Starter Guide to India

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Namaste, Salaam, Swagatam — Welcome to India

Are you considering setting up a business in India? Is expansion to India on the cards? Are you thinking about tapping the India market? Or are you another curious reader, interested in the India opportunity?

At Plum, we’ve been working with founders looking to build out of India and with aspiring global giants considering setting up shop in the country. It’s a market like no other — with immense untapped talent, a self-sustaining symbiotic ecosystem, and regulations that support innovation.

While it is a country on the cusp of exponential growth, how do you understand it? And more importantly, how do you realize its potential?

Read on.

The elephant in the room

India ‘is a slow trundling elephant’ that still has many hurdles, but is now a viable alternative to China. I think India stands to benefit from the decline in terms of the attractiveness of foreign direct investment and portfolio flows of China

– Veteran investor David Roche

David Roche’s quote describes how the world has traditionally viewed India. For the longest time, India has long held the promise of a young, aspirational population, backed by robust democratic and business frameworks. But historically, it has only been a promise.

Today, the narrative is changing.

From whispers in summit corridors to outlook reports by analysts, the tone has gone from indifference to optimism. Over the last few years, not only have NASDAQ-listed firms expanded to India, but local companies have made their debuts on NASDAQ.

Today, India is considered the fastest-growing economy. The world’s biggest untapped consumer and talent market. An active participant in the modern space race. A hub of tech innovation and cultural soft power. India has emerged as the world’s favourite destination for growth and business – a sentiment supported by its world-leading IPO market, burgeoning talent pool, and increasing numbers of global companies looking to expand there.

And according to Bloomberg, poised to become the world’s number one contributor to GDP growth.

The elephant is ready, and it's raring to go.

The drivers of India’s growth story

India’s growth story, like the country, is complex, diverse, and beautiful.