Tag: Black Dog

  • SonyLIV announces six sponsors for ‘Shark Tank India’

    SonyLIV announces six sponsors for ‘Shark Tank India’

    Mumbai: SonyLIV has signed six sponsors for “Shark Tank India,” which is set to premiere on 20 December. The streaming platform has partnered with upGrad, Acko General Insurance, Black Dog Drinking Soda as the ‘co-presenting’ sponsors, Cashfree Payments as ‘payments’ partner, Flipkart as ‘digital’ partner and Dell Technologies as ‘technology’ partner.

    SonyLIV has sold out almost 75 per cent of its ad inventory two months before the show goes on-air. It has generated the maximum interest from categories like BFSI, e-commerce, ed-tech, digital payments, consumer durables, and technology brands. “With the launch of the India edition of Shark Tank, we will be adding to our library of diverse, engaging content,” said Sony Pictures Networks India senior vice president and head of ad revenue Ranjana Mangla. “The show has a unique proposition that has attracted brands from across categories such as e-commerce, ed-tech, beverages, consumer durables, handset, auto and BFSI. Currently, we have managed to sell over 75 per cent of our ad inventory and onboarded six sponsors for the show.”

    Based on the business reality show “Shark Tank,” the show will provide an opportunity for entrepreneurs to pitch their business ideas, business prototypes or active businesses to business experts aka ‘The Sharks.’ The show will be telecasted on Sony Entertainment Television channel.

    The ‘Sharks’ that will appear on the show include Ashneer Grover (BharatPe founder and managing director), Vineeta Singh (Sugar Cosmetics CEO and co-founder), Peyush Bansal (Lenskart founder and CEO), Namita Thapar (Emcure Pharmaceuticals executive director), Anupam Mittal (Shaadi.com – People Group founder and CEO), Ghazal Alagh ( Mamaearth co-founder and chief mama) and Aman Gupta (boAt co-founder and chief marketing officer). The show will be hosted by Rannvijay Singha who will act as a guide for the pitchers on the show and the audience alike.

    “We at Acko definitely understand what it takes to turn a dream into a successful venture. So, we are excited to be associating with the first-ever season of Shark Tank India, a show that we believe can help boost India’s start-up ecosystem and encourage entrepreneurship across India,” said Acko executive vice president marketing Ashish Mishra.

    “At upGrad, it is our aim to support professionals in their lifelong learning journey and equip them with evolving skills required to venture out into the professional world, which shall also help them survive the market roller-coaster,” said upGrad chief executive officer Arjun Mohan. “This is similar to what Shark Tank India aims to do with the aspiring entrepreneurs who are looking forward to creating successful businesses for a better future of our country.”

    “We are elated to associate with Shark Tank India, in their bid to support budding entrepreneurs and the rapidly-growing Indian start-up ecosystem,” said Cashfree Payments co-founder and chief executive officer Akash Sinha. “We look forward to nurturing this partnership, which will help us contribute towards the development of a favorable business environment to foster innovation in the startup space.”

  • Diageo enters e-alcohol space with Rs 270 mn investment in HipBar

    Diageo enters e-alcohol space with Rs 270 mn investment in HipBar

    MUMBAI: Diageo India, the country’s leading beverage alcohol group, through its legal entity United Spirits has made an equity investment in HipBar, a payment technology start-up that serves the needs of the beverage alcohol industry and its consumers, through a mobile wallet and delivery app.

    Diageo has acquired a 26 per cent equity stake in HipBar for Rs 270 million.

    Diageo India is committed to transforming the beverage alcohol industry and with this investment, the company will support HipBar’s digital ambition and help expand its footprint across more markets. HipBar unlocks the industry’s need to provide better experiences, promote responsible consumption and digitally connect brands, retail stores and consumers through a common digital platform.

    https://www.hipbardelivery.com

    With the HipBar app, age verified consumers can browse a range of alcoholic beverages, select a brand of their choice and pay through the mobile wallet to have the product delivered at their doorstep (where permitted) or pick it up from a retail store at their convenience.

    HipBar has developed a stringent age verification process as well as highly compliant standard operating procedures to ensure that the company’s delivery service fosters a safe drinking environment in India.

    On the B2B front, HipBar works closely with the beverage alcohol industry and the government to custom build software and deploy technology projects that will help the category to move forward in a compliant and sustainable manner. 

    Some of these digital initiatives include last mile alcohol delivery platform, SaaS based e-governance module for use by governments, HipBar point-of-sale for standalone licenced retail stores and HipBar Pay for government controlled retail stores. 

    Founded in 2015, HipBar operates in Bengaluru and Chennai.

    Diageo India CEO and managing director Anand Kripalu says, “E-commerce is making an impact on just about every industry imaginable, and the beverage alcohol industry is set to be the next sector to be disrupted by the continued shift to digital. This investment allows us to discover ideas that anticipate shifts in consumer behaviour and enables us to remain at the forefront of trends.”

    HipBar will continue to run as an independent enterprise driven by its founding team.

    HipBar founder Prasanna Natarajan mentions that the company’s interest will always be subservient to how HipBar is performing in the social sphere and if it is indeed bringing the intended benefits of technology to help people drink more responsibly.