Why Doesn't India Have Its Own Silicon Valley?

Despite its tech prowess, the country still needs to build a true startup ecosystem.

Infosys set up in Bangalore, far from watchful eyes in Delhi.

Photographer: Gireesh Gv/The India Today Group/Getty Images
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When India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Silicon Valley this weekend, he'll meet some of the most influential, innovative and wealthy Indians in the world. Two of the planet's most powerful technology companies have CEOs of Indian origin: Microsoft's Satya Nadella and Google's Sundar Pichai. Indeed, one study found that 15 percent of all Silicon Valley startups in 2012 were led by Indians, even though they comprised only 6 percent of the area’s population.

The question Modi should ask himself is this: Why hasn’t India been able to replicate, even in in some small measure, Silicon Valley's top-end technology ecosystem? Why haven't Indians been able to create a Google or Facebook in Bangalore?