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Tag: Ravi Iyer

  • Flipkart adds a pink touch with majority stake in content hub Pinkvilla

    Flipkart adds a pink touch with majority stake in content hub Pinkvilla

    MUMBAI: Shopping just got a splash of pink. Walmart-owned Flipkart has picked up more than 75 per cent in entertainment and lifestyle platform Pinkvilla, valuing it at around 15 million dollars, as part of a bold push to court Gen Z with content-driven commerce.

    Founded in 2007, Pinkvilla has grown into a cultural staple with 60 million monthly users and 7.2 million Instagram followers. Its celebrity-fuelled stories, lifestyle updates and digital IPs have built a fiercely loyal base. “Pinkvilla’s robust content IPs and strong connection with its loyal audience are assets that will accelerate our efforts to leverage content as a key driver of growth,” said Flipkart senior vice president for corporate Ravi Iyer.

    For Flipkart, the deal is more than an investment, it’s a strategy to blur the lines between entertainment and shopping. One in three Flipkart customers is Gen Z, with video commerce already a major draw. “Our acquisition of Pinkvilla is a critical step in deepening our engagement with Gen Z,” Iyer added. Pinkvilla’s founder and CEO, Nandini Shenoy, called the move a “validation” of the platform’s reach, noting that Flipkart’s backing would help scale operations and deliver even more of the content fans love.

    The Bengaluru-based ecommerce giant has been flexing its investment muscle through Flipkart Ventures, with bets on over 20 startups, including logistics enabler Xportel, Factors.ai, and AI-powered recruitment venture Expertia.ai. With Pinkvilla now in its basket, Flipkart is hoping star power and storytelling will spark its next wave of growth.
     

  • The Joy of Giving week wraps up on an incredible note

    The Joy of Giving week wraps up on an incredible note

    The Joy of Giving, an initiative started by Percept Art in association with ToyBank saw its last fund raising event yesterday. ToyBank which is a non-profit organization that has been set up with the aim of providing toys to children, organized the fund raiser through the synchronization of art, music and creativity.

     

    27th September 2013 was the opening night of the joy of giving week with wine and cheese, where Shweta Chari, founder CEO of Toybank made a brief presentation to the audience. Next was the musical event where the attendees saw live performances by Luke Kenny, Vasudha Sharma, Ravi Iyer and others.

     

    The final event of the joy of giving also saw the final round of the photography event. The entries were judged by Atul Kasbekar and Purab Kohli. Attendees at the event also saw live performances by Suchitra Pillai & friends, Luke Kenny and other well renowned artists. The event on the whole was a huge success and received incredible support from the people.

     

    Atul Kasbekar in regards to the photography event said, “Picking a winner is not easy when we have so many amazing photographers in the house. It makes me really happy to see photography being taken so seriously not only as a hobby but also for a full fledged career option.”

     

    Luke Kenny, who has been a major support for the joy of giving added, “Toybank is doing such a brilliant job for the under privileged children. It feels really good to be associated with an event like joy of giving. I have made my humble contribution and shall continue to do so in the future.”

     

    Percept Art aims at raising around 10 lacs from all these events and a portion of funds raised from this event will be donated to Toybank, which intends to use these funds to open one dozen rural impact centers across rural Maharashtra by the end of this year.

     

    Shweta Chari, founder CEO of Toybank was overwhelmed with the response. She said, “It is like mixed emotions rushing in. The team of Toybank and Percept have done an amazing job to put together this brilliant show. We shall continue to do whatever we can to make a contribution to the lives of these beautiful children and make their world a better place.”

     

    Having reached out to over 65,000 kids so far, Toybank is working their way to impact the lives of 1,00,000 kids in their 10th year.