Ratan Tata Hub launches ‘SPARK’ to nurture early-stage innovators in A.P.

The Ratan Tata Innovation Hub (RTIH) has launched SPARK, a flagship Idea Exploration Programme designed to help early-stage innovators, students and aspiring founders transform raw concepts into scalable solutions.

The initiative aims to strengthen Andhra Pradesh’s growing innovation ecosystem by providing structured guidance at the formative stages of entrepreneurship.

The programme was inaugurated by Kondapalli Srinivas, Minister for MSME, SERP, and NRI Empowerment & Relations, in Mangalagiri on Thursday. He underscored the government’s commitment to nurturing innovation-led development.

“Our State and country need more young entrepreneurs who will become torchbearers of progress. Initiatives like SPARK offer the right direction and support,” he said, urging participants to make full use of the mentoring and resources provided.

RTIH CEO, Pedditi Dhatri Reddy, highlighted the need for disciplined idea validation. She noted that SPARK has been crafted to offer mentorship, guided exploration and real-time feedback. “Innovation begins with curiosity, but becomes impactful only through structure and continuous learning,” she said.

SPARK is structured as a three-day intensive bootcamp featuring expert masterclasses, hands-on frameworks, personalised mentoring and peer learning. Over 100 participants joined the first cohort, engaging in curated sessions focused on idea validation, market understanding and pathways to prototype development.