Prasad asks Indian IT entrepreneurs in US to mentor start-ups from India

New Delhi: IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday asked Indian-origin IT entrepreneurs based in Silicon Valley, US, to mentor start-ups from India and sought their collaboration in new-age areas like artificial intelligence and data analytics.

During his visit to Silicon Valley in San Francisco (US), Prasad interacted with prominent achievers and entrepreneurs including Vinod Dham of (Pentium chip fame) and Professor Thomas Kailath of (Stanford University), an official release said.

At his interaction with entrepreneurs, Prasad "urged them to provide mentorship to the growing Indian start-ups of India from their vast experiences", the statement said.

"He also sought their active cooperation in the field of growing technologies such as artificial intelligence, data analytics and cyber security, and urged them to take India to a new level of growth by leveraging these technologies," it added.

India is among the fastest-growing electronics and digital markets in the world and a preferred destination for tech investment, given the large pool of skilled IT professionals.

In the last few years, India has also emerged as the third largest start-up ecosystem in the world after the US and the UK.

"Due to initiatives like Digital India and Make In India, the production of electronics goods in India in last four years has witnessed tremendous growth," the statement noted.