Mangaluru

In their efforts to boost the Information Technology ecosystem in coastal Karnataka region, a group of like-minded individuals from diverse fields have come together to launch an initiative, ‘Silicon Beach Program’ (SBP), and secured a wordmark, ‘Silicon Beach’ from the Intellectual Property India.

‘Silicon Beach’ has been formally published in the Trade Marks Journal of the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks.

Rohith Bhat, SBP Founding Member and Founder of wrkwrk, 99Games and Robosoft, told businessline that having a trademark ensures that the region’s ecosystem can build the brand equity for the region and thereby the brand recall.

“We have obtained wordmark for the name ‘’ as well as the logo mark that you see in the video, website and move-in guides,” he said.

Anand Pai, Executive Director of Bharat Group of Companies; Ivan Fernandes, Promoter and Managing Director of the Dubai-based Regent Technologies Ltd; RS Shanbhag, Founder and CEO of Valuepoint, a NOVENTIQ company; and Vishal Hegde, Director of Lamina Group of Companies, are the other founding members of SBP.

The founding members are pooling in their resources to promote economic growth of coastal Karnataka using technology industry as a growth catalyst.

Developing tech hub

SBP aims to develop 300-km stretch of Karnataka’s coastline, starting from Mangaluru, into a world-class technology corridor. Bhat said this transformation will leverage local talent, enhance infrastructure and provide significant cost benefits for global companies while maintaining the region’s rich cultural heritage.

Stating that Mangaluru’s technology ecosystem is experiencing impressive growth, he said over 225 companies and start-ups are employing more than 20,000 IT professionals in the region. Two to three new firms are setting up operations locally each month and over 4,000 IT professionals have found employment here in the last one year.

Bhat said the momentum is further fuelled by strategic acquisitions of local companies such as Robosoft by the Japanese tech firm TechnoPro, and Niveus Solutions by another Japanese company NTT Data. These high-profile investments underscore the region’s emerging potential as a technology hub, attracting global attention and validating the local talent pool.

With 10,000 engineers graduating from more than 25 engineering colleges, 40,000 graduating from 150-plus degree colleges, 15-plus medical colleges, some of the renowned healthcare and education institutes coupled with one of the highest human development index, the region promises high happiness index to people who work here, he said.

Anand Pai said SBP aims to create a platform for like-minded individuals to unite, share resources, and promote sustainable economic growth while preserving local culture and protecting the environment. “Together, we will elevate the entire region as a centre of technological excellence, positioning it as India’s Silicon Beach,” he said.

Bhat added,“SBP will work on creating a framework on building our future, while preserving our culture without destroying our nature. It seeks to transform the region from an education hub to a technology hub by enhancing local IT resources, talent, and infrastructure to provide world-class services and products with superior technology and talent. This will result in significant cost benefits for companies worldwide there by kickstarting a new age of growth for the region.”

The official launch of the SPB and the unveiling of digital web platform, print and video materials were conducted on Saturday.