UK entrepreneurs find India investment friendly

A group of youngsters from UK, visiting India to study the business ecosystem here, have found the country’s growth capability and environment for business investments reassuring.

The group was here as part of the Generation UK-India Programme, 'Digital India' – a two-week student mobility programme launched by the British Council in November 2014 – to understand India’s technology and start-up ecosystem.

Several budding entrepreneurs from different UK universities were part of this trip between September 30 and October 13. The programme aimed to create opportunities for people from India and UK to work together. The entrepreneurs visited IIT-Bombay, IIM-Bangalore and several companies across the country, including enterprises like the mid-day meal provider Akshaya Patra Foundation.

According to Mei-Kwei Barker, Director, British Council South India, the programme has supported 500 participants in its first year. “Our ambition is to work with partners to support up to 25,000 students to visit India over the next 5 years and future-proof the UK-India bilateral relationship,” he said.

More than 200 people from across UK had applied to the ‘Digital India’ programme, of which 40 were selected in the age group of 19 to 42. According to an official release, many of these entrepreneurs see India as a key market for their business and hope to enter it. Start-up mentors, outsourcing contacts, market entry experts and potential investors were the people they were interested in meeting.