The main challenge for any entrepreneur is translating an idea into reality. While for most technology startups just laptops and the internet, what about entrepreneurs who have to manufacture hardware?
To address this gap in the startup ecosystem, and following the successful launch of its first incubator T-Hub, the Telangana government is set to launch its second incubator - T-Works, focused only on hardware startups.
The IT Secretary of Telangana, Jayesh Ranjan, says that T-works will provide entrepreneurs with sophisticated equipment. “T-Hub is an incubator for technology in general, and is mostly software focused. But if you have an idea to build something that involves expensive hardware and testing, you cannot afford to buy the equipment. T-Works will provide equipment as a common facility. A startup can book the equipment and use it for a while. A user fee will be charged for this,” he adds.
T-Works will have machinery and equipment that can cater to different types of hardware requirements, especially electronic hardware and IoT hardware. It will house testing labs that can be used by startups.
The idea for T-Works came to Ranjan and his team when they visited iHub, which is the innovation hub of the state of California in the United States. T-Works has adopted a similar model here in Hyderabad.
The functioning will be similar to that of T-Hub. There will be a professional CEO and COO, and a board will be constituted. “The board will oversee the working of T-Works and will have both industry representatives and government representatives,” says Ranjan.
Telangana will be investing Rs. 35-40 crores for all the equipment that will be brought into T-Works. This 100,000-square-feet incubation and innovation centre will be located at the Osmania University in Hyderabad. It will be launched during the university’s centenary celebrations that slated to take place next month.
“Installing all the required machinery is an on-going process. But a physical launch with workstations and cubicles will happen next month. Since it is located in Osmania University, we decided to launch it along with its centenary celebrations,” adds Ranjan.
This article has been produced with inputs from T Hub as a part of a partner program.