Seattle’s tech industry could get a boost from the new consulate of India set to open soon.
Technology will be a key focus for the Seattle-area consulate, said Prakash Gupta, consulate general of India for the new hub.
“There are a lot of brilliant, sharp minds here at the cutting edge of the next frontier of technology,” Gupta told GeekWire.
Gupta, a longtime diplomat for the Indian Foreign Service who previously did stints in New York City, Shanghai, and Jakarta, arrived in Seattle last month. His team is seeking a permanent office in the Seattle region, and plans to have 25-to-30 employees once everything is up and running.
Discussions about the consulate have bubbled for years, but were fortified earlier this year during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the White House in June.
Technical cooperation was a point of emphasis in the meeting between Modi and President Biden — and will be a top priority for the Seattle outpost as well, given the strength of the region’s tech ecosystem that includes Microsoft, Amazon, and hundreds of other companies.
“This is the tech hub of the Pacific Northwest,” Gupta said.
The consulate hopes to serve as a resource for tech companies, investors, and workers in both Seattle and India.
“We see our role as a bridge,” Gupta said.
- The Seattle area has one of the highest Asian Indian populations in the U.S.
- There are more than 83,000 residents in King County that were born in India, which ranks No. 1 among other countries, according to Census data cited by the Seattle Times.
- More than 40% of foreign-born IT workers in the Seattle area hail from India, the Seattle Times reported.
- The Asian community is the single largest racial and ethnic minority group within Microsoft, and nearly 70% identify as South Asian, according to the company’s latest diversity report.
Many tech workers from India use H-1B visas — and having a consulate nearby could be helpful.
“It will be a great opportunity to be close to a strong diaspora and be able to provide services in a timely manner that will be a win-win for the community and the two countries.” said S. “Soma” Somasegar, a former Microsoft exec and managing director at Madrona Venture Group.
Gupta also pointed to trade — Washington exports 40% of apples going to India, he said — and higher education as other priorities for his team.
“An Indian consulate in the Pacific Northwest will strengthen cultural, business, and trade ties between the world’s two largest democracies, deepen our region’s partnership on critical leading-edge technologies, and allow easier access to locals seeking consular services,” Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), a former RealNetworks exec, said in a statement to GeekWire.
Washington state Rep. Suzan DelBene, a longtime tech exec at Microsoft and other companies, told GeekWire that the opening of the consulate “further underscored that our region is a hub for inter-cultural dialogue and economic activity between our two nations.”
The consulate will serve nine states: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming.
It will be India’s sixth consulate in the U.S. Other locations include San Francisco, New York City, Atlanta, Chicago, and Houston.
Seattle Deputy Mayor Greg Wong told GeekWire that the consulate is a reflection of the “growing bond between the Pacific Northwest and India.”
“Seattle is home to a growing Indian community, with increased economic, cultural, and social ties,” he said in a statement. “Seattle is a stronger and better place because of the Indian diaspora’s unique and valuable contributions to the city.”
Gupta has spent the past few weeks meeting with city leaders, including Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and Bellevue Mayor Lynne Robinson, who both attended an event earlier this month at Seattle University to celebrate the new consulate.
It’s not clear where exactly the consulate will be based — in Seattle, Bellevue, or another city. Government leaders from Bellevue, where Amazon is growing rapidly, sent a formal letter of interest in July.
