Telangana govt launches India’s first social innovation hub to encourage entrepreneurs

In a bid to encourage entrepreneurship at the grassroot level, Telangana government has launched the Kakatiya Hub for Social Innovation in Nizamabad.

The Kakatiya Hub which will be funded by the Telangana government is India’s first social innovation centre that is expected to go live by September. Kakatiya Hub will be run through Kakatiya Sandbox, Deshpande Foundation’s centre that promotes entrepreneurship and innovation.

Telangana IT Secretary Jayesh Ranjan said, “There are a large number of problems to be solved in rural areas, and people who are familiar with them should be in the best position to solve the problems. However, rural entrepreneurs need structuring guidance, and an incubator is the best way of providing a vital ecosystem and support to them.”

“People in impoverished communities see a problem and feel helpless about it. However, those in vibrant communities see opportunities in problems. The objective of the Sandbox is to encourage problem-solvers,” said Serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist and founder of Deshpande Foundation, Gururaj Deshpande.

Ranjan added that the government would make sure that the rural incubator in Telangana runs in a same manner like Hyderabad’s T-Hub.

With the Kakatiya Hub, the goal is to create a model for promoting entrepreneurs in rural and semi-urban areas in the country.