SAN FRANCISCO, CA — (Marketwired) — 11/25/13 — today announced a new trade mission will depart San Francisco on November 29th to visit sister city Bangalore, India, State of Karnataka and will be led by San Francisco–s Mayor Edwin Lee.
San Francisco-Bangalore Sister City Initiative is a non-profit organization established in 2008 by San Francisco–s former Mayor Gavin Newsom. The organization seeks to engage individuals and corporations in Bangalore and San Francisco in building sustainable cities through environmental, technological and cultural ideas, techniques and resources.
Cornerstones of the Sister City Initiative include:
Facilitating trade through strong business partnerships with city and state governments.
Focus on sharing each city–s respective art and cultural programs with their sister city.
Establishing a platform to enhance healthcare provisions in both cities.
Create effective strategies to enhance processes in government and infrastructure.
Guiding entrepreneurs in Bangalore and Silicon Valley to take the first steps in developing products with global appeal.
To further this important exchange of information, 54 senior business leaders from construction, engineering, healthcare, technology and other verticals as well as civic leaders in the Bay area will join Mayor Lee to discuss important human welfare issues such as recycling, waste management, water management and world ecology with officials in Bangalore.
Sister City organizations seek to augment the efforts of governments through citizen-to-citizen diplomacy. As such they often play an important and vital role in catalyzing key civic and business endeavors and fostering overall relations. U.S. Federal, State or City governments do not fund the Sister City activities.
“Bangalore–s explosive growth continues, bringing with it a host of opportunities and challenges. Our Sister City is keen to learn from and collaborate with San Francisco and the Bay Area which has successfully implemented multi- billion dollar infrastructure improvement programs. They have built world class water, waste management, recycling, civic administration, transportation, health care and other public services,” said Madhav Misra, Co-Chair, San Francisco – Bangalore Sister City Initiative. “We are confident that the composition and caliber of our delegation will help to strengthen the commercial, trade and investment flows — and enhance cultural exchanges and friendship — between two regions that are recognized as locomotives of global innovation and entrepreneurship.”
During this trip a Memorandum of Understanding will be signed to establish help desks where respective business people in their cities can get assistance working with or launching their products and services into the other country.
“Our goal is engagement. We ask corporate leaders here in the States to take a closer look at mutually beneficial exchanges and resources in India and how we can leverage these resources here in the States and for global welfare and economy,” said Kumar Malavalli, Development Chair/ Director San Francisco – Bangalore Sister City Initiative and CEO, InMage Systems.
For more information on how you or your company can join future Bangalore Sister City events and initiatives, please visit
Jennifer Sparks Bocchino
Sparks & Associates
949-388-9322