A wintry January morning in Bengaluru saw the coming together of two very unlikely sets of people. Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and Bharat Earth Movers Ltd, all suppliers of various defence equipment to the armed forces, were hosting an event at the BEL Officers Club. It was a mission to woo startups—an officious sounding seminar called ‘Role of startups in defence’ where about 50 startups showed up.

AUTHOR

Arundhati Ramanathan

Arundhati is Bengaluru-based. She is interested in how people use money in the digital age and how new economies will take shape based on that interaction. She has spent over 10 years reporting and writing on various subjects. Previous stints were at Mint, Outlook Business and Reuters.

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