India- Investing in Intellectuals
India- the mystical East- happens to be the second largest source of skilled human resources for the knowledge based global economy. India makes up for more than 30% of skilled workers brought to the US under the US H1B visa. India is not only a supplier of skilled manpower, rather also a key player in knowledge creation. Many of highly skilled Indians are working in top knowledge centers across the globe- NASA, ESA, World Bank and so on.
Ever since the wave of labor outsourcing hit the globe, India has been one of the prime targets for global investors owing to highly skilled human resource that come at a competitive price. The current Prime Minister to India has recognized the potential for foreign investment in India and has made changes to the foreign investment policy in India. Not surprisingly, foreign investors have poured in their Dollars and Euros- the Indian Foreign Exchange reserves have gone up by more than 10% since January 2015.
India- the place where the mathematical notion of zero arose- has been one of the global intellectual hubs since centuries. Even though investment in India is directed mostly at labor outsourcing, I think India can become home to one of the biggest entrepreneurial hubs in the world. Nepal has open border policy with India and many Indians can be noticed in the marketplaces across Nepali cities. The most striking features of the Indians is their financial independence. Almost any Indian I have met in Nepal has a business of their own. Some businesses take as much floor space as the owner of the business themselves (peddlers with their items on head) while some cover a large real estate by Nepali Standards, yet almost none of them work for a Nepali firm.
I believe that with the right business model, funding entrepreneurs in India can be an attractive investment. Imagine a company born in a value-for-money environment, nurtured in it and then setting off to conquer the world. Competition would be knocked out in terms of the leverage obtained in manipulating selling costs across markets. Of Course, careful decision making is advised but should things go out well, the investors come out with flying colors.
To add a concluding note, imagine another country-much smaller- with similarly skilled and intellectual people and you get NEPAL!