Airtel's Massive Plan For AI, IoT, AR/VR and Collaboration Plan With Startups

India’s largest telecom service provider Bharti Airtel, is in advanced stages to set up a digital innovation lab in Bengaluru to work on emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) as part of its broader strategy to develop strong in-house technology capabilities, reported Economic Times (ET).

Airtel has identified these technologies (AI, IoT, AR and VR) as a big focus area, and will establish the lab in Bengaluru under its digital innovation project -- Project Next -- for which it will invest $2,000 crore (~ US$307 million apprx.) over three years to bring digital solutions to the market, said the ET report.

The new innovation lab, which will house 150-odd tech specialists, will help the Airtel to develop and identify new use cases around AI, IoT and other emerging technologies.

Bharti Airtel, which is headed by Sunil Mittal, is also looking to collaborate with tech startups to share learnings from the lab and co-create solutions.

Additionally, Airtel is also looking at some of India’s top engineering colleges to get talent on board and may even tap talent from the Silicon Valley.

The ET report also said that Airtel is bringing the AI technology first in the call centres to really help Airtel customer-care executives to resolve customer issues by bringing predictability. With this, Airtel customer-care executives know the problem before the customers start to face it. In addition, there will be a lot of AI-based applications as well.

Bharti Airtel is also planning to enter the home automation or smart home segment with its IoT and machine-to-machine solutions in a move aimed at expanding its revenue base.

Airtel is currently transforming itself into a major digital operator in India especially at times when its 4G rival Reliance Jio, with its free plans, is fast outracing all other telecom operators in India

Notably, few days back Reliance Jio and Samsung Electronics have joined hands to set up a cellular Internet of Things (IoT) network across India. The companies have said they will continue their partnership to bring LTE coverage to 99% of the Indian population and significantly improve network capacity across India. Both the companies are touting it as India's first IoT Network.

To recall, last year in February, Tata Telecommunications and American multinational IT firm Hewlett Packard (HP) have had announced that both are working together to build an IoT network in India and this will be and this will be the world’s largest IoT network.

Coming back to Airtel strategies related to startups in the country, in June last year, the telco had rolled out a first of its kind dedicated digital platform to aid the development of SMBs and startups in the India.

Later in September, it launched 'Office-In-a-Box’, a suite of connectivity solutions specially designed for start-ups, available to over 1000 start-ups registered with the Karnataka Start-Up Cell.

Few months back from this, Airtel also acquired a strategic equity stake in Seynse, a fintech startup based out of Goa.

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Airtel's Massive Plan For AI, IoT, AR/VR and Collaboration Plan With Startups

India’s largest telecom service provider Bharti Airtel, is in advanced stages to set up a digital innovation lab in Bengaluru to work on emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) as part of its broader strategy to develop strong in-house technology capabilities, reported Economic Times (ET).

Airtel has identified these technologies (AI, IoT, AR and VR) as a big focus area, and will establish the lab in Bengaluru under its digital innovation project -- Project Next -- for which it will invest $2,000 crore (~ US$307 million apprx.) over three years to bring digital solutions to the market, said the ET report.

The new innovation lab, which will house 150-odd tech specialists, will help the Airtel to develop and identify new use cases around AI, IoT and other emerging technologies.

Bharti Airtel, which is headed by Sunil Mittal, is also looking to collaborate with tech startups to share learnings from the lab and co-create solutions.

Additionally, Airtel is also looking at some of India’s top engineering colleges to get talent on board and may even tap talent from the Silicon Valley.

The ET report also said that Airtel is bringing the AI technology first in the call centres to really help Airtel customer-care executives to resolve customer issues by bringing predictability. With this, Airtel customer-care executives know the problem before the customers start to face it. In addition, there will be a lot of AI-based applications as well.

Bharti Airtel is also planning to enter the home automation or smart home segment with its IoT and machine-to-machine solutions in a move aimed at expanding its revenue base.

Airtel is currently transforming itself into a major digital operator in India especially at times when its 4G rival Reliance Jio, with its free plans, is fast outracing all other telecom operators in India

Notably, few days back Reliance Jio and Samsung Electronics have joined hands to set up a cellular Internet of Things (IoT) network across India. The companies have said they will continue their partnership to bring LTE coverage to 99% of the Indian population and significantly improve network capacity across India. Both the companies are touting it as India's first IoT Network.

To recall, last year in February, Tata Telecommunications and American multinational IT firm Hewlett Packard (HP) have had announced that both are working together to build an IoT network in India and this will be and this will be the world’s largest IoT network.

Coming back to Airtel strategies related to startups in the country, in June last year, the telco had rolled out a first of its kind dedicated digital platform to aid the development of SMBs and startups in the India.

Later in September, it launched 'Office-In-a-Box’, a suite of connectivity solutions specially designed for start-ups, available to over 1000 start-ups registered with the Karnataka Start-Up Cell.

Few months back from this, Airtel also acquired a strategic equity stake in Seynse, a fintech startup based out of Goa.

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Music Startup Gaana To Raise $115 Mn From Tencent, Times Internet

New Delhi-based Gamma Gaana Ltd., the parent company of music streaming service Gaana, is reportedly raising $115 million from Chinese investment firm Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Times Internet. Notably, Gaana is a Times Internet subsidiary.

With this investment, Tencent acquires a minority stake in Gaana, which was so far a wholly owned subsidiary of Times Internet.

Multiple media reports confirmed that Tencent and Gaana confirmed the deal was taking place.

The funds to be raised will be used by Gaana to further invest in artificial intelligence (AI) related technology to personalize music experiences for consumers and to further develop its subscription services for paying users, and to develop aligned music experiences for Gaana users, said an another media report.

Launched in April 2010 by Times Internet, Gaana.com is a commercial music streaming service providing free and licensed music content that are both Indian and international languages.

In October 2015, Micromax had invested in Gaana for a minority stake. Other than this, Gaana does not have any other investors on board.

Later in December 2016, Gaana announced that it had crossed 50 Million app downloads.

Music streaming services in India are generally considered as money-losing business. One promising, venture-backed streaming company in India called Dhingana struggled to secure licenses from record labels and create a sustainable business. Dhingana was snapped up in a fire sale in 2014 by Rdio, which filed for bankruptcy the next year and was sold to Pandora Media Inc.

Last time any Indian music streaming startup had raised funds was Saavn, which raised undisclosed amount from former Vodafone global CEO Arun Sarin, in September 2015.

Tencent, which has also invested in India's Flipkart, is dominating on the global music streaming business. It owns Tencent Music, a popular service in China and also swapped shares with Spotify last year, giving it a stake in one of the most popular music streaming services in Europe and the U.S. Tencent also owns Joox in Southeast Asia.

China’s Tencent Holdings has its eyes set on India’s booming startup industry. It made its investor entry into the Indian startup industry three years ago in 2015 by leading a $90 million round in Practo Technologies, a Chennai-based digital health platform. Later it made $700 million investment in India’s ecommerce leader Flipkart, in April last year.

India To Have 1 Lakh Startups By 2025: Mohandas Pai

India will have one lakh startups by 2025, employing 3.25 million people, Manipal Global Education Chairman T V Mohan Das Pai said on the sidelines of Tech Conclave organized by National Stock Exchange (NSE).

He further said startup ecosystem will facilitate creating US$10 trillion economy in India by 2030. Besides, startups will help solve the country’s problems.

Currently, there are 32,000 startups and every year 7,000 companies are coming around.

“India will have one lakh startups by 2025 employing 3.25 million people and creating US$500 billion in value,” Pai said.

The event was organised by NSE to talk to startups as to whether they could access the markets, and to create a conducive capital market ecosystem for the new economy and technology companies in the country.

Pai, who is also an angel investor, asked new age technology companies to go public as listing will provide liquidity and create brand value for such entities.

He further said India has possibly got the third largest ecosystem for startups after the US and China. Notably, in Nasscom's India Start-up Report 2014, it was revealed that< India is 3rd largest startup ecosystem in the world.

NSE Managing Director and CEO Vikram Limaye also said the exchange is committed to building an ecosystem for efficient functioning and growth of startups in India.

He also urged startups to go public once they have reached a certain scale as listing will provide them liquidity and also give exit options to private equity as well as venture capital funds which have invested in them.

NSE, which provides Emerge ITP platform for listing of the new age companies in technology, data analytics, biotechnology or nanotechnology, said such companies will drive the economy growth in the coming years.

In February 2017, it was revealed that India houses 4,750 tech startups — the highest number in the world after the United States and Britain.

To recall, last year in May, according to a new market map by CB Insights, there are 197 companies in the world that can be currently identified as “unicorns” as they have earned a valuation of $1 billion and above. Of these 197, 22 new unicorns were added this year (till 26/05/17) alone signalling a good time for the Global Startup Industry. The map also highlighted that India with 4 per cent of the world’s unicorns based out of its land, is ranked 3rd in countries with most unicorns.

EV Battery Tech Startup Gegadyne Raises Funding From Mumbai Angels Network

Gegadyne Energy, a Mumbai-based startup Electric Vehicle (EV) & Energy Storage startup has raised undisclosed amount of funding from Mumbai Angels Network, announced the investor in a press release sent to IndianWeb2.

Founded in 2015 by Jubin Varghese and Ameya Gadiwan, Gegadyne has patent pending battery technology which will enable to recharge batteries in a rapid manner without the need for fast charging. The startup also touts itself as India's Indigenously Developed Fully Electric Vehicle & Energy Storage System.

The funding raised will help the startup to venture into an eco-friendly future without the cumbersome lithium-ion batteries. It beats the conventionally used options not only in terms of utility but also in terms of cost and convenience.

“A new concept needs the right set of people and the right source of financing to transform it into something tangible. In our case, MA’s timely guidance and the vast network have put us in touch with investors who bring not only a financial backing to this venture, but the much-needed connections that this industry demands", said Gegadyne founders.

Nirav Choksi, Deal Lead, Mumbai Angels Network said, “Gegadyne is one of those companies that can truly change the world. With the world moving towards Electric Vehicles and efficient low-cost batteries, Gegadyne’s patent pending super capacitor graphene-based battery would be the game changer replacing the Lithium ION batteries.This is one company, and these are one set of entrepreneurs you really want to see succeed for the betterment of mankind.”

Vishwamitra Hariharan, Deal Lead, Mumbai Angels Network said, “Founded by two extremely passionate founders, Gegadyne’s patent-pending technology can truly change the rules of game in battery technology. We have great expectations from Gegadyne to become ubiquitous in the world of sustainable technologies and look forward to the company playing a pivotal role in the world EVs, as well as the world of sustainable energy products.”

The startup name - 'Gegadyne', reminds of GegaFactory, a lithium-ion battery factory of Elon Musk's Tesla Inc., which is the biggest battery factory in the world. With similar-fasioned name, probably the Mumbai-based startup aims to go the level of Tesla's Gigafactory, in Indian subcontinent.

Notably, India supposed to be one of the destinations GigaFactory however, in March 2017, Tesla got reluctant of Indian government offer and decided to stay away from manufacturing in India, ateast for couple of years more.

Mumbai Angels (MA) Network is India’s leading angel investing and mentoring network, which has invested close to INR 200 crs in high growth startups with scores of high level exits to its credit.

Mumbai Angels has recently invested undisclosed amount in Gurgaon-based Spoofin, a video-based social network.

Earlier, Mumbai Angels has announced its partnership with Calcutta Angels to work as a team for investing in startups in the country.

EV Battery Tech Startup Gegadyne Raises Funding From Mumbai Angels Network

Gegadyne Energy, a Mumbai-based startup Electric Vehicle (EV) & Energy Storage startup has raised undisclosed amount of funding from Mumbai Angels Network, announced the investor in a press release sent to IndianWeb2.

Founded in 2015 by Jubin Varghese and Ameya Gadiwan, Gegadyne has patent pending battery technology which will enable to recharge batteries in a rapid manner without the need for fast charging. The startup also touts itself as India's Indigenously Developed Fully Electric Vehicle & Energy Storage System.

The funding raised will help the startup to venture into an eco-friendly future without the cumbersome lithium-ion batteries. It beats the conventionally used options not only in terms of utility but also in terms of cost and convenience.

“A new concept needs the right set of people and the right source of financing to transform it into something tangible. In our case, MA’s timely guidance and the vast network have put us in touch with investors who bring not only a financial backing to this venture, but the much-needed connections that this industry demands", said Gegadyne founders.

Nirav Choksi, Deal Lead, Mumbai Angels Network said, “Gegadyne is one of those companies that can truly change the world. With the world moving towards Electric Vehicles and efficient low-cost batteries, Gegadyne’s patent pending super capacitor graphene-based battery would be the game changer replacing the Lithium ION batteries.This is one company, and these are one set of entrepreneurs you really want to see succeed for the betterment of mankind.”

Vishwamitra Hariharan, Deal Lead, Mumbai Angels Network said, “Founded by two extremely passionate founders, Gegadyne’s patent-pending technology can truly change the rules of game in battery technology. We have great expectations from Gegadyne to become ubiquitous in the world of sustainable technologies and look forward to the company playing a pivotal role in the world EVs, as well as the world of sustainable energy products.”

The startup name - 'Gegadyne', reminds of GegaFactory, a lithium-ion battery factory of Elon Musk's Tesla Inc., which is the biggest battery factory in the world. With similar-fasioned name, probably the Mumbai-based startup aims to go the level of Tesla's Gigafactory, in Indian subcontinent.

Notably, India supposed to be one of the destinations GigaFactory however, in March 2017, Tesla got reluctant of Indian government offer and decided to stay away from manufacturing in India, ateast for couple of years more.

Mumbai Angels (MA) Network is India’s leading angel investing and mentoring network, which has invested close to INR 200 crs in high growth startups with scores of high level exits to its credit.

Mumbai Angels has recently invested undisclosed amount in Gurgaon-based Spoofin, a video-based social network.

Earlier, Mumbai Angels has announced its partnership with Calcutta Angels to work as a team for investing in startups in the country.

AI Platform For Hotels Trilyo Raises $250K Via Startup Buddy, Pulse Venture

Bengaluru-based Trilyo, a B2B hospitality industry SaaS company that offers artificial intelligence (AI) driven Voice & Chat based solutions for providing next-generation customer experience, has raised US $250k round of funding led by Startup Buddy. The funds will be primarily used to scale the operations in India & SE Asia. Couple of industry stalwarts join as the board of advisors.

With the funding, Trilyo also repositions itself to focus on bigger picture i.e. Hotel Industry. "We're creating the next level of customer experience in hotels. Our voice-based concierge service using Amazon Echo is the first in hotels. Millennial business travellers expect luxury that's lean & smart, and that's exactly where we are helping hotel turn intelligent and technology savvy." says Abhishek, CEO of Trilyo.

"The wave we saw in last ten years or so was that of mobile apps and now its AI-based virtual assistant that will act as a Travel Companion. Trilyo has the right mix - a big problem, a smart solution, scalable product & a fanatically driven team," says Amit Singal, co-founder of Startup Buddy.

Trilyo is a one of the leading providers of AI based solutions to hospitality industry in India with over 150 clients using its solutions successfully. 'First Impressions Last Long”- Trilyo’s products and services religiously follow this; ensuring guests are pampered to the limits compelling them to return. Trilyo provides next-generation customer experience with AI-driven Voice & Chat based solutions. Their services not only satisfy customer demands but delights them. They are smart, unique and personalized creating powerful experiences for the millennial travellers.

“We strive to improve brand relevancy by creating a personalized guest experience for guests. Our platform learns from guests’ intent and grows smarter day-by-day. Moreover, we integrate with their existing system be it reservation or their operations, making it a seamless experience for our clients” says Gaurav Gambhir, CTO of Trilyo.

Trilyo had earlier raised seed funding from members of Amplifi Angel Group including Vishnu Bhat, Bangalore based entrepreneur and former SVP of Infosys, in October 2016. The startup was also part of Amplifi SaaS Accelerator Program.

Hospitality is a $550bn+ industry and is growing at a CAGR of ~10%. While hotels are already fighting a battle with MakeMyTrips & AirBnBs of the world; a unique and personalized Guest Experience which is Valuable, Durable, Rare and most importantly Non-Imitable will create a long-term loyalty.

Last September, Click Labs, a sister concern firm of Jugnoo, has launched Kato – An Analytics and AI Platform for Businesses.

Startup Buddy, which lead this Trilyo funding round, had recently invested $1 million in PeeSafe, a Gurgaon-based toilet hygiene startup, in January this year. Prior to that, an another Gurgaon-based startup Chqbook had raised funding from Startup Buddy.

AI Platform For Hotels Trilyo Raises $250K Via Startup Buddy, Pulse Venture

Bengaluru-based Trilyo, a B2B hospitality industry SaaS company that offers artificial intelligence (AI) driven Voice & Chat based solutions for providing next-generation customer experience, has raised US $250k round of funding led by Startup Buddy. The funds will be primarily used to scale the operations in India & SE Asia. Couple of industry stalwarts join as the board of advisors.

With the funding, Trilyo also repositions itself to focus on bigger picture i.e. Hotel Industry. "We're creating the next level of customer experience in hotels. Our voice-based concierge service using Amazon Echo is the first in hotels. Millennial business travellers expect luxury that's lean & smart, and that's exactly where we are helping hotel turn intelligent and technology savvy." says Abhishek, CEO of Trilyo.

"The wave we saw in last ten years or so was that of mobile apps and now its AI-based virtual assistant that will act as a Travel Companion. Trilyo has the right mix - a big problem, a smart solution, scalable product & a fanatically driven team," says Amit Singal, co-founder of Startup Buddy.

Trilyo is a one of the leading providers of AI based solutions to hospitality industry in India with over 150 clients using its solutions successfully. 'First Impressions Last Long”- Trilyo’s products and services religiously follow this; ensuring guests are pampered to the limits compelling them to return. Trilyo provides next-generation customer experience with AI-driven Voice & Chat based solutions. Their services not only satisfy customer demands but delights them. They are smart, unique and personalized creating powerful experiences for the millennial travellers.

“We strive to improve brand relevancy by creating a personalized guest experience for guests. Our platform learns from guests’ intent and grows smarter day-by-day. Moreover, we integrate with their existing system be it reservation or their operations, making it a seamless experience for our clients” says Gaurav Gambhir, CTO of Trilyo.

Trilyo had earlier raised seed funding from members of Amplifi Angel Group including Vishnu Bhat, Bangalore based entrepreneur and former SVP of Infosys, in October 2016. The startup was also part of Amplifi SaaS Accelerator Program.

Hospitality is a $550bn+ industry and is growing at a CAGR of ~10%. While hotels are already fighting a battle with MakeMyTrips & AirBnBs of the world; a unique and personalized Guest Experience which is Valuable, Durable, Rare and most importantly Non-Imitable will create a long-term loyalty.

Last September, Click Labs, a sister concern firm of Jugnoo, has launched Kato – An Analytics and AI Platform for Businesses.

Startup Buddy, which lead this Trilyo funding round, had recently invested $1 million in PeeSafe, a Gurgaon-based toilet hygiene startup, in January this year. Prior to that, an another Gurgaon-based startup Chqbook had raised funding from Startup Buddy.

India’s First AI University To Come Up At Amaravati With Finland's Support

India’s first Artificial Intelligence (AI) University would be set up at futuristic capital coming up at Amaravati with the support of Finland. The AI University will train youngsters on the latest technologies to make a mark all over the world.

This announcement was made by Andhra Pradesh Real Time Governance CEO Ahmed Babu on the sidelines of second day of CII Partnership Summit held at Visakhapatnam.

The university proposed at Amaravati will also have R&D lab as well as an incubation centre for startups. The State Government has already announced sanction of a fund of Rs. 100 crore to encourage innovative projects

Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said that for AI University at Amaravati the state government were planning to allot 40 to 50 acres. The university would be operational by March, 2019, he disclosed.

The proposed AI university will be developed by Finland's Satakunta Uinversity of Applied Sciences (SAMK), a world class university at Pori city of Finland.

The Pori AI campus and SAMK AI and Robotics Programme have 5,000 students with 1,000 early stage companies in AI and robotics as part of studies. It offers micro competencies-based access between talent seeking and offering. The Pori AI campus has its own commercial grade airport including a drone development programme. It has plans for collaboration in China, India and Argentina.

The above news was first reported in The Hindu.

Last week only, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence (Wadhwani AI) in Mumbai, which is said to be the first research institute in India that is dedicated towards finding AI solutions for social good.

Prior to that, Telangana state government has also announced that it will establish a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence in Hyderabad, in association with IT industry's apex body NASSCOM.

Additionally, tech giant Adobe has also announced to establish an AI Lab in Hyderabad.

Maharashtra state government has too announced to bring India’s first artificial intelligence centre in alliance with Canadian government.

India’s First AI University To Come Up At Amaravati With Finland's Support

India’s first Artificial Intelligence (AI) University would be set up at futuristic capital coming up at Amaravati with the support of Finland. The AI University will train youngsters on the latest technologies to make a mark all over the world.

This announcement was made by Andhra Pradesh Real Time Governance CEO Ahmed Babu on the sidelines of second day of CII Partnership Summit held at Visakhapatnam.

The university proposed at Amaravati will also have R&D lab as well as an incubation centre for startups. The State Government has already announced sanction of a fund of Rs. 100 crore to encourage innovative projects

Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said that for AI University at Amaravati the state government were planning to allot 40 to 50 acres. The university would be operational by March, 2019, he disclosed.

The proposed AI university will be developed by Finland's Satakunta Uinversity of Applied Sciences (SAMK), a world class university at Pori city of Finland.

The Pori AI campus and SAMK AI and Robotics Programme have 5,000 students with 1,000 early stage companies in AI and robotics as part of studies. It offers micro competencies-based access between talent seeking and offering. The Pori AI campus has its own commercial grade airport including a drone development programme. It has plans for collaboration in China, India and Argentina.

The above news was first reported in The Hindu.

Last week only, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence (Wadhwani AI) in Mumbai, which is said to be the first research institute in India that is dedicated towards finding AI solutions for social good.

Prior to that, Telangana state government has also announced that it will establish a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence in Hyderabad, in association with IT industry's apex body NASSCOM.

Additionally, tech giant Adobe has also announced to establish an AI Lab in Hyderabad.

Maharashtra state government has too announced to bring India’s first artificial intelligence centre in alliance with Canadian government.

Marine Robotics Startup Planys Raises ₹14 Cr In Series A Via K Gopalkrishnan, Others

Chennai-based Planys Technologies, an IIT-Madras incubated marine robotics startup that provides under-water inspection and survey solutions using custom-built submersible drones, is raising ₹14 Cr Series A round, according to a report by Paper.vc.

According to the regulatory filings, Planys have received ₹6.78 Cr of the ₹14 Cr investment from Kris Gopalakrishnan along with other investors who participated in this round including Pratithi Investment Trust, MEMG (Manipal Education and Medical Group) Family Office, and some HNIs including S Gopal, former director of Chemplast Sanmar.

The company has issued 100 equity shares of ₹10/- each and 2,640 Series A preference shares of ₹1,500/- each at a premium of ₹ 23,940/- each.

The startup had earlier raised $260,000 in angel funding from the Singapore and Chennai chapters of Keiretsu Forum, in December 2015. Prior to that, the startup had also received a grant from India’s Ministry of MSME.

Founded in 2015 by IIT-Madras alumni -- Tanuj Jhunjhunwala, Vineet Upadhyay and Rakesh Sirikonda, Planys provides underwater inspection services by deploying the under water robot at the client’s location and providing detailed analysis. The clients in turn are charged service fees depending on their requirements. The startup operates on a hardware-as-a-service premise.

Another similar startup in India which is also working on under water robotic inspection is Kochi-based EyeROV, which is pre-incubated at Kochi’s Maker Village, that has successfully developed an robotic drone that is capable of performing Visual inspection/survey of underwater/ submerged structures. EyeROV's drone can send real-time HD video of ships or for that matter any underwater structure for maintenance and repair operations purposes.

This month, Kerala-based GenRobotic, along with three other startups, has raised funding from Unicorn India Ventures.

Last month, Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG), which has participated in this Planys funding, had invested $3.2 million in AEON Learning, a leading edtech company based out of Bangalore, and prior to this it has also participated in $4.5 million Series A funding in Grow Fit, a Growth Story-backed mobile health startup.

Marine Robotics Startup Planys Raises ₹14 Cr In Series A Via K Gopalkrishnan, Others

Chennai-based Planys Technologies, an IIT-Madras incubated marine robotics startup that provides under-water inspection and survey solutions using custom-built submersible drones, is raising ₹14 Cr Series A round, according to a report by Paper.vc.

According to the regulatory filings, Planys have received ₹6.78 Cr of the ₹14 Cr investment from Kris Gopalakrishnan along with other investors who participated in this round including Pratithi Investment Trust, MEMG (Manipal Education and Medical Group) Family Office, and some HNIs including S Gopal, former director of Chemplast Sanmar.

The company has issued 100 equity shares of ₹10/- each and 2,640 Series A preference shares of ₹1,500/- each at a premium of ₹ 23,940/- each.

The startup had earlier raised $260,000 in angel funding from the Singapore and Chennai chapters of Keiretsu Forum, in December 2015. Prior to that, the startup had also received a grant from India’s Ministry of MSME.

Founded in 2015 by IIT-Madras alumni -- Tanuj Jhunjhunwala, Vineet Upadhyay and Rakesh Sirikonda, Planys provides underwater inspection services by deploying the under water robot at the client’s location and providing detailed analysis. The clients in turn are charged service fees depending on their requirements. The startup operates on a hardware-as-a-service premise.

Another similar startup in India which is also working on under water robotic inspection is Kochi-based EyeROV, which is pre-incubated at Kochi’s Maker Village, that has successfully developed an robotic drone that is capable of performing Visual inspection/survey of underwater/ submerged structures. EyeROV's drone can send real-time HD video of ships or for that matter any underwater structure for maintenance and repair operations purposes.

This month, Kerala-based GenRobotic, along with three other startups, has raised funding from Unicorn India Ventures.

Last month, Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG), which has participated in this Planys funding, had invested $3.2 million in AEON Learning, a leading edtech company based out of Bangalore, and prior to this it has also participated in $4.5 million Series A funding in Grow Fit, a Growth Story-backed mobile health startup.

Drugs Controller General of India To Launch Dedicated Cell For Startups in Pharma Sector

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) plans to set up a dedicated cell for supporting and regulating innovation and startups in the pharma sector. The announcement was made by Dr. Eswara Reddy, Newly Appointed Head of the DCGI.

The upcoming cell, preliminary named as Innovation Support and Regulatory Cell, will have a dedicated and trained staff to address the problems of innovators and start-ups. The proposed cell will be set up at the office of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organsiation at New Delhi within next two to three weeks.

Emphasising on a need to bridge the gap between regulators and innovators such pharma-based startups & entrepreneurs working on new-age drugs, Dr. Reddy said, "Many start-ups are also coming up in pharma and allied segments and are clueless about regulation, which is affecting their performance. Unless innovators and regulators work in close coordination, industry cannot come up with innovative products, which are the need of the hour."

A dedicated startup cell is required is required because often, innovators who are mostly scientists and researchers do not have knowledge of regulations and, as a result, face a lot of problems, he added.

Through the upcoming cell, big pharma players or even startups working on innovative products or solutions can indirectly approach DCGI at any stage for any purpose.

The above news was first reported in The New Indian Express.

The newly appointed DCGI head Dr. Reddy also said that the major priority of DCGI is how it can do ease of doing business in its system and thereby how can it promote Make in India and drug discovery in India.

DCGI is under the gamut of Central Drugs Standard Control Organization, which is a regulatory body for India pharmaceuticals and medical devices. DCGI is primarily responsible for approval of licenses of specified categories of drugs such as blood and blood products, IV fluids, vaccines and sera in India.

Earlier in 2016, when DCGI was headed by Dr. G.N. Singh, a temporary ban was placed on selling medicines online by DGCI due to business affected to brick and mortar pharmacist by e-pharma companies such as Healthkart, Practo and NetMeds, among others.

This time however DCGI is more focussing towards innovation in pharmaceutical and drug making, and help startups specifically to cut off hindrances it get while making such efforts.

It is to be noted that in last couple of years significant number of startups have had showcased their innovation in pharmaceutical and new-age drug production. For an instance, Bengaluru based Pandorum, which recently raised ₹ 23 crore, is currently working on bioengineering human cornea that can potentially be implanted. Its 3D-printed human tissues can be used for drug development and medical research.

Another, drug based startup from Bengaluru Axio Biosolutions has patented and CE-approved product that has prevented countless deaths due to haemorrhage and grievous injuries. The startup has recently raised $7.4 million from Ratan Tata's RNT Capital.

Drugs Controller General of India To Launch Dedicated Cell For Startups in Pharma Sector

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) plans to set up a dedicated cell for supporting and regulating innovation and startups in the pharma sector. The announcement was made by Dr. Eswara Reddy, Newly Appointed Head of the DCGI.

The upcoming cell, preliminary named as Innovation Support and Regulatory Cell, will have a dedicated and trained staff to address the problems of innovators and start-ups. The proposed cell will be set up at the office of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organsiation at New Delhi within next two to three weeks.

Emphasising on a need to bridge the gap between regulators and innovators such pharma-based startups & entrepreneurs working on new-age drugs, Dr. Reddy said, "Many start-ups are also coming up in pharma and allied segments and are clueless about regulation, which is affecting their performance. Unless innovators and regulators work in close coordination, industry cannot come up with innovative products, which are the need of the hour."

A dedicated startup cell is required is required because often, innovators who are mostly scientists and researchers do not have knowledge of regulations and, as a result, face a lot of problems, he added.

Through the upcoming cell, big pharma players or even startups working on innovative products or solutions can indirectly approach DCGI at any stage for any purpose.

The above news was first reported in The New Indian Express.

The newly appointed DCGI head Dr. Reddy also said that the major priority of DCGI is how it can do ease of doing business in its system and thereby how can it promote Make in India and drug discovery in India.

DCGI is under the gamut of Central Drugs Standard Control Organization, which is a regulatory body for India pharmaceuticals and medical devices. DCGI is primarily responsible for approval of licenses of specified categories of drugs such as blood and blood products, IV fluids, vaccines and sera in India.

Earlier in 2016, when DCGI was headed by Dr. G.N. Singh, a temporary ban was placed on selling medicines online by DGCI due to business affected to brick and mortar pharmacist by e-pharma companies such as Healthkart, Practo and NetMeds, among others.

This time however DCGI is more focussing towards innovation in pharmaceutical and drug making, and help startups specifically to cut off hindrances it get while making such efforts.

It is to be noted that in last couple of years significant number of startups have had showcased their innovation in pharmaceutical and new-age drug production. For an instance, Bengaluru based Pandorum, which recently raised ₹ 23 crore, is currently working on bioengineering human cornea that can potentially be implanted. Its 3D-printed human tissues can be used for drug development and medical research.

Another, drug based startup from Bengaluru Axio Biosolutions has patented and CE-approved product that has prevented countless deaths due to haemorrhage and grievous injuries. The startup has recently raised $7.4 million from Ratan Tata's RNT Capital.

Apollo Hospitals Launches Seed Fund For Healthcare Startups in India

One of India’s largest private hospital chains, Apollo hospitals is setting up a seed fund for healthcare startups in India. The announcement was made by Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director of Apollo Hospitals at the 15th edition of Bio Asia 2018 - Asia's biggest life sciences and healthcare conference, held in Hyderabad, Telangana.

Sangita Reddy said, “The overall size of the fund is growing from $50 million to $100 million. To start with, $5 million will be available and then it will reach $10 million. We are running the accelerator part of the activity. A range of startups are approaching us which are in healthtech and science-tech.”

“We are constantly approached by healthcare startups at multiple levels and to cater to this need, we have created a small fund that supports these startups reach their next level,” Sangita Reddy, joint managing director, Apollo Hospitals told Telangana Today.

Notably, Apollo Hospitals is first to introduce robotic surgery in India and the hospital chain is also going to work with IBM Watson Healthcare in the artificial intelligence space. It is also collaborating with few more companies where it going to share intellectual property rights (IPR).

Additionally, in order to help creating better onco-diagnostics system in India, Apollo Hospitals will sign a formal memorandum of understanding with IBM to leverage its artificial intelligence capabilities of IBM Watson.

Last December, Apollo Hospitals had announced that it is setting up an accelerator and innovation hub to mentor startups in the healthcare space. The innovation hub was said to be launched in Hyderabad, on the campus of Apollo Hospitals.

While speaking at panel at the GES summits in December 2017, Sangita Reddy had said that Apollo hospitals is focussing on artificial intelligence and related areas, where it is also running some proof of concepts and pilot projects and added that few startups can even buy machines and aggregate demand and provide service.

To recall, according to a report published by Nasscom in last November, funding in healthcare tech segment has witnessed 129% increase in funding from $70 million in FY17 to $160 million in FY18. Attributing to the increased traction in these segments to innovation.

Talking about Telangana, the state is fast coming up as HealthTech and Life-Science Hub of India. In Hyderabad alone a lot of healthcare and life-science startups are coming up. This month, Hyderabad- based preventive healthcare startup CallHealth has raised about $5 Mn from Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd. Last July, an another Hyderabad-based healthcare startup Nemo Care was announced winner of Israel's Start TLV Competition.

In Hyderabad, healthtech startups received a total funding of $11 million in 2017, shows figures available with online startup research platform Tracxn.

Last year, Hyderabad-based T-Hub, India's largest startup accelerator, tied-up with pharmaceutical major Novartis Healthcare Private Ltd (NHPL) to create and execute joint programs that would benefit Health Tech startups from across segments.

Apollo Hospitals Launches Seed Fund For Healthcare Startups in India

One of India’s largest private hospital chains, Apollo hospitals is setting up a seed fund for healthcare startups in India. The announcement was made by Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director of Apollo Hospitals at the 15th edition of Bio Asia 2018 - Asia's biggest life sciences and healthcare conference, held in Hyderabad, Telangana.

Sangita Reddy said, “The overall size of the fund is growing from $50 million to $100 million. To start with, $5 million will be available and then it will reach $10 million. We are running the accelerator part of the activity. A range of startups are approaching us which are in healthtech and science-tech.”

“We are constantly approached by healthcare startups at multiple levels and to cater to this need, we have created a small fund that supports these startups reach their next level,” Sangita Reddy, joint managing director, Apollo Hospitals told Telangana Today.

Notably, Apollo Hospitals is first to introduce robotic surgery in India and the hospital chain is also going to work with IBM Watson Healthcare in the artificial intelligence space. It is also collaborating with few more companies where it going to share intellectual property rights (IPR).

Additionally, in order to help creating better onco-diagnostics system in India, Apollo Hospitals will sign a formal memorandum of understanding with IBM to leverage its artificial intelligence capabilities of IBM Watson.

Last December, Apollo Hospitals had announced that it is setting up an accelerator and innovation hub to mentor startups in the healthcare space. The innovation hub was said to be launched in Hyderabad, on the campus of Apollo Hospitals.

While speaking at panel at the GES summits in December 2017, Sangita Reddy had said that Apollo hospitals is focussing on artificial intelligence and related areas, where it is also running some proof of concepts and pilot projects and added that few startups can even buy machines and aggregate demand and provide service.

To recall, according to a report published by Nasscom in last November, funding in healthcare tech segment has witnessed 129% increase in funding from $70 million in FY17 to $160 million in FY18. Attributing to the increased traction in these segments to innovation.

Talking about Telangana, the state is fast coming up as HealthTech and Life-Science Hub of India. In Hyderabad alone a lot of healthcare and life-science startups are coming up. This month, Hyderabad- based preventive healthcare startup CallHealth has raised about $5 Mn from Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd. Last July, an another Hyderabad-based healthcare startup Nemo Care was announced winner of Israel's Start TLV Competition.

In Hyderabad, healthtech startups received a total funding of $11 million in 2017, shows figures available with online startup research platform Tracxn.

Last year, Hyderabad-based T-Hub, India's largest startup accelerator, tied-up with pharmaceutical major Novartis Healthcare Private Ltd (NHPL) to create and execute joint programs that would benefit Health Tech startups from across segments.

Best Broadband Connections in Hyderabad - A Detailed Comparison

In a matter of years, internet has started ruling our lives. We simply cannot think of spending even a day without internet connectivity. Today, internet is serving millions of users and is helping them in carrying out a multitude of functions throughout the day. Furthermore, it has become the universal source that offers easy access to information on just about anything to people at work, home or school.

Looking at how important internet has become, it is evident that the speed should be such that users have instant access to the desired information. Keeping the need in mind, some of the best internet providers like ACT Fibernet offer the best broadband in Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore and many other metropolitan cities of the country.

So, if you live in Hyderabad or have recently moved to the city and are looking for a broadband connection that is backed by superior technology and consistently offers high speed, you need to know a few basics. Here is a detailed comparison of the best broadband connections available in Hyderabad. Look!

ACT Fibernet – A metropolitan city like Hyderabad that has the highest number of smartphone users in India and a thriving youth culture, deserves nothing but the fastest internet service. Which is why ACT Fibernet offers highest speeds in the IT city and has successfully made it the first GIGA city in India in March 2017. With Gigabit speeds per second, every device connected to the internet receives superior speed regardless of the number of uploads or downloads happening on any other device. Furthermore, ACT Fibernet is a well-known name is Hyderabad for offering internet over fiber optics through their Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) technology. This technology can handle the speed of up to 1000 Mbps. With ACT Fibernet, a user gets value added services for endless entertainment. For movie buffs, ACT Fibernet subscribers also get access to popular OTT video streaming services like Hungama, YuppTV, HOOQ, FastFilmz and ALTBalaji.

Now, isn’t this something that we all want?

ACT Fibernet
Internet Speed	15 Mbps to 1 Gbps
Broadband Data	150 GB – 2000 GB
Technology	FTTH (Fiber-to-the-home)
Value Added Services	Hungama, YuppTV, HOOQ, ALTBalaji, FastFilmz

Airtel – Another internet giant offering its services in Hyderabad is Airtel, with their connection one can enjoy fast speed on all the devices. In addition, they also transfer the previous month’s unused data to the next month. For example, if you have 20 GB as previous month’s unused allowance and the per month data allowance you get is 150 GB, the total data available for usage in the current month will be 170 GB.

Airtel
Internet Speed	Up to 100 Mbps
Broadband Data	150 GB – 400 GB
Technology	Broadband
Value Added Services	Amazon Prime and Airtel TV

 

Hathway – In a country driven by the internet, Hathway offers lightening fast speed to all its users. With an aim to offer non-stop entertainment, Hathway bids area-specific deals that take user experience to an altogether different level. Offering their service on the newest technology – fiber, with Hathway you will never have to worry about the number of devices that are connected on your internet connection. With Hathway, seamless user experience is guaranteed.

Hathway
Internet Speed	50 Mbps
Broadband Data	20 GB – 125 GB
Technology	Fiber Broadband
Value Added Services	None

 

So, now that you have all the important details of the top three internet service providers in Hyderabad. It’s time that you evaluate your needs well and go for the ISP that offers above and beyond of what you are looking for, without burning a hole in your pocket. In our opinion, ACT Fibernet offers the best broadband in Hyderabad with so many amazing value-added services (VAS) and incredible speed that you will never have to compromise on entertainment.

Best Broadband Connections in Hyderabad - A Detailed Comparison

In a matter of years, internet has started ruling our lives. We simply cannot think of spending even a day without internet connectivity. Today, internet is serving millions of users and is helping them in carrying out a multitude of functions throughout the day. Furthermore, it has become the universal source that offers easy access to information on just about anything to people at work, home or school.

Looking at how important internet has become, it is evident that the speed should be such that users have instant access to the desired information. Keeping the need in mind, some of the best internet providers like ACT Fibernet offer the best broadband in Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore and many other metropolitan cities of the country.

So, if you live in Hyderabad or have recently moved to the city and are looking for a broadband connection that is backed by superior technology and consistently offers high speed, you need to know a few basics. Here is a detailed comparison of the best broadband connections available in Hyderabad. Look!

ACT Fibernet – A metropolitan city like Hyderabad that has the highest number of smartphone users in India and a thriving youth culture, deserves nothing but the fastest internet service. Which is why ACT Fibernet offers highest speeds in the IT city and has successfully made it the first GIGA city in India in March 2017. With Gigabit speeds per second, every device connected to the internet receives superior speed regardless of the number of uploads or downloads happening on any other device. Furthermore, ACT Fibernet is a well-known name is Hyderabad for offering internet over fiber optics through their Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) technology. This technology can handle the speed of up to 1000 Mbps. With ACT Fibernet, a user gets value added services for endless entertainment. For movie buffs, ACT Fibernet subscribers also get access to popular OTT video streaming services like Hungama, YuppTV, HOOQ, FastFilmz and ALTBalaji.

Now, isn’t this something that we all want?

ACT Fibernet
Internet Speed	15 Mbps to 1 Gbps
Broadband Data	150 GB – 2000 GB
Technology	FTTH (Fiber-to-the-home)
Value Added Services	Hungama, YuppTV, HOOQ, ALTBalaji, FastFilmz

Airtel – Another internet giant offering its services in Hyderabad is Airtel, with their connection one can enjoy fast speed on all the devices. In addition, they also transfer the previous month’s unused data to the next month. For example, if you have 20 GB as previous month’s unused allowance and the per month data allowance you get is 150 GB, the total data available for usage in the current month will be 170 GB.

Airtel
Internet Speed	Up to 100 Mbps
Broadband Data	150 GB – 400 GB
Technology	Broadband
Value Added Services	Amazon Prime and Airtel TV

Hathway – In a country driven by the internet, Hathway offers lightening fast speed to all its users. With an aim to offer non-stop entertainment, Hathway bids area-specific deals that take user experience to an altogether different level. Offering their service on the newest technology – fiber, with Hathway you will never have to worry about the number of devices that are connected on your internet connection. With Hathway, seamless user experience is guaranteed.

Hathway
Internet Speed	50 Mbps
Broadband Data	20 GB – 125 GB
Technology	Fiber Broadband
Value Added Services	None

So, now that you have all the important details of the top three internet service providers in Hyderabad. It’s time that you evaluate your needs well and go for the ISP that offers above and beyond of what you are looking for, without burning a hole in your pocket. In our opinion, ACT Fibernet offers the best broadband in Hyderabad with so many amazing value-added services (VAS) and incredible speed that you will never have to compromise on entertainment.

Uber To Bring Flying Taxi in India; CEO Khosrowshahi Met Aviation Minister

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi was on India tour till yesterday and as earlier we reported that during his visit he will meet Indian government officials, regulators and company employees. Now the latest news is coming that Khosrowshahi had a meeting with Jayant Sinha, who's India’s Minister of State for Civil Aviation, and talked about possible partnerships between the Uber and India, including a flying car collaboration.

Khosrowshahi tweeted about the meeting with the minister on Thursday, saying the duo discussed both airport partnerships and what they deem is “the future of commercial air travel” -- flying vehicles.

Great meeting with the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, @jayantsinha, to discuss airport partnerships and future of commercial air travel in the form of flying cars. pic.twitter.com/4H7AOqDHNx

— dara khosrowshahi (@dkhos) February 22, 2018

Notably, Uber is said to be working with 6-7 different vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft and sees big potential for flying taxis in India, especially cities such as Mumbai where cars can barely move during peak hours.

Moreover in last month, Mark Moore, who is Engineering Director of Aviation at Uber, told a business daily that for electric flying taxis Uber is talking with a lot of governments across the world and India makes a lot of sense, particularly in densely populated areas and Uber would love to work with Indian government for this.

Notably, for quite some time India's Aviation Minister Jayant Sinha is also advocating on flying taxis in India. Last month, he said that Indian aviation department department is actively discussing the concept of an “air rickshaw” or "Drone Rikshaw" to solve the issue of transportation in the country.

In December last year, while speaking at a tech conclave Mr.Sinha urged startups and tech-giants to explore the scope for developing 'drone-rickshaws' and electrical two-wheelers to address traffic problems and air pollution. He said the cost of travelling by air is Rs 4 per km, which is equivalent to travelling in an autorickshaw."We in the future are going to see Air Rickshaws. Drones that are powered by electric propulsion", he further added.

Uber, on other hand, has already working on initiative of flying-taxi fleet called uberAIR and in last November even announced a flying car partnership with NASA late last year, revealing it will start testing such solutions in 2020. The cab-hailing firm is already understood to be working on a prototype capable of carrying four passengers and flying at up to 200mph (322kmph). The taxi is planned to be tested at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport before its trials move to Los Angeles.

Additionally, it is to be noted that in order to improve India’s transportation system, Niti Aayog, which is Indian govt's think tank, has also working on Pod Taxi and for piloting the same it has shortlisted three Indian cities -- Varanasi, Nagpur, and Gurugram.

Uber To Bring Flying Taxi in India; CEO Khosrowshahi Met Aviation Minister

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi was on India tour till yesterday and as earlier we reported that during his visit he will meet Indian government officials, regulators and company employees. Now the latest news is coming that Khosrowshahi had a meeting with Jayant Sinha, who's India’s Minister of State for Civil Aviation, and talked about possible partnerships between the Uber and India, including a flying car collaboration.

Khosrowshahi tweeted about the meeting with the minister on Thursday, saying the duo discussed both airport partnerships and what they deem is “the future of commercial air travel” -- flying vehicles.

Great meeting with the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, @jayantsinha, to discuss airport partnerships and future of commercial air travel in the form of flying cars. pic.twitter.com/4H7AOqDHNx

— dara khosrowshahi (@dkhos) February 22, 2018

Notably, Uber is said to be working with 6-7 different vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft and sees big potential for flying taxis in India, especially cities such as Mumbai where cars can barely move during peak hours.

Moreover in last month, Mark Moore, who is Engineering Director of Aviation at Uber, told a business daily that for electric flying taxis Uber is talking with a lot of governments across the world and India makes a lot of sense, particularly in densely populated areas and Uber would love to work with Indian government for this.

Notably, for quite some time India's Aviation Minister Jayant Sinha is also advocating on flying taxis in India. Last month, he said that Indian aviation department department is actively discussing the concept of an “air rickshaw” or "Drone Rikshaw" to solve the issue of transportation in the country.

In December last year, while speaking at a tech conclave Mr.Sinha urged startups and tech-giants to explore the scope for developing 'drone-rickshaws' and electrical two-wheelers to address traffic problems and air pollution. He said the cost of travelling by air is Rs 4 per km, which is equivalent to travelling in an autorickshaw."We in the future are going to see Air Rickshaws. Drones that are powered by electric propulsion", he further added.

Uber, on other hand, has already working on initiative of flying-taxi fleet called uberAIR and in last November even announced a flying car partnership with NASA late last year, revealing it will start testing such solutions in 2020. The cab-hailing firm is already understood to be working on a prototype capable of carrying four passengers and flying at up to 200mph (322kmph). The taxi is planned to be tested at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport before its trials move to Los Angeles.

Additionally, it is to be noted that in order to improve India’s transportation system, Niti Aayog, which is Indian govt's think tank, has also working on Pod Taxi and for piloting the same it has shortlisted three Indian cities -- Varanasi, Nagpur, and Gurugram.

How A Simple 'Office Chair' Can Affect Your Productivity

On average one spends 40 hours a week at workplace, and the majority of those at desk – in fact, the average office worker spends 5 hours and 41 minutes every single day sitting down at work.

Piles of clutter at workplace, and things like cheap and uncomfortable sitting chair is indeed a disorganization that can lead to frustration, lost productivity and difficulty completing tasks. In fact, one study found that employees spend an average of 4.3 hours a week searching for documents. The proper office furniture can keep important files and documents managed and organized. Employees can better meet deadlines, be prepared for meetings and answer phone calls efficiently.

Lower back pain is the single leading cause of disability worldwide, and it’s one of the most common reasons for absenteeism on workplace, according to the American Chiropractic Association. Therefore, any company especially a startup can’t keep production rates up if someone is always out of the office. Ergonomic furniture reduces pain and injury, plus makes employees more likely to come to work because they know they will be comfortable.

Many studies have found that employees’ productivity can be increased by 17.5% simply by providing them with the right chair and training.

As surprising as this may sound, the chairs that you sit on at workplace affect your total output aka productivity.

You have to know that there is an undeniable connection between the chairs in your office and your level of productivity.

According to Adeyemi Adetilewa, your state of health and overall wellbeing as an employee or an entrepreneur considerably affects your productivity. Traditional office chairs that don’t give room for flexibility hinder proper blood circulation. When you crouch into an uncomfortable chair for several hours, it hinders the flow of blood to your body parts.

This hindrance could prevent your vital organs – the brain and heart for example – from being properly oxygenated. A heart or brain that isn’t well oxygenated induces a foggy sensation in your system, which would affect your productivity in a great measure.

Also, not having proper blood circulation could cause various degrees of numbness. Numbness of certain parts of your body slows you down and could keep you from being able to work.

Another thing here to mention is Balance Balls, which were originally developed in the 1960s for physical therapy purposes. Nowadays, using these Balance Balls as office chairs seems to be taking off as the latest strategy aimed at reducing fatigue, discomfort and sitting disease.

Besides office use, Balance balls might also be just what the doctor ordered to help kids reach their full potential in the classroom, especially for those with sensory processing disorders, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or just a strong need to fidget. These balls, along with the adults, can be purposeful for their kids as well, which working parents can find quite handy along with Kids bedroom furniture at Urban Ladder. Notably, according to a report having children in the workplace can also boost your productivity.

Coming to office chairs and its relation with productivity, a study which took in hundreds of university students, showed test subjects a series of computer generated pictures of rooms. Some with rounded furniture and layouts, some with straight edged furniture and layouts. The results showed that the curved arrangements were found, almost unanimously, to be seen as more pleasing and inviting.

Furthermore, there was another study carried out, which showed that office environments with rounded furniture and more curvilinear furniture arrangements triggered more activity in the brain than offices with straight edges.

Huawei To Showcase World's 1st Smartphone-Driven Car This Month

China-based tech giant Huawei has extended its artificial intelligence (AI) interests into the realm of driverless vehicles, announcing on Thursday that it has used an AI-powered smartphone to drive a car, reports BGR.

Under its RoadReader project, Huawei has unveiled a technology that uses AI-enabled smartphone to drive a car that can not only identify objects on the road but take smart decisions to avoid collisions or hitting someone.

Huawei will showcase its “RoadReader” project at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain on February 26-27.

In a video released (see below) by the Huawei, the driverless Porsche Panamera is controlled by Huawei’s flagship smartphone “Mate 10 Pro”, that can “understand its surroundings”.



Huawei first used this automatic object-recognition AI capabilities in its Mate 10 Pro for in order to improve photography of the smartphone. Later, Huawei said that this technology can be reused for driverless-cars instead of relying on a third-party purpose-built chip.

"Unlike other driverless cars, which simply detect obstacles, Huawei has transformed a Porsche Panamera into a driverless vehicle that doesn't just see, but crucially understands its surroundings," the Chinese tech giant said.

“Our smartphone is already outstanding at object recognition. We wanted to see if in a short space of time we could teach it to not only drive a car, but to use its AI capabilities to see certain objects, and be taught to avoid them,” said Andrew Garrihy, Chief Marketing Officer at Huawei Europe.

According to ZDNet, Huawei's AI push also saw it sign a strategic agreement with Chinese search engine giant Baidu in December to build an open mobile AI ecosystem that covers platforms, technology, internet services, and content ecosystems.

In India, Huawei first brought its Artificial Intelligence capabilities when it launched its AI-enabled smartphone Honor View 10, in January this year.

Earlier in April 2017, Huawei partnered with Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) India for digitalization of government schools in Telangana state, under its Daksha CSR program.

In July 2015, Alibaba too unveiled its driverless internet connected car called OS’Car RX5 and comparing it to Huawei's smartphone-enabled car it has capability to identify the driver by their smartwatch instead.

To recall, India's homegrown software giant Infosys has also proven that innovation and India can go very well together when the company unveiled its very own self-driving vehicle, a ‘driverless’ cart, in July 2017.

According to a report, autonomous vehicles industry is going to be world's single largest industry, not soon, but by the year 2050, one can expect the industry to explode to the tunes of a whopping $7 trillion.

Top Image Via - coolest-hacks.com

Alibaba To Pick 10-12% Stake In Dailyhunt At Valuation of $500 Million

China’s Alibaba group is in talks to buy a minority stake in Sequoia Capital-backed Dailyhunt (formerly Newhunt), a news aggregator and e-bookstore, reported Livemint, citing two people aware of the development.

Alibaba has already proposed a valuation close to $500 million for Dailyhunt. The talks are, however, not yet conclusive as Dailyhunt is also looking for other funding options apart from Alibaba, said the report.

The deal will be a minority stake sale in which Alibaba is looking to acquire anywhere between 10% to 12%, depending upon the final negotiations, the report further added.

In 2015, Goldman Sachs Group named Dailyhunt as one of the possible “billion-dollar babies” among India’s internet startups. Dailyhunt claims to be India’s largest news and local language content application with over 155 million app installs offering 100,000 news articles in 14 languages, licensed from over 800 publication partners everyday.

Founded in 2009 by former Nokia executives Umesh Kulkarni and Chandrashekhar Sohoni, Dailyhunt was originally launched as eBooks company with brand name of Newshunt. Later in 2012, the company was acquired by Verse Innovation, which raised ₹100 crore from Sequoia in 2014 and then in February 2015 it raised ₹120 crore in Series D from Falcon Edge and in the same year it was rebranded as Dailyhunt.

The startup last raised $25 million in Series D funding led by ByteDance, in October 2016. Till date, Dailyhunt has raised about $67 million in three different rounds, according to data by Crunchbase, a startup funding tracking website.

In July 2016, Dailyhunt had also picked up a minority stake in local news language portal, OneIndia, for Rs. 15 crore.

Beside digital content (Dailyhunt), Alibaba is also reportedly planning to launch an over the top (OTT) video service in India, in association with Paytm and UCWeb.

This month, Alibaba has already invested whopping $500 million in India's Bigbasket and Zomato. Last month, the Chinese firm also picked up a $35 million stake in logistics startup Xpressbees, spun out of baby products retailer FirstCry.

Alibaba To Pick 10-12% Stake In Dailyhunt At Valuation of $500 Million

China’s Alibaba group is in talks to buy a minority stake in Sequoia Capital-backed Dailyhunt (formerly Newhunt), a news aggregator and e-bookstore, reported Livemint, citing two people aware of the development.

Alibaba has already proposed a valuation close to $500 million for Dailyhunt. The talks are, however, not yet conclusive as Dailyhunt is also looking for other funding options apart from Alibaba, said the report.

The deal will be a minority stake sale in which Alibaba is looking to acquire anywhere between 10% to 12%, depending upon the final negotiations, the report further added.

In 2015, Goldman Sachs Group named Dailyhunt as one of the possible “billion-dollar babies” among India’s internet startups. Dailyhunt claims to be India’s largest news and local language content application with over 155 million app installs offering 100,000 news articles in 14 languages, licensed from over 800 publication partners everyday.

Founded in 2009 by former Nokia executives Umesh Kulkarni and Chandrashekhar Sohoni, Dailyhunt was originally launched as eBooks company with brand name of Newshunt. Later in 2012, the company was acquired by Verse Innovation, which raised ₹100 crore from Sequoia in 2014 and then in February 2015 it raised ₹120 crore in Series D from Falcon Edge and in the same year it was rebranded as Dailyhunt.

The startup last raised $25 million in Series D funding led by ByteDance, in October 2016. Till date, Dailyhunt has raised about $67 million in three different rounds, according to data by Crunchbase, a startup funding tracking website.

In July 2016, Dailyhunt had also picked up a minority stake in local news language portal, OneIndia, for Rs. 15 crore.

Beside digital content (Dailyhunt), Alibaba is also reportedly planning to launch an over the top (OTT) video service in India, in association with Paytm and UCWeb.

This month, Alibaba has already invested whopping $500 million in India's Bigbasket and Zomato. Last month, the Chinese firm also picked up a $35 million stake in logistics startup Xpressbees, spun out of baby products retailer FirstCry.

Nasscom's New Head Will Be The first Woman To Head Tech Body In 30 Yrs

According to a report, nearly 50% of Indian women drop out of the corporate employment pipeline between junior and mid-levels, compared to the average of 29% across Asia. This is because of the very fact that Indian women usually marry earlier than their Asian counterparts, and heavy care-giving responsibilities as well as work-life balance, for in-laws as well as children, usually hit them as early as seven or eight years into their jobs.

Beating this taboo, India’s $167 billion IT services industry will soon get its first female head as Intel Corp. veteran Debjani Ghosh takes over as president of the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) in April. This will happen after 30 years of NASSCOM's formation, reported Economic Times

[caption id="attachment_123388" align="alignnone" width="700"] Debjani Ghosh[/caption]

After a two-decade career at Intel, most recently as managing director for South Asia, Debjani will lead India's IT apex body NASSCOM that represents global leaders in software outsourcing from Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. to Infosys Ltd.

Debjani promises to advocate for women in a workplace that remains male-dominated. Her appointment underscores how the local industry is waking up to a gender imbalance that plagues the global technology sector, starting with its epicenter of Silicon Valley, and has resulted in harassment and discrimination at all levels.

She's also an angel investor in a number of startups including Gurugram-based Inclov, a startup that builts a world's first matchmaking app for people with disability and health disorders. She argued that changes in the executive suite and mindsets are needed for a level playing field. India’s IT services sector employs about four million skilled workers and nearly a third of those are women. But that imbalance becomes starker the higher up the rungs one goes: none of India’s largest IT services companies have ever been headed by a female. Part of the problem is talent drain, she said in an interview.

“Things have to change. We have to check talented, capable women dropping out,” said Ghosh, who featured prominently during Nasscom’s annual conference, which is wrapping up Wednesday in Hyderabad. “Leakages are the challenge and I want to focus on how to fix that.”

Debjani is also non-executive board member of Yes Bank, according to her Linkedin profile and also close to prominent BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

[caption id="attachment_123389" align="alignnone" width="362"] Debjani with Narendra Modi, Circa-2013[/caption]

Debjani Ghosh, will be the NASSCOM President-designate, succeeding Mr. R Chandrashekhar, President, NASSCOM on completion of his term in March, 2018.

Mr Raman Roy, Chairman, NASSCOM said, “We are delighted to welcome Debjani as the President-designate. The industry is today at a very interesting inflection point and NASSCOM has a key role to play in catalyzing the next phase of growth of the sector. Under Debjani’s leadership, NASSCOM will further enhance its initiatives in innovation, disruptive technologies, skilling and new market access”. He further added, “Debjani will be the first woman President of NASSCOM and her appointment is a true reflection of the importance of diversity and inclusion which is a key pillar for the industry”.

Last September, Ambiga Subramanian became a name to reckon with in the Indian women entrepreneurial world as she become the first woman to ever head an Indian unicorn (Mu Sigma). She is theb touted as the youngest of India’s eight richest self-made women. In 2016, she also found herself a place in India’s most powerful businesswomen list by Forbes.

Last year, we also featured entrepreneur Sushmita Mohanty, whom Fortune Magazine called as India's first 'Interstellar Woman' for her space startup Earth2Orbit.

PM Modi Launches India’s First AI Research Institute for Social Good

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence (Wadhwani AI) in Mumbai on Monday, which is said to be the first research institute in India that is dedicated towards finding artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for social good, reported Economic Times.

The project will not just be a first for India but the world as well.

A sum of $30 million has been committed to the institute in the first 10 years. The Maharashtra government will help the institute identify problems, and test and scale the solutions.

The institute will focus on researching ways to harness the power of AI to solve deep rooted problems in healthcare, education, agriculture, and infrastructure to accelerate social development.

Wadhwani AI is an initiative of two NRI billionaires -- Sunil Wadhwani and Romesh Wadhwani. Sunil is a Pennsylvania-based co-founder and co-chairman of Mastech Digital, Inc. while Ramesh is a founder of California-based Symphony Technology and was named as one of the richest men in the US in 2016.

"Wadhwani AI is a prime example of how the public sector and the private sector can come together with good intentions to build a world-class institute, aimed at benefiting the poor," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi while inaugurating the institute.

Wadhwani AI is partnering with the government of Maharashtra for its mission to create AI solutions for social impact. The Maharashtra government will help the institute identify problems, and test and scale the solutions.

Through its partnership with Mumbai University and other institutions, Wadhwani AI aims to create a talent ecosystem in AI and Data Science.

It may be recalled that last week Maharashtra govt. has also announced to bring India’s first artificial intelligence centre in alliance with Canadian government.

Few days back, tech giant Adobe has also announced to establish an AI Lab in Hyderabad.

Yesterday, Telangana state government has also announced that it will establish a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence in Hyderabad, in association with IT industry's apex body NASSCOM.

Recently, India’s IT ministry has also constituted four committees to thoroughly study on various aspects of Artificial Intelligence for citizen-centric use.

Last July, Karnataka state government had too announced that it will set up a Centre of Excellence for data science and artificial intelligence along with Nasscom as its programme and implementation partner.

In September 2017, Karnataka state government had too announced that Bengaluru will soon have India’s first multi-faceted artificial intelligence and robotics centre to established in IIIT-Bengaluru campus.

Supply Chain Platform FourKites Raises $35 Mn In Series B Led By August Capital

FourKites, the fastest-growing predictive supply chain platform based out of Chicago with office in Chennai, today announced $35 million in Series B funding to further its geographic and product expansion. August Capital led the round, with additional investment from existing investors Bain Capital Ventures and Hyde Park Venture Partners. Eric Carlborg, general partner at August Capital, will join the FourKites board.

FourKites has grown revenue by 400 percent over the last 12 months and is now the undisputed market leader, signing large shipper customers at a rate of one per week. The company recently signed international deals with Unilever for supply chain tracking across Europe, and with AB InBev in South Africa. Other FourKites customers include many of the world’s largest shippers – Best Buy, Conagra Brands, KraftHeinz, Nestlé, Perdue Foods, Smithfield Foods and US Foods, among others.

“The funding will further fuel the company’s plan to double its engineering talent pool and also build new teams by the end of this calendar year, 2018,” said Arun Chandrasekaran, Co-founder & CTO, FourKites. “We are going to be heavily investing in research and development, product & Engineering. This includes omni-modal tracking & end to end visibility solutions and our predictive analytics capabilities. We will also invest in our operations to help our customers realize value and be successful.”

Powered by the industry’s largest network of real-time shipment location data, FourKites uses connections to more than four million GPS devices and a proprietary algorithm to provide precise arrival time predictions and real-time recommendations. Enterprise shippers use deep analytics from FourKites to make immediate decisions that improve on-time delivery rates, strengthen end-customer relationships and optimize supply chain operations.

While FourKites has grown its customer base and network exponentially, it has also expanded tracking coverage to Europe and South America, and to include shipments moving by ocean, rail and parcel, in addition to truckload and less-than-truckload (LTL), as well as real-time trailer temperature and condition monitoring. The company has also added robust analytics and benchmarking capabilities to provide shippers with actionable business insights.

“Our goal since day one has been to deliver measurable value for our customers by reimagining the way technology can transform their global supply chains,” said Mathew Elenjickal, FourKites’ founder and CEO. “This new funding accelerates the pace with which we can develop the next generation of predictive supply chain solutions.”

“Predictive technology is rapidly becoming an integral component of supply chain execution, as companies recognize its enormous value,” said Eric Carlborg, general partner at August Capital. “FourKites is at the forefront of that value creation, delivering transformative solutions to the world’s largest companies. We look forward to being part of FourKites’ next chapter, as the team scales the breadth and depth of those solutions.”

August Capital is a venture capital firm located in Silicon Valley founded in 1995. August Capital is currently investing its seventh fund and is managing approximately $2 billion in aggregate capital commitments. August Capital’s primarily focus is on early stage investments, but also makes opportunistic later stage investments. August Capital has a diverse group of limited partners, including endowments, private foundations, fund of funds, public charitable organizations and corporate strategic investors.

According to a Gartner report, the supply chain management (SCM) market exceeded $13 billion in total software revenue in 2017, up 11 percent from 2016. It is on pace to exceed $19 billion by 2021, as software as a service (SaaS) enables new revenue opportunities.

Top Image - FourKites' Team at Chennai office [Via - https://www.facebook.com/FourKites/]