While the world’s geopolitical centre is shifting from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from the Global North to the Global South, India’s economy is growing faster than ever and is projected to be one of the largest in the coming decades. According to the World Bank, India’s GDP growth is expected to be 6.4% in 2023 and 6.7% in 2024. This makes the Indian economy the ideal ecosystem for budding enterprises and entrepreneurs.

Throughout the last century, there has emerged a strong bond and special relationship between the Eurasian region and India, not only in exports and trade ties but in culture, geopolitics, and individual friendships. Keeping this idea at its core, Alliance University introduced a pioneering study tour program specially designed for enterprising Eurasian leaders of today and tomorrow who are hoping to learn from and even break into the fast-expanding Indian market.

As the South Asian capital for digital and electronic technologies, Bangalore is one of the largest startup hubs on the planet and is a high-potential destination for innovative and prospective business owners. Hosted by the Alliance School of Liberal Arts, designed by the Office of International Relations and the Alliance Centre for Eurasian Studies, this international summer school offered lecture sessions, company visits, and cultural heritage tours of South India.

The participants had the opportunity to enhance their English & Hindi skills, learn how to conduct business in India and discover the social, cultural, and legal factors that shaped India’s economic environment. Company visits gave them access to successful start-ups, and the cultural heritage tour helped them to understand the country from the past and within. All the sessions were held by internationally recognized experts with significant field experience in their respective industries from both within the academic sector and outside.

The objective of this program was to guide participants willing to craft a winning entry strategy for the purpose of breaking into India’s booming market. Through theoretical learnings and immersive trainings incorporating didactical activities and field visits, they gained the knowledge of dealing with the complexity and the multiplicity of the Indian civilizational heritage, navigating effectively through the national and international startup ecosystem, and enhancing their skills in entrepreneurial management and personal branding in a cross-cultural perspective.

Alliance professors and mentors introduced the participants to the economics and finance in the Indian context, advised them how to start or expand their business in the domestic market, and helped them to make the convergence between business, soft, and technical skills through innovative teaching methods, built around the pillars of liberal arts.