How This Hyderabad-Based GCC is Engineering a Startup Culture in India
Beyond the projected economic boom, GCCs in India are emerging as a major catalyst for cultural change as well. By establishing innovation hubs, they are enabling innovation, agility, and grassroots transformation in the country. According to a Nasscom report, a talent pool of over 120,000 AI/ML professionals and over 185 dedicated AI/ML COEs is helping build specific use cases. The more mature GCCs are further developing expertise in full-stack development. The report highlights that engineering, research and development (ER&D) GCCs have grown 1.3 times faster than the overall GCC growth rate, indicating a shift towards higher-value and more complex work in India. Evernorth Health Services is supporting this transformation on the ground by embedding the startup mindset into its operations. This approach encourages rapid experimentation, cross-functional collaboration, and a willingness to adapt quickly to change. Organisations can drive continuous innovation by promoting accountability, reducing hierarchical barriers, and fostering a culture where employees are empowered to take initiative and learn from failure, just like startups. In an exclusive interaction with AIM, Ashok Venkatachalam, MD, Evernorth Health Services, said, “We are enabling a startup culture and mindset by opening an innovation lab. We have signed an MoU with Vardhaman College of Engineering. This gives us an opportunity to bring that innovation and startup mindset with engineering grads.” Evernorth Health Services, part of the Cigna Group, offers comprehensive solutions in pharmacy, care, and benefits. Venkatachalam added that the organisation began actively partnering with students and involving them in ongoing projects. This initiative bridges the gap between academic learning and corporate experience, providing students with practical exposure to complement their theoretical knowledge. Working closely with internal teams, the students gain firsthand insight into real-world applications, fostering a startup mindset and culture of innovation. The company inaugurated its lab last November, and the initiative has already gained momentum. Currently, 40 engineers are engaged with the lab, contributing to meaningful outcomes while learning how to make a real impact in a corporate setting. Transforming the Ecosystem Additionally, the organisation is collaborating with the local healthcare innovation ecosystem, seeking to support and partner with emerging players making strides in the sector. Venkatachalam highlighted that the GCC is exploring the creation of a dedicated healthcare consortium. This would involve collaboration with the government and local healthcare companies based in and around Hyderabad. In parallel, the organisation is in talks with universities to develop academic programmes focused on US healthcare. Recognising that many students lack exposure to the intricacies of the US healthcare system, the organisation aims to introduce specialised electives and courses. These would cover essential topics such as the roles of payers, providers, hospitalists, and the functioning of the insurance ecosystem. While students are expected to acquire technological skills through existing curricula, this initiative is designed to strengthen their domain and functional knowledge. Similarly, Kalavathi GV, executive director and head of the global development centre at Siemens Healthineers, pointed out that the company aims to close the gap between academia and industry by sending professionals to engage with educational institutions. Moreover, the company is exploring ways to collaborate with institutions such as Manipal Academy of Higher Education to improve the syllabus and ensure it aligns with current industry needs. The company is also partnering with Nasscom to focus on upskilling initiatives. Arindam Sen, partner, EY, told AIM, “The solution really is that at the grassroots levels, more and more companies need to participate and develop academic courses that suit their needs. And I think that is already happening. There are collaborations with established engineering schools and other great initiatives. But leaving it solely to the government is a difficult task.” Building an Innovation Engine for the Future GCCs in India are aggressively betting on their COEs for cutting-edge AI-driven innovations. Evernorth, operating within the pharmacy benefit management (PBM) space in the US, is strategically implementing AI with a clear ethical boundary. Hyderabad is the company’s key innovation hub, serving as a “grassroots innovation place” to pilot solutions before scaling. “The cost of talent compared to other markets definitely brings an added advantage,” he added while talking about Hyderabad as a strategic location. Partnerships with Microsoft, OpenAI, Stanford, and MIT—mainly driven by US teams—are leveraged globally, recognising that “every use case is different and it’s changing so rapidly now.” Venkatachalam mentioned that the company focuses on 90% technology. Furthermore, generative AI is a major focus, with efforts centred on identifying use cases, testing them, and embedding capabilities within the software lifecycle to “deliver much faster,” using tools like GitHub Copilot. Internally, as Venkatachalam explained, Evernorth has developed a proprietary AI platform with LLMs trained on in-house data, including “claims data” and “labs data”. These are refined in an iterative, test-and-learn model to support wellness and predictive health. A “restricted gateway” allows approved users to “test and learn” within a secure environment. Emerging Talent Strategy Currently, the organisation is in a foundational phase, thereby focusing on building an agile team. Venkatachalam added that a core goal is to operate “across horizontal team(s), not a vertical team,” thereby enabling global talent to contribute flexibly across domains. For instance, talent currently working in the claims space due to immediate demand may tomorrow be redeployed to areas such as provider services, pharmacy, or PBM. This horizontal movement allows the organisation to “retain talent” while enabling individuals to “expand their domain knowledge in addition to their technical skills”. The company is also putting in place consistent engineering practices across functions—standardisation in “engineering, release management, DevOps, testing, [and] development”—so that regardless of whether someone works on the claims team, provider team, or pharmacy team, “you do it in the same way as any other person does”. The organisation is also investing heavily in GenAI capabilities. Venkatachalam revealed that there is already a centre of excellence with “around 60” team members dedicated to GenAI, with plans to expand by “another 50–60 team members” in 2025, especially in India. This team will support both the CoE and the development of new AI-based solutions in collaboration with technology and operations teams. Individual development teams are also beginning to incorporate GenAI into their workflows. Tools like GitHub Copilot are being used to enhance coding productivity, and innovations such as automated test case generation are already in the MVP phase. “We’ve already tested that; it’s in an MVP now. We are now trying to finalise it and take it to production.” Venakatachalam added, “Once operational, the entire thing will be automated… from a test case design standpoint.” On the development front, teams are already experiencing “30–40% efficiency gains,” allowing the organisation to “do more work with the same head count”.
Working closely with internal teams, the students gain firsthand insight into real-world applications, fostering a startup mindset and culture of innovation.
Working closely with internal teams, the students gain firsthand insight into real-world applications, fostering a startup mindset and culture of innovation.
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Shalini is a senior tech journalist, exploring the latest advancements in AI. When she's not reporting on the latest innovations, you can find her immersed in her next literary adventure.