How does a Spanish company find clients and partners in India?
Through someone both sides already trust. India is a market where relationships come before contracts, and so, very often, is Spain. A cold email from an unknown firm in Madrid rarely gets a reply in Mumbai or Pune. A short introduction from a person who knows both companies usually does.
Why is now a good time to look at India?
Because the door is opening. India and the European Union concluded their free trade agreement in 2026 after many years of talks, and Spain and India already build things together: the C295 transport aircraft, designed in Spain, is now assembled in Vadodara with an Indian partner. Large projects like that are visible. Most of the opportunity is smaller and quieter, in engineering, food, tourism, renewable energy, education and services.
Why does cold outreach stall?
Because nobody can tell whether you are serious. Indian buyers receive a great many proposals from abroad, and the first question is always who you are and who knows you. Without an answer the email waits. Trade fairs help you meet faces, but a stand and a business card are not a reference.
What works instead?
A specific request, carried by a person. Not "we want to enter India", but "we make marine safety equipment and want to meet two distributors in Maharashtra who sell to ports." Somebody who knows the right people can act on that, and an introduction from them arrives with trust already attached.
Then be patient in the right way. The first meeting is often about the relationship, not the deal. In Spain that conversation happens at the sobremesa after lunch; in India over tea. Neither should be rushed.
Does it work the other way round?
Yes. Indian companies looking at Spain face the same wall: good firms, polite emails, no reply. Spain is also a gateway to the rest of Europe and to Latin America, which makes the right first partner there especially valuable.
Where do I start?
Write down the one kind of person you most need to meet, and why they would want to meet you. Then ask someone who knows both sides for that one introduction. Good referrals start exactly there.
The Spain-India Business Bridge, part of My Most Trusted, is built for this. Its Spanish end is held in Madrid by Ralph Hays, a former New Zealand Consul General in Mumbai and Trade Commissioner for South Asia, and the India host seat is open.
The Spain-India Business Bridge
The time spent at the table after a meal in Spain, talking, long after the plates are cleared.
Take a tour of the Spain-India Bridge