Bengaluru, Dec 1 (PTI) The Bengaluru-focused city platform UnboxingBLR on Monday announced three major initiatives spanning the city’s cultural, civic and innovation sectors.
These include the launch of the third edition of the BLR Hubba 2026 cultural festival, a scaled-up Namma Bengaluru Challenge (NBC) startup accelerator, and the formal unveiling of "India’s first startup and tech museum."
In a statement, UnboxingBLR said the third edition of BLR Hubba—scheduled for January 16-25, 2026—aims to position Bengaluru on the global cultural map and evolve into one of India’s largest city festivals by 2030.
The 2026 edition will feature more than 250 performances across over 12 genres, including international acts from Japan and Malaysia and guitarist Marty Friedman.
Events will be held at more than 20 venues, with 80 per cent of the programming being new.
The city-led startup accelerator, NBC, returns with a sharpened focus on climate action under the tagline 'Hot Problems, Cool Solutions'.
In partnership with WTFund and Social Alpha, and supported by the Government of Karnataka and the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), the challenge has increased its grant pool. Five winners will now receive grants of Rs 25 lakh each, up from the previous Rs 10 lakh.
Following over 600 registrations, 10 shortlisted startups will pitch to a jury on January 24, 2026, addressing air pollution, construction waste, water and sanitation issues, UBLR said.
As its third initiative, UnboxingBLR announced a public-private partnership with the Karnataka government’s Department of Electronics, IT/BT to develop the Startup and Tech Museum—touted as India’s first museum dedicated to innovation and technology.
It will be housed in a repurposed factory shed on the NGEF campus, alongside 'Innoverse', a government-led deep-tech incubator.
Described as a landmark project, the museum aims to showcase India’s and Bengaluru’s evolution as a global tech hub, offering an immersive and educational experience for visitors of all ages, the statement added.