The Karnataka capital has further cemented its status as the country’s technology powerhouse, with the Bengaluru Innovation Report 2025 revealing that the city received 58 per cent of India’s total AI startup funding over the last five years. The funding amounts to a substantial USD 872 million, underscoring Bengaluru’s dominance in the deep-tech and artificial intelligence landscape. The report was released on Wednesday during the Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS).

The study positions Bengaluru at No. 5 among the world’s Top-50 AI cities — behind only Silicon Valley, New York, Beijing, and London — reflecting the city’s remarkable global ascent. It also highlights that 48 per cent of Bengaluru’s Global Capability Centres (GCCs) workforce is engaged in high-end roles across engineering and R&D.

Global AI giants deepen their presence

According to the report, leading international AI companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Graphcore have established key centres in the city. With over 2.5 million software engineers, Bengaluru hosts one of the world’s largest technical workforces.

An estimated 1.5 lakh to 2 lakh new tech employees arrive in the city over time, accounting for 40–45 per cent of India’s total technology hiring. Karnataka also holds nearly half of India’s AI/ML talent pool and is home to 16 centres of excellence across AI, fintech, and quantum domains.

Women-led startups drive Bengaluru’s growth

The report revealed that Bengaluru leads the country in women-led entrepreneurial ventures, with 1,600 active women-founded startups established since 2010. These companies have collectively raised USD 13.4 billion — ahead of Delhi-NCR, which has raised USD 10 billion.

A global startup and unicorn hub

Bengaluru continues to stand tall on the global startup map, ranking as the fifth-largest unicorn hub after Silicon Valley, New York, Beijing, and London. The city is home to 53 unicorns valued at USD 192 billion, contributing 42 per cent of India’s total unicorn valuation.

It also leads in fostering “soonicorns”, with 39 startups poised to join the unicorn club in the coming years. Karnataka’s IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge said the state accounts for nearly 40 per cent of all GCCs in India, and the target is to double this presence by 2029.

Patents surge across deep-tech and engineering

Between 2020 and 2023, Bengaluru recorded the highest number of patents in key tech categories — 503 in Computer Science, 473 in Electronics, and 441 in Communication — the most by any Indian city. The findings reaffirm Bengaluru’s position as India’s innovation engine in cutting-edge technologies.

50 new startup products launched at BTS

On Day 2 of the summit, the Department of Electronics, IT, BT and S&T unveiled 50 new products and solutions built by startups. These spanned IT/ITeS, AgriTech, MedTech, CleanTech, AI, DeepTech, cybersecurity, SaaS, IoT, AVGC, and ESDM.

The innovations included AI- and IoT-driven electronic devices, avionics and defence technologies, clean-air treatment systems, fraud-prevention apps, digital performance platforms, and smart warehousing tools. Officials said the launches reflect the increasingly multidisciplinary nature of Bengaluru’s startup ecosystem.