India, Sept. 6 -- India need not become a destination for Nepali talent, but a platform through which it can scale. In turn, Nepal can offer Indian companies educated, ambitious and geographically proximate talent, with cultural familiarity and relatively low barriers to collaboration.

For decades, the economic relationship between India and Nepal has been shaped by geography. The open border, proximity, movement of people, trade routes and deep social connections have made the two economies unusually interdependent. However, the next phase of economic integration may be built less by governments and more by entrepreneurs, professionals, universities and digital networks. Geography will remain important, but technology is changing what p...