Hyderabad: The City of Pearls Becomes a City of Entrepreneurs

With a rich history spanning more than 400 years, Hyderabad, a city once known for its palaces and pearls, is reinventing itself as the entrepreneurship capital of India.

In late November, the United States and India will co-host the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (#GES2017) in Hyderabad, one more sign of our countries’ broad and enduring partnership. As we celebrate 70 years of the U.S.-India relationship, the event will underscore how India has crafted a business environment conducive to innovation and entrepreneurship — thanks in part to government policies which increase the ease of doing business, eliminate unnecessary regulations, and support startups. Hyderabad’s home state of Telangana is ranked as one of the easiest places to conduct business in India. The presence of flagship U.S. tech firms, a robust startup ecosystem, premier academic institutions, top-notch talent, and supportive government policies, all combine to make Hyderabad the epicenter for entrepreneurship in India.

A global second home to U.S. giants such as Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Apple and Uber amongst many others, Hyderabad has become a bustling hub for innovation and entrepreneurial activity in the country. Hyderabad is home to some of the most dynamic and forward-leaning talent incubators in India, and many of these organizations, including T-Hub and the Indian School of Business, have become models for the role that incubators and higher education can play in fostering talent.

The overarching theme of GES 2017 is “Women first, prosperity for all,” and Hyderabad is home to many organizations with a long history of promoting women’s entrepreneurship, including The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) or the Association of Lady Entrepreneurs of India (ALEAP). Our Embassy in New Delhi and Consulate in Hyderabad have worked closely with both these organizations to help ensure that women in India have access to resources to help their businesses thrive. Many of the summit’s panels and discussions will revolve around exactly this topic.

All of this innovation and dynamism has earned Hyderabad, once the “City of Pearls,” a new moniker: Cyberabad. As the host city to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in 2017, Hyderabad, working in partnership with the United States, hopes to not only bring global best practices home to India but also to become an integral part of the global entrepreneurial ecosystem and bring together the innovation and energy of entrepreneurs across the world for an enterprising tomorrow.