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Engagement models
Four ways to enter India, each with a different trade between speed, control, capital and exit flexibility. Most companies choose wrongly by optimising for one of these and discovering the others too late.
Which GCC model should we choose?
Choose Build-Operate-Transfer if you want to own the centre eventually but do not want setup risk now. Choose a wholly owned subsidiary if the board has already committed and you want control from day one. Choose a managed capability centre if you need capacity quickly and may never want a legal entity. Choose an extended team if you are still testing whether an India team works for you at all.
Build-Operate-Transfer
Kompass incorporates and operates the centre, hires the team in a way that is designed to become yours, and transfers the entity and employees to you on a pre-agreed date and structure. You carry none of the incorporation risk and none of the first-year operational learning curve.
Why people pick it
Speed of a managed service with the endgame of ownership. The transfer price and mechanism are fixed at signature, so there is no renegotiation when the centre turns out to be valuable.
What to watch
A BOT is only as good as its transfer clause. Insist on a defined trigger, a defined valuation method and a documented runbook obligation before you sign, not after.
Typical shape: transfer at 18 to 36 months, or at a headcount trigger. Operating fee during the build phase, a pre-agreed transfer consideration at handover.
Wholly owned subsidiary (greenfield)
You incorporate an Indian entity and employ everyone directly from day one. Kompass acts as the setup and operations partner without ever holding the entity. Maximum control, maximum permanence, and the highest demand on your legal, tax and HR functions.
Why people pick it
No transfer event to negotiate, no intermediate employer, and the cleanest story for candidates: they join your company on day one. Best long-run economics above roughly 150 people.
What to watch
Incorporation and registrations add roughly four to eight weeks before your first offer letter can go out. Budget one-time setup of roughly USD 120,000 to 250,000 including legal, registrations and initial fit-out.
Managed capability centre
Kompass employs the team, runs the facility and delivers against your operating model, indefinitely. You direct the work; we carry the employment and compliance. Sometimes called GCC-as-a-service.
Why people pick it
Fastest route to working people, no capital commitment, and a clean exit if strategy changes. Useful for private-equity-backed businesses where the holding period is shorter than the payback on an entity.
What to watch
The team is not legally yours, which matters for IP assignment, long-term retention and how the work is described to your auditors. Structure the IP clauses carefully.
Extended team / offshore development centre
A dedicated pod of 5 to 25 people, embedded in your sprint cadence, with no separate governance layer. The lowest-commitment way to find out whether distributed delivery works for your organisation before you spend real money.
Why people pick it
Live in four to six weeks, cancellable on short notice, and it produces the evidence you need for the larger business case. Many of our full builds started here.
What to watch
It will not attract the most senior local talent, because it offers no ownership. Treat it as a test, not as the destination.
Side by side
| Dimension | BOT | Wholly owned | Managed | Extended team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legal employer | Kompass → you | You | Kompass | Kompass |
| Time to first hire | 8–12 weeks | 12–18 weeks | 6–10 weeks | 4–6 weeks |
| Upfront capital | Low | USD 120k–250k | None | None |
| Ongoing fee | Build-phase fee | Service fee only | Cost-plus fee | Cost-plus fee |
| You control hiring | Yes, joint panel | Yes | Yes, joint panel | Partially |
| IP position | Assigned, then owned | Owned | Assigned by contract | Assigned by contract |
| Exit difficulty | Planned transfer | Wind-down required | Notice period | Notice period |
| Sensible floor | 25+ people | 30+ people | 10+ people | 5+ people |