Indian Government’s Digital Drive Helps AR/VR Startups – Here’s How

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India has been taken over by the startup craze in recent years, with multiple unicorns emerging in less than a decade. Their meteoric rise has created massive ripples across the country, tapping into a dormant entrepreneurial spirit. Educational institutions are not untouched by this wave, with top institutes like IIM, IIT and NIFT launching their own incubator and accelerator programs. 

This increased interest in fostering the next generation of tech leaders and disruptors has resonated with the government as well. Recently, the Ministry of Industry formalized its support for NIFT Kangra in setting up an incubator at the institute, complementing the state-of-the-art AR/VR design studio on campus. 

Government schemes for AR VR startups in India | AffinityVRImage Courtesy: s_l from Adobe Stock

Owing to low rates of digital literacy in the country, budding tech like AR/VR has struggled with establishing a strong foothold in Indian markets barring a few urban pockets. Low per capita income and general market volatility have added further drag to the adoption of these technologies, making the space hospitable only to innovators & investors with a large appetite for risk. 

Institutional and organizational support signal the end of this uncertainty. Government bodies are taking note of the ways in which AR/VR technologies are changing everyday life, and responding with their own initiatives to drive the change pan-India.  

Government schemes for AR/VR startups in India

Since the flagship Aadhaar project – creating common database stacks of public information, in order to better dispense services – the Indian government has taken a keen interest in developing the country’s eGovernance infrastructure to improve the reach and efficacy of its programs. The result has been a marked boost in the nation’s digital literacy, from streets vendors adopting eWallets to a whole new cohort of micro investors and speculators. 

To spearhead the nation’s digitization drive, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched ‘Digital India’ – an initiative supporting tech-based SMEs and startups in their ventures. The goal, set by the current Prime Minister, is ambitious – carving out a trillion-dollar share for India from the global digital economy. While MeitY focuses on digital literacy across the country, state-level programs are approaching the flipside of the coin – fostering innovators and investors. 

Government Programs for growing the future of ARVR in India | AffinityVRImage Courtesy: daniilvolkov from Adobe Stock

One such project supporting the growing tech-sphere is the VARCoE initiative by the Odisha government. Aimed at developing IIT Bhubaneshwar as a virtual reality hub, the VARCoE initiative is an important display of confidence by state authorities in the promise of ARVR technologies. Many more government bodies have been quick to follow in Odisha’s footsteps – a trend that has important implications for consumers and creators alike.

Future of VR in India

The number of Internet users in India has risen from 30 million in 2011 to a whopping 700 million in 2021. Along with the growing awareness of AR/VR tech and the improved ease of doing business in the country, state-sponsored digital drives are setting the scene for investors and innovators to take a leap. There are presently 250 AR/VR startups in the country, with many more on the way. Their offerings span a variety of sectors, with proptech, edutech and virtual conferencing being prominent amongst them. 

In the virtual events & conferencing space, especially, offerings like NextMeet are filling the gap created by video conferencing tools. By completing the immersive experience of a VR-compatible 3D platform with spatial audio and avatar-based UI, these mass-market offerings are a great example of how a fertile startup ecosystem will drive user-centric innovation across domains.

Just as competition grows in the market, state governments too are working towards establishing themselves as frontrunners of the AR/VR revolution. These trends are shifting the power back in the hands of the consumer, bringing forth new options and opportunities with every passing day. All said, it is an exciting time to be an ARVR enthusiast in India.

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