Mysuru Has Tech Talent and Temper. So What’s Stopping It?

For years, the Karnataka government has been looking to position its cultural capital, Mysuru, as its next technology destination. That ambition now appears to have momentum. 

At the sixth edition of Mysuru Big Tech Show 2026, government officials spoke of new infrastructure, incentives, and skilling programmes. Industry leaders also discussed AI, global capability centres (GCCs) and startups. Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM) expects at least five GCCs to begin operations in Mysuru this financial year, while the state’s new global technology centre (GTC) is set to go live next month.

Yet, beneath the optimism, a different conversation emerged.

While Mysuru already has the ingredients to become Karnataka’s second technology hub, what it lacks are a few critical pieces that could determine whether that ambition translates into sustained investment.

Need for Better Connectivity

Almost nobody questioned Mysuru’s talent pool.

IBM Consulting, which made Mysuru its first emerging technology centre in India, believes the city continues to deliver. The company recruits heavily from local engineering colleges, works with universities and ecosystem partners, and has expanded AI-first work from the city.

“Mysore was the first for us and continues to set the trend,” said Nisar Ahmed Rayadurg, who leads IBM Consulting’s expansion into emerging technology centres. He told AIM that the company’s attrition in Mysuru is lower than in its tier-1 locations.

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Mohandas Pai, Chairman at Aarin Capital and Former Chief Financial Officer and Board Member of Infosys, believes talent has never been the issue either. “They want people, very good high-quality talent who will stay, and they should be connected to the metros for transportation,” he explained, referring to why companies choose a city. 

For Pai, connectivity remains the biggest missing piece. His proposal is ambitious: a high-speed rail link between Bengaluru and Mysuru that cuts travel time between the cities to around 30 minutes.

He also proposed better public transport connectivity within Mysuru and faster modes of travel between Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport and other tier-2 clusters like Mysuru, Mangaluru, Dharwad-Hubballi, etc. He believes that building faster expressways would ultimately attract more international participation. 

He argues that Mysuru should not try to replace Bengaluru. Instead, it should become an extension of the city’s technology ecosystem, allowing professionals to live in Mysuru while remaining closely connected to Bengaluru.

Rayadurg, on the other hand, said, “I think what a handicap for Mysore is that it doesn’t have an international airport,” suggesting direct international check-in from the city could reduce dependence on Bengaluru.

Infrastructure Over Office Space

While the need to upgrade physical infrastructure surfaced repeatedly during the discussions, for the Karnataka government, the immediate focus is Grade A commercial space.

IT Secretary Manjula N said in an interview that the state is promoting the new GTC in Mysuru while expanding programmes such as the decentralised innovation initiative LEAP and skill-building programme Nipuna. The latter funds up to 40% of skilling costs to help companies hire and train local talent before absorbing them into permanent roles. The government is also working to connect industry with local research institutions.

For established businesses, however, office buildings are only part of the equation. Sudhanva Dhananjaya, Lead Industry Anchor for Mysuru Cluster and the Chairman and Managing Director of Excelsoft Technologies, pointed to delays in land allocation as a practical hurdle.

“When I wanted to grow, it was not easy to get KIADB (Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board) land in Mysore,” he told AIM, adding that his company secured land much faster in Hyderabad and Noida. “Business won’t wait. Our customers won’t wait.”

Pai believes infrastructure should also include better public transport, international schools and stronger research institutions. “You must promote more research centres,” he said. “We can’t be a race to the bottom. We’ve got to be a race to the top.”

What is Mysuru’s Identity?

While everyone agreed Mysuru needs stronger connectivity, there was less consensus on what the city’s identity should ultimately become. Pai sees Mysuru’s future as deeply intertwined with Bengaluru. Rather than trying to rival India’s technology capital, he believes the city should embrace a hub-and-spoke model similar to Silicon Valley, where innovation spreads across multiple neighbouring cities.

“The models are there in the US. Palo Alto, Cupertino to San Francisco,” Pai said. “Silicon Valley is spread out. So why don’t you spread out?” He argued that Mysuru should become “a suburb of Bengaluru”, connected by the high-speed rail corridor. 

With cheaper land, better quality of life, and established educational institutions, he believes that connectivity would encourage more GCCs and technology professionals to base themselves in Mysuru while remaining linked to Bengaluru’s larger ecosystem.

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Rayadurg, however, offered a different perspective. While he acknowledged Bengaluru’s importance, he rejected the idea that Mysuru should define itself in relation to the capital. “Instead of saying that we are a suburb of Bengaluru, go say ‘this is the value we are adding to business’.” 

Rayadurg expressed that the city should market its own strengths, from AI-led engineering and manufacturing to globally significant work already being delivered from the city. For him, the goal is not to borrow Bengaluru’s identity, but to build one that companies recognise on its own merits.

The Biggest Challenge

Several stakeholders suggested Mysuru’s biggest obstacle is not infrastructure but perception. Pai believes the city’s leadership must become more aggressive in promoting Mysuru’s strengths. “The issue is the leadership in Mysore has to wake up and push this,” he said. 

Rayadurg echoed that sentiment, arguing that cities competing for technology investment succeed because of visionary leadership and consistent storytelling.

“Mysore generally has been a city that overachieves, but undercommunicates,” he said. Instead of branding itself as merely ‘Beyond Bengaluru’, he believes the city should showcase the value already being created across industries, from healthcare and manufacturing to engineering and assessments.

Dhananjaya agreed that storytelling matters. He believes Mysuru’s greatest selling point is the success of companies already operating there. Those stories, he said, should be promoted far more aggressively at conferences and international events to attract the next generation of investors and entrepreneurs.

Meanwhile, KDEM CEO Sanjeev Kumar Gupta argued that the policy framework is already in place. Mysuru has dedicated GCC incentives, semiconductor benefits, startup programmes, and the upcoming GTC. The next phase is execution. He noted Karnataka is actively courting investors from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Europe, and the United States.

Only a few years ago, discussions centred on convincing companies that the city had enough talent. That argument appears largely settled. Now, stakeholders are trying to regulate faster transport, quicker land approvals, better branding, stronger leadership, and international connectivity.