India is home to the third largest tech startup ecosystem globally, with some 38,000 startups and over 5,500 investors, and over 100 unicorns, of which almost half were born in 2021.

A strong science and technology talent pool, collaborative initiatives with industry researchers and supportive programmes by the government such as Startup India make the country an attractive destination for companies and investors.

Startups and enterprises keen to explore and fast-track their entry into the market can tap our Global Innovation Alliance Acceleration Programmes.

India plans to increase its export share in global trade from 2.1% to 3% by 2027. To achieve this target, there has been a strong focus on ramping up manufacturing, addressing infrastructural and logistical challenges, and identifying new markets for Indian products.

India is one of Singapore’s largest trading partners, with top traded products including electronics components and parts, fuels, agri-commodities and pharmaceutical goods. In addition, India plans to raise its export share in global trade over the next decade.

As a global trading hub, Singapore has strong air and sea networks to other countries. Given our proximity to India, Singapore can serve as a re-export and transhipment hub for Indian companies looking to export to other markets.

There are also opportunities to invest in supply chain-related infrastructure and for technology solution providers to partner developers to improve productivity, reduce operating costs and increase the trackability of cargoes.

As India works towards positioning itself as a global manufacturing hub, the country is also reviewing its supply chain resilience and diversifying supply sources, as it strives to attract investment from global businesses seeking to cater to the domestic and regional markets.

The Make in India initiative seeks to make India a global hub for manufacturing, and to attract businesses from around the world to invest and manufacture in India. This is supported by the Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India) campaign, which emphasises investments in 13 critical sectors such as electronics, automobile, food processing and manufacturing.

Schemes like the Production Linked Incentive have also been launched to provide financial incentives to companies which produce domestically.

In 2015, India adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This is tracked by the government think-tank, NITI Aayog, on a yearly basis.

To drive sustainability, India’s government is focusing on public-private partnerships.

• Wastewater management
• Sludge management
• Bioremediation of all legacy dumpsites
• Source segregation of garbage
• Reduction in single-use plastics

If your company is in the sustainability sector, key opportunities lie in wastewater, e-waste and green buildings.

The Smart City Mission is the government’s urban renewal and retrofitting programme, with the intent of developing citizen-friendly and sustainable cities. This has seen the identification of 100 cities across India as development nodes.  

On the public sector front, partner government-appointed project management consultants and master system integrators to participate in projects.

In the private sector, there are opportunities to work with real estate developers and local system integrators who invest and develop privately-owned townships or commercial/industrial projects, by providing solutions and expertise to digitalise the management of their developments, for example.

India's consumer market is poised to become the world’s third largest consumer market, according to a World Economic Forum report, with consumer spending expected to grow from US$1.5 trillion at present to nearly US$6 trillion by 2030.

A growing young, urbanised and international middle class with rising disposable income have driven demand for quality consumer products and services.

The country’s e-commerce industry is growing as well, and is expected to become the second largest e-commerce market in the world by 2034. Key drivers of this growth include beauty and wellness, consumer electronics, e-pharmacy, fashion and apparel, online grocery, and personal care.