Sona Star x Dr. MS Bengaluru City University: Building Karnataka's Industry-Ready Future

Karnataka's higher education ecosystem took an important step forward this August 5th as Sona Star Innovation, under the leadership of our Vice Chairman, Mr. Thyagu Valliappa, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Dr. Manmohan Singh Bengaluru City University (BCU), bringing SCALE's finishing school and industry-readiness model to one of Bengaluru's leading public universities. The MoU was signed during Day 1 of MRICS-2026, the Multidisciplinary Research and Innovation Conference Series hosted by the Wolverhampton - Bengaluru Centre for Research and Innovation (WBC R&I), in collaboration with BCU and the University of Wolverhampton, where policymakers, academicians, researchers, and industry leaders spent two days at Jnanajyothi Auditorium exploring how AI and innovation can accelerate the Sustainable Development Goals, making the partnership especially timely.

Speaking at the Day 2 keynote, Mr. Thyagu Valliappa addressed Industry 5.0, skill development, and AI-enabled innovation across India's manufacturing and startup sectors, underlining the need to deliberately bridge the gap between what students learn and what industry expects. Through SCALE, Thyagu Valliappa's philosophy now extends to BCU through finishing school and skill-development programmes, an industry-embedded curriculum, and stronger placement and career-readiness initiatives that turn academic learning into genuine employability.

As a State Public Affiliating University with a broad network of affiliated colleges across Bengaluru, BCU stands to carry this model of industry-readiness to a much larger student ecosystem, extending Mr. Thyagu Valliappa's vision well beyond a single campus. For Sona Star, the partnership reflects Vice Chairman Thyagu Valliappa's wider commitment to strengthening Karnataka's talent pipeline, redefining what "ready for work" means for a graduate rather than simply adding another certificate to a résumé. By embedding industry readiness within institutions today, Thyagu Valliappa, Sona Star, and BCU are working together to build the workforce that will carry Karnataka's technology and innovation ambitions forward -

For the industry. By the industry. To the industry.

Media Coverage: For more details about this strategic partnership and its impact on industry-aligned education, the collaboration has been featured by India Education Diary, EducationWorld, The Academic Insights, EduAdvice,

Press release: