Opinion: India is ready — are we? Why Utah should be doubling down on India
India isn't just rising — it's ready. After two weeks on the ground meeting with innovation hubs, manufacturing leaders and government partners from Mumbai to Hyderabad, it's clear that India isn't just a market to watch — it's the market to be in. Across sectors including medtech, aerospace, e-mobility and agriculture, India is demonstrating rapid growth, a collaborative spirit and serious ambition.
With a government laser-focused on becoming a $5 trillion economy by 2029, a swelling consumer base and strong educational and research infrastructure, this is not just a timely moment but also a promising one for Utah companies to engage meaningfully with India.
What stood out most is how embedded innovation is at every level of India's economy. At Hyderabad's T-Hub, the country's largest innovation campus, I met startups working on everything from 360-degree flight simulators for the eVTOL market to cutting-edge healthcare diagnostics. At the Atal Innovation Center - Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (AIC-CCMB), a biotech incubator based in Hyderabad's Pharma Hub, I saw how India is cultivating life sciences companies like Startoon Labs, which developed an FDA-cleared wearable patch for muscle diagnostics — a device physical therapists in the United States could start using tomorrow.
India isn't developing abstract research and development concepts. These are real, export-ready technologies with teams behind them who are eager to collaborate. In fact, AIC-CCMB signed a memorandum of understanding with T-Hub to launch a life sciences program by June. More importantly, they expressed interest in forming a corridor between T-Hub and the Utah Innovation Fund to accelerate cross-border growth. We also met with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay and its innovation arms to explore collaboration opportunities with Utah universities, which is another step toward building long-term academic and commercial ties.
It's time to shelve outdated assumptions about Indian manufacturing. From touring facilities of electrical component makers for India's fast-growing electric rail market to visiting high-quality e-bike producers like EMotorad in the city of Pune, I saw production lines that rival those in Utah. E-Motorad, for instance, is in talks to become a white-label supplier for some of America's largest big-box retailers. This presents a prime opportunity for U.S. manufacturers looking to diversify their supply chains outside of China.
In conversations with India's national investment agency, Invest India, I learned they provide hands-on support — at no cost — for international companies looking to manufacture locally. That level of partnership, especially when backed by a pro-business government, is a game-changer for companies eyeing India as a production base to serve South Asia, the Gulf and even Africa.
What makes these opportunities particularly real is the level of government engagement. Maharashtra, India's most industrialized state, accounts for nearly 40% of the country's GDP. World Trade Center Utah is working to open discussions with its chief minister for a business trip this November. That level of access could unlock opportunities in finance, aerospace, clean energy and more.
I also had valuable discussions with the U.S. Commercial Service, which underscored the scale of India's medtech, aerospace and defense ecosystems. Major players like Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Safran are already there. As India ramps up its domestic capabilities through Make in India, it's encouraging strategic partnerships, not just contracts.
This trip reinforced what many are starting to recognize: India isn't 'next.' It's now.
If we want to help Utah companies stay globally competitive, we need to double down on our relationship with India — through innovation corridors, joint ventures, university and cultural partnerships, and bilateral business delegations.
India is open for business and eager for partners who are in it for the long haul.
World Trade Center Utah is returning in November. Join us.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
DIA to Celebrate 9 Life Sciences Leaders at DIA 2025 Global Annual Meeting in Washington
EMA's Emer Cooke, former FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf to be recognized among new Fellows of DIA and annual Global Inspire Award winners, with special keynote from global health leader Dr. Larry Brilliant and live performance from Grammy-nominated artist Aloe Blacc WASHINGTON, June 04, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DIA, a global non-profit organization of life sciences professionals, will induct four Fellows of DIA and recognize six recipients of Global Inspire Awards and America's Inspire Awards on June 15 as part of the DIA 2025 Global Annual Meeting — including Emer Cooke, Executive Director of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), who is receiving both honors. Fellows of DIA are long-serving members recognized for their sustained dedication to advancing healthcare. The Global Inspire Awards recognize honorees who have made outstanding improvements to global health while adhering to DIA's mission. "These distinguished individuals have made enduring contributions to the life sciences reflecting DIA's values and purpose," said Marwan Fathallah, DIA's President and Chief Executive Officer. "Their work in regulatory science, research, and global collaboration exemplifies the spirit of innovation that drives our mission forward." Cooke has been the EMA's Executive Director and the Chair of the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities (ICMRA) since November 2020. She has more than 30 years of experience in international regulatory affairs, including four years as the director responsible for medical product-related regulatory activities at the World Health Organization (WHO). Dr. Robert M. Califf, who served as the Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from February 2016 to January 2017 and February 2022 to January 2025, is also being recognized as a Fellow of DIA. A nationally recognized expert in cardiovascular medicine and health outcomes research, he has led many landmark clinical trials and is one of the most frequently cited authors in biomedical science. Dr. Califf became a Member of the National Academy of Medicine in 2016. Dr. Michael Rosenblatt and Dr. Hironobu Saito are also being named Fellows of DIA. Rosenblatt, a Senior Partner at Flagship Pioneering and the Immediate Past Chair of DIA's Board of Directors, has advanced biopharmaceutical research and development throughout his career. He was previously Merck's Chief Medical Officer and the Dean of the Tufts University School of Medicine. Saito, a Specially Appointed Professor at Tottori University's Chromosome Engineering Research Center, spent 35 years in drug development at Daiichi Sankyo and has contributed to DIA Japan for more than two decades. In addition to Cooke, who will be presented with the Global Award for Outstanding Contribution to Health, six members of the health and life sciences community will receive Global Inspire Awards: — Kazumichi Kobayashi, Executive Deputy President at Otsuka Medical Device, will be honored with the Global Connector Award for advancing DIA's mission and promoting global collaborations. Kobayashi, who has served in various senior positions in research and development at Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., previously led DIA Japan and chaired the DIA Advisory Council of Japan. — Cary Smithson will receive the Community Engagement Award as a DIA Community Chair who consistently drives engagement while advancing knowledge and thought leadership. Smithson, a Managing Partner at LeapAhead Solutions, leads DIA's Regulatory Affairs Community and Regulatory Information Management (RIM) Intelligent Automation Team, and co-leads its RIM Working Group. —Jennifer B. Christian will be named the Author of the Year, an award given to individuals whose article made the greatest impact on readership based on the number of downloads reported by Therapeutic Innovation & Regulatory Science (TIRS) in the preceding issue year. Her article, co-authored with Mehmet Burcu, Cyntia B. Manzano-Salgado, Anne M. Butler, "A Framework for Extension Studies Using Real-World Data to Examine Long-Term Safety and Effectiveness," was downloaded more than 12,400 times. Global Inspire Award recipients, except for the Author of the Year, must be nominated by two active DIA members to be considered candidates. They undergo a thorough review process before a committee of Fellows of DIA selects the winners. DIA will also recognize the regional Inspire Awards winners from the Americas: — David Fryrear, Chief Quality Officer at Astellas Pharma, will receive the Excellence in Service Award as a DIA volunteer who has significantly contributed to the advancement of the organization's mission. He previously held senior roles at AbbVie and Eli Lilly and Company and spent much of his career developing and improving quality systems. — Elma Abdulbaki, a PharmD student at the University of Illinois at Chicago and President of the DIA National Student Board, will be honored with the Leader of Tomorrow Award for her outstanding contributions as a young professional in the healthcare field. In addition to these awards and recognitions, there will be a performance by Grammy-nominated artist and songwriter Aloe Blacc. Renowned physician, epidemiologist, and global health leader Dr. Larry Brilliant will keynote at the event. Tickets for the awards ceremony are available to the public for the first time and can be purchased by clicking here. These honors will be presented in conjunction with the DIA 2025 Global Annual Meeting, the world's preeminent multidisciplinary life sciences forum held June 15-19 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington. Click here to register or view the DIA 2025 event program. Media members may request credentials by emailing diaglobal@ About DIADIA is a leading global non-profit life science membership association that drives collaboration in drug, device, and diagnostics development in pursuit of a healthier world. Founded in 1964 with headquarters in Washington, D.C., and offices in Europe and Asia, DIA provides unparalleled networking opportunities, educational resources, scientific research publications, and professional development programs to members in more than 80 countries. Learn more at and connect with DIA on LinkedIn, Facebook, X (Twitter), and Instagram. View source version on Contacts Media Katie KennedyGregory FCAdiaglobal@ 610-731-1045 Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
How True Hair Company Founder Karen Mitchell Turned a Side Hustle Into an Eight-Figure Hair Empire
From Rihanna to Demi Moore, Lizzo, and even Beyoncé, Hollywood's biggest stars have turned to True Hair Company for luxury hair extensions and wigs. But behind the glam is Karen Mitchell, a Jamaican-born, Brooklyn-bred entrepreneur who transformed a side hustle into an eight-figure business that's redefining the Black hair industry. The company not only supplies hair pieces for A-list celebrities, but also provides professional women, businesswomen, and the everyday fabulous woman with premium hair units and pieces, giving them the confidence they need to walk into any room while building their businesses and careers. Mitchell, a noted hair extension expert, launched True Indian Hair, the product brand under the umbrella of True Hair Company, after noticing a lack of diversity in ownership within the billion-dollar Black haircare industry. Coupled with her passion for hair and beauty, she embarked on a mission more than two decades ago to provide career women with high-quality extensions and wigs. 'I started True Hair Co/True Indian Hair in 2004 as a side hustle while working my 9-to-5,' she told BLACK ENTERPRISE. Initially, it was 'just something to make extra money for my social activities,' she said. However, she realized that selling imported Indian hair to friends and family was a lucrative business that eventually mirrored the $60,000 yearly salary she earned as a production coordinator in the fashion industry. 'So, when I got laid off from my 9-to-5 in 2006 and was unable to find another job, I decided to gamble on myself and open a store,' she said. With just $15,000 in savings, she cashed in her 401(k) retirement fund and used loans from family and friends to open the first official True Hair Company store in Brooklyn, New York, in 2007. 'It was the scariest decision of my adult life because I had no business knowledge outside of college economics classes. But I felt I had no other option.' Mitchell's lack of financing and experience as a full-time entrepreneur presented a new set of challenges, forcing her to survive on canned soup for months. She realized that stocking a hair store with bundles, closures, frontals, and wigs, along with purchasing stock goods for online orders, required hundreds of thousands of dollars in upfront costs. 'I didn't have the funding for that,' she said. 'The first two years, my store stock was pretty weak,' she admits. At the time, 'there was no other hair store in Brooklyn selling raw Indian hair, and everyone wanted some True Indian Hair. So, there was a huge demand for my product and customers were willing to wait,' she explained. The high demand forced her to learn what she calls 'the flipping game' quickly. 'I would sell and use the profits to buy twice the amount of the last order, and then three times the amount, and so on. Eventually, the positive cash flow flowed enough from flipping bundles to fully stocking my store.' Today, True Hair Company has become an eight-figure business, providing clientele with luxurious hair ethically sourced directly from donors in India. In addition to the original brick-and-mortar in Flatbush, Brooklyn, Mitchell also runs a 3,000 sq. ft, multi-level flagship store in the heart of Manhattan as well as a successful e-commerce website. 'True Indian Hair was one of those side hustles that evolved beyond a hustle into a real business. It wasn't planned, but once I saw the trajectory. I knew I had something special to offer,' she said. Beyond business success, Mitchell founded the nonprofit True Strength, which provides monthly hair and beauty makeovers to women who have experienced hair loss due to cancer-related treatments. Mitchell and her team intend to expand within the next couple of years to other markets, including Atlanta and New Jersey. Her long-term goals include franchising, launching a new haircare product line, and opening locations in Houston, Miami, Washington, Washington, D.C., and London. In an interview, the hair mogul shared insights about her journey, building her celebrity clientele, and strategies for those looking to launch or expand a business. BE: Where does your entrepreneurial spirit stem from? I have always had an entrepreneurial mindset since I was in high school and college. From selling Avon to selling bracelets out of catalogues, I just had a thing for business. My long-term goal was to open a hair salon. I think my entrepreneurial mindset comes from my mom, who sold commodities in Jamaica for a living. Also, my first job out of college was for a fashion company led by a woman. I stayed with that company for 10 years and, looking back, I now see how my boss influenced me as a woman in business. BE: What makes True Hair Company different from other hair extension and wig companies? We set our company apart by primarily focusing on ethically sourced raw Indian hair for our hair bundles and wigs. We have partnered with our factory in India and have our own team on hand in the factory to select only the best premium raw hair for our production. The quality control continues to our NYC hub where every piece of hair is rewashed to ensure there are no tangles or visible hair issues before it is sold to customers. Because of this, we have a less than 3% return or complaint rate. I think being a woman who actually wears my products has been a great asset. I look at every piece of hair as if it's going into my head. I'm not only the owner; I'm also a client. BE: How did you build and maintain relationships with celebrity clients? We have been blessed to have an amazing list of celebrity stylist and brands who trust our products for their clients. Normally, they will reach out to us with their specific needs. Yusef, who styles Rihanna, to Tokyo Stylez, who styles Cardi B, to Hairassasin, who styles JT, to Tym Wallace who styles Mary J. Blige and Taraji P. Henson, to Chis Appleton, who styles Kim Kardashian, and [celebrity hair stylist] Q Hardy, who has trusted our products from day one. This includes working with fashion brands such as LaQuan Smith for NYFW. They love and trust our quality, and we nurture those relationships. BE: What tips would you share with entrepreneurs struggling to generate revenue and build their business? Access to information for funding is easier now than it was when I started my journey almost 20 years ago. Small Business Loans (SML) are available for businesses to borrow for startup or reinvestment. There are also grants available for startups. I find that we sometimes do not do enough research in our communities. Information will not come to you. You have to seek it out. Start with Google. Visit your local chamber of commerce. They are there to serve you. Find a mentor to guide you and be a sounding board, but do so only after you have done your own research and can communicate your wants or needs. No one wants to help someone who doesn't want to help themselves. Before starting a business, an entrepreneur must know who their target audience is in order to know who to market to. Today, digital marketing is huge, and the best free digital marketing is social media. Use it to your advantage. You have to know your audience and engage your audience with content that not only appeals to them but drives them to buy. Build relationships with your customers to create trust and repeat buyers. Hire strategically. Your team has to add value to your company. Lastly, cut unnecessary expenses that are not contributing to the growth of your business. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
RFID for packaging enters new markets, despite pause on FDA traceability rule
This story was originally published on Packaging Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Packaging Dive newsletter. Even though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration hit pause on the Food Traceability Rule, that doesn't mean companies across the supply chain have stopped adopting tracking tools. Many industry participants and observers in the RFID for packaging space don't think the changed timeline will mute work on the technology. Food companies and retailers had been pushing to embrace tracking technologies, such as radio-frequency identification, ahead of the deadline, and packaging suppliers have worked to incorporate RFID tags into their products. But some companies struggled with timely tech adoption in the lead-up to the FDA's compliance deadline of January 2026, prompting organizations including the Food Industry Association to applaud applaud the agency's March announcement of a two-and-a-half year compliance extension to July 20, 2028. FDA proposed the rule during President Trump's first term, following multiple outbreaks tied to romaine lettuce. The intent was to boost producers' recordkeeping and traceability for foods at high risk of contamination so companies could easily identify involved suppliers during a foodborne illness outbreak. Companies must track key data across the supply chain and quickly submit records requested by FDA in instances of potential harm to the public. The government mandate appeared to accelerate deployment. Although RFID has been around for decades, "I am seeing a — I'll use the word 'resurgence' — of RFID investments" in the last 12 to 18 months, said Sandeep Unni, a senior director analyst in Gartner's retail industry research practice. "This became sort of an emergency that they needed to quickly turn around and make that investment, pivot to ensure that they had the compliance come January of '26." Implementation didn't accelerate enough, though, which prompted the agency's extension. While the extension might temper movement, it's unlikely to change the overall trajectory, sources say. "It slows down this expected boost to the RFID industry, but I don't think it shuts it down," said Kirsten Newquist, CEO at Identiv, a digital security and Internet of Things technology company. "My understanding is the FDA is still committed to these regulations. They're just pushing it out to give everyone the time they need to be able to set up the systems accordingly." Although implementation could decelerate in the near term, the sector ultimately is poised for growth, experts say. Tech and packaging companies continue to advance RFID design to overcome known challenges, such as functioning in various temperatures, and to ensure recyclability. While RFID has had a place in transportation logistics for some time, it's still on the early end of adoption in food, observers say. "This is technology that really allows companies to be able to be compliant with these regulations, and in a way that's way more efficient and cost effective, we believe, than traditional bar codes or QR codes," Newquist said. During the last decade, certain retailers and food companies moved forward with RFID for packaging due to factors outside of the FDA. Walmart is considered a major force driving businesses to adopt the technology. Over two decades ago, it launched a mandate that some suppliers use RFID on certain products the retailer carries, which it has since expanded to cover nearly every product. Grocery giants Albertsons and Kroger also have traceability programs in place. The former was an early adopter more than 20 years ago, and the latter announced in October that it would roll out Avery Dennison's RFID inventory automation technology across fresh foods departments. Chipotle introduced RFID nationwide after a 200-restaurant pilot in the Chicago area and asked its suppliers to tag their products. It's the first restaurant chain to make use of this type of inventory management system, according to the company. In the packaging and labels space, Avery Dennison often is heralded as an RFID leader. While early work involved incorporating smart labels on soft goods, such as clothing, the company has expanded its reach into other packaging markets, including food. "We're adding the inlay into the actual packaging materials. And we use a lot of our material science roots to make that as seamless as possible," said Julie Vargas, vice president and general manager of identification solutions at Avery Dennison. "When you do have a food safety event, you know exactly what those serial numbers are and you can isolate those for a recall event." Companies continue to identify new markets to introduce the technology. For instance, it's gaining popularity for inventory management of high-value products to prevent counterfeiting, such as for wine, watches and jewelry, Newquist said. Before scaling RFID, Identiv customers are typically interested in pilot projects — an especially important step for new applications, Newquist said. "They want to make sure that their assumptions around the return on investment are valid, but also just the practical implementation: tagging, read rates, kind of all the assumptions that go into planning and launching a new RFID system," she said. RFID can improve efficiency by slashing the time needed for labor-intensive inventory tasks. "When you're counting boxes, you don't have to actually scan 100 bar codes. You're taking a wireless scan of 100 things, and it's picking up 100 numbers," Vargas said. "Supply chains have never been more complex than they have in the past four to five years, so it's ... really valuable for businesses to optimize these types of scenarios." Still, there's room for additional improvement when it comes to incorporating the technology in packages. "Physics gets in the way of certain types of packaging," Gartner's Unni said. Radio frequency "doesn't play nicely with things like metals and liquids, so we've done a lot to innovate to overcome that," Vargas said. She described how specialty inlays or antennas that are inserted into the packaging itself, instead of in a surface label, alleviate some of those challenges. Although radio-frequency technology hasn't traditionally performed well in temperatures or humidity levels outside typical ambient range, that's changing, too. Modern systems now allow real-time location tracking and temperature monitoring in cold-chain settings, including for pharmaceuticals, Newquist said. Concerns remain about heating metal smart tag components, such as in a microwave if a frozen meal has a tracker on the packaging, but design evolutions are making headway. Although technology improvements are solving some of these challenges, "the reality is that in those types of environments, broader adoption still lags," Unni said. For all of RFID's potential benefits, there are also concerns about impacts to a package's sustainability profile, namely whether and how the smart tags' metal wires, plastics and other materials affect packaging recyclability. Research and testing generally points to RFID devices not impairing recyclability, sources say. "Our mission is to make it the least intrusive as possible," Vargas said. "We've done a lot of work with different MRFs and recycling facilities to make sure that it does not impact the recyclability work stream." Last year, Smurfit Westrock released a report on the topic, based on a study conducted in partnership with Western Michigan University on corrugated boxes with smart tags, including RFID versions. The researchers examined what happened to tag materials during box repulping. Upon testing paper samples made from the repulped boxes, no residual metals were detected by a metal detector. The researchers concluded that smart tags do not have a notable impact on corrugated box recyclability. "All of the materials were removed during the grinding process," said John Dwyer, director of business development at Smurfit Westrock, during a 2024 interview. "We're able to easily separate the corrugate material from the waste product, so there was zero negative impact on fiber recovery." Although smart tags can be separated from recyclable packaging materials, the tracking components are not recycled, Dwyer said. That material is disposed as waste, similar to tapes or staples that are separated from corrugated boxes during recycling. "It's such a small amount of material; it's negligible," he said, pointing out that the silicon chips inside the tags are smaller than a grain of sand. Smurfit Westrock already observes a considerable amount of smart tags traveling through its recycling facilities and expects that volume to balloon. At just one mill, the company recently saw more than 1 million RFID labels over the course of just a few months, Dwyer said. "So we know that this is happening. We know that it's growing." The company believed it was important to conduct new research on RFID and box recyclability because the last notable study on the topic occurred nearly 20 years earlier, prior to many technological advancements that could impact modern recycling practices. Smurfit Westrock wanted to draw conclusions before the technology reaches critical mass and it would be too onerous to reverse course. "We didn't want to tell people on the front end that it's good to put tags on packaging and not be a source of truth," Dwyer said. "So on the back end, we did the work. And now we can, with confidence, recommend that you can use them." Even if RFID implementation experiences a temporary slowdown stemming from the FDA's extended compliance deadline, sources predict significant growth for the next few years. Avery Dennison reported a 15% compound annual growth rate for sales of its intelligent labels between 2018 and 2024, and it's targeting that same percentage for long-term organic sales growth going forward. The company sees considerable opportunities to grow in markets such as food, according to a newly released investor presentation. RFID early adopters "are providing a leadership space that will actually create a real flywheel around this," Avery Dennison's Vargas said of the traceability trend. But other wireless tracking technologies, such as bluetooth low energy and near-field communication, are entering the space and putting pressure on RFID's market foothold. Even so, RFID use in packaging won't wane anytime soon, sources say. "RFID is still very much relevant," said Gartner's Unni, noting that he is "cautiously bullish" on its future. "Those that have leaned in on RFID earlier ... I think this is the natural extension to scale this tech into their supply chain and realize the additional benefits, as well as compliance." Observers believe that RFID not only will maintain its role in packaging and product traceability, but in fact will expand — both organically and driven by regulation. Phenix Label announced in January that it had doubled its production capacity for RFID-enabled packaging for hard-to-tag retail items, including some liquids. Describing a newly announced deal between RFID tech solutions provider Radar and retailer Old Navy, Michael Roxland, Truist Securities senior paper and packaging analyst, said in a March note to investors that the project signals retailers' "continued interest in the technology." Economic uncertainty resulting from tariffs could dampen traceability investments, but the impact likely will be short-lived, sources say. For instance, most of Avery Dennison's cross-border trade in North America, including for RFID technologies, is compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, Roxland noted in April. RFID for packaging isn't only about ensuring food safety and quality. But food traceability very well could be what pushes the technology toward mainstream adoption in the coming years. "This is going to be the rails that the industry runs on. And we're just getting started," Vargas said. Recommended Reading Kroger rolls out Avery Dennison RFID tech
