Couldn’t agree more with this. At Eat Atlás this is the mission — to build a flavor-first global brand from India, for the world. We’re not chasing just scale, we’re chasing soft power — through taste, storytelling, and design. Love seeing this conversation pick up momentum.
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Uday Kotak just exposed a hard truth: India has 1.4 billion people, but no global consumer brand. In a recent interview, he asked: “Give me one Indian consumer brand recognized from Boston to Paris to Sydney,” he asked. “Frankly, I’ve struggled to find one.” And he’s not wrong. We lead in tech. We lead in pharma. But in consumer branding: We’re missing from the global conversation. So what’s stopping us? 1. The comfort zone of the home market India’s 1.4B consumers offer scale, safety, and steady profits. That breeds comfort—not ambition. He puts it plainly: “We’ve got a very protected country… Entrepreneurs are comfortable here.” 2. Misreading global preferences Tata Nano is a classic case. Affordable in India. But seen as “cheap” in Western markets. Indian brands are seen as “value,” not “premium.” That kills aspiration. 3. No cultural storytelling We export great products. But not stories, identity, or aspiration. We export high-quality tea. But there’s no global brand making Indian tea feel as aspirational as Italian coffee or Japanese matcha. For Example, Look at South Korea. Much smaller than India. But it made its culture aspirational worldwide. K-pop. K-dramas. Tech. Beauty. Food. Even in India, Korean culture is thriving. Why did it work? Because Korea invested in storytelling. It combined emotion with quality. It turned “Made in Korea” into a symbol of aspiration. But the question is, Can India build one? Yes. Take Amul for example. For decades, it served India with unmatched reliability. But in 2024, it launched fresh milk in the US: Partnering with the 108-year-old Michigan Milk Producers Association. It’s the first time Amul took its cooperative model global, Where the company is owned by millions of small farmers and Whatever Amul earns, goes back to these farmers. With this step, Amul is showing the world it’s here to stay. But here’s the twist. Building a global consumer brands isn’t just about growing sales. It’s about building soft power. Soft power is a nation’s ability to influence others not through force, but through attraction. India has: ✔ A massive diaspora ✔ A global film industry ✔ A rich cultural identity ✔ A rising startup ecosystem For example- Dangal became one of China’s top-grossing foreign films. Laapataa Ladies earned more in Japan than in India. So why hasn’t Indian culture become a global force—beyond yoga, food, or festivals? Because culture alone isn’t enough. It needs brands, narratives, and intentional reach. The way forward? India must: ✅ Think global ✅ Design for desire ✅ Lead with identity ✅ Export dreams Because scale isn’t enough anymore. Being known brings meaning. And soft power creates real influence. What Indian brand do you think has the potential to go global? Or—what's holding us back? 👇 Would love to hear your take. REPOST this to help others. SHARE this with others. FOLLOW your man Parth for premium finance content. #Finance #InvestmentBanking #LinkedIn