Karnataka announces Deep-Tech Elevate Programme to begin in 2026

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On the sidelines of the Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS) 2025, Priyank Kharge, Minister for IT/BT, Government of Karnataka announced a major boost to Karnataka’s innovation ecosystem with the launch of Deep-Tech Elevate, a dedicated programme under the State’s flagship Local Economy Accelerator Programme (LEAP).

Designed to accelerate next-generation technologies, Deeptech Elevate will officially commence on January 1, 2026, providing targeted grant-in-aid support to cutting-edge deep-tech startups across the state.

As part of the announcement, the Minister emphasised Karnataka’s focus on building a resilient and future-ready deep-tech ecosystem. Under the 2026 rollout, 40 deep-tech startups will be selected to receive grants ranging from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore, enabling them to advance breakthrough innovation in areas such as AI, semiconductors, quantum technologies, robotics, and advanced materials.

Complementing this, the Government will introduce Elevate Beyond Bengaluru starting February 1, 2026, aimed at nurturing entrepreneurship in tier-2 and tier-3 regions and expanding deeptech innovation clusters outside the capital.

To strengthen the funding pipeline, the Government has earmarked Rs 300 crore for a Fund-of-Funds and an additional Rs 100 crore exclusively to support deeptech innovation under LEAP, demonstrating a strong commitment to fostering high-impact, globally competitive technologies.

Since its inception, the Elevate platform has supported 1,227 start-ups, including women-led and Beyond Bengaluru ventures, while Karnataka’s 16 Centres of Excellence have collectively powered hundreds of deeptech and life sciences start-ups—making the State the country’s most dynamic hub for disruptive technologies.

With Deep-tech Elevate 2026, Karnataka aims to scale frontier innovation, support commercialisation, and accelerate the emergence of globally relevant technology enterprises.