16: Kula Connect Digest June'24

Kula Connect Digest covers Kula progresses, news, events and jobs in the Indo-European space

Onkar Kharadkar

Silvia Giovanna

Giuseppe Pasquariello

, and 2 others

Jun 18, 2024

Hello Kula Community! 👋

Welcome to the Kula Connect special newsletter: Kula Connect Digest, a monthly recap to help you navigate the Indo - European landscape and make you actively involved in Kula’s future.

You’re new to Kula? Learn more about us here

What can you expect from Kula Digest?

💡 Kula Connect Progresses: We'll make you part of our journey building Kula

🚀 What’s next: Insights on our future plans.

🤓 May / June Newsletters Recap: Highlights from our past three newsletters

🚨 Top Headlines: Selction of news regarding Europe and India

📊 Interesting Reads: Articles and reports worth to read not strictly related to the newsletter

📅 Upcoming Events

👩‍💻 Kula’s Jobs Recommend: Open positions at Companies we interact with!

Kula Progresses (Build in Public) 🚀

🤝 Newsletter and community update

In the past 30 days, we grew our subscriber base from 300 people to almost 500.

This growth has been led by our first two events, LinkedIn, word of mouth, and referrals from other newsletters.

We could not be more proud of the success of our initiative and the support we are receiving!!

Since Substack offers a great referral feature, if you find our content interesting and have a newsletter yourself, don’t hesitate to refer our newsletter!!

That can be beneficial for both of us!!

Share Kula Connect

Unexpectedly, last month we received our first paid subscription from our dear mentor and advisor Alexander Henn, whom we thank for his guidance and support!

This also gives us the right motivation to keep writing good quality articles and interviewing top-notch people.

🔊 Events

May and June have been very active months when it comes to events.

We organized two in-person events around Europe, in Milan and Paris.

🇮🇹 On May 31 we met in Milan, to reunite with our Italian community.

More than +15 people attended the event and we got the opportunity to network, exchange ideas and understand more closely the need of Indians living in Italy and Italians wanting to expand in India. It was a great success considering the short notice of the organization and the national strike of public transportation in the country.

We learnt that to organize a great event, providing value is necessary and a simple networking event is not a big enough incentive to join.

🇫🇷 For our second event, we have decided to do things more seriously.

On June 9th, we reunited in Paris and had the pleasure of hearing the testimony of an incredible guest speaker, Coumar Ananda, Vice President of the Indo french Chamber of Commerce and Co-Founder of India Advisory Paris, a boutique consulting based in France helping Indian companies operate in France and French companies wanting to expand in India.

Needless to say, the interest for this second event was unbelievable

More than 85 people registered and around 50 attended, showing us that the word is spreading and that we are able to abide by our mission: Bring people together.

Thanks to all the people who attended our events!!

We came to the realization that events can become our core activity and that’s the best way to generate value for our members and grow our community!!

In the past month, our commitment to the growth of the ecosystem went beyond the business environment, as we also attended a great event organized by Care to Action - an Italian NGO committed since 1991 to ensuring access to quality education for more than 1,000 children and youth each year in India.

The event was a great occasion to attend the presentation of the book “Il Drone e la Tigre” by Carlo Pizzati, an Italian award-winning multilingual author of ten works of fiction and non-fiction in English and Italian, and a journalist for "La Repubblica" and "La Stampa,” who has been living in India for the past 16 years (whom you see on the left in the picture with Giuseppe and Francesco).

Soon, you will also read our interview with Carlo, discussing religion, politics, and culture!!

Donate Now

🤓Ambassador Program

On June 13, we officially kickstarted the Kula Connect Ambassador Program, a special occasion to get our most active community members involved with Kula activities and directly contribute to the growth of the Indo-European community. After receiving more than 50 applications, we have selected 29 people to join the program.

Congrats to: Zubin, Yash, Srijan, Shalinee, Saurabh, Saurabh, Satvik, Sandipto, Sakshi, Robin, Rishabh, Pranjali, Prabhakar, Nithin, Ninad, Mohammad, Mitesh, Maximilian, Karan, Julius, Gowtham, Asish, Arunabh, Anuj, Animesh, Ananya, Akash, Janmejay.

We feel that we are going in the right direction and that we are slowly filling the need for fresh air into the Indo-European landscape, bringing innovation and attracting young people to the space.

What’s next 🚀

After an incredible month of achievements, we've set a high standard for the future!😄

Over the coming month, our focus will be on refining and enhancing everything we've started.

Here's what's next on our agenda:

🔎 Reflect and Improve: We'll be summarizing the key learnings from our recent events to make future ones even better. Exciting news for our friends in the Netherlands, Germany, and India – we'll be heading your way soon! Stay tuned for updates.
🧨 Empower Our Ambassadors: We're committed to empowering our ambassadors, enabling them to make significant contributions and advance our mission.

Do you have ideas on what we should do next?

May / June Newsletters Recap 🤓

💻 13: Navigating Venture Capital and PropTech in Europe and India with Aditya Srivastava

Aditya Srivastav, a VC Fellow at Kalaari Capital in Bangalore, offers an insightful look into the venture capital and PropTech landscapes of Europe and India. He highlights the differences in market focus and regulatory environments, noting that European PropTech emphasizes energy efficiency and sustainability, driven by mature regulations and advanced digital infrastructure, while Indian PropTech focuses on mobile-first solutions and affordability to cater to rapid urbanization. Aditya underscores the strategic need for Indian startups to target the US for its vast market and funding opportunities, and we wondered “how can Europe become more attractive?”

🌎 14: Investing in Asia. Comparing Opportunities in India and China with Simone Ciampi, GM of Exprivia in Asia

The article focuses on comparing the markets of two Asian giants: India and China. With insights from Simone Ciampi, GM of Exprivia in Asia, the article analyzes the similarities and differences between these two markets. It offers in-depth perspectives on the increasingly frequent comparison of today's India with China as it was approximately 20 years ago. Specifically, China has become less attractive due to market saturation, rising wealth, and higher labor costs. In contrast, India benefits from strong macroeconomic drivers, lower labor costs, and substantial government incentives. The article also highlights the growth of Global Competence Centers in India and their role in the international expansion of businesses.

💪 15: "Italy Meets South India" how Alfonso Tagliaferri, the Consul General of Italy in Bangalore, is fostering cooperation with Italy in South India

The newsletter features an exclusive interview with Alfonso Tagliaferri, the Consul General of Italy in Bangalore. We explore business opportunities for Italian companies in South India, the role of the new Consulate, and the importance of cultural integration in strengthening economic ties. Highlights include the growing Italy-India partnership, potential in South India's digital and infrastructure sectors, and Tagliaferri's vision for enhancing Italy's presence in the region.

Top Headlines 🚨

India's 2024 general election results show Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP winning the most seats for the third consecutive time but falling short of a majority. 📊 [BBC]
PM Modi and Italian PM Meloni review progress of the India-Italy strategic partnershipduring the G7 Summit, agreeing to strengthen cooperation in global forums and multilateral initiatives. 🌍 [Business Standard]
Schneider Electric opens a new campus in Bengaluru, featuring a global innovation hub, training center, R&D center, and digital hub, set to host over 8,000 professionals. 🌱🏢 [Pv Magazine]
Bulgaria aims to enhance its role in India-EU relations, leveraging its geographical position as the first EU country connecting with India. 🔗 [Business Standard]

Interesting Reads 📊

India Economic Monitor [BCG]
India’s Economic Outlook [Deloitte]
Outcomes of Modinomics 2014-24 [Skoch Group]

Upcoming Events 📅

🙋 In Person Events

🇮🇹 India & Italy Business Meet | Bologna | June 18
🇧🇪 🇳🇱 Meet 30+ Indian Companies Food & Agri Sector| Rotterdam, Amsterdam - June 18 | Antwerp, Belgium - June 18
🇩🇪 Networking Lunch Reception on Indo-German Energy Projects | Munich | June 20
🇩🇪 Indo-German Energy Dialogue on Business Opportunities for Solar Manufacturing, Battery Storage and Green Hydrogen | Munich | June 20
🇮🇳 IFCCI Pune - Networking Cocktail Evening | Pune | June 21
🇳🇱 Opportunities And Threats Of AI In The Netherlands – India Corridor | Amsterdam | June 26
🇳🇱 General Council Meeting - Netherlands India Chamber of Commerce & Trade (NICCT) | Amsterdam | June 26
🇨🇭 Ego Moment and SICC- Swiss-Indian Chamber of Commerce | Zurich | June 27
🇮🇳 IFCCI Mumbai - Networking Cocktail | Mumbai | July 5
🇳🇱Globalization of India: Impact on Cross-Border Talent Mobility | Amsterdam | July 11
🇮🇳 Session on Forensic, Regulatory and Compliance Developments for French companies in India with EY | Mumbai | July 12

🧑‍💻 Webminars

IFCCI Higher Education Committee Webinar on 'Evolution of NEP and FHEI norms: A French Perspective | Webinar | July 3**
Navigating Global Mobility: Compliance Requirements and Considerations for Workforce Movement between India & NL | Webinar | July 3**

Do you know any more events in the Indo - European business environment?

Please write them in the comments so that our community can thrive

Kula’s Jobs Recomm 👩‍💻

Bridge the Gap: Kula’s Job Recommendation

Curious about the companies we've spotlighted in our latest interviews? Dive into our dedicated selection of thrilling job opportunities below! Seize the chance to apply and play your part in strengthening the connection between India and Europe!

Savino Del bene: