Prism Geo · city intelligence · pilot
Bengaluru · image via Wikimedia Commons
Prism Geo · India · Karnataka · Bengaluru

Bengaluru

Karnataka, India · 12.97°N 77.59°E · updated 2026-08-06

Bengaluru is unmistakably technology-led, but the honest portrait is broader and rougher-edged: deep research, strong manufacturing and relentless company formation sit beside heavy business churn and a sharply worsening crime conversation. Government attention centers on transport and housing, offices are still opening, and most outbreak coverage is easing—except dengue. The opportunity is real; so are the strains of safety, roads and fast urban growth.

Bengaluru · image via Wikimedia Commons
news reported (civic)
96,974
companies + mapped places
37,030 + 50,234
research works (est.)
≈65,051
govt money announcements
600
The city at a glance
economic fabric

What is Bengaluru made of?

💻 Technology
10/10
🛍 Retail
9/10
🏭 Manufacturing
9/10
🏥 Healthcare
9/10
🎓 Education
9/10
🚛 Logistics
8/10
🏟 Sports
8/10
🛕 Religion & tourism
8/10
🌱 Sustainability
8/10
🌾 Agriculture
7/10

news coverage + 3×registered companies + 2×mapped places, log-scaled vs strongest sector

momentum

What the city turned toward · Jan–Apr 2026

Each topic's share of news attention, January–April 2026 against September–December 2025 — news ingestion paused in May, so this is the latest complete window.

Immigration Border

12 → 53 news reports
▲367%

Missing Persons

7 → 26 news reports
▲292%

Disasters Emergencies

18 → 52 news reports
▲205%

Terrorism Conflict

19 → 46 news reports
▲156%

Protest

66 → 112 news reports
▲79%

Infrastructure & housing

300 → 156 news reports
▼45%

Public Safety

156 → 211 news reports
▲43%

Education

26 → 14 news reports
▼43%

Healthcare

128 → 79 news reports
▼35%

Environment

69 → 50 news reports
▼23%

a rising share means the city's attention is turning toward it — not necessarily more incidents

top city themes

What Bengaluru's news is about

Themes across the city's entire news coverage — ≈367.8K located reports — with each theme's momentum, its most specific keywords, and how the coverage feels. A CRITICAL badge means most of that theme's coverage is extremely negative.

Business

▲15.7% growing
Ipo Prospectus · Innovative Product · Ipo · Smart Ev Technologies
89% positive coverage

Technology

▲6.3% growing
Ev Battery Technology · Smart Ev Technologies · Ev Powertrain Advancements · Next-generation Ev Platforms
93% positive coverage

Politics

▲18.5% growing
Election Official Misconduct · Voter Intimidation · Counter-terror Raids · Voter Fraud Prosecutions
76% negative coverage

Sports

▲376.2% growing
State Cricket · Test Cricket · Under-19 Cricket · Women's Odi Wc
81% positive coverage

Government

▲7.4% growing
Bus Service Changes · Metro Station Infrastructure · Election Official Misconduct · Bus Timetable Updates
54% negative coverage

Finance

▲46.7% growing
Gold Spot Price · Ipo Prospectus · Stock Performance · Precious Metals
82% positive coverage

Crime

▲20.4% growing
Data Breach Investigations · Computer Fraud Statutes · Sexual Assault · Female Homicide
100% negative coverage

Cricket

▲433.3% growing
State Cricket · Test Cricket · Test Innings · Odi Cricket
80% positive coverage

Transportation

▼22.2% declining
Bus Service Changes · Intercity Bus Routes · Bus Schedules · Kia Long-term Review
63% positive coverage

momentum window: Jan–Apr 2026 vs Sep–Dec 2025 · sentiment is a property of the news coverage, not a city rating

city signals

The character of Bengaluru

  • ✓Technology capital with depth— Technology scores 10/10, backed by 8526 companies.
  • ✓An industrial second engine— Manufacturing scores 9/10 with thousands of firms, places and jobs.
  • ✓A relentless startup factory— 16063 companies were founded since 2018.
  • ✓Research-led innovation— Local institutions produced 9293 papers, led by IISc Bangalore.
  • ✓Deep corporate hiring— Accenture, TCS, Infosys and Siemens lead a large hiring market.
  • ✓Broad urban economy— Retail, healthcare, education and logistics all show sector strength.
  • ✓Capital with hard churn— 6017 companies raised outside money, while 7484 shut down.
  • ✓Offices still draw investment— Wispr Flow planned and Holtek opened Bengaluru offices.
everyday life

Living in Bengaluru means…

  • ✓working around technology— Software companies and corporate offices dominate mapped businesses.
  • ✓roadworks staying political— Transport leads public spending themes, with major pothole grants.
  • ✓a heavier safety conversation— Crime gained 11.3 points of local news attention.
  • ✓outbreak worries mostly easing— Most outbreak signals recede, but dengue is rising.
  • ✓more than a software economy— Retail, manufacturing, health and education also score strongly.
  • ✓constant creation and closure— New companies multiply, while 20.2% of tracked companies have shut.

read from the news record — not a survey

hidden depth

Things most people don't know

  • The mapped city includes 2433 manufacturers alongside 5449 software companies.
  • Indian Institute of Science Bangalore contributes 3381 papers in the available research record, versus 633 from Bangalore University.
  • The Karnataka Government set aside Rs 663 crore over several years for deep-tech startups.
  • Coverage in 2021-05 tied one disease outbreak to a disputed toll of 146–482 deaths.
  • HealthFab raised ₹20 crore to reach 50 lakh women, while Holtek opened a Bengaluru office for MCU solutions.
The verdict & benchmarks — BengaluruWhat the record is made of — BengaluruJustice & accountability — BengaluruEvents & specifics — BengaluruThe civic record of BengaluruWhat problems are increasing?What diseases are rising?What projects is my government investing in?What companies are hiring?What skills are in demand?Which industries dominate?The startup picture in BengaluruIs this city good for manufacturing?What research is done in Bengaluru?What research studies Bengaluru?Who runs the political conversation?What is the news saying?
Safety & civic life
Civic intelligence · Prism engine

Where does Bengaluru stand against the developed world?

Six-nation developed-median report card (USA · UK · FR · DE · AU · CA) computed from the same data, like-for-like. ▼ worse than the norm, ▲ better.

Six-nation developed median (USA · UK · France · Germany · Australia · Canada) — ▼ worse than the norm, ▲ better

Enforcement Action
11.0%here
20.3%benchmark
▼
Fatality-linked News
7.3%here
15.3%benchmark
▲
Communal Politics
11.2%here
3.6%benchmark
▼
Corruption Load
7.3%here
1.8%benchmark
▼
Cases Concluded
2.5%here
5.5%benchmark
▼
Road-accident Accountability
3.7%here
5.8%benchmark
▼
Civic record homeBenchmarksThe recordJusticeEvents
Open the full data →

four chapters, plus the politics and money layers

Civic record

What problems are increasing?

crime violence is taking the fastest-growing slice of the city's news (up 11.3 points), with accidents road safety next (up 2.3). Crime still leads in volume, but its share is shrinking.

Each problem's slice of city news — change in points, 2024–26 vs 2021–23
Crime ViolenceCrime ViolenceCrime Violence: +11.3 points of coverage share+11.3Accidents Road SafetyAccidents Road SafetyAccidents Road Safety: +2.3 points of coverage share+2.3Public SafetyPublic SafetyPublic Safety: +1.4 points of coverage share+1.4Infrastructure UtilitiesInfrastructure UtilitiesInfrastructure Utilities: +1.1 points of coverage share+1.1Policing Law EnforcementPolicing Law EnforcementPolicing Law Enforcement: +0.8 points of coverage share+0.8Protest Civil UnrestProtest Civil UnrestProtest Civil Unrest: -1.5 points of coverage share-1.5Elections PoliticsElections PoliticsElections Politics: -4.7 points of coverage share-4.7Public HealthPublic HealthPublic Health: -5.3 points of coverage share-5.3Governance PolicyGovernance PolicyGovernance Policy: -5.4 points of coverage share-5.4
Fastest-rising specific problems
homicide +4.3 ptssexual assault +1.0 ptssuicide +0.7 ptssmuggling +0.7 ptsstampede +0.7 ptsbomb explosion +0.5 ptssexual harassment +0.4 ptsassault +0.4 pts
Summary

Crime is the clearest deterioration: it gained a bigger slice of the city's news (up 11.3 points), with homicide the fastest-growing specific problem (up 4.28 points). Road-safety coverage also rose, and 35.3% of it involved deaths. Bengaluru's civic strain is not just potholes.

WATCH Watch whether police and courts can slow violent crime without road safety slipping further.
Open the full data →

96,974 pieces of news reported

Health

What diseases are rising?

Rising: dengue outbreak, zoonotic disease outbreak.

SignalNews Reported2024–26 Trend
Disease Outbreak1047▼ receding
Pandemic Outbreak230▼ receding
Coronavirus Outbreak154▼ receding
Covid Outbreak114▼ receding
Viral Outbreak83▼ receding
Vaccine Preventable Disease Outbreak61▼ receding
Pandemic Relief43▼ receding
Public-health coverage by year
2026: 992017202699
Summary

Most outbreak coverage is cooling, but dengue is the exception: it is rising while disease, pandemic, coronavirus and vaccine-preventable outbreak signals recede. Dengue appeared 39 times in local news, a small but directionally important warning as the wider health conversation fades.

WATCH Watch dengue closely even as the broader outbreak cycle quiets.
Open the full data →

disease signals drawn from local news coverage

Money & governance
Public money

What projects is my government investing in?

transport leads 600 tracked announcements — development-authority land purchase, Smart City works and national-highway tenders anchor the money trail.

Announcement themes
Largest place-directed announcements
DateThemeLevelAmountWhat
2025-10TransportState / ProvinceRupees 750 croreKarnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar announced an additional Rs 750 crore grant to…
2025-04OtherState / ProvinceRs 730 croreKarnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar announced a total budget allocation of Rs 730 crore…
2025-09TransportState / ProvinceRs 694 croreKarnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar announced a deadline for contractors to fill potholes…
2025-04EnvironmentLocal685 CroreThe BBMP mandates all property owners to contribute toward waste management, with 1,400 crore…
2026-05Urban HousingState / Province680.5 CroreThe Bengaluru state government reduced the 60% rebate on B-Khata to A-Khata conversion fees from 5%…
2025-11OtherState / ProvinceRupees 663 croreThe Karnataka Government allocated Rs 663 crore over several years to fund deep tech startups…
Summary

Transport is where public money is visibly concentrating, leading 600 city-linked announcements, with large pothole allocations of Rupees 750 crore and Rs 694 crore. Housing, welfare, waste management and deep-tech support also appear, but roads are the unmistakable political priority.

WATCH Watch whether pothole money turns into durable street repairs rather than repeated allocations.
Open the full data →

amounts are announcement headlines — shown, never summed

Politics

Who runs the political conversation?

11891 statements track Bengaluru politics — communal-coded rhetoric runs 7.7% (India ≈11%, developed median 3.65%).

Loudest voices
Stance mix
supports · 3757opposes · 3061proposes · 2760condemns · 1552accuses · 380demands · 182
Summary

City politics is intensely local and leadership-heavy: Siddaramaiah is the loudest named voice with 1169 mentions, followed by Basavaraj Bommai at 635 and DK Shivakumar at 553. Religious or communal framing appears less often than in the typical Indian-city comparison, though it remains above the developed-world comparison.

WATCH Watch the Bengaluru development portfolio and the leadership negotiations around it.
Open the full data →

from political statements naming the city

Economy & work
Jobs

What companies are hiring?

Accenture leads 57,865 tracked postings; top advertised role: Custom Software Engineer.

Top hiring companies · May–Jul 2026
Hiring volume by month · May–Jul 2026
Summary

Large services and technology employers dominate hiring. Accenture leads with 2992 advertised roles, ahead of Tata Consultancy Services at 1279 and Infosys at 978; Siemens and Currenex State Street Trust Company add breadth. This is a deep corporate market, though the evidence says more about openings than job quality or pay.

WATCH Watch whether the office-opening cycle broadens hiring beyond the largest technology-services employers.
Open the full data →

57865 job postings tagged to the city in May–Jul 2026 (a floor, not a census)

Jobs

What skills are available?

Most-demanded skills: python, sql, java.

Most-demanded skills
Summary

Employers want builders who can work across data, software and cloud systems. Python leads at 9957 mentions, followed by SQL at 6471 and Java at 4499; AWS, Kubernetes, Azure, Docker and Git make the desired infrastructure stack unusually clear.

WATCH Watch whether cloud and container skills keep pace with core coding and data work.
Open the full data →

demand-side signal (what employers ask for), not a resident skill census

Economy

Which industries dominate?

Registered economy: computer software, information technology and services, internet lead 37,030 tracked companies · biggest tracked employer: Walmart Vriddhi.

Registered companies by industry
Street economy — mapped places
Summary

Technology is the anchor at 10/10, but Bengaluru is not a one-sector town: retail, manufacturing, healthcare and education each score 9/10, while logistics, sports, sustainability and religion and tourism also show real depth. That breadth gives the city more texture than its software identity suggests.

WATCH Watch whether manufacturing and healthcare keep adding balance to technology-led growth.
Open the full data →

company registry (startup-skewed) + mapped business places

Economy

Is this city good for manufacturing?

Strong Base (3/4 signals) — each signal below is a live threshold that can fail.

  • 2080 of 37030 registered startups/companies (6%) are manufacturing-adjacent
  • 2735 street-level manufacturer/industrial places on Google Maps
  • 3867 manufacturing-category job postings tracked
  • infrastructure news share rising (up 1.1 points)
Summary

Manufacturing is a genuine second engine: 2080 registered businesses are manufacturing-adjacent, 2735 industrial places appear at street level, and 3867 manufacturing jobs were advertised. Rising infrastructure coverage reinforces the picture of a strong physical economy alongside the software core.

WATCH Watch whether rising infrastructure attention produces visible support for industrial growth.
Open the full data →

computed verdict — each signal is a live threshold that can fail

Startups & capital
Startups

Is there VC activity?

6,017 of 37,030 tracked companies have raised outside money — #1 among its peer set.

Funded startups — peer cities
Summary

Bengaluru has a large financing footprint: 6017 tracked companies have raised outside money. Yet capital has not removed fragility; 7484 companies have shut down, and 20.2% of all tracked companies are closed. The investment story is one of scale with substantial attrition, not an uninterrupted success parade.

WATCH Watch whether more young companies move from unfunded status into durable financing.
Open the full data →

round amounts sparse for tier-3 cities — counts shown, dollar totals withheld

Startups

Is a startup ecosystem forming?

Formation is real — 16063 companies founded since 2018 — but capital progression is weak: deadpool 20.2%, and stages are dominated by Unfunded.

Companies founded by year
2026: 502008202650
Stage distribution
Unfunded · 21385Deadpooled · 7489Seed · 2397Funding Raised · 1532Acquired · 805Series A · 451
Summary

Company formation remains ferocious: 16063 businesses have been founded since 2018. Yet 21385 tracked companies remain unfunded, while 805 have been acquired. Bengaluru creates ventures at scale, but the gulf between starting up and reaching a durable outcome is vast.

WATCH Watch the conversion of new companies into funded, surviving businesses.
Open the full data →

gate: ≥150 companies & ≥20 recent founds — passed (37030/16063)

The knowledge engine
Research · Prism stance layer

What research is done IN Bengaluru?

Indian Institute of Science Bangalore leads ≈65,051 estimated works. 63% of oriented output reads promising/breakthrough — clusters in machine learning, deep learning, materials science.

Institutions (papers in sample)
Research orientation
Opportunities (promising + breakthrough)
Machine Learning · 103Deep Learning · 64Materials Science · 55Artificial Intelligence · 50Sustainability · 48MathML · 48Nanotechnology · 42
Cautions (cautionary + critical)
Climate Change · 16COVID-19 · 7Men's Health · 7Artificial Intelligence · 7Machine Learning · 5MathML · 5Hydrogen · 5
Problems flagged
COVID-19 · 18Climate Change · 16Agriculture · 16Healthcare · 16Public Health · 11Women's Health · 11Mental Health · 10
Also: research ABOUT Bengaluru →
Summary

The available record shows serious institutional research, led by Indian Institute of Science Bangalore with 3381 papers. Machine Learning is the strongest named opportunity area at 103, followed by Deep Learning at 64; materials, artificial intelligence and sustainability broaden the agenda. Breakthrough and promising work heavily outweigh cautionary and critical work.

WATCH Watch whether machine-learning strength translates into local companies, jobs and public value.
Open the full data →

figures marked ≈ are scaled estimates from a partial sample · Prism stance layer over 2017+ papers

Research · Prism stance layer

What research is done FOR Bengaluru?

Narrower but distinct: 600 title-matched works study Bengaluru itself — led by diverse scientific research studies, consumer retail behavior studies, urban transport and accessibility.

Top topics in city-focused research
Works about the city by year
2026: 152005202615
Summary

Research on Bengaluru resembles a practical urban checklist. A broad scientific-studies group leads with 19 papers, consumer behavior has 13, and several themes have 10 each: transport access, development challenges, child nutrition and water access, water quality, pandemic impacts, and business and education.

WATCH Watch whether city research grows more focused on transport, water and access.
Open the full data →

papers whose title or entities mention Bengaluru (any author location) · partial sample · distinct from research done at the city's institutions

The pulse
News pulse

What is the news saying?

News attention is 34% negative-toned (typical for city civic coverage) — the volume trend tracks total attention on Bengaluru.

Monthly news-feature volume
2026-05-01: 622023-012026-0562
Summary

The mood is more strained than sunny: 34% of news coverage reads negative. Recently, disasters and emergencies, missing persons, terrorism and conflict, protests, and public safety all gained attention, while infrastructure and housing, healthcare and education fell back. The agenda feels more anxious even before judging the underlying events.

WATCH Watch whether the safety-heavy agenda persists or gives way to infrastructure, health and education.
Open the full data →

from location-tagged news · sentiment skew is a property of news, not the city

Need to go deeper than a city?

Fliar Prism answers any market, company or research question with the same depth — real-time, across every industry.

Explore Fliar Prism →