T-Hub, Uber launch T-Bridge startup platform

Indian startup incubator T-Hub has joined hands with ride sharing pioneer Uber and TiE Silicon Valley to launch a program that will connect Indian startups with global market opportunities and help bring global new-age companies to the country.

A press release issued by the startup incubator T-Bridge said that the program will enable startup communities in India and globally to cross-pollinate ideas, innovate and create channels for knowledge transfer. It will also create a network of mentors, VCs, incubators and accelerators that will support the Indian startup ecosystem.

K T Rama Rao, Telangana Minister for IT on Saturday inaugurated T-Bridge at Uber’s headquarters in San Francisco.

T-Bridge will provide a platform for such fast-track tech companies looking to tap into India’s huge consumer market for technology and help startups access UberExchange-Uber’s flagship startup mentorship program and TiE Silicon Valley’s mentor network.

“We have a strong vision to make Hyderabad one of the top 10 startup cities in the world. T-Bridge is one such move towards opening a channel of investment from the world to the state of Telangana. I am proud to open our first outpost in the US in association with Uber and TiE Silicon Valley and believe that this association will forge new partnerships and spur investment and innovation between the two countries,” Rama Rao said at the launch.

Rachel Whetstone, Uber’s senior vice president for policy and communications, said, Telangana is one of the most progressive states in India; and it has set up a culture of ‘regulatory incubation’ – allowing new ideas and business models to thrive.

“Today more and more people around the world want to build something themselves. Through initiatives like UberExchange, our mentorship program for Indian startups, we hope to spur entrepreneurship. Creative partnerships like T-Bridge will continue to strengthen ties between India and the global startup scene,” Whetstone said.