The Tech Panda takes a look at how India has been tying up with business hubs like Japan and the US to bring funding and cleantech expertise. At the same time, Indian companies are expanding to Israel and the globe in entertainment and payments.
Foreign launches in India includes Intelligent power management company Eaton, through the Eaton India Foundation, in partnership with ALERT NGO, which launched the ALERT Helpdesk in Pondicherry, a dedicated citizen support platform aimed at providing immediate guidance and assistance during emergencies through trained first responders. Also, Chinese mobile phone manufacturer TECNO is set to roll out the HiOS 15 update in India, its latest Android-based custom operating system.
OUTBOUND
Indian Entertainment Platform Takes Flight to Global Markets with its Audio Video OTT Platforms
Kuku, Indian storytelling and entertainment platform, is expanding its footprint to reach new global audiences with its audio and video OTT verticals.
Kuku aims to expand its library of stories to newer audiences across the world and bring to the world India’s rich library of stories. To accomplish this vision Kuku will be expanding its presence across US, South East Asia(Indonesia, Philippines, South Korea) and more countries in 2025.
Talking about the global expansion plans, Vinod Kumar Meena, COO and Co-Founder of Kuku, said, “India is such a hotbed of stories around culture, tradition, science, spirituality, fiction and more. So why has India not emerged as a soft power in storytelling? If you look at South Korea then KDramas and Kpop have become such an important part of their economy.
Given we are the largest entertainment industry in the world, stories and storytelling should be our soft power and our biggest cultural export. There is immense potential in this to not only become a major contributor to our creative economy but also help create new jobs, opportunities and talent in the industry. We have hundreds of thousands of titles in our library which we want to take to the world this year.”
Israel-India Strategic Partnership to Power Global Spend Management
Zaggle, Indian Spend Management platform, advanced its global footprint by partnering with Tel Aviv based Mesh Payments, a provider of AI-driven Travel and Expense (T&E) solutions. The partnership marks a significant milestone for both companies as they unite to streamline global and local spend operations for cross-border businesses.
Zaggle’s partnership with Mesh enables Indian MNC’s to manage global expenses seamlessly across the U.S, Europe, and LATAM using Mesh’s capabilities to issue corporate cards in global markets, while Mesh’s global clients operating in India, through their GCCs, can leverage Zaggle’s vast Spend Management ecosystem spanning Corporate Credit Cards, Prepaid Cards, Forex cards and Travel Solutions.
Oded Zehavi, CEO and Co-founder of Mesh Payments, said, “This partnership with Zaggle marks a key milestone in our international expansion. India is a dynamic and rapidly growing business market, and this collaboration allows us to support our global clients as they enter India with confidence. Together, we’re helping companies scale faster—empowered by localized expertise in India and world-class spend management across the globe. At the same time, Zaggle’s customers gain access to our cutting-edge platform to manage global operations with agility and control.”
INBOUND
Extended Indo-Japan Partnership to Scale Deep-Tech, Social Impact, & Global Talent
T-Hub and Beyond Next Ventures India (BNVI), a Japanese venture capital and innovation firm, extended their partnership until November 2027. This extension marks a continued commitment to fostering cross-border innovation between India and Japan in deep-tech and social impact domains. Building on the original MoU signed in 2023, the extended partnership will enable the launch of multiple strategic initiatives over the next five years.
The renewed MoU will advance three primary strategic initiatives, which are designed to create sustainable value for both ecosystems. Social Innovation Program (India) which will work in tandem with BNVI’s BRAVE Accelerator, leveraging the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for funding and mentorship. Innovation Leaders Program (India) to develop a localized version of BNVI’s Innovation Leaders Program, which is designed to cultivate a pipeline of highly skilled, science-backed entrepreneurs in India. Indo-Japan Innovation Program (India and Japan) will facilitate closer engagement between Japanese corporations and Indian startups, creating a platform for mutual collaboration. Through this initiative, T-Hub and BNVI aim to promote the establishment of Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in India.
The strategic extension of the partnership will also see BNVI operating from T-Hub’s Hyderabad campus, continuing to lead innovation initiatives under the Indo-Japan Innovation Bridge and T-Bridge programs.
Jay Krishnan, Partner, Beyond Next Ventures, said “By tapping into India’s vibrant startup ecosystem, we aim to co-create impactful solutions and empower local startups to expand their reach, leveraging Japan’s rich experience in technology and business excellence. This partnership helps us not just invest, but also actively build solutions that resonate globally.”
Kavikrut, CEO, T-Hub, said “By bringing Japan’s deep-tech capabilities to India, we can empower Indian entrepreneurs to scale their innovations with global insights and partnerships. The initiatives we’re launching will provide leverage for founders in India who are building startups for global social impact.”
Japanese Conglomerate Steps into India’s Clean Energy Sector
Sojitz Corporation (“Sojitz”) invests in a holding structure of the special purpose company established jointly by GPS Renewables Private Limited. (“GPSR”) and Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (“IOCL”), which designs, constructs, operates, and provides maintenance for biomethane plants in India (“GPSR-IOCL Biomethane Platform”). Through this strategic investment, Sojitz will foray into biomethane production and sales in India.
Mainak Chakraborty, CEO and Co-Founder, GPS Renewables, said, “Sojitz and GPSR group have a shared vision of improving India’s energy self-sufficiency. As the country’s energy demand continues to rapidly grow, it’s crucial for us to prioritize biofuels and find ways to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. This collaboration with Sojitz is a step towards increasing the production of cleaner sources of energy while reducing air pollution caused by the open burning of agricultural waste”
Sojitz indicates that India is one of its key strategic markets and plans to play an active role in its transition to renewable energy. Sojitz currently focuses on developing renewable energy projects that have the potential to accelerate India’s biomethane sector while also addressing a few key environmental concerns such as air pollution.
Through this investment, Sojitz and GPSR will work to drive India’s clean energy goals by accelerating the expansion of biomethane production and operation across the country. The companies will leverage GPSR’s expertise in biomethane production processes, technology expertise, indepth experience in design, construction, operation, and maintenance of biomethane plants. Additionally, IOCL’s expansive network with gas consumers will play a crucial role in scaling distribution. Furthermore, Sojitz will assess opportunities for biomethane production beyond India by deploying GPSR’s technology in new regions to explore opportunities in the broader bioenergy sector.
US based Unified-CXM Launches Innovation Hub in India to Power Global CX Platform
Nextiva, a US-based AI-powered communication and customer experience platform valued at over $2.7 billion launched a 35,000-square-foot innovation hub in Bengaluru, reinforcing India’s role as a core engine of the company’s global product and technology strategy.
The new facility, Nextiva’s largest outside the United States, marks a significant expansion of the company’s global footprint. It will serve as a center of excellence, driving the development of the company’s next-generation platform capabilities and product innovation. Following a year in which it more than doubled its headcount in India to 300, Nextiva is now hiring at a record pace, with plans to hire over 150 people in India, to support its next wave of global product innovation.
“The next era of customer experience technology is being built in India,” said Tomas Gorny, Co-founder and CEO of Nextiva. “This isn’t just about expansion, it’s about acceleration. Our teams in India are building foundational AI technologies that will redefine how businesses connect with their customers globally. This is where category-defining innovation is happening.”
India now leads several key areas of Nextiva’s product roadmap. A major new AI-led CX innovation, set to launch globally later this year, has been primarily developed in India. Nextiva’s India-based team is deeply embedded in its core platform development, which currently supports over 10 billion customer interactions annually across 100,000+ global businesses.
“India is not just our fastest-growing region, it’s a strategic center for our AI and product roadmap,” said Senthil Velayutham, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Nextiva. “Our new office in Bengaluru is where we’re building the future of customer experience—intelligent, scalable, and designed to meet the complexity of tomorrow’s business challenges.”
Indian companies including Tata Play, ITC, Xiaomi, Cred, Axis Max Life, ICICI Bank, Oppo, Upgrad, ZEE5, PhonePe, Meesho, and Kotak Securities rely on Nextiva’s platform to deliver real-time, AI-driven experiences across more than 35 digital channels. For example, Tata Play reduced customer resolution costs by 40% by unifying support workflows and deploying WhatsApp as a primary engagement channel, powered by Nextiva’s Unified-CXM platform.
