan Nihlani (Operations Coordinator) — provided a deep-dive insight on the programmes offered by the organisation. 

The UK-India Tech Hub — a country partner of the all-virtual event — works to create local skilled jobs within the tech ecosystem. It generates opportunities for business partnerships, which leads to a healthy revenue pipeline over time, enabling entrepreneurs to raise funding. 

Programmes and initiatives 

The UK-India Tech Hub aims to support and boost tech entrepreneurship in India through partnerships with digital ecosystem stakeholders, including incubators, accelerators, Indian private sector firms, the Government of India, agencies, and non-profit organisations. 

It launched its first programme — Go Global India — between October and December 2019 to support early-stage tech startups, enabling them to build links with the UK tech sector and scale businesses internationally, while promoting the country as a partner of choice. The Go Global India programme has enrolled about 18 Indian startups. 

Between June and July this year, the tech hub also launched a second programme called Go Global Webinar Series to help tech startups from India navigate through the COVID-19 crisis. About 19 tech startups from India participated in the programme.

The UK-India Tech Hub programmes witness startups predominantly from the logistics, medtech, cleantech, edtech, and security sectors. 

The Tech Hub Network has four other programmes in its pipeline to help entrepreneurs connect globally and perhaps raise capital. These programmes include Covista — where it will invite participants solving health and safety measure issues. In fact, tech companies who are into geotagging, geofencing, contactless entry, monitoring vitals, and others can also participate in the programme. 

Another programme — Women Go Digital — will focus on women entrepreneurs, who are aspiring to create digital solutions or planning to reach international markets. Its Disability programme is meant for tech entrepreneurs providing solutions to the disabled population. And finally, the Go Global Pitch India programme is for new entrepreneurs, who have the product ready and wish to introduce to international markets. 

The Tech Hub network

The International Tech Hub Network (ITHN) spreads across the globe with hotspots in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Israel, Brazil, Indonesia, and India. These hubs are set up with an equal ecosystem, and ITHN encourages entrepreneurs to utilise the network and scale to the hotspots, growing internationally. 

To enrol in the programme, entrepreneurs can reach out to the India-UK Tech Hub here. 

 TechSparks - YourStory Mediaannual flagship event - has been India's largest and most important technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship summit for over a decade, bringing together entrepreneurs, policymakers, technologists, investors, mentors, and business leaders for stories, conversations, collaborations, and connections that matter. As TechSparks 2020 goes all virtual and global in its 11th edition, we want to thank you for the tremendous support we've received from all of you throughout our journey and give a huge shoutout to our sponsors of TechSparks 2020.