Mangaluru: Industry leaders and govt officials at TiECon Mangaluru 2026 called for stronger and faster collaboration between industry stakeholders and the state govt to accelerate job creation, infrastructure development, and global investment in emerging technology hubs beyond Bengaluru.Former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai, recalling Karnataka’s first IT policy in the late 1990s, said early success stemmed from industry engaging the govt “on equal terms,” with a focus on public outcomes rather than special favours. He stressed that govts can move with start-up-like speed when there is committed political and administrative leadership, clear goals, and persistent follow-through from industry. Pai was speaking alongside BV Naidu, chairman of the Karnataka Digital Economy Mission, during a panel discussion titled ‘Can govt think like a startup? speed, scale and accountability in building innovation ecosystem’, moderated by Madan Padaki, founder and CEO of 1Bridge.Pai urged local ecosystem leaders to maintain continuous engagement with ministers, secretaries, MLAs, and MPs, and emphasised the importance of building a strong external brand for Mangaluru. “Perseverance is important,” Pai said, noting that govts juggle multiple priorities daily.He suggested spotlighting local entrepreneurs as role models to attract policymakers and investors. “Put out banners of those local entrepreneurs rather than ours,” he said.He also called for balanced growth across start-ups, mid-sized firms, and large companies, describing large employers as “training engines” that seed talent into the wider ecosystem. Setting an ambitious employment growth target for 2030, Pai highlighted the need for coordinated action on real estate, connectivity, and investment readiness.Naidu highlighted Karnataka’s long-standing industry-govt partnership model, noting that Bengaluru had just 13 companies in 1992.Speakers pointed to the state’s cluster-based approach to spreading growth into smaller towns and concluded that the next phase requires a small, empowered group of local leaders to consolidate demands and drive execution with clear timelines.
