Beyond the Buzz of Bangalore — Here’s Where I Found India’s Next Big Playground

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When people talk about Indian startups, Bangalore almost always dominates the conversation. And rightly so—it’s earned its stripes. But if you’ve been in the trenches of entrepreneurship as long as I have, you learn to listen beyond the noise.

I started my journey in Delhi NCR, my hometown. Back then, there weren’t accelerators or pitch days. Just ideas, ambition, and the challenge of convincing people that innovation didn’t need a postal code beginning with 560. I built my early BPO ventures there—including Sparsh, India’s first-ever onshore BPO—long before the startup scene had a name. That experience taught me something that’s stayed with me: greatness doesn’t need a spotlight, just the right soil and the need to solve a problem.

After expanding my ventures to the Middle East, I began to notice a pattern: more and more outsourcing, especially in tech and support operations, was being routed to cities like Jaipur, and Coimbatore. These weren’t just convenient cost-saving hubs—they were turning into true centers of capability. With affordable talent, lower operational costs, and digital fluency rising at an astonishing pace, these cities became the unsung backbone of global operations.

Fast forward to today, and I see cities like Jaipur, Indore, Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, and even Mohali—quietly pulsing with startup energy. These are not just support acts in India’s innovation story. They are building their own stages. In fact, I now have one of my offices in Mohali—proof that what was once overlooked is now impossible to ignore.

India is now the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world, with over 100 unicorns and thousands of early-stage ventures transforming industries from education to agriculture. But the real magic is happening in the Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities—and I didn’t just read that in a report. I lived it.

Over the last many years, I’ve had the chance to work with some of these trailblazing startups in what used to be overlooked zip codes. What’s fascinating is that the founders aren’t chasing Silicon Valley shadows. They’re actually solving real problems—local, rooted, and scalable—and they’re doing it on the daily. From health-tech platforms in Chandigarh to agri-fintech ideas in Coimbatore, I’ve seen sharper hustle and deeper purpose than some of the most hyped pitches I’ve come across.

And let’s not forget the ecosystem that’s evolving with them—mentors, micro-VCs, co-working spaces, even governments that are finally beginning to see the power of distributed innovation. India’s digital public infrastructure—like UPI, Aadhaar, and ONDC—is further leveling the playing field, making it possible for founders in small towns to build global-scale solutions with limited resources but limitless ambition.

Of course, Bangalore will always be special. It’s been the beating heart of Indian tech. But India’s startup story isn’t running on a single heart anymore—it’s more like an earthworm, with multiple centers keeping the momentum alive across the nation. There’s a rhythm picking up in smaller cities—and if we’re truly listening, we’ll realise that the future of India’s startup story is going to be written in many dialects.

Startups Aren’t Just a Bangalore Thing Anymore — And I’m Glad I Noticed