I met Gajendra Tripathi at the GIT campus. He arrived- flask in hand, backpack slung over his shoulder and guided me to the third floor, where GIT has established KLS GRID (GIT’s Research, Innovation, and Development Centre).
A few minutes into our conversation, he tells me he trains boxing aspirants at his academy as well. I start connecting some dots, well, training any youngster in business and sport has parallels. Gajendra heads this KLS GRID centre, where startups in the tech and robotics sphere are incubated. As we spoke, a few students were working on their computers, and more started arriving after a while, anxiously asking when he would be free. Currently, 8 companies operate here physically and 4 virtually (using KLS’ NVIDIA GPUs).
Originally from Prayagraj Uttar Pradesh, Gajendra comes from a family where many relatives serve in the armed forces and civil services, which brought him to Belagavi. After pursuing a mechanical engineering degree, like many from his home state, his initial goal was to crack the UPSC examination, but he narrowly missed it.
He actually got a PDO job, in Bidar, but around that time, the Government of India launched the Startup India policy, which changed his life entirely. He applied for a role and was shortlisted for a project under the Government of Karnataka’s K-TECH Innovation Hub at Hanuman Nagar. Initially, the centre saw limited traction, but by 2019, things took off. Many startups sought incubation at K-TECH, and during his tenure, Gajendra supported around 70 startups and organized 120 events. He also played a key role in helping startups secure grants up to ₹50 lakhs from the Government of India and the Government of Karnataka. Several renowned startups from Belagavi have benefited from such grants
He then moved to Hyderabad to work in T-HUB for the Telangana Govt in Startup Innovation and Community Building,( World’s Largest Innovation Campus), an area close to his heart even now. Gajendra speaks highly of his Hyderabad stint, calling the ecosystem there “truly conducive for startups.” He had an opportunity to work with Indian School of Business, IIIT Hyderabad, BITS Hyderabad, IIT Patna, MIT Pune, and other corporates that are keen to work with startups, starting with a problem statement and go on to nurture those that can provide solutions. He believes that instead of investing heavily in traditional R&D, corporates or industries can gain more agility and innovation by partnering with startups offering rapid, solution-driven approaches.
At T-HUB, he worked with over 2,000 startups. The difference, he explains, lies in the massive push that the Telangana Government provides through its various initiatives, establishing multiple startup centres across the state. Gajendra mentored startups across all stages, from ideation to growth, from go -to- market to investment readiness.
As part of community-building initiatives, he had the opportunity to host and engage with several global and national leaders including Paul Brown (Founder, Inspire Foods), Robert Metcalfe (Inventor of Ethernet & Co-founder, 3Com), Ajay Chowdhry (Co-founder, HCL), Ivan Zhao (Founder, Notion), Nandan Reddy (Co-founder, Swiggy), among many others.
KLS GRID-a shot in the arm for Belagavi’s Startups
At KLS GRID, Gajendra has introduced a unique initiative called Idea Openhouse, currently open to students from all the colleges. Participants receive a questionnaire designed to help validate their ideas through expert feedback. The GRID supports startups at every stage from idea validation, product development, and prototyping to market strategy, commercialization, and investment readiness.
The GRID also runs a Student Startup Program, where students from 1st, 3rd, and 5th semesters are interviewed and selected into a structured learning program. The goal is to incubate at least 10 student-led startups on campus. Gajendra’s vision is to build a strong, collaborative, and self-sustaining startup ecosystem, one where young innovators can grow, collaborate, and inspire one another while solving real-world challenges faced by industries today
The Fight Club Coach
Now his other passion- boxing. Gajendra is the first in Belgaum to start a dedicated boxing club, Tripathi’s Fight Club (TFC) located near the Hindalga Ganapati Temple. His younger brother Satyendra, a civil engineer, runs the club full-time. Over the past 8 years, around 25 athletes from TFC have joined the armed forces, thanks to the discipline and training they received there. The club now trains over 130 athletes, ranging in age from 5 to 60 years. For those above 30, the club offers BoxFit, a high-intensity fitness program inspired by boxing which is now a global trend.
Gajendra is also a National-Level Boxing Coach certified by NIS Patiala. Now the dots connect well looking backwards. He loves to nourish those who dream big, whether in business or sports. And feels happy when his mentees succeed.
You think our city needs more Gajendra Tripathis? You’re not alone. I do too.
