Bengaluru: Expatriates living and working in Bengaluru see the city evolving into one of the world’s leading technology and business hubs over the next decade, citing its cosmopolitan culture, economic strength, and thriving startup ecosystem.Speaking at the Expat Business Council’s (EBC) June networking event last weekend, they shared their outlook on the city, identifying AI, technology, and advanced manufacturing as key sectors expected to attract investments.Chandra Arya, CEO of Acleo Strategies Inc and former MP of Canada, said, “Bengaluru is not just a city. The GDP is big and the population is big. It is equal to or better than many countries.”Arya said that opportunities exist across nearly every tech sector, from chip design and PCB manufacturing to space technology. He also noted that businesses looking to set up offices should look beyond the central business district, as the city is rapidly expanding. “Expansion is coming from places like Dobbaspet, Devanahalli, Hoskote, Chikkaballapur, Peenya, Nagasandra, and Whitefield side,” added Arya.“Being an international city with a lot of startups with cross-cultural exchange, we know Bengaluru will grow further. Hopefully, it develops in a good and green direction. The city already has many trees, which I hope it can maintain,” said EBC president Anna Kuhnt.When asked what sectors are likely to attract investment, Kuhnt said the rise of AI makes it difficult to predict, but blue-collar jobs and skills like handicrafts will continue to remain relevant as they cannot be easily replaced by AI. “I also think networking will become more important because humans will, again, become more central in future,” she said.Franco Bellillo, COO of SUN Mobility, said Bengaluru will continue to attract investments in the IT and AI sectors and will remain a major tech hub, but infrastructure could become a limiting factor. “I think the biggest block to Bengaluru’s growth is traffic and infrastructure. Moving around here is a hassle. As it is, I see people moving to other cities that put more money into infrastructure, like Hyderabad. Bengaluru will remain the hub with many well-established companies, but when these companies think of expansion, they may start to move because of costs and infrastructure.”Arya echoed similar concerns, saying physical connectivity remains one of the city’s biggest challenges. “Transport is an obvious challenge. The Metro is expanding, but last-mile connectivity from Metro to the destination is still a challenge, despite autorickshaws trying to fill the gap.”‘Impressed by jugaad’Heike Wolter, co-author of the book ‘What the West Should Learn From India’, said, “What I liked most about India was finding jugaad (workaround). It is so common, and people embrace difficult situations and find a way out.”
