Kamal Ghorui
SEATTLE/NEW YORK: Investment opportunities in India across sectors such as AI, ag-tech, quantum and healthcare were highlighted at a business forum in Seattle, as the largest trade mission from the state of Washington is set to visit India.The trade mission will visit India this week amid efforts to deepen economic ties between the country and the US Pacific Northwest.The Consulate General of India Seattle hosted the second edition of Invest India Business Forum at the Bell Harbor International Conference Centre Saturday in partnership with Montana World Affairs Council and technology company ZOHO.
Several CEOs and senior executives of multinational companies from the Greater Seattle area, including representatives from Microsoft, Salesforce, Amazon, T-Mobile among others, along with local dignitaries attended the business forum.“Leading Industry experts from the fields of Artificial Intelligence, photonics, quantum computing, Ag-Tech, healthcare and higher education made detailed presentation on investment opportunities” and potential in these sectors in India, a press release issued by the Seattle Consulate said.As a follow up from the Invest India Business Forum, Greater Seattle Partners (GSP) along with Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce will be leading Washington State’s largest trade mission ever to visit India from January 28 to February 7.The delegation includes over 30 members from Port of Seattle, City of Bellevue Economic Development, Mayor of Redmond, and senior leadership of Microsoft, Amazon and Boeing, the release said.The Business Forum also showcased various Indian products for sampling and exports to the US Pacific Northwest, including the premium Indian ‘Bhagwa’ variety pomegranates for tasting.The Bhagwa variety of Indian pomegranates produced in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka are renowned worldwide for their rich flavour, deep red hue and high nutritional value and would soon be available at local retail stores in the US.Given that India is one of the leading producers of pomegranates in the world, there has been an increase in demand in recent years for the products after US granted market access to Indian pomegranates in 2023, the Consulate said.Other items on display at the event included ODOP (One District One Product) cultural heritage items from all 28 states of India, Araku coffee from foothills of the eastern ghats of Southern India and some of India’s finest wines and hand-crafted spirits.Addressing the gathering, Interim President and CEO of GSP Rebecca Lovell said she looked forward to developing stronger commercial and investment ties between Seattle and India.CEO of leading healthcare organisation Providence Eric Wexler commended India’s healthcare potential and highlighted Providence’s recently inaugurated Global Capability Center in Hyderabad, which is projected to create more than 2000 new jobs. The facility will focus on building AI-enabled advanced healthcare technology solutions by leveraging India’s talent pool, the Consulate statement added.Representative of ZOHO showcased how AI driven, locally developed data models were being utilized in India as it pushes for digital self-reliance (Atmanirbhar Bharat) and data sovereignty. The Government of India recently adopted Zoho’s technology solutions such as its Office Suite, “sending a positive signal of encouragement to Indian startups”, it said.A large delegation of senior business leaders from the Montana World Affairs Council attended the Invest India Business Forum.A youth delegation led by Montana World Affairs Council had recently visited India and Montana State Governor Greg Gianforte had hosted a welcome reception at the State Capitol in Helena.The Invest India Business Forum aims to deepen economic ties between US Pacific Northwest and India by presenting India’s investment potential in key priority sectors.Additionally, the Forum also served as a platform to showcase Indian export-ready products with strong potential in the Greater Seattle market. IIBF aims to complement the Consulate’s ongoing efforts to advance the ‘3Ts’ – Trade, Tourism and Technology – by promoting investments, industry linkages and exports, the Consulate said.
