Startups, Enterprises, and GCCs must Collaborate to Innovate, Co-Create for the Future As India's startup and enterprise ecosystems mature, the real winners will be those who collaborate and co-create instead of compete.

Startups, large enterprises, and global capability centres (GCCs) have a tremendous opportunity to collaborate, innovate, and co-create for the digital future, experts said at the Nasscom Future Forge event in Bengaluru on Thursday.

For startups, the first step is to move beyond the "pilot trap." Large enterprises are often flooded with proof-of-concept (PoC) pitches, many of which never scale. Startups must approach with clarity on the business impact beyond just technology. This means aligning with enterprise pain points, co-developing value propositions, and being ready to adapt their solutions to fit into complex IT and compliance environments. Demonstrating scalability, security, and support readiness builds trust and accelerates adoption.

GCCs, on the other hand, are evolving from back-office support hubs to innovation engines. As they focus on AI, cloud, and digital transformation, there's a growing appetite to plug into external innovation networks. Startups can benefit by becoming co-creation partners, integrating with enterprise innovation labs or accelerators within GCCs. The opportunity lies in embedding solutions into ongoing transformation initiatives — such as predictive analytics in supply chain, generative AI in customer support, or automation in finance operations.

"Deep tech is becoming the backbone of how industries operate and how businesses are differentiating. Startups are nimble and willing to experiment while enterprises offer the scale and customer reach. GCCs have evolved from cost centres to innovation engines. So there is a huge opportunity to collaborate," said Vinod Sood, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Hughes Systique Corporation, a leading digital engineering services firm.

B2B startups are always looking for product market fit and market access, said Manish Gupta, Co-Founder and CEO, Rezo.ai, a Noida-based automation company. "So, such startups must leverage the experience of GCCs and enterprises."

American retail chain Lowe's with 1,800 stores in the US has its GCC presence in India since last 10 years. "During this time, we have moved ahead from becoming a cost centre to becoming an innovative ideas hub from India. We have built a point-of-sale (POS) device and a marketplace platform globally from India," said Mayur Purandar, VP Omni-Channel Merchandising Technology, Lowes India.

Lowe's India has created an organisation internally to collaborate with startups and evaluate their fitment for partnerships, Purandar added.

To be sure, what makes these partnerships succeed is not just tech compatibility, but cultural fitment. Enterprises must be willing to experiment and loosen procurement rigidity. On the flip side, startups must show maturity in governance, IP clarity, and support. It's no longer about the size of the company, but the speed of impact. As India's startup and enterprise ecosystems mature, the real winners will be those who collaborate, not compete.