A 501(c)(6) membership council · Washington, DC · Founded 2017

Where U.S.–India business gets done.

We help small and mid-sized businesses win government contracts, enter new markets and grow across the United States and India — the work that usually only large corporations get help with.

See what we do

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Partner ofU.S. Department of Commerce MBDA

MoU withGovernment of Tamil Nadu

PVSACertifying Organisation

Member,International Council for Small Business Offices inWashington DC, Virginia, Hyderabad

What we do

Four ways we help smaller businesses grow

Everything we do falls into one of four categories. Most members use all four.

ACCESS

We open doors that are usually closed.

Federal and state procurement briefings, agency introductions and matchmaking that get smaller firms in front of the people who actually buy.

Government contracting programmes

BRIDGE

We connect states, not just countries.

Signed partnerships with Indian state governments and U.S. state economic development offices, plus the trade missions that make them real.

Trade missions and state partnerships

CAPABILITY

We make members ready to win.

Executive education with the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business, sector roundtables and peer learning — so that when the door opens, you are ready to walk through it.

Training and executive education

RECOGNITION

We put our members in front of people who matter.

The Incredible Inc. 50 Awards, Presidential service recognition and Congressional honours that turn quiet success into visible reputation.

Awards and recognition

Our impact in numbers

Eight years. Two countries. Real outcomes.

2017

Founded

Founded in Hyderabad, now headquartered in Washington, DC.

30+

Programmes & Missions

Programmes, briefings and trade missions delivered since 2020.

Partnerships

Signed partnerships with governments, agencies, universities and export councils.

Offices

Washington DC and Hyderabad.

Award Editions

Editions of the Incredible Inc. 50 Awards, across the U.S. and India.

Member & Partner Orgs

Member and partner organisations across seven sectors.

Figures current as at July 2026.

Who we serve

Who we are built for

We are not a chamber for everyone. We are built for three specific groups — and if you are one of them, you will find the rest of this site useful very quickly.

U.S. Small & Mid-Sized Businesses

Grow revenue, win contracts and expand into India.

See what membership gives you

Indian Companies Entering the U.S.

Navigate, enter and scale with the right partners.

See how we help you land

Government & Agency Partners

Work with trusted partners to drive shared goals.

See our partnerships

About the Council

Serving the small business community, together.

USISME Council represents every sector and industry across the United States and India. We advocate for the entrepreneurs whose work drives job creation and economic growth in both nations.

Our Mission

Assist, educate, and advocate on behalf of the small business community.

Our Vision

Support and assist small business startups in the U.S. and India to grow successfully.

The President's Volunteer Service Award seal

Presidential Volunteer Service Awards

Approved as an official certifying organization for the U.S. President's Volunteer Service Awards program.

presidentialserviceawards.gov

Member — International Council for Small Business

U.S. India SME Council, Inc. proudly holds membership in the ICSB, the global voice for SMEs.

icsb.org

The U.S.–India corridor

Most trade bodies work country to country. We work state to state.

Washington and New Delhi set the framework. But a manufacturer in Coimbatore does not sell to “the United States” — it sells to a distributor in Virginia. A federal contractor in Ashburn does not hire “India” — it opens an office in Hyderabad.

That is the level we operate at. We hold signed agreements with Indian state governments and we have run direct connections between specific U.S. and Indian states — because that is where a small company can actually get a meeting, a permit, or a purchase order.

Explore the corridor

Tamil Nadu ↔ VirginiaTrade and investment briefing
Tamil Nadu ↔ IndianaB2B matchmaking
Karnataka ↔ Indiana & VirginiaInvestment and business opportunities
Maharashtra ↔ IndianaState-to-state B2B
Telangana / HyderabadOur India office and awards host city
New DelhiU.S. business delegations to IndiaSoft, 2025 and 2026

Programs

Our programmes

Six standing programmes, running across both countries. Members can join any of them.

See all programmes

Government Contracting & Procurement

Get contract-ready and get in front of federal, state and local buyers.

Seven programmes delivered since 2020.

Learn More

Trade Missions & Delegations

Curated, pre-briefed business missions between the U.S. and India.

Delivered with ESC India.

Learn More

State-to-State Partnerships

Direct connections between U.S. and Indian state governments and our members.

Signed MoU with the Government of Tamil Nadu.

Learn More

Executive Education & Training

Practical capability building with leading business schools and practitioners.

Delivered with the University of Maryland Smith School.

Learn More

Women & Next-Generation Entrepreneurs

Support for women-owned businesses and the founders coming next.

Learn More

Advocacy & Policy

Making sure smaller businesses are represented where policy is made.

Learn More

Featured event — recap

12th World Tamils Economic Conference

Oct 3–5, 2025 Bethesda North Marriott, Maryland

A Global Economic Summit bringing together keynote speakers, tech entrepreneurs and B2B matchmaking, hosted by the World Tamils Economic Foundation and the Madras Development Society in association with the U.S. India SME Council.

Read the Recap Photo Gallery Sponsor Next Event

Incredible Inc. 50 Awards

Recognising 50 Fastest-Growing Businesses

Honouring innovation, leadership and impact across the U.S. and India — now in its fifth edition, with particular attention to women-owned and minority-owned businesses.

Nominate a Company Sponsor Awards View Past Honourees

Recognition & standing

Trusted, certified, recognised.

President's Volunteer Service Award — approved certifying organisation. We are authorised to certify PVSA recognitions, the federal volunteer award administered by AmeriCorps and the Points of Light Foundation.

How to apply

Partner of the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency. MBDA is the only federal agency dedicated exclusively to the growth and global competitiveness of minority-owned businesses.

Our partnerships

Member, International Council for Small Business. ICSB is the global body linking small business researchers, educators and policymakers across more than eighty countries.

About ICSB

Past Events

Moments from our summits and galas.

Join the businesses building across both markets.

Membership gives you the access we have spent eight years building: government buyers, state officials, Indian export councils, business school programmes and a room full of founders who have already solved the problem you are working on.

Government contracting access — procurement briefings, agency introductions and matchmaking
India, opened — state government agreements, export council partnerships and our Hyderabad office
Trade missions and delegations — priority places on every mission we run
Executive education — training built with the University of Maryland's Smith School
Directory and visibility — a public profile, plus eligibility for the Incredible Inc. 50 Awards
A peer network that answers — roundtables and a membership that actually picks up the phone