London & Partners, the business and growth agency for London, recently launched the first edition of the Mayor’s International Business Programme (MIBP) for India. The 12-month, free programme offers ambitious scaleups from London’s technology, life sciences, creative and urban sectors, tailored support in the form of workshops, mentorship, events and one-to-one meetings to help them expand their businesses in India.
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MIBP will work closely with the delivery partners, stakeholders and advisors of London & Partners, both in the UK and India, to provide these companies with an opportunity to participate in a mix of focused events, virtual meetings, panel sessions, mentoring and round-tables. The programme, launched last month, will also facilitate exclusive connections to top corporates and investors – all individually tailored towards the company’s expansion plans in India.
“The UK-India trade relationship was worth 23 billion last year and supported key industries like technology, urban and life sciences and creative industries. In order to drive a sustainable and inclusive economic recovery from the impact of the pandemic, global ecosystems must work together now more than ever. The MIBP is a step in that direction, as it provides a free, convenient platform for London startups to expand their businesses in India by arming them with the right tools, information, connections and most importantly personalized support as per each one’s needs,” said Hemin Bharucha, Country Director, India at London & Partners.
At present, eight high-growth London firms, primarily in the fintech and edtech sectors are exploring the Indian market. These are ABAKA, Banktech Software Services Ltd., Miicare Ltd., Note Taking Express, Secon Cyber Security, Springpod, The Queen’s English Limited and Startupreneur.
Since its launch in 2016, MIBP has helped over 1,000 high-growth London companies set up their businesses in international markets, created more than 4000 jobs, completed deals worth over 193 million and raised close to 1 bn in investments. In the past, several companies including CreditEnable, Winnow, Revolut, Monzo and Checkout.com have participated and benefitted from this programme.
The partners for this year’s India programme include Ciklum, Globalization partners, GrantTree, Microsoft, Moore Kingston Smith, Taylor Wessing as well as mentors like Arvind Kajaria, MD at IntraSoft Technologies, Priyashmita Guha, Director at Digital Lenders Association of India and Nilesh Gopali Co-founder of Tech India advocates.
