Young CEO Ditched London for Gurgaon, Says India's the Best Place to Build a Startup

Babaclick founder Gautam Chadha moved from London to Gurgaon to scale his business. He says India now has everything founders need to build global companies.

A young startup founder who moved from London to Gurgaon has explained his decision to return to India, arguing that the country now offers everything entrepreneurs need to build globally impactful businesses.

Gautam Chadha, founder and CEO of cross-border e-commerce company Babaclick, recently marked one year since relocating from London to Gurgaon to expand his company. In an Instagram video, he addressed why he chose India over the UK, a decision he says continues to surprise many people, including members of his own family.

Challenging the Conventional Path

Chadha noted that many people question his decision because most professionals in his age group aspire to move to global hubs such as London, New York or San Francisco, while he deliberately chose the opposite route.

"The reason that I made that move is that if you're an ambitious person that wants to build a generation-defining company, then you no longer need to be in London or San Francisco or New York in order to do that," he said in the video.

He acknowledged that this was not always the case. A few years ago, startups often needed to be in Silicon Valley to access top engineering talent and compete for skilled developers. However, he believes the landscape has changed dramatically.

India's Evolving Startup Ecosystem

According to Chadha, unless a company is working on highly advanced, frontier technology, there is little reason to relocate to Western startup hubs. He argued that India is now well-equipped to nurture the next generation of world-class startups.

"However, that's changed so much, so unless you're coding something on the frontier — which you're not — India is the perfect place to do it, and you have every ingredient that you could need in order to make it succeed from within the borders of India," he added.

Chadha said India has evolved into one of the most underrated places to build technology businesses, offering nearly everything founders need to succeed, including access to talent, cost advantages, and a growing consumer market.

The London-to-Gurgaon Move

Chadha, who is 24 years old, has been building Babaclick, a cross-border e-commerce platform. The company focuses on enabling international transactions and has been scaling its operations from its Gurgaon base.

In his video, he questioned why so many aspiring entrepreneurs still believe they must move to the West to create meaningful, globally impactful businesses. He argued that India's startup ecosystem has matured significantly, with better infrastructure, access to capital, and a skilled workforce.

Reactions and Debate

The video has drawn attention on social media, with some users agreeing with Chadha's assessment while others remain skeptical about India's ability to compete with established Western hubs. The debate reflects broader conversations about India's position in the global startup landscape.

Industry observers have noted that India has seen a surge in startup activity in recent years, with several companies achieving unicorn status and expanding internationally. However, challenges such as regulatory hurdles and infrastructure gaps remain.