In Israel for this week’s MIXiii Israel Innovation Conference, Vikas Jain, CEO of Indian smartphone maker Micromax, said Thursday that he saw partnering with his company as a more lucrative path for Israeli app developers than a buyout.
“We have a base of hundreds of millions of users all over Asia and sell about 3 million new devices a month,” says Jain. Start-ups with good apps don’t need to be bought out by Google or Facebook. “We promise to actively promote any Israeli app we partner with. You could make a lot more money than you would in a buyout.” …
Although many industry experts do not always agree, Jain is convinced that it is the app business that leads the manufacturing industry. “When lifestyle apps are developed people want to use them, and manufacturers have to develop devices that can use those apps. We want to integrate the best apps and mobile software platforms into our ecosystem and create a hardware and software experience that will be second to none, and we see Israeli apps and mobile tech as a key to this,” said Jain.
Micromax is the world’s tenth largest smartphone manufacturer.
Jain doesn’t just see partnering with Israeli app developers as providing the means for expanding his business – he also sees the Israeli market for smartphones as a gateway to the West.
Israel’s trade with India has increased to $6 billion annually. With the recent election of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister, relations between the two countries are expected to grow closer.
[Photo: GadgetsToUse / YouTube ]