The US Department of Commerce’s SelectUSA programe will hold its first-ever India Road Show from October 13-16 in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. President Obama launched SelectUSA in 2011 to promote business investment into the United States. SelectUSA was created at the federal level to showcase the United States as the world’s premier business location and to provide easy access to federal-level programmes and services related to business investment. It provides information, data analysis, ombudsman services, and tools to connect investors with state and local economic development organisations across the United States.
India is now the fourth fastest growing source of investment in the United States, with US$11 billion of historical investment and counting. Indian firms employ around 44,000 American workers, and export more than US$ two billion worth of goods from the United States. The number of Indian companies operating in the US has increased from an estimated 85 in 2005 to over 200 companies today.
Top US government officials, including leaders in the Department of Commerce and SelectUSA, have made multiple visits to India in the past two years. In addition, India had one of the largest delegations at the March 2015 SelectUSA Investment Summit that was held in Washington, DC. SelectUSA has recently hired a full time staff member in Bengaluru to provide consultative support to investors throughout India.
Each Road Show stop will feature a half-day seminar with sessions by American professionals on investment visas, legal and financial issues, investment incentives, and successful investment strategies, followed by one-on-one consultations with a range of participating US states and localities.