With Lessons from the Netherlands Corridor
Quick Take: The Partnership Blueprint
Global expansion isn’t what it used to be. The old playbook of exporting products into foreign markets is losing steam. Today, real growth comes when companies treat international markets not as sales targets, but as partners in innovation.
Nowhere is this shift more visible than in India. With its vast digital economy, deep talent pool, and appetite for new technologies, India has evolved from being a cost-saving destination to becoming a global co-creation hub.
So, how can global tech firms succeed in this new model? A four-pillar framework offers a blueprint:
- Lead with technology differentiation – bring unique IP or niche expertise, not commoditized services.
- Act as compliance bridges – help Indian firms navigate GDPR, HIPAA, and other Western regulations.
- Co-innovate locally – build solutions with Indian partners, for India and beyond.
- Develop mutual go-to-market strategies – open doors to Europe or North America while leveraging Indian scale.
The India–Netherlands corridor is a powerful case in point. Dutch strengths in automation, compliance, and sustainability are combining with India’s IT scale and digital adoption to create shared value neither side could unlock alone.
One final lesson: success in India takes patience. This is not a quarterly sales story, but a long-term partnership journey.
The Transformation of Global Expansion
International business has fundamentally changed. The old model was straightforward: companies identified foreign markets, established distribution channels, and measured success through export volumes. This transactional approach treated expansion as a one-way street—selling products from home markets to overseas customers.
Today’s reality demands a different strategy. Digital transformation, interconnected supply chains, and regulatory harmonization have created a new paradigm where sustainable growth emerges from collaborative partnerships rather than unidirectional sales efforts.
India exemplifies this transformation better than any other market. The country now hosts over 1,700 Global Capability Centers, maintains the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem, and serves a digitally-savvy population of 1.4 billion. With its digital economy projected to reach $1 trillion by 2030, India has evolved from a cost-optimization destination into a strategic innovation hub.
Through my experience supporting business delegations at diplomatic missions in New Delhi, I observed how successful partnerships develop organically. Market entry rarely begins with boardroom strategy sessions. Instead, it starts with existing client relationships, chance encounters at international conferences, or embassy-facilitated trade missions. These initial connections become the foundation for long-term collaborative ventures.
Why India? The World’s Premier Co-Creation Lab
| Pull Factor | What It Means | Key Evidence / Data |
|---|---|---|
| Client-Driven Expansion | Existing global clients pull you into the market | Salesforce, Stripe entering to serve their customers’ Indian subsidiaries |
| Market Scale & Digital Adoption | A massive, fast-adopting testing ground | 880M+ internet users; $136B enterprise IT spend by 2025; 25% digital economy growth |
| Talent Ecosystem Depth | Unmatched human capital for R&D and execution | 5M engineers; 2M STEM grads/year; 100+ unicorns |
| Policy Support Infrastructure | Government is actively enabling business | PLI schemes, modernized data protection laws, Invest India |
Client-Driven Expansion Details
Many multinational companies establish Indian operations primarily to serve existing customers who have already expanded there. This client-pull phenomenon creates a snowball effect. What begins as customer service evolves into broader ecosystem integration, opening doors to new opportunities and partnerships.
Scale Advantage Breakdown
India’s digital transformation creates compelling opportunities:
- The digital economy is expanding at 25% annually, expected to contribute nearly one-quarter of GDP by 2030
- Over 880 million internet users drive the world’s second-largest online market
- Enterprise IT spending is projected to reach $160 billion in 2025
This scale advantage extends beyond raw numbers. Indian enterprises demonstrate remarkable agility in adopting new technologies, making the market an ideal testing ground for innovative solutions.
The Framework: Four Pillars for Mutual Value Creation
Pillar 1: Technology Differentiation Through Niche Value
The Problem: You can’t compete with local giants on cost.
The Solution: Lead with unique, high-value IP.
Examples:
- Netherlands: Low-code platforms (Mendix), port automation, compliance-ready AI
- Israel: Cybersecurity innovations, precision agriculture, water management
- Japan: Industrial robotics, EV battery technology, ultra-precision manufacturing
- United States: Cloud-native AI solutions, hyperscale enterprise platforms
In a market dominated by established IT giants like TCS, Infosys, and HCL, foreign firms must offer genuinely differentiated capabilities. Generic services or commoditized solutions quickly become lost in the competitive noise.
Pillar 2: Regulatory and Compliance Bridges
The Problem: Indian firms struggle to expand West.
The Solution: Be their guide to GDPR, HIPAA, SOX, etc.
The Value: You become a strategic partner for their global growth.
Global technology implementation faces regulatory complexity, creating opportunities for foreign firms to convert their home market compliance experience into strategic advantages:
- European companies: GDPR expertise, EU AI Act compliance, CSRD knowledge
- American firms: Cybersecurity frameworks, SOX compliance, HIPAA expertise
- Japanese companies: Quality standards, lean operations methodology, ISO protocols
Pillar 3: Co-Innovation Over Import
The Mindset: “Let’s build it for India, in India, with Indians.”
Outcome: You get contextualized solutions; they get global tech infusion.
Examples:
- Joint Pilots in Fintech: Singaporean and Dutch firms partnering with Indian banks on payment infrastructure
- Industry 4.0: Japanese and German manufacturers running automation pilots with Indian automotive companies
- Medtech: American companies collaborating with Indian IT firms on AI-enabled diagnostic platforms
Pillar 4: Mutual Go-to-Market Strategies
The Strategy: Reciprocal market access.
How it Works: You help them expand to Europe; they help you scale in India.
Examples:
- Infosys-Philips: Co-marketing healthcare innovation solutions globally
- TCS-European Banks: Collaborating on operational efficiency programs internationally
Deep Dive: The India-Netherlands Corridor (A Model of Complementarity)
A Foundation of Trust
The Netherlands ranks among India’s most important European partners:
- Third-largest export destination for India in FY 2023-24, with bilateral trade approaching $27 billion
- Top five source of foreign direct investment, contributing $48.6 billion since 2000
- Indian firms have invested approximately $25 billion in the Netherlands
For details visit: https://insightkraft.com/index.php/2025/06/18/india-netherlands-partnership-trade-technology-2025/
The Value Exchange
| The Netherlands Brings… | India Brings… |
|---|---|
| • Specialised Tech (Automation, AI, Cybersecurity) | • Unmatched Market Scale |
| • EU Regulatory Expertise (GDPR, AI Act) | • Deep Talent Pools for R&D |
| • Sustainable Tech Leadership | • Rapid Digital Adoption (e.g., UPI) |
Success Stories
TCS in Amsterdam: 3,500+ professionals deeply embedded within Dutch banking systems, demonstrating Indian operational efficiency at European standards.
Infosys & Philips: Co-creating healthcare technology innovation where Dutch R&D excellence combines with Indian delivery capacity and digital platform expertise.
Adyen in India: The Dutch fintech giant adapted its payment infrastructure to Indian compliance frameworks while partnering with local e-commerce companies.
NXP Semiconductors: Operates extensive R&D centers across Bengaluru, Noida, and Pune, with Indian engineers co-developing microchips for global automotive and IoT industries.
Why This Model Works
The India-Netherlands partnership embodies the four-pillar framework:
- Differentiation: Dutch firms bring automation, compliance, and sustainable tech
- Compliance Bridges: They help Indian companies access highly regulated EU markets
- Co-Innovation: Evidence in Philips-Infosys healthcare projects and fintech collaborations
- Mutual Go-to-Market: TCS in Amsterdam helps Dutch banks; Adyen co-sells with Indian partners
Lessons from Other Global Corridors
India-US: The SaaS & VC Model Scaling through venture capital and making India a core R&D hub. U.S. venture capital backed India’s digital startups early, creating reciprocal value where American markets gain disruptive Indian SaaS entrants while Indian startups receive growth capital and scaling expertise.
India-Israel: The Innovation Scale Model Validating deep-tech (cybersecurity, agritech) in a massive market. Israeli defense-tech heritage creates world-leading cybersecurity IP, deployed by Indian BFSI and IT firms for digital infrastructure protection.
India-Japan: The Patient Industrial Model Long-term trust building in manufacturing and mobility. Japanese OEMs co-created India’s automobile cluster, making India both a scale market and export hub through decades of patient investment.
India-Singapore: The Fintech & Gateway Model Co-creating regulatory frameworks and investment bridges. RBI-MAS cross-border UPI-PayNow integration demonstrates co-regulated fintech infrastructure development.
Navigating the Challenges: A Realistic View
| Challenge | Mitigation Strategy |
|---|---|
| Long Sales Cycles | Plan for 18-24 month pilots. Practice strategic patience. |
| Cultural Differences | Localize leadership. Invest in cross-cultural training. |
| Fierce Competition | Double down on your niche differentiation. Don’t compete on cost. |
| Regulatory Evolution | Work with local legal experts and chambers of commerce (e.g., NASSCOM). |
| IP Protection Concerns | Develop robust contractual frameworks with explicit ownership clauses. |
| Talent Management Scale | Use dual-talent strategy: anchor advanced talent in Tier-1 cities, scale in Tier-2 hubs. |
Cultural Alignment Details
Different business cultures require active management:
- Communication Styles: Direct communication cultures (Dutch, Israeli) need calibration with relationship-oriented Indian approaches
- Decision Timelines: Fast-decision cultures must adapt to consensus-driven Indian corporate environments
- Trust Building: Geographic distribution requires consistent investment in relationship maintenance
Competitive Differentiation Requirements
Strong domestic competition demands clear value propositions:
- Local IT Giants: TCS, Infosys, HCL, and Wipro compete aggressively on cost and flexibility
- Value Clarity: Generic offerings find little traction; success requires defensible differentiation through unique IP
Strategic Implementation Playbook
1. Start Anchored
Leverage existing client relationships. Don’t start from zero. Map existing clients, suppliers, or partners already active in India. Expand collaboratively rather than independently.
2. Pilot First
Treat the first two years as a Proof-of-Concept investment. Enter via proof-of-concept projects. Treat initial months as investment in demonstrating contextual fit, not immediate profitability.
3. Embed in Ecosystems
Join NASSCOM, bilateral business councils. Successful firms embed in chambers, bilateral councils, and accelerators. Examples: NASSCOM-NICCT for India-Netherlands, Indo-Israel Industrial R&D Foundation, U.S.-India Business Council.
4. Be a Bridge
Your value prop is “We’ll help you succeed in our market.” Frame value propositions as mutual benefit: “We will help you succeed in our home/third markets” alongside “We will co-innovate with you in India.”
5. Localize Leadership
Give local teams real decision-making power. Appoint senior Indian leaders with genuine decision autonomy. Remote control rarely succeeds in India’s dynamic environment.
6. Co-Brand
Message your partnership, not just your product. Shift messaging from “Our technology” to “Our India-[Partner Country] innovation story” for enhanced differentiation and credibility.
7. Be Patient
Adopt a 5-10 year horizon. Patience is a competitive advantage. Enter with long-term commitment rather than quarterly expectations. Japanese automotive firms took decades to build trust but now dominate market share.
Conclusion: India as a Co-Founder, Not a Destination
The evolution from transactional expansion to collaborative partnership represents more than a strategic shift—it reflects the fundamental transformation of global business architecture. In the 21st century, sustainable competitive advantage emerges not from market capture but from ecosystem collaboration.
India occupies a unique position in this transformation. Beyond its role as the world’s second-largest internet market or third-largest startup hub, India functions as a scale engine, innovation laboratory, and inter-regional bridge. Successful partnerships with India provide access not only to its domestic economy but also to growth pathways connecting Europe, North America, and Asia.
The India-Netherlands corridor exemplifies this potential. Dutch strengths in automation, compliance, and sustainability combine with India’s scale in IT, startup dynamism, and digital adoption velocity. Together, they co-create platforms that neither side could fully develop independently.
This pattern repeats across other relationships: U.S. SaaS firms growing through Indian R&D collaboration, Israeli cybersecurity scaling within Indian BFSI infrastructure, Japanese EV technologies validated in Indian manufacturing facilities, and Singaporean fintech sandboxes exporting regulatory innovations globally.
The unifying principle remains consistent: sustainable growth emerges from corridors of reciprocity rather than unidirectional sales efforts.
For global firms, this requires a fundamental mindset shift. Success in India demands ecosystem collaboration rather than vendor positioning. When these principles guide strategy development, India transforms from a “market to enter” into a “partner for growth.”
The India-Netherlands corridor may receive less attention than India-U.S. or India-Japan relationships, but it captures the essence of contemporary global strategy: successful firms embed in India not to sell products but to co-create the future.
This blueprint applies to any country seeking to thrive in the coming decades: treat India not as a destination but as a co-founder of your next growth chapter.
