Tech Founder's Bengaluru Land Post Gets Swift Pitch From ‘Investor-Friendly’ Andhra

Published 18 June 2026 · local

Tech Founder's Bengaluru Land Post Gets Swift Pitch From ‘Investor-Friendly’ Andhra Published By, Last Updated: June 18, 2026, 12:42 IST Andhra Pradesh IT and Industries

Tech Founder's Bengaluru Land Post Gets Swift Pitch From ‘Investor-Friendly’ Andhra Published By, Last Updated: June 18, 2026, 12:42 IST Andhra Pradesh IT and Industries Minister Nara Lokesh, meanwhile, used the opportunity to promote Anantapur as an investor-friendly destination. Rapid Read Pixxel founder Kshitij Khandelwal. (Image/Pixxel.space) What began as a startup founder’s frustration over finding land on Bengaluru’s outskirts soon sparked a new battle between Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to woo investors. Pixxel founder Kshitij Khandelwal’s complaint about the difficulties in acquiring land for a satellite factory on the outskirts of Bengaluru sparked responses from ministers in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, with the latter pitching Anantapur as an alternative destination for expansion. “Trying to get land for making a satellite factory in the outskirts of BLR has been way more difficult than actually making said satellites," Khandelwal posted on X.

Within an hour, Karnataka Minister for Large and Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development, MB Patil, responded to the post and assured that his office would get in touch with the startup founder. Andhra Pradesh IT and Industries Minister Nara Lokesh, meanwhile, used the opportunity to promote Anantapur as an investor-friendly destination. “Kshitij, there’s a new investor-friendly destination on the outskirts of Bengaluru. It’s called Anantapur," Lokesh wrote, inviting Pixxel to consider Andhra Pradesh for future expansion. He added a wink emoticon at the end. “We’re building Space Cities, aerospace parks and ready-to-go industrial ecosystems so founders can spend their time building satellites instead of hunting for land," he added, asking Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board to connect with the startup founder.

Highlighting the state’s fast-paced industrial push, Lokesh also used the hashtag #ChooseSpeedChooseAP. Responding to the invitation, Khandelwal welcomed the outreach from Andhra Pradesh and praised the pace of the state’s initiatives. “Thank you for taking notice, sir! Have to respect the speed with which the AP govt is doing things. AP EDB has also just reached out, and we’re excited to explore Anantapur Space City! Khandelwal acknowledged the invitation and expressed respect for the “speed at which the Andhra Pradesh government is doing things" and excitement to explore the Anantapur Space City. In recent years, Andhra Pradesh has aggressively pursued investments, attracting several high-tech ventures in aerospace, electronics and space technology while competing with neighbouring states, including Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.