The need for entrepreneurs and innovators is growing every day as the world around us changes rapidly. The ideas of today are the companies of tomorrow, and these companies are being formed by young people who are looking ahead to make their mark on the world. But this is not easy—starting a business from scratch can be daunting, especially when you don’t have access to the right tools or support network.
In order to help entrepreneurs succeed in their endeavours, STPI, MEITY and Govt of Telangana launched Image Center of Entrepreneurship (COE) in 2020. This acceleration program for startups in Gaming, VFX, Animation, AI and Computer Vision companies has successfully completed two cohorts and has accelerated 20 companies.
IMAGE COE plans to provide access to the required infrastructure and labs to start-ups for development and validation of solutions from design to prototyping. It is developing a Motion Capture lab in Hyderabad at an investment of Rs. 4 Crores.
In addition to providing infrastructure and lab space for its cohort startups, Image COE has also been conducting awareness sessions about entrepreneurship since 2020. Since inception, IMAGE COE conducted over 8 outreach programs for various colleges, incubators and startups in Hyderabad and across India.
IMAGE has helped four startups from the cohort raise external funding from investors like SucSEED Indovation and Next Generation Incubation Scheme (NGIS). It also created an empanelled network of mentors for startups from TVAGA, HYSEA, IIIT Hyderabad, Hyderabad Angels, TIE and other partners. These include experts from companies like Qualcomm, OpenText, Dream 11, Zomato, 99 Games, YesGnome and others. IMAGE is now accepting applications for its third cohort till 30th of November, 2022.
In addition to direct support for their startups, IMAGE is also supporting the Government of Telangana in promotion and implementation of its AVGC Policy. The IMAGE Hyderabad program has been a catalyst for the startup ecosystem in Hyderabad. It is looking forward to continuing this partnership with Telangana Government and helping entrepreneurs build great companies in gaming, animation, VFX, AI and computer vision fields that can create job opportunities, grow the economy and make Hyderabad the best startup cities in India.