The Investors Roundtable organized by Invest Cyprus in the presence of Cyprus President Nicos Christodoulides gathered policymakers, technology leaders, entrepreneurs and investors to discuss stronger India-Europe cooperation with a focus on innovation, investment and new opportunities for Indian businesses expanding into European markets.
Representing HT Labs, the innovation and technology arm of HT Media Group, Co-Founder and CEO Avinash Mudaliar participated in the discussions that covered artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, startup ecosystem, media-tech, intellectual property framework and the strategic development of Cyprus as a gateway for ambitious Indian enterprises entering Europe.
This engagement reflects the rapidly growing India-Cyprus strategic partnership, which now extends beyond diplomacy to investment, entrepreneurship, AI, digital transformation, media-technology and innovation-based economic cooperation.
The session began with remarks by Invest Cyprus Chairman Evgenios Evgeniou, who highlighted India’s growth in technology-led businesses, startup ecosystem, digital public infrastructure and large-scale innovation, setting the stage for discussion between the two sides.
By invoking Indian success stories, the rise of technology-led enterprises, startup dynamism, digital public infrastructure and large-scale innovation, he immediately established intellectual common ground between Cyprus and India.
Invest Cyprus Chairman Evgenios Evgeniou commented: “During the Investors Roundtable, leading Indian companies and entrepreneurs had the opportunity to hear directly from His Excellency President Nicos Christodoulides on what Cyprus offers as a springboard for growth in the EU, a regional business hub for the wider Middle East and an emerging investment destination ranging from technology and financial services to education, logistics, pharmaceuticals and advanced innovation ecosystems. Is.
We are extremely encouraged by the depth of response and interest shown by many leading Indian enterprises. Many companies expressed serious intentions to invest in Cyprus and explore long-term strategic partnerships. We will now conduct systematic follow-up with participating organizations and entrepreneurs to facilitate deeper engagement, provide the necessary support framework, and explore concrete co-creation opportunities in the near future.
A large part of the discussions focused on the emergence of Cyprus as a business-friendly and innovation-focused destination for Indian companies planning to expand into EU markets.
Demetris Skourides, Chief Scientist of the Republic of Cyprus, who has been actively engaged with the Indian technology and startup ecosystem since 2024, reiterated Cyprus’s ambition to emerge as a regional innovation hub and a strategic gateway into Europe for Indian enterprises. He highlighted the country’s globally competitive IP box regime, which offers a 120% deduction on eligible R&D expenditure as well as an effective tax rate of 3% on eligible intellectual property income.
Indian companies already operating from Cyprus have reinforced the country’s growing reputation as an intelligent European operating base for AI firms, SaaS enterprises, startups, digital platforms and media-tech organizations seeking global scale.
Widely recognized for its strengths in product engineering, artificial intelligence, consumer technology ecosystems, digital platforms, recommendation systems, content intelligence and large-scale media-tech innovation, HT Labs shared perspectives on the future of AI-led infrastructure and scalable technology systems.
Mudaliar’s involvement generated particular interest due to his long-time experience in product, media, technology and consumer internet businesses. Over the years, he has been associated with building and scaling multiple digital ecosystems and innovation-based products across media, entertainment, content discovery and platform businesses. His experience at the intersection of technology, AI, user behavior and digital transformation has established him as one of the leading voices of the Indian delegation during strategic discussions.
HT Labs also expressed keen interest in leveraging Cyprus’ sandbox environment and innovation-friendly regulatory framework to test and scale its emerging Technology-as-a-Service (TaaS) initiatives. The discussions explored the potential for co-creation opportunities in AI-led media systems, digital infrastructure, recommendation engines, content intelligence frameworks and next-generation consumer engagement platforms, using Cyprus as an active experimentation and deployment base in Europe.
Speaking during the engagement, Avinash Mudaliar said: “Cyprus is fast emerging as a strategic innovation bridge connecting India to Europe. What sets the country apart is its ability to combine European market access with agile policymaking, startup-friendly thinking and a deep collaborative innovation ecosystem. The passion, sustainability and commitment displayed by Cyprus to building a future-facing technology infrastructure is extraordinary. AI, media-tech and digital infrastructure For Indian businesses looking to gain a global footing, Cyprus presents an attractive opportunity.”
Special mention also deserves Stavros Stavrou, President of the Cyprus-India Business Association, whose leadership of the broad engagement ecosystem ensured that the discussions maintained both strategic seriousness and unusual warmth. His efforts to strengthen India-Cyprus commercial and innovation ties were evident throughout the proceedings, particularly in fostering an environment where governments, investors, startups and technology leaders can engage with unusual clarity and intellectual openness.
Following the formal roundtable discussions, both Stavros Stavrou and Demetris Skourides spent additional time in a wide-ranging post-session conversation on opportunities for long-term India-Cyprus cooperation, the AI ecosystem, innovation sandbox and the future of technology-led partnerships between Indian enterprises and Cyprus. These conversations went beyond protocol and reflected a genuine intention to engage, co-create possibilities and build strategic technology partnerships.
Their acceptance and appreciation of HT Labs’ partnership reflects the seriousness with which the Cyprus ecosystem is pursuing long-term collaboration with Indian innovation leaders.
By the conclusion of the roundtable, one truth had become abundantly clear: Cyprus no longer simply wants to participate in the European innovation conversation. It tries to shape it.
And for Indian enterprises on the cusp of global expansion, Cyprus is making an increasingly persuasive case that the way to Europe can pass through Nicosia.
