The inaugural event was attended by 25 delegates, representing the high tech sector of Cambridge of which biotech sector formed nearly 60% of participants.  Many who attended already have a great deal of hands-on experience and expertise in doing business with India. The event was sponsored by Cambridge Network, Persistent Systems, ARM and Eversheds, all sponsors have deep interest in the Indian market and ARM and Persistent already operate in that space.

It is increasingly recognised that India is one of the fastest growing economies, a huge democracy of 1.2 billion people and with growing base of highly educated people. The usual imagery of the India market is either of call centres or the old Morris Oxford.For people who are not familiar with India the SIG intends to help address the gaps and make it possible for companies to learn more about doing business in India as well as make contacts with like minded businesses and individuals.

Commenting on the event, Dr Peter Hewkin CEO of Cambridge Network said “We are delighted to have begun India Special Interest Group with support from THINKindia, in response to member demand.  The SIG dinner attracted a broad cross section of the business community who all enjoyed the evening and made some good business contacts”.  THINKindia is an exciting new organisation promoting two way business investment between UK and India in the high tech area and operates out of Cambridge as a member network offering like minded businesses an opportunity to meet and collaborate.

Dr. Shai Vyakarnam the founder of THINKindia said “There are two clear opportunities for Cambridge businesses - the huge market place that is the Indian subcontinent, where consumer spending is rising, and opportunities with infrastructure projects as India liberalises its economy and finds ways to open its doors.”

For businesses that need to find ways of becoming competitive, India is becoming an increasingly reliable partner or supplier base in manufacturing, services and technology.

These opportunities have been well recognized by the attendees who already have or are in the process of developing significant business interests in India. There is also a growing recognition of the need for more such events that would enable sharing experience and expertise in doing business in and with India.

The survey conducted by THINKindia at the SIG dinner revealed that:

• More than 80% are interested in collaborating with Indian businesses
• Around 30% already have a market presence in India
• Around 40% have business partners in India

THINKindia

THINKindia is the B2B information highway for companies based in UK and India to communicate, collaborate and do business across respective countries.

Established in Cambridge, THINKindia offers consultancy and business facilitation services to identify opportunities and provide support to companies from UK and India across a broad range of sectors to improve knowledge based trade and investment between the two countries.  Most importantly, THINKindia is a network of likeminded businesses.

If you would like to know more about Thinkindia, then please visit www.thinkindia.co.uk or contact Gill Ellis on 0870 990 6003 or at info@thinkindia.co.uk.