The story
Bengaluru's software story began with public-sector research and engineering bodies such as ISRO, HAL and the Indian Institute of Science, which gave the city a large pool of engineers. In the 1980s and 1990s, global firms and Indian companies such as Infosys and Wipro set up here, helped by the Software Technology Parks scheme and Electronics City. The city then became India's largest start-up and global capability centre base. Today Karnataka leads the country in services exports.
In numbers
About 3,500 IT companies in Karnataka contributed over 38% of India's IT exports, and IT exports were US$ 33 billion in 2014-15.
Karnataka State Industrial Profile 2015-16 (MSME-DI Bengaluru, DC-MSME) · 2016Karnataka's services exports were Rs 14,03,811 crore (US$ 159 billion) in FY25, a 13.7% rise over the previous year; the state led the country in total services exports.
Karnataka: state profile (IBEF) · 2026
Ways in for a newcomer
- Offer IT support, cloud or cyber-security services to small firms
- Build apps or SaaS tools for Indian MSMEs
- Supply facility services, transport and food to tech parks
- Run skill-training for freshers entering IT jobs
Problems the cluster faces
- Traffic and high office rents
- High salaries and staff attrition
- Global demand slowdowns hit IT services
- Competition from Hyderabad, Pune and Chennai
Businesses to start here
Mobile App / Software Development Studio →Web Designing Studio →IT Support and Managed Services →Digital Marketing Agency →