Hyderabad could become next Silicon Valley of India : BBC

Hyderabad: One of the largest and oldest news broadcasters in the world, BBC News, has said that Hyderabad is giving Bengaluru ‘a run for its money’ as a startup destination in India.

In a 2.13-minute video story titled ‘A tale of two Indian tech cities’, produced by Pamela Parker and Medhavi Arora, startups in Hyderabad explain why they like the city and why they chose Hyderabad over Bengaluru, which for years, BBC says, has enjoyed a reputation as the darling of India’s tech industry.

“Growing problems with congestion and infrastructure have pushed startups to look for new alternatives. Hyderabad is increasingly being named as the new city of choice, so how well does it rate against Bengaluru?” (sic), is how the story begins.

The video cites the instance of StanPlus, a startup managing ambulances in Hyderabad. Like many others, StanPlus chose Hyderabad over Bengaluru, challenging the Karnataka city’s status as India’s Silicon Valley.

StanPlus co-founder Antoine Poirson says transportation is a big issue in Bengaluru, which removes some of the ‘agile benefits of being a small competitor’.

Stating that gridlocked traffic and inadequate infrastructure are affecting quality of life, BBC quotes Poirson as saying that the ecosystem in Hyderabad is ‘very vibrant and dynamic’.
“There is lots of government support. Ease of doing business is a fact, and bureaucracy has been reduced. There is a lot of support for startups,” he says.

Pointing out that the government here was going all out by funding tech incubators and academic partnerships, BBC goes on to say that a global study that ranks the world’s most influential cities in the future puts Hyderabad three spots above Bengaluru. Hyderabad has topped the list of best Indian cities three years in a row on the Quality of Living index, while Bengaluru was only third, it adds.

Although Bengaluru may still have more deals and tech entrepreneurs, Hyderabad is narrowing that gap, the British broadcaster winds up.

IT and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao tweeted the story, which was published by BBC on Friday, calling it a story by BBC ‘on Hyderabad was emerging as an innovation hub’ and asking his followers to watch and re-tweet it.