Strategic Consulting
BRIDGE TO INDIA’s core business is consulting. We support international technology companies and investors with superior insight and analysis, with an entrepreneurial approach to developing functioning business models as well as with a strong and specialized network.
As specific products, we provide “Market Insight”, “Success Drivers”, “Strategy Development”, “Business Development”,as well as“Stakeholder Management”.
All four categories are essential for success. With our “Market Insight” we provide clarity and structure on your specific market, assess competitive dynamics, prices, cost-structures and financial, legal and political frameworks. With our “Success Drivers” we analyze your risk, analyze your competition, identify your target price and provide you best-practice cases. With our “Strategy Development” we devise India-specific business models in close cooperation with our clients. With our “Business Development” wesupport you in identifying and developing specific business opportunities, provide access to the right partners and service providers to execute a strategy and provide negotiation support. With our “Stakeholder Management” we map political processes and provide a comprehensive stakeholder analysis.
Market Insight
The Indian market is in fact not one but many markets. There are different states with very different characteristics and trajectories. Some of them racing into the future, others struggling to function. There are the great urban centers of Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Ahmedabad or Calcutta – with large middle-classes, industry and their very own strengths and weaknesses. There are various new urban centers emerging across the country: cities almost unknown outside India but with over a million inhabitants each and growing rapidly – like Madurai, Coimbatore, Indore, Bhopal or Lucknow. And then there is the vast rural hinterland, a market that is just emerging. India has world-famous, very large corporate houses that are competing internationally. There isalso a vibrant landscape of entrepreneurial small and medium sized companies often operating only in certain regions of the country.And there is a vast informal sector. Within the diversity, there are some general trends.For example:India is a fiercely price-competitive market and investment horizons are usually quite short.While the country is diverse in itself, it is certainly also different as a whole to all other markets. India is one of-its-kind. And success in India starts with understanding exactly what kind of market one can successfully develop. We provide our clients the consulting support they need to understand the specific market dynamics of their industry in India.
Success Drivers
The Indian market is idiosyncratic. It has its own, specific success drivers. These relate to issues such as dealing with human resources, pricing and sales, understanding customer behavior and competitive pressures. We help you to identify the success drivers for your business and optimally leverage the strengths of the Indian market.
Strategy Development
India offers great opportunities, especially as it continues to grow. However, it is not easily accessible and realizing its potential requires perseverance, adaptation and entrepreneurial imagination. It is a strategic, not an opportunistic market. We support you in developing your strategy on topics such as: where you want to position yourself, if and how you want to adapt your product, what business model to chose, whether to work with a partner, and how to develop financial scenarios.
Business Development
India is an entrepreneurs’ market. Many new industries and businesses are in the early phases of development. Market structures are just emerging. Many market participants are driven by specific business opportunities rather than strategy. We understand ourselves as a co-entrepreneur for our clients. That means that we support you in the development of your business in India in a very concrete, results-oriented manner. This can take many different forms. For example: we identify projects or key clients for you and help you develop them; we help you establish a new technology in the Indian market through a reference project; we support you in finding a strong and reliable partner in India and help you during the negotiations.
Stakeholder Management
Understanding and engaging with your wider business environment is important – especially in a country like India, which has one of the world’s richest landscapes of civil society movements, a huge variety of communities, a rapidly evolving business sector and a strong and complex bureaucratic and political structure. Especially when it comes to infrastructure projects, understanding all stakeholders with their motivations and processes is crucial. We support you in actively engaging with them.
As specific products, we provide “Market Insight”, “Success Drivers”, “Strategy Development”, “Business Development”,as well as“Stakeholder Management”.
All four categories are essential for success. With our “Market Insight” we provide clarity and structure on your specific market, assess competitive dynamics, prices, cost-structures and financial, legal and political frameworks. With our “Success Drivers” we analyze your risk, analyze your competition, identify your target price and provide you best-practice cases. With our “Strategy Development” we devise India-specific business models in close cooperation with our clients. With our “Business Development” wesupport you in identifying and developing specific business opportunities, provide access to the right partners and service providers to execute a strategy and provide negotiation support. With our “Stakeholder Management” we map political processes and provide a comprehensive stakeholder analysis.
Market Insight
The Indian market is in fact not one but many markets. There are different states with very different characteristics and trajectories. Some of them racing into the future, others struggling to function. There are the great urban centers of Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Ahmedabad or Calcutta – with large middle-classes, industry and their very own strengths and weaknesses. There are various new urban centers emerging across the country: cities almost unknown outside India but with over a million inhabitants each and growing rapidly – like Madurai, Coimbatore, Indore, Bhopal or Lucknow. And then there is the vast rural hinterland, a market that is just emerging. India has world-famous, very large corporate houses that are competing internationally. There isalso a vibrant landscape of entrepreneurial small and medium sized companies often operating only in certain regions of the country.And there is a vast informal sector. Within the diversity, there are some general trends.For example:India is a fiercely price-competitive market and investment horizons are usually quite short.While the country is diverse in itself, it is certainly also different as a whole to all other markets. India is one of-its-kind. And success in India starts with understanding exactly what kind of market one can successfully develop. We provide our clients the consulting support they need to understand the specific market dynamics of their industry in India.
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Market Potential Analysis
The Indian market is constantly and often unpredictably changing: infrastructure is being built-up rapidly, new companies and products emerge and grow and existing conglomerates expand into new fields. We can support you in making sense of the dynamic in order to identify your business opportunities. We give you an overview of the main industry trends, the competitive environment, the status of technology and other relevant market information. We assess your business segments, the volumes and prices and the likely growth scenarios to give you a realistic estimation of your market potential in India.
Financial Framework Analysis
Especially in the infrastructure sector, including the energy sector, finding the right kind of financing is crucial to success. There are a great number of equity investors, often with a very specific investment focus and there are various options for mezzanine and debt finance. Indian and international banks often have a different view of the market risks. We support you in understanding what options are available and at what conditions to identify the ideal financing partners for you.
Policy Framework Analysis
In India, policy frameworks on issues such as subsidies, import and trade, special economic zones, regulation or deregulation are often very complex. Moreover, relevant policies are made at the central as well as the state levels. We help you understand and evaluate the key policies and policy dynamics. We also clarify how far and in what manner policies are put into practice and what likely developments are.
Legal Framework Analysis
India follows the Anglo-Saxon system of law and by-and-large has a strong legal system to protect the rights of international investors. However, given the enormous backlog of cases, fighting a lawsuit may take years. Together with our legal partners, we support you in assessing the legal risks and exit and mitigation methods in fields such as joint ventures and acquisitions, copyright, ownership of land or human resource contracts.
The Indian market is constantly and often unpredictably changing: infrastructure is being built-up rapidly, new companies and products emerge and grow and existing conglomerates expand into new fields. We can support you in making sense of the dynamic in order to identify your business opportunities. We give you an overview of the main industry trends, the competitive environment, the status of technology and other relevant market information. We assess your business segments, the volumes and prices and the likely growth scenarios to give you a realistic estimation of your market potential in India.
Financial Framework Analysis
Especially in the infrastructure sector, including the energy sector, finding the right kind of financing is crucial to success. There are a great number of equity investors, often with a very specific investment focus and there are various options for mezzanine and debt finance. Indian and international banks often have a different view of the market risks. We support you in understanding what options are available and at what conditions to identify the ideal financing partners for you.
Policy Framework Analysis
In India, policy frameworks on issues such as subsidies, import and trade, special economic zones, regulation or deregulation are often very complex. Moreover, relevant policies are made at the central as well as the state levels. We help you understand and evaluate the key policies and policy dynamics. We also clarify how far and in what manner policies are put into practice and what likely developments are.
Legal Framework Analysis
India follows the Anglo-Saxon system of law and by-and-large has a strong legal system to protect the rights of international investors. However, given the enormous backlog of cases, fighting a lawsuit may take years. Together with our legal partners, we support you in assessing the legal risks and exit and mitigation methods in fields such as joint ventures and acquisitions, copyright, ownership of land or human resource contracts.
Success Drivers
The Indian market is idiosyncratic. It has its own, specific success drivers. These relate to issues such as dealing with human resources, pricing and sales, understanding customer behavior and competitive pressures. We help you to identify the success drivers for your business and optimally leverage the strengths of the Indian market.
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Key Success Factors
Each market has its own key success factors. The international or general success factors in your market may hold true, they may also be almost inversed in an Indian environment. We help you understand what the key success factors for your business in India are, specific to your industry, technology, niche or even the region you approach.
Risk Analysis
A market as rapidly changing as India has many more risks than a developed and stabilized market. This is reflected in the higher return expectations of many investors. The risks arise not only from a very dynamic and competitive environment. There are also significant legal, political, social, economic, technological or project risks. Your success will depend not only on how well you capitalize on the opportunities of the Indian market, but also on how well you can manage the risks. We help you assess and evaluate them.
Target Pricing
In most industries, India is a very price-sensitive and competitive market. Its rates for mobile telephony, for example, are amongst the lowest in the world and with the Tata Nano, it has developed the cheapest car. Often, price is the single most decisive factor for a purchase decision. Reaching a competitive price-point is, therefore, imperative. We help you identify the target price for your product as well as the underlying cost structures of your competitors.
Customer Mapping
A society as large as India’s has a huge variety of potential customers. Depending on your business field, you may wish to sell to the government, to other businesses or to the end customer. In each case, a thorough understanding of the characteristics and purchase motivations of your customer will be important. We help you achieve that through our customer mapping.
Competition Analysis
Your competitor in India may be an international company, a large Indian corporation, or a small challenger. Typically, competitors come from outside of your known peer group. India is driven by entrepreneurs and conglomerates leveraging their balance-sheetswith regional know-how or access to the market, rather than a specific skill or technology. We support you in understanding the competitive environment in India:the value propositions and business models.
Best-Practice Cases
One of the most effective ways to learn about winning strategies in the Indian market is to learn from other companies’ successes and mistakes. Some Indian companies have created radically new approaches to traditional business, often managing to significantly reduce costs. There are also international companies who have managed to adapt to the Indian market and leverage its strengths to such an extent that their Indian operations have stimulated their business in other markets. And then, of course, there are companies who have tried and failed, offering valuable lessons to others. Through our market knowledge and access to companies, we can provide you with relevant best-practice cases from India.
Each market has its own key success factors. The international or general success factors in your market may hold true, they may also be almost inversed in an Indian environment. We help you understand what the key success factors for your business in India are, specific to your industry, technology, niche or even the region you approach.
Risk Analysis
A market as rapidly changing as India has many more risks than a developed and stabilized market. This is reflected in the higher return expectations of many investors. The risks arise not only from a very dynamic and competitive environment. There are also significant legal, political, social, economic, technological or project risks. Your success will depend not only on how well you capitalize on the opportunities of the Indian market, but also on how well you can manage the risks. We help you assess and evaluate them.
Target Pricing
In most industries, India is a very price-sensitive and competitive market. Its rates for mobile telephony, for example, are amongst the lowest in the world and with the Tata Nano, it has developed the cheapest car. Often, price is the single most decisive factor for a purchase decision. Reaching a competitive price-point is, therefore, imperative. We help you identify the target price for your product as well as the underlying cost structures of your competitors.
Customer Mapping
A society as large as India’s has a huge variety of potential customers. Depending on your business field, you may wish to sell to the government, to other businesses or to the end customer. In each case, a thorough understanding of the characteristics and purchase motivations of your customer will be important. We help you achieve that through our customer mapping.
Competition Analysis
Your competitor in India may be an international company, a large Indian corporation, or a small challenger. Typically, competitors come from outside of your known peer group. India is driven by entrepreneurs and conglomerates leveraging their balance-sheetswith regional know-how or access to the market, rather than a specific skill or technology. We support you in understanding the competitive environment in India:the value propositions and business models.
Best-Practice Cases
One of the most effective ways to learn about winning strategies in the Indian market is to learn from other companies’ successes and mistakes. Some Indian companies have created radically new approaches to traditional business, often managing to significantly reduce costs. There are also international companies who have managed to adapt to the Indian market and leverage its strengths to such an extent that their Indian operations have stimulated their business in other markets. And then, of course, there are companies who have tried and failed, offering valuable lessons to others. Through our market knowledge and access to companies, we can provide you with relevant best-practice cases from India.
Strategy Development
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Market Positioning
How can you develop a strong USP in the Indian market and position yourself in the short and long-run? For some companies a high-price, niche-market positioning may be a good starting point. In other cases, it is necessary to develop a price-competitive strategy for the general market. We help you position yourself in the Indian market and reach the necessary prices without diluting your brand, core qualities and USP.
Product Adaptation
The Indian market has its own, unique characteristics: these may be influenced by customer preferences, climatic conditions, or cultural, social, political and business dynamics. It often makes sense to adapt a product or service to the specific needs of the Indian market. We support you in defining exactly what the criteria for a successful product in India are and how you can adapt your product accordingly. We can also support you in developing new products from scratch, based on the requirements of the Indian market.
Business Model Development
A successful business model in India may differ from that in other markets. Often, businesses are required to take on a larger share of the risk – either in order to sell their product or to create framework conditions that they take for granted in other markets. At the same time, India offers an impressive variety of new business models (many of them highly cost driven). With our highly entrepreneurial approach, we support you in developing your own business model for the Indian market.
Partnership Strategy
It may make sense for you to work in India with a strong local partner. Such a partner could give you fast access to projects or customers, could provide funding, complementary products or local manufacturing expertise. Developing partnerships that are a win-win situation for both sides and where there is a high degree of mutual trust and shared goals is, however, very difficult. We support you in assessing whether a partnership is needed at all, and if so, what kind would be most effective.
Financial Modeling and Projections
Based on our knowledge of specific markets, we can develop financial models for you to evaluate different scenarios for your business based on different risks and potential market developments. We will enrich these models with up-to-date market information.
How can you develop a strong USP in the Indian market and position yourself in the short and long-run? For some companies a high-price, niche-market positioning may be a good starting point. In other cases, it is necessary to develop a price-competitive strategy for the general market. We help you position yourself in the Indian market and reach the necessary prices without diluting your brand, core qualities and USP.
Product Adaptation
The Indian market has its own, unique characteristics: these may be influenced by customer preferences, climatic conditions, or cultural, social, political and business dynamics. It often makes sense to adapt a product or service to the specific needs of the Indian market. We support you in defining exactly what the criteria for a successful product in India are and how you can adapt your product accordingly. We can also support you in developing new products from scratch, based on the requirements of the Indian market.
Business Model Development
A successful business model in India may differ from that in other markets. Often, businesses are required to take on a larger share of the risk – either in order to sell their product or to create framework conditions that they take for granted in other markets. At the same time, India offers an impressive variety of new business models (many of them highly cost driven). With our highly entrepreneurial approach, we support you in developing your own business model for the Indian market.
Partnership Strategy
It may make sense for you to work in India with a strong local partner. Such a partner could give you fast access to projects or customers, could provide funding, complementary products or local manufacturing expertise. Developing partnerships that are a win-win situation for both sides and where there is a high degree of mutual trust and shared goals is, however, very difficult. We support you in assessing whether a partnership is needed at all, and if so, what kind would be most effective.
Financial Modeling and Projections
Based on our knowledge of specific markets, we can develop financial models for you to evaluate different scenarios for your business based on different risks and potential market developments. We will enrich these models with up-to-date market information.
Business Development
India is an entrepreneurs’ market. Many new industries and businesses are in the early phases of development. Market structures are just emerging. Many market participants are driven by specific business opportunities rather than strategy. We understand ourselves as a co-entrepreneur for our clients. That means that we support you in the development of your business in India in a very concrete, results-oriented manner. This can take many different forms. For example: we identify projects or key clients for you and help you develop them; we help you establish a new technology in the Indian market through a reference project; we support you in finding a strong and reliable partner in India and help you during the negotiations.
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Project Identification and Screening
Identifying and developing projects is a very good approach to developing business in India as it allows the project partners to directly experience the Indian market. However, finding a feasible and viable project that can be executed within a reasonable period of time is crucial. Especially in the field of renewable energy, there is currently a great hype. Many companies and private investors with little or no relation to the business are interested in developing renewable energy projects. The enthusiasm opens up many opportunities, but it also creates the significant challenge of evaluating the large number of potential projects. A large majority of them may not be commercially or technologically feasible. Good projects – with a high likelihood of success, professional partners and a realistic commercial perspective – are scarce. We help you identify them by screening project opportunities you have received, through our existing database of projects and through our active project identification services.
Project Development (Feasibility Studies, DPRs)
Once you have decided on specific projects, we, together with our technical partners, can support you in developing them from a first commercial assessment to the feasibility study and the detailed project report. We also help you obtain the required permits and clearances, the power purchasing agreement and related processes such as emissions or renewable energy certificates. We can also support you in identifying debt and equity financing options and through our partners can give you legal advice on how to structure the investment.
Partner Due Diligence
You may be considering partnering with one or more local companies. Such a partnership can take many forms: it could be a franchising or licensing model, a sales partnership, a project-based co-investment, a full-fledged joint venture or any other form of cooperation. It will be extremely important for you to understand exactly what company you are dealing with: their corporate culture, expectations, strategy, strengths and weaknesses will determine the success of the partnership. We help you to either search for the right partner or screen partners you have already identified to give you a concrete second opinion.
Negotiation Support
We support you during your negotiations with business partners. We contribute with our understanding of the industry, the Indian economy, and the business culture to making your negotiations a success. We help you avoid misunderstandings and clarify each position and deliverables. By making sure that you are not overlooking key elements of a potential cooperation, we enable you to optimally leverage your position. We can also include our legal partners to support you.
Distribution Channel and Key Customer Development
If you have a product or service that should be sold directly to a customer in India, we can support you in developing a distribution channel through: setting-up of HR and logistics structures, identifying suitable partners where neededand determining target customer groups and their potentials. We can also support you in systematically developing key, individual customers for your product or service.
Stakeholder Management
Understanding and engaging with your wider business environment is important – especially in a country like India, which has one of the world’s richest landscapes of civil society movements, a huge variety of communities, a rapidly evolving business sector and a strong and complex bureaucratic and political structure. Especially when it comes to infrastructure projects, understanding all stakeholders with their motivations and processes is crucial. We support you in actively engaging with them.
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Political Decision Mapping
Strong interaction with individuals and organizations in the public sector is crucial to maintaining a grasp on the rapidly evolving policy dynamic in India. Key regulations may be in constant flux. We help you map how decisions are made and help you predict likely outcomes of the decision-making process.
Pressure Group Mapping
There may be a number of different, non-political actors that impact the decision-making processes either from outside or from the inside. These may be lobby groups, people’s movements, political parties or even individuals. The actors may be extremely influential in your industry. We help you identify them and understand what their trajectories are.
Stakeholder Analysis
We can develop for you an overall stakeholder analysis to include your customers, your suppliers, the political framework, academia and research as well as civil society. This will help you exactly understand all the factors influencing your business today and tomorrow. It will also help you in taking an active role in your stakeholder environment.
Stakeholder Exchange Platforms
The political decision-makers sometimes actively ask for input from companies, research institutions or key individuals. This is especially the case in newly developing industries and with respect to new technologies. Often, however, the relevant platforms for exchanging opinions and views between the public and private sector are not in place. We support companies in developing “Industry Exchange Platforms” wherein they can interact systematically and over a longer period of time with other key stakeholders, including the government.
Strong interaction with individuals and organizations in the public sector is crucial to maintaining a grasp on the rapidly evolving policy dynamic in India. Key regulations may be in constant flux. We help you map how decisions are made and help you predict likely outcomes of the decision-making process.
Pressure Group Mapping
There may be a number of different, non-political actors that impact the decision-making processes either from outside or from the inside. These may be lobby groups, people’s movements, political parties or even individuals. The actors may be extremely influential in your industry. We help you identify them and understand what their trajectories are.
Stakeholder Analysis
We can develop for you an overall stakeholder analysis to include your customers, your suppliers, the political framework, academia and research as well as civil society. This will help you exactly understand all the factors influencing your business today and tomorrow. It will also help you in taking an active role in your stakeholder environment.
Stakeholder Exchange Platforms
The political decision-makers sometimes actively ask for input from companies, research institutions or key individuals. This is especially the case in newly developing industries and with respect to new technologies. Often, however, the relevant platforms for exchanging opinions and views between the public and private sector are not in place. We support companies in developing “Industry Exchange Platforms” wherein they can interact systematically and over a longer period of time with other key stakeholders, including the government.
