ITV

Tag: Silicon Valley

  • Vidyadhar Khatavkar joins Gaian Solutions as COO-Maya Platform

    Vidyadhar Khatavkar joins Gaian Solutions as COO-Maya Platform

    BENGALURU: Former Raj TV group COO Vidyadhar Khatavkar has joined Gaian Solutions India as Chief Operating Officer – Maya Platform. He will be reporting to Gaian president and CEO Chandra Kotaru and will be based out of Mumbai.

     

    Khatavkar will be driving growth of Maya Platform. The Maya platform for Satellite TV Channels offers a localisation technology that has potential to increase Television Broadcaster revenues multi folds, says the company.

     

    Khatavkar says, “Indian TV Broadcast industry is at crucial stage where it is facing quite a few challenges. However, it is poised to leap towards next growth cycle and the process of digitisation is one such steps and technology will be playing the role of ‘driver’ in this growth. Maya Platform is such a breakthrough technology and product, which has potential to change the Indian television market scenario.”

     

    Gaian is a Seven year old Media Technology and Services company headquartered in Silicon Valley, San Jose, USA with satellite R&D development centers in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam in India and Shenzhen in China. 

     

    Khatavkar has spent over 23 years in the industry. Khatavkar has been associated with the Zee Network for 13 years. He was part of the core team that launched the Zee Alpha channels. He was also the national sales head for all the regional channels at Zee from 2000-2002. Till 2005, he was business head, Zee Gujarati; and his last assignment with Zee was as senior vice-president – sales, Zee Sports. In May 2006, he departed from the Zee umbrella to join B4U, where he spent two years.

     

    After Zee, Khatavkar was Senior Vice President of Cellcast Interactive overlooking media strategy, acquisition, consumer research, airtime sales and sponsorships. He later joined the Raj TV Network as Group COO, where he worked for about two years.

  • HealthKart ropes in Gaurav Agarwal as CTO

    HealthKart ropes in Gaurav Agarwal as CTO

    NEW DELHI: HealthKart – one of the leading online health and fitness store – has appointed Gaurav Agarwal, a Silicon Valley veteran for 12 years, as the chief technology officer (CTO). He will also head HealthKart’s products division, with a specific focus on the company’s web and mobile initiatives. In his previous role, he was responsible for the iconic game ‘FarmVille’ for Zynga.  Under his leadership, Farmville grossed over $ 1 billion in revenue and became the largest game in the world.

     

    Agarwal has held multiple technology and management roles in the Silicon Valley. Commenting on his addition to the team, HealthKart co-founder and MD Prashant Tandon said in a release: “We are very excited to have someone of this caliber join the team at HealthKart. With Gaurav leading technology and product, we are confident that we can create world class web and mobile products that help take both HealthKart.com and HealthKartPlus to the next level.”

     

    “I am excited to be back in India and thrilled to be a part of HealthKart. This is a very exciting space and I believe a lot of interesting technology work can be done with a platform like HealthKart. I am looking forward to working with the great team and create a distinctive experience for the users here”, added HealthKart CTO Gaurav Agarwal.

     

    Agarwal holds a Bachelors degree in Technology (B.Tech – Computer Science) from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

  • Silicon Valley Tech Entrepreneur Karl Mehta Launches: Code For India

    Silicon Valley Tech Entrepreneur Karl Mehta Launches: Code For India

    MUMBAI: Karl Mehta, the Silicon Valley technology entrepreneur and venture capitalist, today announced Code For India (CFI), a global community of software engineers from around the world to build technology for public service to solve developing world problems. With India as the test-bed, CFI proposes to build tools that will help solve problems on the ground, and empower citizens to actively participate in partnership with local government to give communities the power to help themselves.

    “As a firm believer in the power of crowd sourced and open sourced technology, we have created Code For India to provide tools to fight day-to-day public service issues,” said Mehta.
    “Code For India’s use of technology will promote transparency, participation and efficiency in the way local people can voice their concern and find solutions. The transformative power of technology will aid India — and other developing countries facing similar problems.”

    Code For India has support from Indian-origin tech professionals around the world. Software engineers from Microsoft, Google, eBay, VISA and Facebook have volunteered in developing social awareness apps in the first phase of Code For India. Potentially adding thousands of volunteers, the organizations TiE Silicon Valley, TiE Mumbai, TiE New Delhi and The Morpheus Fund have partnered with Code For India to encourage their large network of tech community members to get involved. In addition, Professor Vijay Pande of Stanford University, Mohandas Pai, Chairman of Manipal Global Education and Vish Mishra, Venture Director at Clearstone and mentor to The Hive and The Fabric have joined the Advisory Board.

    “Code for India is a unique and commendable initiative whereby the sharpest of computing minds can apply themselves to altruistic causes. TiE Delhi NCR are proud to be associated with the program,” said Deep Kalra, President of TiE-New Delhi.

    “TiE is volunteerism at its best as demonstrated since its inception. We are thrilled to partner with Code For India in leveraging Silicon Valley technology and entrepreneurial talent to solve pressing needs of the Indian society,” said Venkatesh Shukla, President of TiE-Silicon Valley.

  • Ricoh Innovations launches mobile visual search platform

    Ricoh Innovations launches mobile visual search platform

    BENGALURU: Ricoh Innovations Corporation (RIC), a Silicon Valley-based subsidiary of Ricoh Company, has launched Ocutag mobile visual search platform. Ocutag is the first product from its newly formed Visual Services and Solutions Business Unit.

    “Mobile search will be a US$ 15 billion by 2017. How much of this will be through visual search is difficult to predict at present. The mission for our new Visual Services and Solutions Business Unit is to understand and interpret the world’s visual information to provide an enhanced human experience. High-performance, large-scale mobile visual search plays an important role in realizing that mission,” stated Ricoh Innovations president and CEO Dr. Nikhil Balram.

    The first implementation for this technology has been done with Disney UTV Digital’s new smartphone app in India says RIC. The augmented reality feature called Snap Search connects users to their favorite Bollywood stars and allows them to click a snap of a movie poster to provide easy access to customized content like movie trailers, behind the scenes videos, Tweets, pictures and more.

    RIC plans to leverage the shift in consumer entertainment consumption and cumbersomeness that one experiences using a mobile phone virtual keyboard and the limited usability of mobile voice interactivity. It says that its platform can be used to create applications by branders and marketers for smart as well as feature phones and is operating system agnostic. UTV created apps for Windows, iOS and Android phones.

  • Vserv.mobi to help US app developers monetise in emerging markets

    Vserv.mobi to help US app developers monetise in emerging markets

    MUMBAI: Vserv.mobi, a global mobile Ad network for app developers, publishers, advertisers and telecom providers, has announced the appointment of Lance Johnson as VP business development, US. This appointment comes at a time when the company plans to add over 100 employees this year across the globe.

    Vserv.mobi CEO, co-founder Dippak Khurana said, “Apps and games of developers based in USA are increasingly being downloaded by users in emerging markets. With Lance coming on board, developers in North America will be able to leverage Vserv‘s extensive network in emerging markets to monetize such App users effectively. We are excited to have a mobile industry veteran like Lance join our company at this critical juncture and wish him a rewarding and successful stint.”

    Lance has over 10 years of experience across US, Europe and Latin America in the Mobile Ecosystem and will establish Vserv‘s presence in the Silicon Valley. He will focus on forging and strengthening strategic partnerships with developers, publishers and advertisers across the US.

    He started his career at Yahoo where he held several senior level positions across Munich and London. He subsequently led the advertising business for Nokia globally and his last assignment was with MIH group where he focused on group M&A activities and building portfolio-company relationships in the US.

    Vserv.mobi VP business development US Lance Johnson said, “I am excited to be a part of the Vserv.mobi team, at a stage when the company is growing rapidly and expanding globally. I look forward to engaging with the mobile ecosystem stakeholders in North America to expand their horizons and help them tap the massive opportunity in emerging markets.”

  • Opera Software acquires Skyfire for $155 million

    Opera Software acquires Skyfire for $155 million

    MUMBAI: Norwegian software company Opera Software has acquired Silicon Valley based Skyfire Labs, a leader in mobile video optimisation and cloud solutions for mobility.

    The acquisition price includes a mix of cash and stock, with an upfront consideration of $50 million (including US$8 million of cash on the Skyfire balance sheet) and performance based earn-out payments over three years, including $26 million in cash held in escrow and funded upfront, that can bring the total deal size to $55 million.

    The Opera acquisition of Skyfire is expected to close before 15 March.

    Skyfire, headquartered in Mountain View, California, is known for its Rocket Optimiser software. This allows mobile operators to leverage cloud computing to optimise virtually any video and other multimedia on crowded cell towers, including 3G and 4G LTE networks.

    Rocket Optimiser on average provides mobile networks a 60 per cent boost in capacity by reducing the size of video and other multimedia content as needed to fit the available bandwidth. Skyfire can detect when specific users are facing poor quality of experience or connections that need assistance, and intervene in milliseconds.

    Skyfire also offers Skyfire Horizon, a mobile browser extension and toolbar platform that allows users to personalise their smartphone browser and operators to gain new monetisation opportunities. Skyfire has honed its technology through a variety of top-selling consumer applications, which have more than 20 million worldwide downloads to date.

    Skyfire currently counts three large U.S. mobile operators as customers for its Rocket Optimizer and Skyfire Horizon solutions, and is in trials with ten other operators around the world.

    “Opera and Skyfire are a natural fit,” said Opera Software CEO Lars Boilesen. “Both companies have evolved far beyond their browser roots. Skyfire adds capabilities to our portfolio around video, app optimization, smartphones and tablets, and strength in North America. With video expected to consume over two-thirds of global mobile bandwidth by 2015, and as time spent on Android and iOS apps explodes, we are excited to extend Opera’s solutions for operators.”

    After the deal closes, Glueck will assume the role of EVP of the Operator Business for Opera, as well as CEO of Skyfire, and will oversee the joint offerings for Opera across Opera Mini co-brand solutions for Operators and Skyfire’s product lines. Skyfire will remain an independent entity as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Opera, and will continue to develop and support the Skyfire browser.

    The two companies envision a powerful new set of joint products to be released over the coming year by combining their talents and know-how. In particular, they look to expand on Opera’s Web Pass offering, which allows consumers to purchase innovative data plans such as an unlimited ‘day pass’ of popular apps and web sites for an affordable price, thanks to video and data optimisation.

    WebPass can enable new business models for operators, such as toll free data, ad-supported data, and more.

  • Komli Media makes three appointments

    MUMBAI: Komli Media, a digital media technology platform, has appointed Apurva Dalal as VP and head of engineering, Ashwin Puri as VP and head of global business development and Rahul Bhargava as VP and head of products.

    Dalal will be responsible for building and scaling the Komli Media‘s technology platforms. He will drive the company‘s overall engineering and research vision to bring “industry-leading” technology solutions to customers.

    Meanwhile, Bhargava is responsible for the strategic and operational leadership of Komli products, including crafting the company‘s product strategy, defining the road map and executing the go-to market plans.

    Puri will be responsible for business development and strategic alliances for Komli Media globally, including publisher relationships, data and technology partnerships and M&A activity.

    Komli Media CEO Prashant Mehta said, “Komli Media is focused on creating innovative advertising solutions for customers across the digital spectrum. These three key additions underscore the investment we are making to support our fast-paced growth. Apurva, Rahul and Ashwin have consistently demonstrated their strengths in innovation leadership, superior execution and the ability to scale across markets and products in high-growth environments. I am really excited about adding this winning combination to our global leadership team and the added momentum it will bring to Komli.”

    Dalal joins Komli from Google where he established the enterprise cloud computing R&D center at Google Hyderabad. During his seven-year tenure, he also led software engineering teams for AdWords, data warehousing and developer infrastructure.

    Prior to Google, Dalal spent five years at eBay‘s Silicon Valley offices, leading software engineering efforts for the search and high
    performance computing divisions.

    Bhargava brings over 20 years of experience in engineering, product, and business management for technology-driven products. Most recently, Bhargava was VP/GM of digital payments at American Express. Prior to that, he had led the Global Merchant Solutions team at Paypal.

    Prior to joining Komli Media, Puri had spent over 12 years in the mobile and consumer space in the US and APAC in product and business development roles at Sprint, VeriSign and Vuclip.

  • Yahoo! India Answers unveils ‘Ask the Planet’ series to its knowledge sharing platform

    Yahoo! India Answers unveils ‘Ask the Planet’ series to its knowledge sharing platform

    MUMBAI: Yahoo! India has unveiled a new series titled ‘Ask the Planet’ on its existing knowledge sharing platform Yahoo! India Answers, which acts as a forum and social community for its users.

    The internet giant has zeroed in on India and following the launch of what they call the ‘social media search,’ with the ‘Ask the Planet’ campaign, Yahoo! has outlined a regionalization plan to be implemented within the first and second quarter of 2007. Similar to the localization of their messenger service ‘Indichat’ into eight languages, the company is also looking at expanding the ‘Ask the Planet’ series into several local languages.

    The latest series has roped in Indian luminaries from myriad backgrounds to pose questions pertaining to education, health, law and enforcement, games and recreation, society and culture. This series will continue for a period of six weeks, allowing users to answer string of questions posed by these achievers. On the opening day, the first question was posted by the president of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam who asked, “What should we do to free our planet from terrorism?”

    Taking the campaign forward, the company will conduct an All India School outreach program visiting 25 cities and urging kids to respond to the president’s question. Finally, president Kalam will select 10 lucky winners who will get the opportunity to go on an educational trip to the Silicon Valley. Additionally, the top 50 respondents will also get to interact with the president on a trip to Delhi. The winners will be announced at the end of February.

    Besides, having the opportunity to answer questions posed by prominent Indians, the common man can even pose and answer the simplest of questions. What’s more, each registered user can earn points “reputation” for his participation.

    Speaking at the launch Yahoo! India MD George Zacharias said, “We are delighted to bring ‘Ask the Planet’ Series to India. In line with the objective of Yahoo! Answers in creating a rich knowledge repository, the ATP Series will provide an innovative platform for the millions of Indians based on their real life experiences, to answer some of the biggest questions that touch our lives today.”

    Yahoo! India Answers was initiated by Yahoo! in April 2006. Starting June 2006, Yahoo! began a series called ‘Ask the Planet’ on Answers where luminaries such as Dr. Stephen Hawking, former US vice president Al Gore, U2s Bono to name a few have asked questions on subjects ranging from survival of human race to eradication of poverty. The service currently exists in 16 languages across the world.
     

  • Shyam Equities takes 20% stake in Rajat Sharma’s INS for Rs 1 billion

    Shyam Equities takes 20% stake in Rajat Sharma’s INS for Rs 1 billion

    MUMBAI: Rajat Sharma’s Independent News Service Private Limited (INS), the holding company of India TV, has announced the offloading of 20 per cent stake to Bangalore-based Shyam Equities Private Limited. Shyam Equities is paying Rs 1 billion for the stake, which gives INS an enterprise valuation of Rs 5 billion.

    According to a company release, INS’s enterprise valuation is up a whopping 86 per cent from Rs 2.7 bilion nine months ago.

    Since Shyam Equities is a 100 per cent Indian entity, the foreign individual, foreign company, NRI, OCB, FII and PIO holding in INS remains unchanged.

    The investment information has been filed with the information and broadcasting ministry.

    Sharma expressed “excitement over the strategic growth blue print that will be executed 2008”. The blue print, Sharma said, includes large investments in key strategic areas beyond India TV. This includes a bouquet of channels, a distribution blitz in key international markets, and a significant entry into non-news and non-television media.

    In March last year Fuse+ Media, an entity of ComVentures, a leading Silicon Valley-based venture capital and private equity group with over $1.5 billion of assets under management, had placed an equivalent of Rs 509 million of FDI in INS for a 19.17 per cent stake.