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Tag: startup

  • EaseMyTrip 2.0: Nishant Pitti plots a first-class upgrade for Indian startups

    EaseMyTrip 2.0: Nishant Pitti plots a first-class upgrade for Indian startups

    MUMBAI: Buckle up—EaseMyTrip is switching lanes. Chairman and founder Nishant Pitti has just rolled out EaseMyTrip 2.0, a turbocharged phase of growth where the travel-tech player won’t just book your holiday—it may just bankroll your next big startup.

    Announced on 2 June, the move marks a bold pivot for one of India’s most profitable online travel agencies. Rather than gunning for control or swift exits, the brand’s new strategy will focus on acquiring up to 49 per cent equity in promising businesses while letting founders retain full operational control. The model? Think co-pilot, not cockpit hijack.

    “We want to back founders who are building exciting businesses and not replace them,” said
    Nishant Pitti. “EaseMyTrip 2.0 is about combining their vision with our platform to create real, lasting scale.”

    The sectors in Pitti’s sights are as wide-ranging as a world map—from core travel segments like spiritual tourism (Ayodhya, Kedarnath, Varanasi), luxury escapes, and student travel to the more offbeat like air ambulances and intercity cabs. But there’s also a pivot to lifestyle. Wellness clinics, spa services, EMI travel payments, insurance, airport lounges and bespoke gifting are all part of the wishlist.

    This is not angel investing in yoga pants. EaseMyTrip 2.0 aims to fuse scale with soul. Founders can expect working capital, access to customers, co-branded marketing, and full freedom to operate—without ceding their vision.

    Entrepreneurs looking to hop aboard this flight can submit business plans, past financials and a three-year growth roadmap to vikash.goyal@easemytrip.com.

    Founded in 2008, EaseMyTrip has managed to do the unthinkable in the OTA space—stay bootstrapped, profitable, and pandemic-resistant. With a 47 per cent CAGR in pre-tax profits (FY20–24), a zero-convenience-fee model, and presence in 10 global markets, the company is now ready to scale new altitudes. And this time, it wants fellow fliers.

    As Pitti put it, ““We’re building an ecosystem; not just a travel company. “EaseMyTrip 2.0 is our commitment to helping India’s most promising businesses scale faster and with our expertise behind them.”

    Let the startups take off.

  • Fintech POP appoints Navi’s Pancholi to head engineering

    Fintech POP appoints Navi’s Pancholi to head engineering

    MUMBAI: POP, the fintech startup targeting young Indian consumers, has appointed Chandresh Pancholi as its new head of engineering and product.

    Pancholi joins from Navi, where he served as director of engineering, leading a 90-person team that helped propel the company’s UPI payment application from 12th to 4th position in India’s competitive digital payments market.

    During his tenure at Navi, he oversaw several key initiatives including the development of a credit line on UPI with Karnataka Bank and a central abuse detection platform for UPI reward systems.

    Prior to Navi, Pancholi held technical leadership positions at Paytm and Flipkart, building considerable experience in India’s e-commerce and financial technology sectors.

    POP, founded in 2023 by former Flipkart executives, offers a rewards-based payment ecosystem where users earn “POPcoins” worth Rs 1 each for transactions made through its platform. The company is backed by India Quotient and several angel investors from the consumer internet sector.

    At POP, Pancholi will be responsible for scaling the company’s technical infrastructure and developing new product features as the startup attempts to challenge established players in India’s increasingly crowded digital payments market.

  • Gautam Sinha, former CEO of Times Internet launches his new venture SimpleO

    Gautam Sinha, former CEO of Times Internet launches his new venture SimpleO

    Mumbai: Gautam Sinha, the former – CEO of Times Internet has embarked on a new entrepreneurial journey with the launch of SimpleO.ai. With SimpleO.ai (short for Simple Office), Gautam and his team are on a mission to simplify the enterprise using AI, starting with the management of contracts and the risks, obligations, SLA’s, audits, compliance, and governance associated with them.

    Gautam is a global executive with over 35 years of rich experience including a wealth of startup and industry expertise. Prior to confounding SimpleO, Gautam was the CEO of Times Internet Ltd., the digital arm of The Times of India Group, where he drove the strategy, vision, and execution for all the internet, mobile and telecommunication properties of the group. With iconic brands like Times of India, Economic Times, Gaana, Mx, Magicbricks, TLabs, Dineout, Cricbuzz, Gradeup under the flagship of Times Internet, his contribution to the internet economy of India is well acknowledged.

    Prior to Times Internet Ltd., Gautam was the chief operating officer of CashEdge Inc., a company based out of New York and California working in payments and wealth management, where he worked since 2001 building and leading the company from startup to profitability. Prior to CashEdge, he held senior management positions at Sevant, Aspect Communications, at the Neural Applications Corporation, and as a scientist at the ministry of defense in India (DRDO).

    Reflecting on his new venture Gautam Sinha, said, “I used to have a personal pain point around management of contracts.  I used to sign many contracts on any average day, and with that used to take risks, obligations, SLA’s, governance, and audit commitments on behalf of the organization.  However, there were no end-to-end smart/AI tools to automatically dashboard and manage the risks, obligations, SLA’s, audits, compliance, and governance around the tens of thousands of signed contracts. Even the process of creating, negotiating, and executing contracts was very tedious and time consuming.  With the maturing of GenAI, we saw an opportunity to radically simplify the entire lifecycle and manageability of contracts by building a legal-grade GenAI product suite. SimpleO strives to infuse simplicity into the core of corporate operations, offering an innovative solution for the efficient and effective management of contract lifecycles. We believe that tackling this challenge will contribute to the overall efficiency and success of organizations, allowing them to focus on what matters the most.”

    SimpleO.ai is backed by successful investors and entrepreneurs in US and India, Satyan Gajwani, Sahil Barua, Mohit Tandon, Mukesh Singh and Vetri Vellore.

  • Habuild creates Guinness world record by bringing together 2, 46,252 people for Yoga without quitting

    Habuild creates Guinness world record by bringing together 2, 46,252 people for Yoga without quitting

    Mumbai: Owing to the rising enthusiasm to make fitness a priority in the New Year, Nagpur-based startup, Habuild, witnessed yet another feat on Friday, 12 January 2024. The brand which is also one of the most reliable Yoga platforms has set a new world record of having the largest number of people doing yoga free of cost with them without giving up for 21 days. Through their initiative, the 21 day challenge, they brought together over 2, 46,252 people from all across the globe to participate in their live Yoga sessions and keep their fitness New Year goals intact.

    Health & Wellness Startup Habuild Sets Guinness World Record

    The habit building and holistic wellness brand, Habuild, conducted the online event to inspire people from different walks of life to do something about fitness in the New Year and not give up on their resolutions within the first two weeks. The free yoga option is only to encourage people to be motivated to work out and decide to go in for a subscription only once they are sure about not quitting.

    Referring to the remarkable achievement Habuild CEO & certified yoga instructor Saurabh Bothra said, “It is a matter of immense pride for Habuild and the entire community that committed to health and wellness over the past few weeks to attain such a remarkable achievement. On January 12th, we celebrate Swami Vivekananda Jayanti. He strongly believed in ‘Charaiveti’ which means “Keep going”. He passionately travelled the world, sharing India’s values and culture to the world. He just kept going in his pursuit. ‘Charaiveti Charaiveti’ encourages us to persist. Hence, we purposely chose the 12 of January or the Quitters Day to celebrate this huge success and announce to the world that if one decides to commit to the power of yoga, then there’s nothing that can stop them, and not everyone is a Quitter.  I am grateful to all participants who understood the essence of Yoga and it was an honour to see the footfall increase from the previous challenges too.”

    The ongoing 21 day Yoga challenge is witnessing hundreds of yoga enthusiasts from diverse realms of life. We are especially happy to see the rise in numbers from tier 2 and tier 3 cities such as Indore, Lucknow, Jaipur from the North, Bhubaneshwar from East, Coimbatore and Kochi from the south, Surat and Nashik from the western part of India apart from the metros like Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore. The participants in the historic event came from 92 different countries across the globe, while there was representation from all the states of India. This ongoing yoga challenge commenced on 2 January 2024 and it remains open to all participants, free of cost, until 22 January, 2024.

    The official team of Guinness world records invigilated the prestigious event. The officials declared that 2, 46,252 participants were part of the event and celebrated the importance of Yoga and well-being on a global scale.  

  • Baatu Technologies unveils safest smart tab for kids – Enable Tab

    Baatu Technologies unveils safest smart tab for kids – Enable Tab

    Mumbai: Baatu Tech, at the forefront of digital parenting, proudly introduces the ‘Enable Tab’, powered by the Android 12 operating system parental control tablet designed to safeguard children in the virtual realm. Recently launched Enable Tab, is conveniently available for purchase on Baatu Tech’s official website and popular e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Flipkart. To celebrate this milestone, Baatu Tech is extending exclusive benefits to its customers during the launch period. Take advantage of special concessions, including a referral bonus and a generous Rs 500 ‘direct purchase’ discount as part of our inaugural offer.

    The ‘Enable Tab’ leverages the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance digital parenting capabilities. As the flavour of the season, AI plays a pivotal role in the tablet’s functionality, particularly in the identification of inappropriate content. The device’s claim to fame lies in the ability of the AI models to detect and alert parents about potentially harmful material, ensuring a safe and secure online environment for children. Its parental control system is distinct, offering a seamless link between the “Baatu Parenting App” and the ‘Enable’ tab, providing detailed insights into children’s online activities. The Enable Tab does not work without being connected to the parenting app, thus ensuring that every minute spent online is supervised and safe for your ward.

    The organisation further ensures the security and privacy of children by employing end-to-end encryption, assuring that personal information remains protected and is not used for advertising purposes. Other key features include:

    ●        Geo-Fencing: Creating virtual perimeters to notify users when entering or leaving specific areas

    ●        Screen Time Monitoring: Enabling parents to set daily screen time limits and gain insights into device and app usage through detailed statistics

    ●        App Control/Monitoring: Parental access to lock/unlock specific applications

    ●        Identifying Inappropriate Content: Scanning all content sources for inappropriate material using AI models

    ●        Battery Level Monitoring: Tracking and notifying parents when the battery reaches critical levels.

    ●        Providing parents with call usage statistics, text monitoring, and call whitelisting

    Additionally, The Enable Tab is a powerhouse tablet that can handle anything you throw at it. It’s perfect for students, professionals, and families needing a device to keep up with their busy lifestyles. It boasts a large and clear 10.1-inch HD display, a powerful MediaTek processor, dual cameras, supreme speakers, and a long-lasting 6000mAh battery.

    Furthermore, Baatu Tech recognises the need to address critical concerns about online safety, including mental health. The ‘Enable Tab’ introduces a suicide alert feature, utilising AI algorithms to identify potential signs of distress in children’s online activities. This groundbreaking functionality goes beyond traditional parental control measures, providing parents with timely alerts and resources to intervene and support their children during vulnerable moments.

    Baatu Tech founder & managing director Sandeep Kumar said, “In an age of hyper-connectivity, the widespread use of phones to keep children occupied sparked our interest in understanding the impact on the next generation. While acknowledging the need for digital literacy, we must ensure that what should function as a boon does not become a bane. The Enable Tab is the perfect way to strike this balance. It embodies our effort to ensure that every child can explore the deep spans of the internet without risking their well-being. “

  • ZEE & nasscom forge partnership to support generative AI startups

    ZEE & nasscom forge partnership to support generative AI startups

    Mumbai: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEE), India’s leading entertainment powerhouse today announced its partnership with nasscom for its recently-launched  Generative AI Foundry programme, that aims to foster innovation and growth in the start-up ecosystem.  Through the strategic partnership, ZEE’s Technology and Innovation Centre will primarily focus on enabling and supporting co-piloted generative AI solutions for India’s media and entertainment ecosystem.  

    In a collaborative effort, nasscom and ZEE’s Technology and Innovation Centre organised a one-day workshop to identify areas of mutual interest and explore synergies for potential partnerships. As part of the workshop, ZEE hosted 14 startups from the nasscom Generative AI Foundry programme at the ZEE  Technology & Innovation Hub in Bengaluru. With this one-of-its-kind initiative, the company aims to  foster collaborative growth and empower the select start-ups to succeed in the dynamic AI landscape.

    ZEE president – technology & data Nitin Mittal said “We are delighted to embark upon this exciting journey in collaboration with nasscom, aiming to shape the future of India’s AI community. The synergy between our endeavours, nasscom’s commitment to nurturing tech startups, and ZEE’s leadership in media innovation signifies more than just a convergence of minds—it represents a fusion of futuristic visions poised to define the industry’s next chapter. As a frontrunner in India’s M&E ecosystem, this partnership stands as a testament to our commitment towards elevating consumer experience by leveraging digital technologies. At ZEE, we believe that collaborations of this nature are instrumental in propelling the growth  of startups and fostering innovation in the India’s AI landscape.”

    nasscom ai head of Ankit Bose said “The partnership between both organisations is a significant one  for the Generative AI startups. It is heartening to witness excellent initiatives from the industry to collaborate with these startups. The innovative solutions possess the potential to transform various sectors  including M&E.”

    Nasscom’s Generative AI Foundry programme is aimed at nurturing technology startups in the AI domain to elevate India’s standing in the global Generative AI startup landscape. In a significant stride towards this mission, the programme, in collaboration with over 30 industry organizations and investors, selected  26 promising startups last month. These startups will receive comprehensive support, including mentorship, access to resources, funding, and industry connections, to propel their products to the next level.

    As ZEE joins forces with nasscom, the program is set to chart new frontiers and foster a collaborative environment that stimulates creativity and drives technological advancements. With a presence in over 190 countries offering quality content across multiple platforms and languages, reaching over 1.3 billion viewers, the benefits of the collaboration are set to have a significant influence on the M&E ecosystem in  India and beyond.

    Being an industry pioneer, ZEE has been consistently introducing an array of tech-centric initiatives in line with the vision and goals laid as part of its strategic vision. Following a tech-first approach, the company has been consistently enhancing its technological capabilities, leveraging AI to disrupt industry norms and provide an unparalleled experience to audiences globally.

  • Lowe Lintas unveils latest campaign ‘Be Your Best You’ with Rahul Bose & Ishaan Khatter

    Lowe Lintas unveils latest campaign ‘Be Your Best You’ with Rahul Bose & Ishaan Khatter

    Mumbai: HP India on Monday announced the launch of its latest range of HP Spectre laptops with a multi-film campaign.

    Conceptualised by Lowe Lintas Delhi, the campaign aims to appeal to professionals, both young and experienced, enticing them with the laptops’ intelligent technology and new smart features.

    The new HP Spectre comes loaded with intelligent AI-powered features, such as gesture control, auto framing, and glam cam. Lowe Lintas creates entertaining situations through the new films to highlight these three key features. Each film highlights how the end user benefits from these smart features in a relevant yet appealing manner.

    Talking about the campaign, HP India chief marketing officer Prashant Jain said, “The AI-based features of the new HP Spectre line-up are designed to help you thrive in today’s hybrid world. The campaign brings to life three truly unique features. We hope to inspire everyone to “Be Your Best You” as you navigate seamlessly across the hybrid environment.”

    The films show an interplay between two start-up business partners who are poles apart but are always looking to create the best version of themselves. The situations involve conversations between the two characters – Ravi (Rahul Bose) and Kunal (Ishaan Khatter) – with simple interactions that ease into a technical benefit for a reveal at the end of each of the films. The conversations revolve around a senior, experienced businessman and a young, tech-friendly entrepreneur who introduces a smarter way of making perfect presentations using the HP Spectre.

    The sarcastic and witty banter between the characters, which leads to each feature reveal, keeps the films light, special, and yet slightly professional. Despite the light-hearted tone of the films, it remains aspirational and premium to draw in the right target audience of professionals. In a never-seen-before pairing, Ishaan Khatter and Rahul Bose fit the roles perfectly with their sense of humour and comic timing.

    Sharing more sights about the campaign, Lowe Lintas regional creative officer Vasudha Misra said, “Sometimes all it takes is going back to basics. Make the product the focal point of the communication. And that is just what we did. To this mix, Sidhant Mago added characters that are steeped in modern folklore – startup founders. And finally, the casting took these films to the next level.”

    The integrated campaign is now live across social media and offline media with an extension of the same message across different platforms.

  • Blink Digital onboards Kalvi, introduces new tagline ‘Get Engineered Differently’

    Blink Digital onboards Kalvi, introduces new tagline ‘Get Engineered Differently’

    Mumbai: The globally acclaimed digital agency, Blink Digital, has united with Kalvi to flawlessly encapsulate what sets it apart and ties back seamlessly to the target audience and helps them curate a quirky tagline. The brand also partnered with Rithvik Dhanjani.

    The newly introduced tagline for the seed-funded educational startup was carried out through videos, banners and further amplification on social media platforms like Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. They have also helped Kalvi to curate their tagline, after delving into deep research. 

    The partnership aims to weave the brand’s market positioning via ‘get engineered differently at Kalvi’ that can define the brand in its market segment. Blink Digital conceptualised and executed the campaign to assist them to create awareness amongst aspiring engineering students. 

    The tagline details Kalvi’s pioneering liberal engineering program that reimagines what a B.Tech degree can be, a first-of-its-kind, that guarantees students not just one-on-one mentorship with industry experts, but also placements with paid internships in top MNCs from the second year of the course itself. The venture is backed by industry experts & CTOs of top tech companies and delivers its promise through their proprietary platform called “quadrangle”. 

    A new start in brand positioning for Blink Digital, the agency created the positioning statements, taglines along with various banners and video assets highlighting the pioneering RTBs, using Rithvik Dhanjani for his credibility in the engineering category.

    Talking about the association, Blink Digital co-founder and COO Rikki Agarwal said, “We are delighted to be associated with Kalvi Institute for this campaign and look forward to continuing working with them on exciting problem-solving scenarios to spread the word about their mission to transform engineering education. The Blink team wanted to create a simple yet effective medium that was eye-grabbing yet informative. The team made sure it was in line with client briefs and reached the right audiences.”

    “We are happy to partner with Blink Digital and leverage its unique approach to meet our objective. They are assisting us across the full stack of marketing – starting from research & creatives to develop our position and tagline right through to media planning and execution to effectively reach & convert our target audiences. We are delighted with the service they have provided and the impact that it has had through this whole process.” added Kalvi head of growth Deepak Venugopal.

  • M S Dhoni to be a shareholder & brand ambassador for Garuda Aerospace

    M S Dhoni to be a shareholder & brand ambassador for Garuda Aerospace

    Mumbai: Chennai-based Drone startup Garuda Aerospace on Monday has appointed the former Indian men’s cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni as a shareholder in Garuda Aerospace. Dhoni is also the brand ambassador of the company, the company said in a statement.

    Equipped with 300 drones & 500 pilots operating in 26 cities, Garuda Aerospace drone manufacturing facilities were recently launched by honourable prime minister Narendra Modi.

    About his association with Garuda, MS Dhoni said, “I’m happy to be a part of Garuda Aerospace and look forward to witnessing their growth story with the unique drone solutions they have to offer.”

    Garuda Aerospace founder and CEO Agnishwar Jayaprakash is ecstatic about the development, “I’ve always been an ardent admirer of Mahi Bhai & to have him as a part of the Garuda Aerospace family is honestly a dream come true,” said Agnishwar.

    He added, “Mahi Bhai is the epitome of dedication & I firmly believe that having captain cool on our cap table adds tremendous value which will motivate our team to perform better.”

    “Garuda Aerospace has been a pioneer in the Indian drone ecosystem & is firmly on the path to becoming India’s 1st ever drone unicorn start-up,” concluded Jayaprakash.

  • Farhad Khan appointed as CTO at DataTrained

    Farhad Khan appointed as CTO at DataTrained

    Mumbai: Edtech startup DataTrained has announced the appointment of Farhad Khan as CTO. 

    In his new role, Khan will aim to enable DataTrained to provide the best learning experience to help students seamlessly go through their learning journey, the edtech company said in a statement.

    Khan holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science and has been working in the tech world for eight years while achieving familiarity with several programming languages. Being a technology enthusiast, he is always on the lookout for a better solution to push forward the company’s growth.

    On his work and thoughts on his new role at DataTrained, Khan said, “I use tech to solve business problems. Right now, I am focused on revolutionising education in India.”

    He further added, “I am very intrigued with DataTrained’s mission to charge up youth with new generation skills required by the rapidly changing industry requirements. Specialised courses offered at DataTrained are very carefully designed and are equipped with adequate skill sets with help in bridging the gap between the freshers’ skillsets and the demand of the industry. As CTO, I aim to enable DataTrained to provide the best learning experience to help students seamlessly go through their learning journey.”

    Previously, Khan has been a serial entrepreneur where his first venture was an information technology and outsourcing company which he started with an aim to enable Indian businesses with technology and expand online.