[TechSparks 2020] How UK-India collaboration can break the barriers to growth

“Our products, our services, new market” — was the hot topic discussed in the virtual fireside chat during TechSparks 2020. Moderating the roundtable session on ‘The Global Opportunity for Indian Startups by the UK Department for International Trade,’ Siddharth Vishwanathan, Head, Inward Investment of the body, elucidated on the global expansions of the Indian startups and the collaborative business environments between the two countries. 

In 2018, the new UK-India partnership was signed by the then UK Prime Minister Theresa May and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to identify and pair businesses with a vision to catalyse innovation and technology between the two nations, in order to address the global challenges, has taken a strong wave.

Programmes like Techrocket chip helped Indian startups to scale and get exposure to the global market. 

In a brief discussion with guests Raj M, Founder of Zaggle; Vishal Reddy, Founder of Wowsome; and Raja Gayam, Founder of Gayam Motor Works; Siddharth discussed the common industrial strategies of India and the UK, where both the nations have identified four crucial elements — future of mobility, clean roads, population, and AI-end data — to be addressed by the industries and the governments to overcome challenges. The Indian startups that are providing solutions in these areas would find a natural partnership with the UK ecosystem to release global challenges, said Siddharth.  

He also talked about a newly-created three million pound innovation challenge fund that realises the UK-India vision of bringing the greatest minds of both the countries to combat some of the toughest global challenges, including COVID-19, with an objective to break the barriers to growth, build international links, and capitalise off sectoral growth. 

From healthtech to AI-end data, future electric mobility, agritech, and edtech along with their varied wings, the roundtable focussed on how the UK-India partnership can significantly contribute to these sectors that are promising enormous growth in the future. 

 TechSparks - YourStory's annual flagship event - has been India's largest and most important technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship summit for over a decade, bringing together entrepreneurs, policymakers, technologists, investors, mentors, and business leaders for stories, conversations, collaborations, and connections that matter. As TechSparks 2020 goes all virtual and global in its 11th edition, we want to thank you for the tremendous support we've received from all of you throughout our journey and give a huge shoutout to our sponsors of TechSparks 2020.