India is widely recognized as a global IT powerhouse, but at GOSPACE LABS we saw beyond its technological talent hub. With a population of 1.4 billion people facing recurring water challenges – from seasonal flooding to water quality concerns, India represents a significant market for practical IoT water management solutions. The scale and urgency of these challenges create meaningful opportunities for technologies that address real-world problems.
Join us as we share key takeaways from Pavol’s and Andrej’s 5,000km journey from Slovakia to India, where they attended the prestigious NASSCOM conference and IoT Smart Cities Expo.
Global Connections at NASSCOM Conference: Building International IoT Partnerships
Q: You recently attended the NASSCOM conference in India. Can you tell us about the event and its significance?
Pavol: NASSCOM was essentially a global summit for political and diplomatic relations. It featured government representatives from around the world, including Australia, Germany, and even the Governor of Indiana, Diego Morales. The conference provided an excellent platform for international networking and establishing business relations across continents.
Andrej: Beyond the networking opportunities, our main objective was to benchmark our IoT solutions against global competition and gather firsthand feedback from one of the world’s largest potential markets for water management systems. We wanted to see where we stand with our technology and whether our solutions could effectively address India’s unique water challenges.
Q: Were there any particularly memorable encounters during the conference?
Pavol: One impressive story that caught our attention was about Diego Morales, the Governor of Indiana. He’s a true self-made man who immigrated to America from Guatemala, served in the military, and worked his way up to become a state governor despite not initially being fluent in English. It’s truly inspiring to see someone build themselves up from nothing to such a prestigious position.
Andrej: While we didn’t have a chance to meet with Morales directly, we did meet Sidonia, who introduced herself as the Honorary Consul of Hungary in Indiana. Later, we discovered she was actually Morales’ wife – intelligent, impressive, and accomplished in her own right. They’re what you’d call a real power couple. Their combined story of achievement and service resonates with our company’s values of resilience and innovation.
India’s Tech Economy and IoT Market: Growing Global Influence
Q: Beyond technology, did you observe any broader economic or geopolitical trends during your visit?
Pavol: India is becoming an economic powerhouse – I believe they’re now in the global top 3. Their GDP grew by 6% year-over-year, and they have a formidable workforce, especially in IT. They’ve embraced AI development and have a diplomatic advantage in maintaining friendly relations with everyone regardless of geopolitical situations.
They maintain good relations with the United States, and are developing strong bilateral relationships with Australia, Germany, and other countries. This strategic neutrality has become even more valuable after recent events in America with the Trump/Vance statements about Europe and import tariffs.
Q: How does this affect international business strategy for companies like GOSPACE?
Andrej: The message of intercontinental cooperation that brings prosperity to all participants based on simple trade principles – you send an invoice, the customer pays – is what we take from India and want to promote further. As global alliances shift, India’s rising influence creates new partnership opportunities that we’re eager to explore.
Exploring Smart City IoT Innovations at India’s Premier Tech Expo
Q: After NASSCOM, you attended the IoT Smart Cities Expo. What were your impressions of the technologies showcased there?
Pavol: At the IoT Smart Cities Expo, we saw a wide range of smart city technologies – from robots and drones to various IoT solutions from across India and international exhibitors. What was particularly valuable for us was seeing firsthand where our technology stands in the global marketplace.
Andrej: This expo was eye-opening because it allowed us to objectively assess that our IoT solutions truly rank high in innovation and are genuinely competitive with global IoT developers. We discovered that in several aspects of water quality monitoring and flood prevention, our sensors and systems offer advantages in both functionality and cost-effectiveness compared to what’s currently available on the market.
Q: Any standout innovations that caught your attention?
Andrej: One particularly impressive innovation was a small startup led by Minushri Madhumita who developed a solar-powered system for fish farming. Her technology enables people in India to cultivate shrimp or fish for sustenance by maintaining optimal water conditions. The system uses solar panels to oxygenate water in extreme heat – temperatures can reach 50°C there – preventing fish from suffocating.
This encounter was truly energizing for us, showing that our water quality sensors are competitive not just in price but also in features and durability under challenging Indian conditions. It perfectly validated what Pavol mentioned earlier about our IoT solutions standing strong against global competition – we saw concrete evidence of this in multiple interactions throughout the expo.
IoT Sensor Business Opportunities in the Indian Smart City Market
Q: Did you see concrete business potential for GOSAPCE solutions in India?
Andrej: Absolutely. What really encouraged us was the genuine interest in our products. People actually traveled to meet with us from different regions like Gujarat and Kerala. Our competitively priced sensors, which are designed to function well in India’s challenging conditions, generated significant interest.
India is hierarchically structured, which presents its own challenges, but the interest in our flood prevention and water quality solutions was very positive. The realization that we can compete on both quality and price in the Indian market was extremely encouraging.
Q: How would you describe India’s approach to IoT and smart cities compared to what we see in Europe?
Pavol: The contrasts are stark. In Europe, we’re focused on optimizing already functioning water systems and making incremental improvements to water management. In India, they’re addressing much more fundamental water infrastructure challenges.
So the question in India isn’t how to advance water management systems—it’s how to ensure basic access to clean drinking water for citizens. Our solutions need to address these fundamental challenges while still being affordable and robust enough for these demanding conditions. This is where our sensors can make a real difference, by identifying contamination sources and supporting remediation efforts.
Water Quality Monitoring and Environmental IoT Solutions for India
Q: Your visit coincided with World Water Day. What observations did you make about water quality in India?
Andrej: This was perhaps the most profound takeaway from our trip. In India, you can’t even drink the tap water. We had to be constantly vigilant not to accidentally rinse our mouths with tap water because everything was contaminated.
In Delhi, we saw a river Yamun completely filled with sewage. The smell was detectable even a kilometer away while we were sitting on a bus. This sewage seeps into wells, which then go into water towers, and even after hotel filtering, it’s still not safe. Locals exclusively drink bottled water, carrying it in large containers.
Q: How did this experience change your perspective on water resources in Slovakia?
Andrej: We don’t realize what we have in Slovakia. We possess an incredible spongy forest landscape that not only receives rainfall but provides clean water straight from the tap – you could drink from a toilet bowl and nothing would happen to you. The contrast is stark and made me appreciate our water resources even more.
This relates directly to our work at GOSPACE’S brand Meratch. While we have some of the cleanest groundwater, we’re also contaminating it with toxic landfills – some dating back to the communist era in the 1960s. These sites are only being monitored, not remediated, and new illegal toxic dumps continue to appear. By raising awareness, we hope to shift public opinion about water protection – water needs to be protected.
Key Insights: IoT Solutions for Flood Prevention and Water Quality Monitoring
Q: What’s your most important takeaway from this trip to India?
Pavol: The trip was incredibly motivating. Seeing the interest in our products and confirming that we can compete globally in both quality and price gave us a significant boost. But perhaps the most profound realization was about water – how precious clean water truly is and how easily we take it for granted.
In Slovakia, we have an incredible natural resource that we must protect better. This awareness drives our mission at GOSPACE LABS to develop solutions that help monitor and safeguard these vital resources, not just at home but around the world.
GOSPACE LABS specializes in innovative IoT solutions for urban challenges, with a focus on flood prevention systems and water quality monitoring technology. Our competitively priced IoT sensors are designed to function effectively in challenging environmental conditions worldwide, offering real-time data for urban water management systems. Learn more about how we digitize water and parking.
Leave a Reply