How Europe and India Are Building a More Equitable Tech Future

When it comes to the future of AI, the conversation is often dominated by Silicon Valley. But as SoftBank’s Head of EMEA & India, Sumer Juneja, made clear in his SXSW London session with Sifted’s Martin Coulter, a new map is being drawn with Europe and India charting distinct, high-impact paths to global innovation.

Here’s what we learned from the man responsible for deploying billions in AI, SaaS, and consumer tech across two of the world’s most complex regions.

India’s Ascent: From Macro Promise to Micro Maturity

SoftBank’s early investments in India were bold but distant run from London with few feet on the ground. That changed in 2018, when Juneja was asked to open the India office. The shift wasn’t just logistical. It was philosophical.

“You can’t deploy capital in India from a boardroom in Mayfair,” Juneja noted. “You need to understand that while India looks strong at the macro level, population, growth, cheap data, the micro-level nuance matters more.”

His approach challenged SoftBank’s high-cap, late-stage thesis. Instead of chasing billion-dollar companies with $10B exit potential, Juneja pushed for smaller, earlier bets reflecting India’s GDP reality and broader SaaS and IT services growth.

The result? A more diversified, resilient portfolio. “In India, there’s no single path to value. You need to play wide.”

Europe’s Fragmentation Is a Feature, Not a Bug

While India’s market is unified but layered by wealth and digital infrastructure, Europe’s challenge is fragmentation. Language, culture, tax regimes all compound the difficulty of scaling B2C businesses. Yet Juneja sees this as opportunity, not limitation.

“You might not get a single $30B outcome like DoorDash in Europe. But you’ll get many $5–10B outcomes if you back the right B2B companies,” he said.

Europe’s strengths technical education, risk appetite, and talent density are more suited to enterprise software, fintech, and infrastructure plays. Combine that with deep local roots in sustainability, manufacturing, and healthcare, and the opportunity stack becomes clearer.

“Europe has the capital, the talent, and the catalyst companies,” said Juneja. “You don’t need to replicate the Magnificent Seven. You need to fund the next Revoluts and UIPaths.”

AI Isn’t a Moment It’s a Multi-Vertical Imperative

The AI hype cycle, said Juneja, shouldn’t distract from the reality that we’re entering a durable transformation. The mistake is not investing in AI it’s investing without clarity.

“We don’t think: ‘Is this AI hot right now?’ We ask: ‘Is this entrepreneur building a real vertical outcome?’” Whether it's search, call centers, SaaS workflows, or personal agents AI, in Juneja’s eyes, is set to reshape every interface.

He likened it to investing during the internet boom. Yes, bubbles will form. But missing the signal because of noise is a greater risk than overexposure.

“Every deal is an internship,” he added. “Even in 2021, with all the noise, I learned the same lesson again: discipline matters.”

India and Europe: A Growing Innovation Bridge

Juneja closed with reflections on the increasing interplay between India and Europe. With rising Indian SaaS players eyeing expansion and European companies outsourcing or entering India’s massive market, the bridge is forming.

“Europe gives Indian companies access to enterprise buyers. India gives Europe scale, speed, and cost advantage. That synergy is only going to grow.”

His core thesis? The AI revolution won’t belong to any one region. It’ll be won by those who understand nuance, build infrastructure, and fund real problem-solvers, wherever they live.

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