RTIH Expands Tirupati Innovation Ecosystem With Startups, MSMEs

Tirupati: Within a year of starting operations, Ratan Tata Innovation Hub (RTIH) in Tirupati has worked with 118 startups and connected with entrepreneurs, MSMEs and educational institutions.

RTIH chief executive officer Vijayawanth Mathur and his team met district collector Dr. S. Venkateswar, joint collector R. Govinda Rao and Srikalahasti revenue divisional officer Bhanu Prakash Reddy on Tuesday and briefed them on the hub's activities and progress.

According to RTIH officials, 28 startups have entered formal incubation agreements with the hub. Through its InnoTribe network, RTIH has reached more than 855 entrepreneurs, 264 MSMEs, 728 self-help groups, and 98 educational institutions.

The hub has provided first-phase microgrants to five student innovators to help them develop proof-of-concept projects and prototypes. It has organised ideathons, leadership programmes, intellectual property rights awareness programmes, and other events to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship.

RTIH operates from a 15,000-square-foot facility with incubation spaces, prototyping labs, training classrooms, co-working spaces, and digital infrastructure. It also has a rural outpost centre at Vendugampalle in Kuppam to support innovation and entrepreneurship in rural areas.

The hub plans to support additional high-growth startups, strengthen funding and industry linkages, improve use of its facilities, and establish Centres of Excellence in areas, such as electronics and semiconductors, electric vehicles and energy systems, agri-food commercialisation, and medical technology.

Collector Venkateswar appreciated RTIH for contributing to the growth of innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in the region through startup incubation, MSME engagement, and other development initiatives. "The hub's efforts are creating opportunities for innovators, entrepreneurs, and rural communities," he underlined.