The GCC Explorer Pass
India is not a report. Come and stand in it.
The GCC Explorer Pass is for companies that do not yet have a Global Capability Centre in India and want to know, properly, whether they should. It is a guided evaluation with a person at the centre of it and the three days of the Utsav in the middle of it.
- For
- Companies with no centre in India yet
- Includes
- A Navigator, a planned three days, arranged meetings
- Places
- Limited. The first edition can host 150 Explorers.
- Applications
- Expressions of interestYou can apply or enquire now.
A decision this size should not rest on a slide deck.
Choosing a country for a capability centre commits hundreds of people and many years. Most companies make the choice from consultants’ reports, a few video calls and one hurried visit to two cities. They see offices. They rarely meet a state official, the head of a centre in their own industry, or the kind of person who would run theirs.
The Explorer Pass is built to close that gap in a single trip.
Your Navigator
One person holds the thread.
In Indian theatre the sutradhar holds the thread of the story. Yours is called a Navigator.
Every Explorer is paired with a Navigator: someone with direct experience of India’s capability centres, matched to your industry and your brief. Your Navigator speaks with you before you travel, plans your three days, walks the pavilions with you, makes the introductions, and stays in touch after you leave.
A Navigator’s job is your clarity. Navigators do not represent any state or any vendor.
What your Navigator knows
- The states, their policies, and how to approach each government
- Talent markets and universities, and where particular skills are found
- Technology and infrastructure: campuses, parks and connectivity
- Service providers and ecosystem partners
- Operating models: what to own, what to partner for, and how centres grow
- What entering India involves: entity, tax, people and timing
The Explorer journey
From exploration to decision, in seven steps.
- 1DiscoverTell us what you are looking for
- 2MatchA Navigator and the right rooms
- 3ArriveHosted from the airport
- 4ExperienceThree days inside the ecosystem
Step 4 of 7
Experience
Three days inside the ecosystem
What you do
Walk the eight pavilions, sit in working sessions, see technology, and meet the people who run centres
What we do
Stay beside you and supply the context
- 5ConnectMeetings arranged for you
- 6ExtendStay on, with a plan
- 7DecideGo home with clarity
Step 4 of 7
Experience
Three days inside the ecosystem
What you do
Walk the eight pavilions, sit in working sessions, see technology, and meet the people who run centres
What we do
Stay beside you and supply the context
The question you take home is a simple one: is India our next GCC destination? The pass exists so that you can answer it.
What the pass includes.
- A Navigator
- Matched to your brief, and with you before, during and after the Utsav
- A planned three days
- Sessions, pavilions and meetings chosen for your brief
- Arranged introductions
- State delegations, leaders of centres in your industry, and partners
- Arrival hosting
- From the airport
- The Founding Leaders Circle
- Introductions to leaders who could run a centre, where both sides wish it
- Help extending your visit
- City, campus and site visits after the Utsav
- A written record
- What you saw, whom you met and what to do next
Not included: Flights, accommodation and visas. We provide an invitation letter and guidance for your visa application.
Pricing: To be announced. The cost of the pass, and what it covers, will be confirmed with the dates.
Who should come.
The pass is for the people who will make the decision and the people who will have to make it work: a chief executive, a chief operating, technology, financial or people officer, a head of strategy or of global business services. We suggest a team of two to four.
If your firm provides services to capability centres, the Partners page is the right door for you.
Build your India brief
Tell us about the centre you have in mind.
Five questions, about two minutes, no commitment. We turn your answers into a brief and send it to you.
Questions Explorers ask.
Does the pass commit us to anything?
No. It commits us to showing you India properly. What you decide is yours.
Will you recommend a state?
No. Your Navigator helps you compare regions against your brief. The choice is yours, and many companies choose more than one.
We already have a small team in India. Can we apply?
Yes, if you do not yet run a capability centre here.
How many places are there?
Places are limited so that every Explorer has a Navigator. The first edition can host 150 Explorers.
What does it cost?
Pricing will be announced with the dates.
Who are the Navigators?
People with direct experience of building and running centres in India. You will receive your Navigator’s profile when you are matched.