Bengaluru to host India’s first startup and tech museum by 2027

Bengaluru will open India’s first startup and tech museum by 2027, showcasing decades of innovation with interactive exhibits and a ₹100 crore budget

Bengaluru is set to establish India’s first dedicated startup and technology museum by 2027. The project will be housed within a repurposed Switch Gear factory shed on the NGEF campus in Baiyappanahalli, covering an area of 12,000 square metres. Developed under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between the Department of Electronics, IT&BT and S&T, and UnboxingBLR, the initiative will unfold in phases, with the second stage scheduled a year after the initial launch.

The museum is envisioned as a hub to showcase India’s journey of innovation, science, and technology, with Bengaluru positioned at the heart of this narrative. It will chronicle four to five decades of advancements in digital and tech-driven sectors, highlighting the entrepreneurial contributions that have shaped the nation’s economic trajectory. Beyond documenting the past, the museum will also provide insights into emerging technologies and future possibilities.

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A global Request for Proposal (RFP) for the museum’s design is expected to be issued shortly. The project has been allocated a budget of approximately ₹100 crore and has been in planning for nearly three years. Designed to be highly interactive, the museum will integrate cutting-edge technologies, offering startups and companies across India opportunities to participate and experiment within the space.

To guide its development, a board of industry leaders has been formed. Chaired by Prakash, the board includes prominent figures such as Biocon’s Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Infosys cofounder Kris Gopalakrishnan, Bangalore International Airport Limited’s Hari Marar, Quess Corp’s Ajit Abraham Isaac, Mercedes-Benz R&D’s Manu Ramchandra Saale, Strand Life Sciences’ Vijay Chandru, and Mindtree’s Krishnakumar Natarajan. Senior government officials, including IT&BT secretary Manjula N and IAS officer Rahul Sharanappa Sankaur, will also play key roles.

The museum will be located adjacent to Innoverse, a state-backed deep-tech incubator initiative, which itself spans 11,000 square metres. Together, these projects aim to reinforce Bengaluru’s reputation as India’s innovation capital.

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