Friday, March 29

Author: Priyanka

Bengaluru Most Hospitable to Tech Startups; NCR Next Best
ANALYSIS

Bengaluru Most Hospitable to Tech Startups; NCR Next Best

(ANI): Bengaluru is host to the largest share of technology driven start-ups, followed by the Delhi NCR and Mumbai while Hyderabad and Chennai are also quite popular among the techies who are budding entrepreneurs, according to an ASSOCHAM study. The study done in association with the thought arbitrage found that in the technology driven start-ups, India has moved up to third position with the US occupying the top position with more than 47,000 and UK with over 4,500. India's tech start-ups number around 4,200 up to 2015. In terms of total number of start-ups, comprising tech and non-tech areas, India again figured among the five largest hosts in the world along with China. The number of start-ups in both India and China was 10,000 each. The US is at the number one position among...
4,000 Lose Jobs as AskMe Shuts Down
News

4,000 Lose Jobs as AskMe Shuts Down

Hit by a cash crunch, e-commerce company AskMe has decided to shut shop, leaving 4,000 staffers jobless, while its majority investor Astro said it will appoint a forensic auditor to review the books of the startups parent firm Getit. In an internal mail, Anand Sonbhadra, Group CFO at Getit Infoservices, directed senior staff to take certain steps to ensure prevention of "further liabilities" given the company's "current financial situation". "Prevent any further creation of liabilities by suspending operational activities...Temporarily close all hubs and all offices as possible," he said. Noting that the non-payment of salaries to delivery boys and lower staff may cause them to take "inappropriate actions" at hubs, Sonbhadra said any untoward incident needs to be prevented and assets ...
Salebhai.com Secures INR 10 Cr Funding From Brand Capital
FUNDING

Salebhai.com Secures INR 10 Cr Funding From Brand Capital

Salebhai.com, an e-commerce platform for regional goods from across India that is representative of a culture, has received a major boost from Brand Capital of Times Group. The media conglomerate has come on board with a deal size of Rs 10 crore for a minority stake in the company. The online portal, which operates on a back-to-roots philosophy, currently meets requirements of 17 diaspora communities by sourcing authentic and unique products from their native places. It offers sweets, namkeen, chocolates, bakery, spices, dry fruits, beverages, pickles, handicrafts, paintings, puja items, and herbal products from over 100 cities and 250 sellers. Brand Capital has decided to back this portal considering the huge opportunity in solving a longstanding problem through an integrated platfo...
Ola Launches Intra-city Rental Service With Hourly Packages
News

Ola Launches Intra-city Rental Service With Hourly Packages

Taxi aggregator Ola has launched a new category to rent taxis called Ola Rentals to simplify intra-city travel with hourly packages across Ola Lux, Ola Prime (Sedan and SUV) and Ola Mini. Ola Rentals is available in 35 cities and will soon be rolled out in 100 cities across India, the company said in a statement here. It is aimed at servicing Ola Corporate customers and working executives who move from one meeting to the other during the day as well as individuals require the convenience of having a cab on disposal for diverse needs like local sightseeing, or shopping trips, it added. "Launched recently, the (Ola Rentals) category is already growing at a rapid pace and we are now taking it to the next level by introducing it for our customers on the Ola Corporate platform," Ra...
Bengaluru Based Messaging Platform Nudgespot Got Acquired By Boomtrain
ACQUISITION

Bengaluru Based Messaging Platform Nudgespot Got Acquired By Boomtrain

Boomtrain, a marketing platform that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to drive relevant interactions with users at every touchpoint, today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire partner, India-based Nudgespot. Nudgespot has built a best-in-class messaging platform that will integrate into Boomtrain's technology to deliver a seamless experience for businesses to communicate with customers and visitors on websites and in mobile apps. Boomtrain and Nudgespot initially partnered nine months ago, and have been co-developing a product that combines Nudgespot's platform with Boomtrain's AI technology. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. "The acquisition of Nudgespot will accelerate our strategy to enable AI-powered communications between bu...
Tatas Record $103-Bn FY16 Revenue; Investment at $9-Bn: Cyrus Mistry
BUSINESS

Tatas Record $103-Bn FY16 Revenue; Investment at $9-Bn: Cyrus Mistry

Tata Group invested USD 9 billion in its businesses globally in 2015-16, even as its worldwide revenue fell marginally to USD 103 billion due to commodity market slowdown and volatile currencies among other reasons, the diversified conglomerates chief Cyrus Mistry said today. Addressing the Annual Group Leadership Conference (AGLC) of the steel-to-software conglomerate, Mystry also announced a new leadership competency model based on key competencies to develop and identify leaders within the group firms and outlined a new framework focussed on happiness at work. The total investments by the over 100 group companies in the last three years total to over USD 28 billion, said Mistry, Chairman of the main holding company Tata Sons Ltd. Addressing the top leadership and senior mana...
Apple Given Relaxation in Sourcing Norms For Three Years: Indian Govt
INDIA

Apple Given Relaxation in Sourcing Norms For Three Years: Indian Govt

Apple has only been given a "breather" for the first three years by providing relaxation to it in local sourcing norms and the compulsory 30 per cent local sourcing clause has not been completely dispensed with, government today informed Rajya Sabha. "We have just given a relaxation that in the first three years, if local sourcing for their retail outlet is becoming difficult, the first three years will be exempted. But the average that we calculate for the local sourcing requirement will be applicable after that for five years. "So, it is not that as if we have completely dispensed with that clause. We have only said that give a breather for the first three years. We may do it afterwards," Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said. Replying to members question, she said...
Myntra Has Acquired Jabong, Pips Future Group & Snapdeal
ACQUISITION

Myntra Has Acquired Jabong, Pips Future Group & Snapdeal

Myntra, a fashion portal owned by India's largest online retailer Flipkart has acquired online merchandise retailer Jabong. Sachin Bansal, Flipkart's co-founder, confirmed the news by welcoming Jabong India to the Flipkart family in a tweet. Welcome @JabongIndia to the @Flipkart family. We'll create history together.— Sachin Bansal (@_sachinbansal) July 26, 2016 The talks of sale were fueled by reports that Jabong's current owners AB Kinnevik and Rocket Internet were reluctant to pump in more money into Jabong. According to Mint, Kinnevik was seeking a valuation of USD 100-150 million for Jabong. After the deal, Jabong will become part of Myntra which in turn is owned by Flipkart. Earlier there were speculations that Kishor Biyani-led Future Group is in talks to buy Jab...
WeWork Controversy- Startup Thinknum Removed After Negative Blogpost
Story

WeWork Controversy- Startup Thinknum Removed After Negative Blogpost

WeWork Cos, the office-space sharing start-up with an estimated $16 billion valuation evicted one of its tenants which wrote and take down a negative blog on medium that suggests members leave has surged in recent months. The posting on Tuesday by Justin Zhen, whose data analytics firm Thinknum operates out of a WeWork site on 42nd Street in Manhattan, also said that member engagement on WeWork's social networking platform is surprisingly low. The platform is seen inside the company as a key tool for creating a sense of community at WeWork locations. The company sees its fortunes tied to the premise that the entrepreneurs and young urban workers populating its workspaces will form lasting communities in part by being active on the network. Zhen's analysis said WeWork's historical churn ...
Year’s Biggest Tech IPO- Line Launch Goes Well
BUSINESS

Year’s Biggest Tech IPO- Line Launch Goes Well

Japan's Line Corp saw its shares rocket on their Tokyo debut, extending a strong start in New York the day before, and taking the value of the messaging app firm to $8.6 billion in the year's biggest tech IPO. The operator of the world's seventh most-used messaging app listed first in New York in a move widely seen as a sign of determination to challenge global peers and eventually expand beyond strongholds of Japan and Southeast Asia. However, Line's 218 million global monthly active users pale in comparison to the 1 billion of market-leader WhatsApp and 900 million of Messenger, both owned by Facebook Inc. Tencent Holdings Ltd's WeChat, which dominates in China, has 697 million. "We're providing the same kind of services as Facebook and Google, the internet giants of the world," Chi...
ShopClues Added 60 k Sellers in Fashion Segment
News

ShopClues Added 60 k Sellers in Fashion Segment

New Delhi, July 5: Creating a mammoth in consumer offerings, ShopClues has established itself as the ultimate online destination for fashion. India's first and largest managed marketplace is going the extra mile to grow its existence pan-India. The online aggregator has added 60,000 new sellers on its platform in this segment and will take this number to 1,50,000 by the end of the year. In order to meet the expectations of its shoppers, the marketplace is constantly infusing fresh flavor into the category with new and popular brands such as Wrangler, Puma, American Tourister, Lotto, and Maxima along with 250 others. "At ShopClues, we strive to provide the best products from all corners of the country at the most reasonable prices. We are increasingly looking at bolstering our market...
Venture Catalysts Raises $500k Funding From Zaffiro Ventures
FUNDING

Venture Catalysts Raises $500k Funding From Zaffiro Ventures

Valued in a groundbreaking development for the Indian entrepreneurial landscape, Venture Catalysts has secured $500000 amount from Zaffiro Ventures. VCats was valued at Rs. 40 crore during the investment process, marking a major landmark in the six months of its operations and underlining its position as the fastest growing seed investment platform in the country. "Our aim, ever since our launch, has been to support and augment the growth of promising start-ups across the country. The investment from Zaffiro will not only help us in expanding to multiple cities across India and promote entrepreneurship beyond the metropolitan and tier-I geographies, but will also allow us to access industry insights and business acumen gained by individuals such as Revathi Roy and Jagdish Gothi. ...