CM Naidu Pitches Andhra Pradesh as Investment Destination at Singapore Startup Roundtable

• Naidu invited venture capitalists and startup investors to explore opportunities in Andhra Pradesh

• He said the state is promoting manufacturing, entrepreneurship and startup growth through policies like One Family, One Entrepreneur

• He also discussed partnerships in AI, cloud, logistics, green energy, education and urban development with Singapore and global organisations

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday invited venture capitalists and startup investors to explore opportunities in the state, highlighting its growing industrial ecosystem, innovation infrastructure and investor-friendly policies.

During the two-day visit to Singapore, the chief minister is scheduled to hold discussions with government leaders, industry representatives and investors to attract investments and explore partnerships across infrastructure, technology, manufacturing, education and skill development sectors in Andhra Pradesh.

Indian High Commissioner to Singapore Shilpak Ambule, Municipal Minister P Narayana and startup venture capitalists attended the roundtable meeting.

"This is the right time to establish industrial projects, and I invite investors to come forward. Venture capitalists have the opportunity to invest in startups incubated and developed through the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub," Naidu said in a release.

He noted that India is achieving economic growth at a rapid pace and has emerged as a leader in manufacturing advanced equipment, including medical technology products, while also exporting electronics products to global markets.

Naidu said the country is manufacturing advanced products, including fifth-generation fighter aircraft, and benefits from the 'world's largest' youth workforce supported by a strong demographic dividend. He said the state is implementing the 'One Family, One Entrepreneur' policy to promote manufacturing and entrepreneurship.

The chief minister said Andhra Pradesh is providing land for projects through the land pooling model.

He noted that the government has provided speedy approvals and allocated land to industries such as Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), Google and ArcelorMittal, while industrial zones such as Sri City are attracting huge investments. He urged venture capitalists to support promising innovations and participate in the state's startup ecosystem, the release added.

"We seek cooperation in robotics, medical devices, hardware and electronics manufacturing sectors. The youth of Andhra Pradesh are ready to meet the workforce requirements of Singapore's technology sector," Naidu said.

During the meeting, Ambule discussed opportunities for expanding Singapore's trade relations in Andhra. Naidu said Singapore should become a key partner in Andhra Pradesh's development journey.

The chief minister further said farmers have come forward to practice natural farming on two million acres.

Naidu observed that farmers in the state are producing world-class products. The CM also sought partnerships between Singapore universities and educational institutions in Andhra to strengthen higher education and skill development.

Naidu said PM Modi has ensured there are no delays in development programmes and investments. Ambule said Singapore is far ahead in green energy and semiconductor ecosystem development and is keen to work with different Indian states.

Further, Naidu sought partnerships with UN-Habitat and Google Cloud while inviting Singapore-based companies to explore investment opportunities in logistics, supply chains, digital infrastructure and emerging technologies in the state.

Naidu met UN-Habitat Executive Director Ana Claudia Rossbach, Google Cloud Asia Pacific President Karan Bajwa and Sunil Nambiar, Head of Operations of YCH Logistics Group.

"There should be a timeline through an MoU to achieve the targets by 2028," Naidu said during discussions with UN-Habitat representatives, who responded positively to Andhra's proposal for a broader partnership, the release said.

Naidu proposed implementing the 'Rise Up' programme in Andhra Pradesh to help protect coastal cities from climate change and discussed the Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme (PSUP) for urban slum development.

The meeting also deliberated on jointly implementing the Urban RASTA Framework in rapidly developing mid-sized cities.

Later, Naidu met Bajwa and discussed transforming Andhra Pradesh into the country's largest hub for artificial intelligence (AI), data centres and digital infrastructure.

"We intend to expand AI skilling and cloud certification programmes in collaboration with Google Cloud," Naidu said. He sought Google Cloud's support for adopting AI in government services.

Both sides decided to constitute a task force to further expand Google Cloud's partnership with Andhra in AI, cloud computing and digital governance.

Undertaking large-scale skill development programmes for youth in AI, machine learning and cloud technologies and establishing AI and cloud computing centres in universities and engineering colleges were discussed.

Naidu highlighted Andhra's achievements in the green energy sector and invited Google Cloud to become a partner in the state's Sanjeevani Project.

Naidu later held talks with YCH Logistics Group on supply chain development, logistics parks and construction of a large-scale supply chain city equipped with automated, advanced technologies.

"Andhra Pradesh offers immense opportunities, and investments can also be made in production. Visit Andhra, study the state's policies and advantages, and invest in the state," Naidu said.

He noted that Andhra's 1,000-km coastline, network of highways, ports, airports and railways offer significant advantages in terms of logistics costs.

Naidu said the state plans to invest ₹1 lakh crore in horticulture, ranks first in aquaculture production and is focusing on boosting exports through value addition in food products.