Karnataka Government Launches ₹25-Crore 'Government First' Initiative to Pilot Startup Solutions

The Karnataka government has launched a new flagship initiative titled 'Government First' under the ELEVATE program of the Karnataka Startup Policy 2025–30, committing ₹25 crore over three years to position state departments as the primary adopters of innovative technologies. Under this policy, around 100 eligible startups will receive work orders of up to ₹25 lakh each to pilot and validate deployment-ready technological solutions directly within public administration. Minister for Electronics, IT and Biotechnology Priyank Kharge stated that the initiative aims to bridge the gap between startup innovation and public sector procurement. Instead of waiting for private sector validation, state departments will serve as live testing environments for solutions addressing public challenges in digital governance, healthcare, agriculture, mobility, and artificial intelligence. The framework features two participation tracks: department-issued challenges and a 'startup-initiated' route where companies can directly propose solutions. To lower barriers for early-stage companies, prior public-sector experience is not mandatory, and participating founders retain full ownership of their intellectual property. Successful pilots evaluated against predefined benchmarks can subsequently be recommended for wider state procurement.