The SJCE-STEP (Science and Technology Entrepreneurs Park) in Mysuru established to support the startup eco-system is on an expansion mode and 80 seats were added to the existing infrastructure to lend a supporting hand to up-and-coming entrepreneurs and students.
The new facility spread over 5,000 sq. ft was inaugurated by Shivaratri Deshikendra Swami of Suttur Mutt on Tuesday and has been partially funded by the Union Department of Science and Technology (DST).
B. Shivashankar, CEO of SJCE-STEP, said the expansion was part of the long-term plans which would see creation of another 150 seats in addition to the 80 seats inaugurated on Tuesday. With this, the SJCE-STEP has 27,000 sq. ft of office space complete with state-of-the-art infrastructure required for a startup. He said common spaces like conference halls and board rooms are also available apart from the seating spaces.
The facilities include customised plug-n-play incubation space with high-speed Internet that will be available to the entrepreneurs for use 24X7, CCTV security, air-conditioned ambience with 100 per cent power backup, dedicated cabins and training halls. Seed money for potential start-ups would be released during April, and last year ₹50 lakh was released to potential startups based on an analysis of their potential and long-term plans, said Mr. Shivashankar.
The facility is aimed to create a conducive atmosphere for innovation and networking and provides avenues for students, researchers and industry professionals for launching economic ventures.
Established in the mid-1990s, SJCE-STEP has helped successfully incubate nearly 60 companies in the field of IT and electronics some of which are big names today, he added. The impact in terms of job creation and contribution to the economy is tremendous and entrepreneurship development and training programmes have led to the launch of nearly 150 companies over the last 15 to 20 years.