Micro GCC | India
A Micro GCC is a captive India team built squad by squad. Start with 8 people. Add a squad when you are ready. Choose how much you want to own: fully, jointly, or managed. Same talent depth. Same IP control. Without the enterprise overhead.
Source: Alvarez & Marsal, India GCC Landscape 2025
Why Micro GCC. Why now.
For two decades, setting up a GCC in India meant a large-enterprise budget, a 12 to 18 month build, and a 200-plus seat office. That bar shut out everyone else.
That bar is gone.
Cloud infrastructure, EOR-first hiring models, flexible workspace, and a mature compliance ecosystem have collapsed the cost and time of standing up a captive India team. Today, a working 8-person squad can be live in 6 to 8 weeks. A 50-person multi-squad team in 6 to 9 months. At a fraction of what a traditional setup cost in 2015.
The result. Of India's 1,600 plus GCCs, nearly 400 are now lean captive centers run by startups, SMEs, and mid-market global firms. UK fintechs, US healthcare scale-ups, Nordic industrial companies, and PE-backed portfolios are now building India teams the same way Walmart and JPMorgan did. Just leaner. Faster. And with the same control over IP, talent, and roadmap.
A Micro GCC is not one size. It is a unit of capability. Start with what you need today. Add more when you are ready.
8 to 10 people
Best for: Startups extending engineering capacity. First India team. Pilot mandates.
A working squad with one lead and 7 to 9 specialists. Engineering, AI and data, product, or cross-functional. Operational in 6 to 8 weeks. Designed to ship outcomes, not absorb tickets.
Typical roles: 1 squad lead, 5 to 7 engineers or specialists, 1 to 2 supporting roles (QA, DevOps, design, analyst).
15 to 20 people
Best for: SMEs and mid-market companies running two parallel mandates. Product plus platform. Or engineering plus data.
Two coordinated squads with shared leadership and a common operating model. Each squad owns its own delivery. India lead role typically introduced at this tier.
Typical roles: 1 India lead, 2 squad leads, 12 to 17 specialists, 1 to 2 enabling roles (compliance, finance, ops).
25 to 30 people
Best for: Companies treating India as a real capability hub. Multi-function mandates. Series C and mid-market scale-ups.
Three squads working in parallel, with shared platform, governance, and reporting. India lead becomes a full-time leadership role. Reporting cadence formalised at this tier.
Typical roles: 1 India lead, 3 squad leads, 20 to 25 specialists, 2 to 3 enabling roles.
40 to 50 people
Best for: Companies graduating from Micro GCC into a full GCC. Mid-market firms scaling India as a core delivery hub.
Four to five squads, mature governance, dedicated India leadership, full operational independence. Ready to graduate to a traditional GCC operating model when scale demands it.
Typical roles: 1 India MD or Head, 4 to 5 squad leads, 32 to 40 specialists, 4 to 5 enabling roles.
Three engagement models. Same talent. Same quality. Different levels of operational ownership.
You set up your own India entity. You own everything. NeoIntelli designs, launches, and stabilises the operation, then hands it over. Best for companies committed to India as a long-term capability and ready to take on entity-level governance from day one.
Typical fit: Tier 3 and Tier 4 squads. Companies with India experience or mature global ops.
NeoIntelli handles: Entity setup, hiring, workspace, technology baseline, governance setup, leadership onboarding, handover.
You handle: Payroll, compliance, operations, India entity governance (post-handover).
NeoIntelli holds the operating entity and the compliance backbone. You own the team, the IP, the roadmap, and the day-to-day operating model. We run the back office. You run the work. Best for companies that want India ownership without the entity overhead.
Typical fit: Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 squads. SMEs and mid-market firms that want to focus on the work, not the paperwork.
NeoIntelli handles: Entity, payroll, compliance, workspace, infrastructure, statutory operations.
You handle: Team, roadmap, IP, performance management, growth plan.
NeoIntelli runs the entire setup. Entity, hiring, workspace, payroll, governance, leadership. You get a dedicated squad working to your charter and roadmap, with full transparency and a path to take ownership when ready. Best for pilot teams or companies new to India.
Typical fit: Tier 1 squads. Pilot mandates. Companies validating India before committing to ownership.
NeoIntelli handles: Everything operational and entity-related.
You handle: Squad charter, roadmap, performance reviews, strategic direction.
All three models can transition. Start as Managed. Move to Co-Owned when you have proven the model. Transition to Fully Owned when scale justifies the overhead. Same team. Same recruiters. Same workspace. No rebuild.
Every squad is built as a working unit. Senior led. Charter driven. Outcome owned.
| Role | Count | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Squad Lead | 1 | Owns delivery, governance, and reporting to home leadership |
| Senior Engineers or Specialists | 2 to 3 | Technical depth, architecture decisions, mentoring |
| Mid-level Engineers or Specialists | 3 to 4 | Core delivery capacity |
| Supporting Role | 1 to 2 | QA, DevOps, design, analyst, or domain SME |
Squad composition is tuned per engagement. Engineering, AI and data, product, design, customer success, finance, or compliance focus. Some clients run cross-functional squads. Others run specialised ones.
| Factor | Traditional GCC | Micro GCC | Outsourcing | EOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team size | 100 to 10,000+ | 8 to 50 | Vendor managed | 1 to unlimited |
| Setup time | 6 to 18 months | 6 to 12 weeks | 2 to 4 weeks | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Upfront commitment | Substantial | Light to moderate, by tier | None upfront | None upfront |
| IP ownership | Full | Full | None | Full |
| Talent control | Direct | Direct | Vendor controlled | Direct |
| Squad-based model | No | Yes | No | No |
| Best for | Large enterprises, large mandates | Startups, SMEs, mid-market | Defined task, variable load | Pilot teams, fast hiring |
| Long-term flexibility | High | High | Low | Medium |
A Micro GCC is the right answer when you want full ownership of talent and IP, but the volume does not yet justify a traditional GCC.
Eight building blocks. Configured by tier and engagement model.
Private limited setup, FEMA, GST, PF, PT, ESI registrations, statutory compliance. Or run on our entity until yours is live.
Senior-led recruitment for engineering, AI and data, product, design, finance, compliance, and operations roles. 21-day median time-to-offer.
Co-working, managed office, or independent space depending on tier. Hardware, network, security baseline included.
End-to-end payroll, benefits, statutory filings, audit support. Run through your entity or ours.
Identity, access, security posture, productivity tooling, and integration into your home systems.
Weekly squad delivery reviews, monthly operational reviews, quarterly business reviews. KPI dashboards built around your reporting cadence.
Senior NeoIntelli partner assigned to your account. India lead introduced at Tier 2 and above. One named point of contact throughout.
Built-in growth plan. Move squads up tiers. Graduate the Micro GCC to a full GCC when scale demands it. No rebuilds.
A single squad is operational in 6 to 8 weeks. A Tier 3 team in 4 to 6 months. A Tier 4 team in 6 to 9 months.
01
30 minute discovery call. Define squad count, function, location, ownership model, and timeline. Output: a scoping brief.
02
Engagement model selection (Fully Owned, Co-Owned, or Managed), city, workspace, compliance setup, and squad composition. Output: a Micro GCC build plan.
03
Entity registration kicked off in parallel with first leadership hire. Workspace secured. Identity and security baseline configured.
04
First squad onboarded. Toolchain, reporting, delivery cadence in place. Squad begins working with home team.
05
Continued hiring against agreed headcount plan. Monthly governance reviews. Add the next squad when ready.
A Micro GCC is scoped against your tier, ownership model, city and squad composition. What the tiers tell you is the relative shape of the commitment. Contact us for pricing on yours, confirmed in the proposal.
| Tier | One-time setup | Monthly operating overhead | What moves it most |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single Squad (8 to 10) | Lightest, and none at all on the Managed Squad model | Lowest of the four tiers | Entity route, city and whether you run on our entity or your own |
| Twin Squads (15 to 20) | Light to moderate | Modest step up from a single squad | Second squad's function, workspace model and leadership layer |
| Triple Squad (25 to 30) | Moderate | Scales with the added squad | Dedicated workspace, India lead and a broader compliance footprint |
| Full Micro GCC (40 to 50) | Heaviest of the four, still well short of a traditional GCC build | Highest of the four tiers | Own entity, managed office, full governance and leadership bench |
A Micro GCC is a lucrative alternative to home-market hiring, with direct control, full IP ownership, and no vendor margin layer. Contact us for pricing and you get the numbers in a written proposal once we have scoped the work with you.
| City | Best for | Talent depth | Cost index | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengaluru | AI, ML, product engineering, R&D | Highest | High (1.0x) | Densest startup and GCC ecosystem |
| Hyderabad | Cloud, data engineering, BFSI tech | High | Medium (0.85x) | Strong infrastructure, lower attrition than Bengaluru |
| Pune | Automotive, embedded, product engineering | Medium-high | Medium (0.80x) | Good talent retention, growing AI presence |
| Chennai | SaaS, fintech, healthcare tech | Medium-high | Medium (0.75x) | Lower cost, strong tech university pipeline |
| Delhi NCR | Sales, marketing, content, fintech | High | Medium (0.85x) | Best for non-engineering functions |
| Kochi or Coimbatore | Remote-first Micro GCCs | Medium | Low (0.60x) | Lower cost, strong for cloud and niche software |
NeoIntelli has active hiring and operations presence in all six cities.
A US healthcare AI scale-up built a single 8-person squad covering ML engineering and data engineering. Operational in 7 weeks under the Managed Squad model. Now planning Tier 2 expansion.
A UK fintech built two squads (18 people total) covering full-stack engineering and DevOps. Co-Owned model. Reached 18 people in 5 months. Now expanding to a third squad.
A Nordic industrial firm built three squads (28 people) covering engineering, customer success, and compliance. Fully Owned model. Hyderabad for cost and infrastructure stability.
Most providers treat lean GCCs as a downsized enterprise build. We start with the squad as the unit. Then scale tier by tier.
Fully Owned, Co-Owned, or Managed. Pick the level of operational involvement you want. Change it later without rebuilding.
Most Micro GCC providers ignore AI capability. We embed AI, ML, and data foundations from the first squad. Because that is where the leverage is.
A senior NeoIntelli partner owns your account from day one, with the India lead introduced at Tier 2. One named point of contact, start to finish.
Active hiring and operations in six cities. We pick the city your function demands, not where we happen to be.
A Micro GCC is a starting point. Our playbook moves you tier by tier to a full GCC operating model when scale demands it.
A Micro GCC is an India-based captive center built squad by squad, typically 8 to 50 people. It delivers the same control over talent, IP, and operations as a traditional GCC, but at a leaner scale with faster setup and lower upfront cost.
A squad is the unit of capability. Typically 8 to 10 people with one squad lead and a mix of senior and mid-level specialists. Squads are charter-driven, deliver outcomes, and report into home team leadership. A Micro GCC can start with one squad and scale to four or five squads.
Fully Owned means you set up your own India entity and own everything end to end. Co-Owned means NeoIntelli holds the entity and back office, you own the team and the work. Managed Squad means NeoIntelli runs everything, you direct the squad's charter and roadmap.
A single squad is operational in 6 to 8 weeks. Twin squads in 3 to 4 months. Triple squad in 4 to 6 months. Full Micro GCC (40 to 50 people) in 6 to 9 months.
It depends on the ownership model, tier, city and squad composition. The Managed Squad model carries no setup commitment at all, a Fully Owned Tier 4 build carries the heaviest, and monthly operating overhead scales with tier. Contact us for pricing and you get it in writing, in a proposal you can accept or reject.
Yes. Most Micro GCCs are designed with a graduation path. Once the team crosses 50 to 75 people, the operating model shifts to a full GCC structure without rebuilding entities, vendor relationships, or workflows.
Yes. Series A and Series B startups are among the fastest-growing buyers of Micro GCC services. A single squad of 8 to 10 engineers is often the first India footprint for a venture-backed company, typically under the Managed Squad or Co-Owned model.
Engineering, AI and data, product, design, customer success, finance, compliance, and analytics all work well. Functions that need physical proximity to a specific home market (field sales, in-person customer ops) typically do not.
Bengaluru is the default for AI, ML, and product engineering. Hyderabad offers strong infrastructure and lower attrition. Pune works well for embedded and automotive. Chennai for SaaS and fintech. Delhi NCR for non-engineering functions. The right city depends on the function you are building and the profile you are hiring for.
Yes. Many clients start as Managed Squad to validate India quickly, move to Co-Owned once the model is proven, and transition to Fully Owned when scale justifies the overhead. Same team. Same workspace. No rebuild.
We design, launch, and operate the Micro GCC end to end. Entity, hiring, workspace, payroll, technology foundation, governance, and scale path. Single accountable partner. Senior led. Squad-based by design. Built to graduate to full GCC when scale demands it.
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