Choose New Jersey Completes Economic Mission to India

On Dec 21, 2023

Choose New Jersey recently completed a week-long economic mission to India, reinforcing the strong ties between New Jersey and India and laying the foundation for future partnerships and economic growth.

To attract Indian businesses to New Jersey, Choose New Jersey officials, led by President and CEO Wesley Mathews, engaged with government officials and key leaders from dozens of Indian businesses and attended strategic site visits and collaborative discussions in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Hyderabad, and Mumbai. This is the organization’s third business attraction mission to India in four years, starting with the Gov. Phil Murphy-led economic mission in 2019.

“India is a vital global economic partner to New Jersey,” said Mathews. “Choose New Jersey’s recent mission to India helped increase collaboration in our key industries, notably life sciences, technology, and film, television, and digital media. We focused this mission on the Indian states of Karnataka, Telangana, and Maharashtra, and I am proud of the relationships we forged and the hugely positive impression we made. Together, we will propel innovation and economic growth within the New Jersey-India corridor.”

The team met with U.S. Consulate General staff in Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Mumbai, including Consul General Jennifer Larson in Hyderabad, to inform them of New Jersey’s economic relationship with India and the priority the State places on this bilateral relationship.

“During Gov. Phil Murphy’s tenure, New Jersey has solidified itself as a national leader in jobs and investment created by Indian businesses,” said Andrew H Gross, director of international innovation and partnerships at the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, who joined Choose New Jersey on the mission. “This economic partnership further proves why the collaboration between our regions produces meaningful results for Indian companies who make the decision to call New Jersey home.”

Each day included meetings with top leaders in key industries. Choose New Jersey led roundtables with start-up companies at T-Hub, India’s premier innovation hub and ecosystem enabler based out of Hyderabad; with women entrepreneurs in the tech sector at NSRCEL, the Indian Institute of Management’s flagship business incubator; and with start-ups associated with the Maharashtra State Innovation Society in Mumbai. Choose New Jersey also engaged with start-ups at NASSCOM’s Centre of Excellence and The Bangalore Bio-Innovation Centre, an incubation center for life sciences start-ups, in Bengaluru.

The team connected with Indian companies that already have a strong presence in New Jersey, as well, including Biocon Limited, Citius Tech, Infosys, Indegene Limited, and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, which is expanding its footprint in Princeton.

The economic mission also included the signing of two memoranda of understanding (MOU) reaffirming New Jersey’s and India’s collaboration in the film industry. The first MOU was between the New Jersey Film Commission and the Active Telugu Film Producers Guild, and the second was between New Jersey and the Producers Guild of India. Both underscore New Jersey’s position as a leader in the film industry with some of the most aggressive film incentives in the country.

“The economic and cultural connection between New Jersey and India is what makes this partnership successful,” said Tarun Gupta, director of the Choose New Jersey India Center. “With the fourth largest Indian population and second highest Indian-born population in the country, there is no shortage of community for business owners, their employees, and families who not only choose to work here but also make New Jersey their home.”

India is one of New Jersey’s largest trade and investment partners. In 2019, Choose New Jersey opened the New Jersey India Center in New Delhi, and in April 2023, opened a second office in Bengaluru. The India Center is the first point of contact for Indian businesses interested in establishing or expanding their presence in New Jersey, showcasing the state as an ideal location to invest.

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