The Portuguese (1st)
- They started in Calicut then eventually shifted to the West Coast.
- Established trading settlements at Calicut, Cochin and Cannanore.
The Dutch (2nd)
- They started in Surat then went to the East Coast.
- Established trade factories in Nagapattinam, Pulicat, and Sudras - then left and moved to Indonesia.
The French (3rd)
- They started in Surat and then went to Pondicherry, Yanan, and Karaikal.
- Established their factories at Balasore, Mahe, Qasim Bazar and Karaikal
East India Company / The British (4th)
- Received a royal charter to set up aa trade settlement in Surat.
- Were given Bombay as a dowry (by the Portuguese).
- Gradually spread across India in Kolikatta (modern-day Kolkata) - purchased it for seventy-five rupees.
- Purchased Chennapatnam from the Raja of Venkatagiri
