Times Applaud

The Best And Worst Red Carpet Looks From The VMAs 2016

noreply@blogger.com (Times Applaud) — Fri, 26 Aug 2022 12:22:00 +0530

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Britney Spears Just Destroyed Her Return To The VMAs Stage

noreply@blogger.com (Times Applaud) — Fri, 26 Aug 2022 12:20:00 +0530

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Lin-Manuel Miranda Was Challenged To A Rap Battle And Talked About Harry Potter

noreply@blogger.com (Times Applaud) — Fri, 26 Aug 2022 12:02:00 +0530

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19 Times People Randomly Ran Into Celebrities On Planes

noreply@blogger.com (Times Applaud) — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 14:16:00 +0530

Nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur.

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Unicorn India Ventures sells its stake in 6 startups to American fund

noreply@blogger.com (Times Applaud) — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 11:48:00 +0530

Unicorn India Ventures is selling its stake in six startups to a US-based fund. The companies include technology, and healthcare startups

Unicorn India Ventures is selling its share in six firms to a US-based investor for Rs 50 crore. With this the early-stage investment has doubled returns for its limited partners (LPs).

Robotics company Genrobotics, cybersecurity firm Sequretek, customer experience analytics startup Clootrack, digital business newspaper Inc42, digital media startup Inntot, and healthcare startup NeuroEquilibrium are among the six firms involved.

These were investments from the firm's first tranche of cash, which was raised in 2016 and distributed to 17 early-stage firms. The lifespan of this fund will conclude early next year.

In 2019, the business exited Boxx.ai, an ecommerce personalization startup, and Pharmarack, a pharmaceutical supply chain startup, in 2021. Majumdar stated that the VC company will remain involved in two of its most successful startups from Fund I, including fintech firms Open and Smartcoin, while the remainder of the first fund's exits are still being determined.

Majumdar would not reveal the identity of the US-based investor, but did say it was a Delaware-based fund "managed by some of the most successful IT entrepreneurs in the US."

"Our general assumption is that we go in extremely early," Majumdar explained. "We want to be the first institutional investor."

"Typically, we sign tiny cheques of Rs 2-3 crore, with only 20% of the capital used to establish a portfolio and the balance utilised to back the portfolio's winners," he explained.

With a corpus of Rs 300 crore, the firm launched its second fund in 2020, with which it has created a portfolio of 18 startups.

"In the first fund, we returned the full capital to the investors even before the end of the life cycle," Majumdar said.

"Within the next few days, we will provide nearly another full return to investors. Before the end of the seventh year, we would have returned 2x to the investors, and the assets we still have are worth another 5x."

The news comes at a time when exits for Indian startups are becoming more difficult, as global macroeconomic headwinds continue to affect newer fundraising opportunities. If market conditions remain unchanged, venture capital firms that have not raised new corpus will face increased pressure to deliver results in line with their fund cycle, EThad reported on July 28. Furthermore, despite the fact that venture capitalists are not in a rush to deploy funds, India's early-stage startups have unprecedented dry powder waiting to be invested, with notable investors such as AccelNSE 2.40%, Elevation Capital, Sequoia's accelerator programme Surge, Axilor, and Athera Venture Partners (previously Inventus Capital) raking in new funds.

While the funding slowdown has impacted late and growth stage investments, early-stage investments have remained largely unaffected by the downturn. According to Venture Intelligencehttps://timesapplaud.com/unicorn-india-ventures-sells-its-stake-in-6-startups-to-american-fund/, funding for early-stage startups fell slightly to $839 million in the April-June period, from $856 million the previous quarter, but it remains 30% higher than total funding for the segment in the fourth quarter of 2021.

This is despite the fact that overall funding for Indian startups fell 37% in the second quarter of this year to $6.9 billion.

https://timesapplaud.com/?p=14426&feed_id=23073

How to expand your startup with Google Adwords

noreply@blogger.com (Times Applaud) — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 09:02:00 +0530

Google Ads is among the best tools for business success. Learn the steps to advertise on Google Adwords that will help you grow your startup.

One of the smartest moves you can make to help your startup grow is to advertise on Google. A business success tool, Google Ads (previously called Google AdWords) is the world's largest and most commonly utilised online advertising network. Because of this advertising on Google can help you reach millions of people.

Google Ads has a number of options that may help you market your brand, acquire new consumers, and create leads from social media. However, there is more to Google AdWords than just campaign management.

You must use all accessible technologies (such as Google Analytics) and combine them into a unified plan.

How Google Advertising Works

Google Ads works like an auction. But, unlike in a traditional auction, it's not simply your bid that counts.

The auction considers the quality and relevancy of your ad campaigns. This implies that the playing field is level for all marketers, not just those with the biggest budgets.

The use of keywords is essential to the Google Ads auction. Advertisers select keywords that are related to their business and that searchers are likely to use while looking for anything, and then bid on them, specifying how much they are ready to pay each time a Google user clicks on their ad.

Steps to Promote Your Business on Google

Advertising on Google necessitates the creation of a Google Ads account, which is free. After you've created your account, it's time to learn how to utilise Google Ads to help your business grow!

The following is a ten-step method for Google advertising:

Set your account objectives.
Determine your target audience.
Perform keyword research
Establish budgets and bids
Create your ideal account structure.
Create effective advertisements
Make efficient landing pages
Conversion tracking should be implemented.
Expand your remarketing lists.
Make it a habit to optimise.

More information on how to optimise your Google advertising may be found below. The first step is to think about the structure of your account. Although there are several methods to build an AdWords account, such as mimicking the structure of your website or categorising products, the most effective and profitable accounts all have the same organisational hierarchy.

The account is the highest level. Campaigns exist within each account. Some marketers only run one campaign at a time, whilst others run many campaigns at the same time. Each campaign has several ad groups, each with its own set of keywords, ad content, and landing sites.

Campaigns are frequently structured around a specific subject, such as a Christmas promotion or a back-to-school discount. Ad groups within a campaign are frequently arranged by items or services, such as Hanukkah merchandise or school stationery. Finally, particular items, such as menorahs or notebooks, have their own set of targeted keywords, ad text, and landing sites.

Your Google Ads account structure may not exactly follow this hierarchy, but establishing your account in this manner will help you to keep things structured and closely themed from the start, traits that may have a major effect on PPC metrics such as Quality Score.

Aside from the technical requirements of establishing up and operating a Google AdWords PPC campaign, many marketers struggle with the time commitment required to achieve success with sponsored search.

To optimise the impact of your Google advertising efforts, you must understand which metrics are effective and where changes can be made.

The Google Ads Performance Grader is the most comprehensive and feature-rich free tool available. The Google Ads Performance Grader runs a full and thorough audit of your PPC account in 60 seconds or less, finding areas for development as well as highlighting successful elements of your account and how they compare to comparable standards for your sector.

Conclusion:

By now you must have understood how you can use Google Adwords for business success. For that purpose, the very first thing to do is to create a Google Ads account, which is free. After that you should implement all the above steps to advertise on Google Adwords which will help you grow your startup.. We are sure that taking these steps will help you achieve the success that you want for your new business venture.

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Meet Madan Gowri a YouTube star with 64+ lac subscribers and focus on social issues

noreply@blogger.com (Times Applaud) — Wed, 24 Aug 2022 17:45:00 +0530

Madan Gowri discusses social issues through his Youtube channel. Here's the inspiring story of the Youtube star who has over 64 lakh subscribers.

Madan Gowri was born into a household that lived by the famous Three Idiots line, "Humara Ladka Engineer Banega." As he grew older, Madan was constantly aware of what he needed to accomplish. However, the journey of his life took an unexpected turn since Madan Gowri is not where his family anticipated him to be. But, given his current status, they wouldn't have expected anything less. Madan is a Youtuber with over 64 lakh subscribers and a focus on social issues. Despite the fact that the bulk of his videos are in Tamil, language was never an issue for him.

While watching television, the small boy told his mother this. He was always attracted by the glitter of the television industry.

Madan was refused participation in extracurricular activities at school. His inability to articulate himself upset him. To make matters worse, he didn't have internet connection until he was 16 years old. He'd always been a shy, thin boy who was often overlooked by the throng and audience.

He was introduced to a whole new world of marvels and fascinations via a home cable connection.

"I was shocked to see how individuals could express themselves without fear of rejection online!"

Madan, on the other hand, was grinding his way for his 'own thing' while learning about working to see how the internet operated. Madan Gowri's "own thing" was studying engineering.

"I wasn't interested in engineering, but Amma and Appa insisted, "Get a job that gives you stability! So I finished an MBA for both of them and got a job!" In 2016, a video of a girl being murdered in broad daylight rocked Madan, and he kept wondering, "Why isn't anyone talking about this?" That's when he decided to speak out about the case, despite his reservations about "why would anyone watch this?"

But he decided to give it a fair shot. Surprisingly, it surpassed 10,000 views! 'We had no idea!' cried friends.

Madan says, "I've prepared myself to deal with a lot more stories like this! So I worked all day, researched all day, and began editing movies in the evenings while discussing everything that was going on in the country. Initially, I intended to make videos in both English and Tamil. I was able to contact more individuals by using my home tongue. My work gradually gained a following, and within a year I had surpassed a million subscribers; I couldn't believe it! I recall generating more money from content production than that from my work in two years! So I gave up and started full-time with it." He would conduct research, film videos, and even edit them!"

When his popularity climbed and more people viewed his videos, it was time to celebrate and be proud. Today, he has created a community of over 6 million people that is rapidly expanding!

"It's difficult to comprehend that so many people pay attention to me!" If you had told me as an engineering student that I would be a full-time YouTuber, I would have laughed and said, "That's impossible!"

But that's what he enjoys most about life: nothing is impossible! His Amma and Appa are overjoyed with him today! But, being the traditional Amma and Appa, they insist on Madan getting a job as a backup plan. Madan Gowri's work focuses on social concerns while also teaching his audience on facts and history.

He has been recognised as the South's most popular YouTuber, with topics ranging from homosexuality to prostitution.

In addition to generating material, he is actively interested in assisting and supporting people through contributions. During the second wave, he and his YouTube producers collaborated to acquire cash and set up an oxygen plant in a government hospital. Madan and other celebs also took part in YouTube India's COVID awareness immunisation session.

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‘Jug Jugg Jeeyo’ movie attracted the masses with these marketing strategies

noreply@blogger.com (Times Applaud) — Wed, 24 Aug 2022 15:29:00 +0530

Jug Jugg Jeeyo’ was one of 2022’s most awaited movies at the box office. Find out the marketing strategies used by the movie to attract the masses.

The film 'Jug Jugg Jeeyo' is about a Punjabi family and the divorces that occur in two generations of the Saini household in Patiala. With a solid background score, the film became one of the year's most popular family entertainers.

Let's see how the filmmakers created a buzz around the film in order for it to stick in the minds of the audience. After all, it was one of the Dharma camp's first films to hit theatres in over two years.

1. The initial buzz

The producers announced a pan-India poster launch across all social media platforms, encouraging fans to send videos of themselves saying the phrase "JugJugg Jeeyo" in their native language.

One lucky winner from each state and union territory was chosen to be a part of the film's first poster launch. Two days later, the winners from across the country were announced.

2. Publication of Posters

Every winner received one motion poster, which was launched first by the fans and then by the star cast after 10 minutes. This was done with privacy and issues concerning movie leaks in mind. Following that, social media platforms saw the release of creatives involving audience reactions to posters and engagement.

3. Pre-trailer, trailer launch, and post-trailer activities

A video of the cast grooving and announcing the trailer release date was shared on social media. During the trailer launch event schedule, the masses were informed about the range of activities that were held for the launch.

The makers launched the trailer amidst much fanfare, both online and offline on May 22, this year, and got 43 million views in just 24 hours. The makers then introduced the different characters of Jugg Jugg Jeeyo, one after the other.

4. Background Score

The makers gave Jugg Jugg Jeeyo some of the most memorable tracks. Especially the party song- Nach Punjaabban, which was launched on May 22 and the hook step became popular, with countless reels being made on it.Another popular song in the film was Rang Saari, which exuded colour and sizzling chemistry between the lead actors.

5. Pre-release advertising

The film kept audiences engaged with constant updates about the film, such as cities where the cast members are promoting the film and even the countdown to its release, thanks to quirky creatives and interesting brand associations.

6. Post-release marketing

The film was released after a two-year hiatus due to the epidemic. As a result, promotional efforts continued long after the release.

The filmmakers enlisted the help of influencers, youtubers, critics, and millennials to bring the film to a wider audience. The producers were succeeded in building enough excitement around the year's family entertainer.

Using the film's background score improved the film's popularity significantly. Also, the cast's pan-India advertising contributed to Jug Jugg Jeeyo being an unforgettable cinematic family experience after a long time

https://timesapplaud.com/?p=14422&feed_id=23060

Meet the former child loom worker who built Rs 6 cr electric scooter brand

noreply@blogger.com (Times Applaud) — Wed, 24 Aug 2022 15:16:00 +0530

Devireddy Venugopal launched his electric scooter brand in August last year. His startup, Venu Motors, has been able to sell around 1145 vehicles with revenue of Rs 6 crore so far.

Devireddy Venugopal persevered in life despite the odds, dropping out of school after Class Six, completing Class Ten through an open school programme, and then completing a diesel mechanic diploma degree.

He began his work as a lowly collection executive at a financial firm at the age of 19 for a salary of Rs 5500. He currently runs an electric two-wheeler firm located in his birthplace of Dharmavaram, noted for its silk sarees, in Andhra Pradesh's Satya Sai District, which he founded 11 years ago.

His firm, Venu Motors, debuted two models, Thunder and WenU, in August of last year. In less than a year, it has sold around 1145 automobiles and generated a revenue of Rs 6 million.

Venugopal said, "Thunder costs Rs 53000, while WenU costs Rs 55000. The cars' Lithium-ion batteries charge in 3-4 hours and can go 80 kilometres on a single charge."

The plant manufactures around 160-200 autos per month and has monthly sales of approximately Rs 66 lakh. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams received their first automobile in August 2021. (TTD).

The manufacturing plant is near Dharmavaram, about 31 kilometres from Anantpur. In town, the firm maintains a 2500 square foot showroom. Venugopal dropped out of school after sixth grade to work in a loom with his mother. For the first time, Venugopal speaks to the public about his life story and recalls his tribulations as a boy, when he had to work in a loom to support his family after his father abandoned his mother to marry another woman.

At the time, he was just three years old. He also has a little sister. His mother first worked in his father's loom, but she was unable to handle it alone, and the firm finally failed. His mother was compelled to weave on another person's loom.

Venugopal attended Gnana Jyoti School, an English/Telugu medium school, until Class Six. Due to financial difficulties, he dropped out of school after sixth grade and began weaving alongside his mother. He earned a certificate in diesel mechanics and Class 10 through an open school programme.

In 2011, he moved to Guntakal, roughly 120 kilometres from his village, and got work as a collection professional at Spandana Sphoorty Finance Ltd for Rs 5500. He returned to Dharmavaram two years later, when he worked as a collection officer for Indusind Bank, earning Rs 7500 a month.

After around two years, he went to work for a two-wheeler lending firm. Venugopal has always had a soft spot for two-wheelers. So, in 2014, with the goal of opening a two-wheeler showroom, he approached a Bajaj dealer to inquire about a sub-dealership.

However, he was unable to obtain the dealership. "I was told I was too young to run the company," he recalls. He began working with Muthoot Finance in 2015, earning Rs 12,000 per month.

Venugopal has named 35 new dealers in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. His life has taken an extraordinary turn following his marriage to N Padmavati, a clerical staff member at Indian Overseas Bank, Anantpur, in 2016.

Padmavati became his staunchest ally and motivator. Her bank employment not only increased the family's overall income, but it also supplied funding for him to establish a business. By the end of 2019, he had made contact with a Hyderabad-based firm, where he spent approximately a year and a half learning about various elements of making electric scooters.

Venugopal received a licence from the Government of India in June 2021 to manufacture electric two-wheelers, and manufacturing commenced in August 2021.

He put roughly Rs 50 lakh towards the project. I made Rs 20 lakh by selling a house "Venugopal, who immediately hired dealers in a number of cities and towns, adds

"Initially, we did not require a deposit for a dealership; nevertheless, we now charge Rs 50,000.

The deposit allows the dealer to make a buy-now, pay-later order with us for replacement parts. "Every 3-4 months, I would recommend completing a safety check.

To maintain a scooter's vital systems, we charge a minimum service cost of Rs 150 "Venugopal has reached this position in his life without the help or support of anybody other than his wife. His father is now ecstatic about him, and his mother loves telling others about his incredible journey.

Venugopal intends to build a high-speed model and hopes to have 100 dealers in South India by March 2023. "People used to look down on me and tell me, "You're lucky to have a wife who works for the government."

They now consider my wife to be "fortunate" to have me in her life "Venugopal explains. Despite having only one day off a week for family time on Sundays, his family is his #1 priority.

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Fintech startup Jar becomes worth $300M after latest fundraise

noreply@blogger.com (Times Applaud) — Wed, 24 Aug 2022 11:11:00 +0530

Fintech startup Jar has secured funding of $22.6 million, which has made it worth $300-million.

Jar, a fintech business that offers gold-backed micro-savings, has secured $22.6 million in a Series B investment round at a value of more than $300 million, making it one of the few fintech companies to achieve a multi-million dollar round during a funding slowdown. In its previous investment round in February, the business was valued at $200 million.

Tiger Global led the new round, with returning investors including Arkam Ventures, Eximius Ventures, Force Ventures, LetsVenture, Rocketship Venture Capital, and WEH Ventures.

1Finance, Capier Investments, Cloud Capital, Folius Ventures, Panthera Capital, Prophetic Ventures, Yes VC, Adam Nash, and Zachary Hargreaves are among the new investors in the Series B round. The current round of investment will be used to expand the startup's employees and continue to construct a complete, one-stop savings financial platform. Jar previously secured $32 million in a Series A fundraising round headed by New York-based investment company Tiger Global in February 2022 at a $200-million value.

Due to a huge 'funding winter' for late-stage rounds and a fall in investor confidence, startup financing in the Indian ecosystem plummeted in the second quarter of CY2022.

Despite the slowdown in late-stage agreements, early-stage deals from seed to Series A rounds have increased in volume, however the number of deals has decreased year on year in both Q1 and Q2 of 2022. Jar, which was founded a year ago in May 2021 by Misbah Ashraf and Nishchay AG, claims to have onboarded over 9 million members to date. In a statement, the firm stated that it is now trying to extend its portfolio of savings and investing options. According to a Jar spokesperson, the app will eventually expand into other financial services such as credit and insurance.

"Everyone has faith in gold. Even the most sophisticated investor mitigates risk by putting a portion of his capital in it. Our long-term objective is to enable all of our customers to diversify across several asset classes while also providing seamless access to a variety of financial services like credit and insurance through Jar," the spokesperson added.

In June 2021, Jar will offer its first gold-backed savings product. The platform presently handles 220,000 transactions each day on average. The business also stated that it is seeing constant rise in customer savings, with a 20% increase in average savings amount month over month.

"The average middle-class Indian saves roughly $1,000 per year, and we expect to capture more than half of it through Jar," the representative stated.

According to studies, most Indians start working in their early twenties but do not contemplate long-term financial planning until approximately a decade later, owing to the complexity of traditional investing alternatives.

CEO and co-founder of Jar, Nishchay AG, stated, "We have been blessed to experience early and agile adoption since our customers fully identify with every component of our platform based on current behaviour patterns. We're witnessing a 20% average increase in customers' savings month after month, and we're thrilled to see them grow into devoted and confident investors. We will continue to extend our service offerings to meet their needs and assist them in achieving their financial independence."

Alex Cook, partner at Tiger Global, of the funding, added, "By starting with digital gold, a well-understood and well-loved asset class in India, Jar's savings app has swiftly garnered confidence and traction with young earners interested in creating a saving and investing plan."

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World's largest rural broadband BharatNet to play key role in connecting India

noreply@blogger.com (Times Applaud) — Wed, 24 Aug 2022 08:47:00 +0530

Speaking on the country's Independence Day, PM Modi said India will have to become developed within the coming 25 years. BharatNet is set to play a key role in connecting the country.

Bharatnet, the world's biggest rural broadband project, aims to connect all 2.5 lakh gramme panchayats (gps) across India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi remarked from the parapets of the Red Fort, on August 15, 2022, that the current decade will be characterised by technology, dubbing it a 'Techade.'

PM Modi stated, "This decade is a techade for humanity - a decade of technology."

He went on to say that India's startups, the Atal Innovation Mission, and the government's incubation centres are providing chances for the next generation.

However, the Prime Minister did not just discuss the importance of technology in the future decade. On the 75th anniversary of the country's independence, Prime Minister Modi threw down the gauntlet, saying that India must become a developed country over the next 25 years.

From the top, the Prime Minister emphasised two specific aspects of India's startup ecosystem that will bring about change: education and health.

"Digital will bring revolutions in education, health, and a shift in all lives," he said.

In addition, the Prime Minister stated that the Digital India movement was not just for difference. The initiatives made by the government in the areas of semiconductors, 5G, and optical fibres have all been done to guarantee that India does not fall behind in the oncoming 'techade' and becomes Atmanirbhar. While Independence Day could have been an appropriate time for a 5G deployment in the country, the auction was much too close to India's platinum jubilee to be viable.

The BharatNet project, one of the government's most ambitious connectivity initiatives, is budgeted at INR 61,109 Cr and aims to link India's 6 lakh Gram Panchayats to high-speed fiber-optic internet.

You Should Consider:

The project is nearly a third of the way done, and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman set a 2025 completion date in her Union Budget address this year.

The quantity of infrastructure that will be constructed for the BharatNet project, on the other hand, will benefit the telecoms. 5G is a network that will provide much better capacity and bandwidth.

However, the spectrum purchased by telecoms in the recently finished 5G spectrum auction can only accomplish so much.

Because microwave has a limited carrying capacity, fibre is the way to proceed.

However, India's fiberisation record is now poor.

According to an STL analysis, India falls far short of the optimal mix of 1.3 km of fibre per capita, and the present deployment rate is also insufficient to meet the objective any time soon.

Sure, there are areas where fibersiation is not economically feasible and microwave is the way to go to maintain backend networks, but for a real 5G experience, fiberisation is essential, and BharatNet is the mould for that need. BharatNet and 5G will carry India's future networks, pushing the country closer to the Digital India vision during the next 'Techade.'

According to Inc42's 'The State of Indian Startup Ecosystem Report, 2022,' India has the world's third-largest startup ecosystem in terms of the number of firms founded and unicorns generated.

As of H1 2022, India's startup ecosystem included 58K firms across 55 industries, raised $131 billion between 2014 and H1 2022, and was worth more than $450 billion.

India is developing unicorns at a quicker rate than China. Despite having one of the world's biggest ecosystems, practically all of India's 105 unicorns are headquartered in the country's six Tier 1 cities. However, over half of all Indian companies are headquartered in Tier 2 and 3 towns; as the Prime Minister said today, Indian businesses are fuelled by talent from these tiny locations.

"We are interested in Digital India and startups. This is the talent from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, as well as communities around the country "PM Modi stated.

In India's startup environment, the flywheel for the future has been put in motion. India is expected to have 250 unicorns and over 100K total businesses by 2025.

The startup ecosystem is also expected to employ more than 3.5 million people and invest up to $200 billion in Indian firms between 2021 and 2025. .

The startup ecosystem in India is about to undergo another fundamental upheaval.

With 5G and BharatNet, India will have perhaps the world's biggest digital population after China, which will improve India's digital economy and tech startup environment.

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Rs 3 cr financial aid for Hydrogen Startup to make India green hydrogen hub

noreply@blogger.com (Times Applaud) — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 17:47:00 +0530

A financial aid of Rs 3.29 crore has been announced to a Hydrogen StartUp from Maharashtra.The funding would help India become a green hydrogen hub.

Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, stated that the Hydrogen Startup funding aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of the National Hydrogen Mission (NHM), which aims to assist the government in meeting its climate targets and making India a green hydrogen hub.

On Friday, the Minister announced a financial help of Rs 3.29 crore to a Maharashtra-based Hydrogen StartUp for indigenous development of Hydrogen Sensing & Analysis Technology.

"This will contribute to fulfilling the aim of producing 5 million tonnes of Green hydrogen by 2030, as well as the related growth of renewable energy capacity," the Minister stated.

On India's 75th Independence Day last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the National Hydrogen Mission from the ramparts of the Red Fort with the goal of making India a centre of "Green Hydrogen."

Dr. Jitendra Singh presided over the signing of an MoU between the DST's Technology Development Board and M/s Multi Nano Sense Technologies Private Limited, Maharashtra, to encourage the indigenous manufacture of hydrogen sensors.

According to the Minister, the business is working on an indigenous cutting-edge hydrogen analysis sensor for new era applications. The advancement is also connected to universal miniaturised core sensor designs for hydrogen leak detection and/or analysis. The unique hydrogen gas sensor and analyzer, according to the official release, is based on a core sensor that was conceptualised, developed, manufactured, and serviced wholly in India.

The Minister stated that the country is now largely reliant on sensor imports, with all essential sensor parts coming from China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Germany.

According to Dr. Jitendra Singh, the need for energy is increasing, and because present supplies are limited, there is a need for an alternative fuel.

He stated that 'Hydrogen' is envisioned as the future fuel to replace fossil fuel, and hence the generation of Hydrogen fuel using renewable energy, dubbed green hydrogen, is one of the main prerequisites for the nation's ecologically sustainable energy security. According to the Minister, the NITI Aayog paper titled "Harnessing Green Hydrogen: Opportunities for Deep Decarbonisation in India" Hydrogen will pave the way for the establishment of a green hydrogen economy, which will be vital for India to meet its net-zero aspirations by 2070.

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Saina Nehwal makes a winning start at the world badminton championships

noreply@blogger.com (Times Applaud) — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 16:47:00 +0530

Saina, who won silver at the 2015 World Championships, battled Cheung Ngan Yi of Hong Kong in the match's opening round.

Day two of the Badminton World Championships match between Saina Nehwal and Cheung Ngan Yi of China features Saina Nehwal hitting a return.

Saina Nehwal, the London Olympic bronze medalist, defeated Hong Kong's Cheung Ngan Yi in straight games on Tuesday in her first-round match in the women's singles division of the ongoing BWF World Championships 2022, giving her campaign a strong start.

Saina, who won the silver medal at the 2015 World Championship, battled valiantly in the opening game. At one point, she fell behind 4-7, but she fought back to make the halftime score 10-11. The Hyderabadi shuttler then prevailed 21-19 in a close match.

The two-time world championship medalist Nehwal played with precision in the second game, winning four straight points to take the victory 21-9. She won the game 21-19, 21-9, and finished the match in just 38 minutes, giving her four victories out of five.

Due to Nozomi Okuhara of Japan's withdrawal from the competition, Saina will now compete in the third round. Okuhara was Saina's opponent in the second round.

The second-round match between Thailand's 12th seed Busanan Ongbamrungphan and Germany's Yvonne Li will determine who the 32-year-old shuttler will face.

Malavika Bansod was eliminated in her opening round match at the World Championships, leaving only Indian shuttler Saina competing in the women's singles event.

PV Sindhu, the tournament's champion in 2019, was unable to participate because of an injury.

The Malaysian duo Low Yeen Yuan and Valeree Siow were defeated by Treesa Jolly and Pullela Gayatri in the women's doubles category's opening round match 21-11, 21-13 earlier in the day.

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Nandan Nilekani's scale up platform to invest $227M in Indian startups

noreply@blogger.com (Times Applaud) — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 08:47:00 +0530

Fundamentum Partnership plans to invest $227 million in new Indian businesses over the next five years. The scale up platform was co-founded by Nandan Nilekani, co-chairman of Infosys.

Fundamentum Partnership, a scale up platform, has secured USD 227 million (about Rs. 1,793 crore) for its second fund.

Nandan Nilekani, co-chairman of Infosys, jointly founded Fundamentum Partnership along with Ashish Kumar. Fundamentum intends to invest in four to five early growth stage Indian firms.

Kumar stated that the money would be deployed over the next five years, mostly in Series B, which is typically the second round of investing in a company once it has hit certain milestones and is on a growth trajectory.

Kumar said, "This is our second investment fund. Each year, we intend to lead or co-lead USD 25-40 million rounds and invest in 4-5 businesses."

Fundamentum's initial fund, worth around USD 100 million, was carefully invested in six early development stage firms, including Pharmeasy and Spinny, both of which have achieved Unicorn status.

Fundamentum's portfolio firms have raised over USD 1 billion in follow-on rounds since the fund's inaugural investment. Kumar has said that Fundamentum will consider investing in SaaS companies such as Bharat Apps and healthcare.

Despite the economic slump, he believes that SaaS providers have significant development potential since organisations may reduce fixed expenses such as human resources through digitalisation.

Kumar stated, "We have a good pipeline and see over 200 deals each year, with the objective of investing in 4-5 startups per year. We have already started investing in two companies. The first transaction is likely to close in approximately a month, with the second following a few weeks later."

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Edtech startup Sunstone gets $35M to expand into new programmes

noreply@blogger.com (Times Applaud) — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 17:47:00 +0530

Edtech startup Sunstone has secured around Rs 280 crore in a Series C funding round. The company will use the money to expand into new programmes, with a particular emphasis on undergraduate technology programmes.

Sunstone, a higher education startup located in Gurugram, announced on Friday that it has secured $35 million (about Rs 280 crore) in Series C investment led by WestBridge Capital.

Sunstone was established in 2019 by Ashish Munjal and Piyush Nangru. It had secured $28 million by October 2021.

The firm stated that it will utilise the current capital to grow into additional programmes, with a particular emphasis on undergraduate technology programmes.

Munjal, co-founder and CEO, stated, "The Indian higher education sector is about to undergo a long-awaited revolution. Sunstone is in an excellent position to facilitate this transition and influence the lives of millions of kids."

Alteria Capital also participated in the most recent fundraising round. The firm, which has a presence in over 35 cities and more than 40 institutions, is preparing to expand into 100 locations throughout the country.

Sunstone began with postgraduate management education and expanded into undergraduate programmes in 2022, registering a tenfold increase. Sunstone began with postgraduate management education and expanded into undergraduate programmes in 2022, with a tenfold increase in the previous two years.

Sandeep Singhal, Managing Partner at WestBridge Capital, said, "Seeing the constantly rising demand and its potential to be a significant disruptor, we are thrilled to double down on our investment to support its (Sunstone's) aim of improving the higher education market in India."

Sunstone claims that its training programmes are industry-endorsed and intended for hybrid delivery with an emphasis on soft skills and personality development.

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These sisters-in-law earn Rs.15 lacs a month from Mithila's homemade pickles

noreply@blogger.com (Times Applaud) — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 15:01:00 +0530

JhaJi Pickles, created by Kalpana and her sister-in-law Uma Jha, sells Mithila's traditional handmade pickles. They earn Rs 10 to Rs 15 lakh every month from the business.

Kalpana Jha of Bihar's Mithilanchal spent years producing delicious pickles and sharing them with family and friends.

She stated, "I've always wanted to turn this into a business. But I couldn't because of my husband's profession as a federal servant. His profession forced him to relocate every three years, so launching a business seemed out of the question."

An opportunity arose when her spouse retired in 2020. They moved to Laheriasarai, where Kalpana reignited her interest in starting the business.

"I mentioned it to my spouse, and he supported me. He saw that his work did not allow me to follow my aspirations and immediately committed to help me," she recounts.

Kalpana now makes lakhs of rupees by catering to pickle orders from all across the country. The 52-year-old alleges that she discussed the business proposition with her sister-in-law Uma after making her decision.

"Uma is a teacher at a private school in Darbhanga, and she likes preparing pickles much like me."

Her pickle-making skills are also well-known among the instructors at her school.

"I asked her if she wanted to join my enterprise, and she immediately accepted," she continues.

In October 2020, they presented a business plan and began the registration procedure. The team had secured the required licences and certificates to start the food company by February 2021.

"That same year, we created JhaJi, an online business that sells 12 various varieties of handmade pickles made from mango, chilli, lemon, gooseberry, and other seasonal veggies like cauliflower, garlic, ginger, and others," she says.

All pickles, according to Kalpana, are produced from scratch using traditional Bihari traditions.

"My 82-year-old mother gave me her pickle-making recipe, which requires roasting the spices, preparing the combination, and combining it with mango or other veggies."

Pickles are made without the addition of preservatives.

"We sun-dry the pickles for at least a week to guarantee they can be preserved for at least a year," she says. The pickles are priced at Rs 299 per 250 gm glass jar.

Kalpana has also employed about 25 persons for the position.

"About a dozen individuals work full-time, and the remainder work part-time," she says.

Uma believes that their pickles' unusual flavour lured people from near and far.

"Orders have been received from Mumbai, Bengaluru, West Bengal, Delhi, and other regions of the nation," she adds.

Over 2,000 consumers have been served thus far by the organisation.

"We make Rs 10 to Rs 15 lakh every month," she adds, adding that "we want to construct warehouses in Bengaluru and Mumbai shortly for effective delivery services."

Kalpana, on the other hand, says that beginning a firm without prior expertise was challenging. "I had no previous business experience. My son, Mayank, helped me with marketing and other elements of the firm."

I was convinced that Bihari clients would enjoy my pickles with a particular regional flavour.

"However," she admits, "I was apprehensive about clients from other states embracing the flavour."

Kalpana admits she had to work hard to conquer her phobias.

"Another job was obtaining glass jars, identifying vendors, guaranteeing consistency in flavour, and maintaining product quality for huge volume production," she continues.

The pair also plans to broaden its worldwide reach. According to Kalpana, "My New York-based daughter has been informing her friends about our pickles.

They enjoy the flavour, and I hope to develop our worldwide consumer base via her."

She is overjoyed that her ambition of opening a pickle shop has come true.

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Meet the 60-YO grandmom who became YouTube star with her ‘My Village Show’

noreply@blogger.com (Times Applaud) — Sun, 21 Aug 2022 12:01:00 +0530

Milkuri Gangavva is now a YouTube celebrity with millions of 'My Village Show' admirers. Gangavva is a 60-year-old woman who works as a farm labourer in Lambadipally, Telangana.

Milkuri Gangavva is a YouTube sensation, with millions of people viewing her videos on the channel My Village Show (MVS).

Gangavva has been captivating the hearts of millions on the internet, including stars Kajal Aggarwal and Vijay Deverakonda, by starring in amusing skits and interviewing celebrities.
She dropped out of school to become a daily wager after being born in the tiny town of Lambadipally in Telangana.

Only in 2016 that Gangavva's son-in-law's Srikanth Sriram, invite her to perform in his amusing skits for his YouTube channel. With a sense of comedy, the show tackled difficulties confronting the rural people.
Gangavva quickly became a YouTube hit because to her comedic timing and natural acting abilities. She went on to appear in more Telugu films, including iSmart Shankar and Mallesham.

Gangavva believes that you can achieve anything if you trust in your own abilities.

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Top 7 mobile app development companies in India 2022 you should know about

noreply@blogger.com (Times Applaud) — Sun, 21 Aug 2022 08:47:00 +0530

Mobile app development is becoming increasingly popular and in great demand in organisations all around the world. Find out top seven mobile app development companies in India 2022.

Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, mobile applications with cutting-edge technology are in high demand in a variety of industries, including professional services, education, medical, financial, healthcare, logistics, and others. App development businesses in India play an important part in the use of cutting-edge technologies.

These companies want to utilise the top applications on Android and iOS smartphones with the help of their IT assistance. Several organisations provide mobile app development services tailored to your needs. To assist entrepreneurs in their search for app development partners, the topappdevelopmentcompanies.com team researched hundreds of companies from Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bangalore, Jaipur, Pune, Delhi, and nearly every major city in India and compiled a list of the top 10 mobile app development companies in India to work with in 2022.

Here are the top seven app development companies in India in 2022.

1. Tata Consultancy Services

TCS is a well-known IT company in India and one of the most valuable IT services brands in the world.

2. Infosys

Infosys Limited, is the second-largest Indian information technology company, offers IT, business consulting, , and outsourcing services. Worldwide, the organisation has 82 Sales and Marketing offices and 123 Development centres.

3. Tech Mahindra

Tech Mahindra provides IT services to practically every industry. This organisation has 125K workers spread over 90 countries and over 900 active global clients.

4. Fueled

Fueled is an award-winning mobile app development firm that has been in business since 2007. The organisation offers app development, CRM, POS, CMS, ERP, and other services.

5. Hyperlink Information System

Since 2011, Hyperlink InfoSystem has been giving the best mobile app development and web development services. It is a well-known name in the IT industry for providing a scalable and resilient mobility solution. They have approximately 4000 apps in various categories and have offices in India, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates. They have 400+ app developers on their team that are highly talented and always ready to design the most difficult solutions. Their professionals always take the necessary steps to give excellent application solutions and, as a consequence, accurate outcomes for your organisation.

6. Accenture

Accenture is a Fortune Global 500 firm that specialises in App Development, Blockchain, Cloud, Oracle, Salesforce, SAP, Software Engineering, Supply Chain & Operations, and other services. More than 492K people service customers in 200 locations throughout 120 countries.

7. Capgemini India Private Limited

Capgemini is a worldwide firm that offers consulting, technology, professional, and outsourcing services. They specialise in AI solutions, cloud services, SAP solutions, app development, and blockchain solutions. They cater to practically every industry.

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CBI conducts raid as coins worth Rs 11 crore disappear from SBI vaults

noreply@blogger.com (Times Applaud) — Sat, 20 Aug 2022 14:16:00 +0530

Coins worth Rs 11 crore went missing from SBI's Karauli branch in Rajasthan. CBI has since then raided 25 locations across Delhi, Jaipur, Udaipur and Dausa.

Officials said Friday that the CBI searched 25 locations on Thursday in connection with a case in which coins worth Rs 11 crore went missing from the vaults of an SBI branch in Karauli, Rajasthan.

The raids were carried out at the homes of approximately 15 former bank officials and others in Delhi, Jaipur, Dausa, Karauli, Sawai Madhopur, Alwar, Udaipur, and Bhilwara.

The matter became known after a preliminary investigation revealed a discrepancy in the cash reserve at the State Bank of India (SBI) branch in Mehandipur, Karauli district, in August 2021.

Alarmed bank officials hired a Jaipur-based private vendor to count coins worth Rs 13 crore, according to account books.

To their surprise, the vendor discovered only 3,000 bags containing coins worth approximately Rs 2 crore, while over Rs 11 crore in coins were missing from the branch.

The employees of the private vendor who were doing the counting were also allegedly threatened in the night of August 10, 2021 at the guesthouse where they were staying and asked to stop counting, according to the FIR. SBI had approached the Rajasthan High Court seeking a CBI probe into the matter because the missing amount was greater than Rs 3 crore, the threshold for seeking a probe by the agency.

The CBI has taken over the FIR previously registered by the Rajasthan Police on the orders of the high court.

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Kiran, a former gold medallist in the javelin, has been chosen for India's women's tour of England

noreply@blogger.com (Times Applaud) — Sat, 20 Aug 2022 13:47:00 +0530

Uncapped Kiran Navgire is the only Indian male or woman to score over 150 in a T20 match.

Kiran Prabhu Navgire ran in college. She earned 100 medals in athletics, including a javelin gold in 2011-12. Her second sport was cricket, despite her idol being MS Dhoni.

At 22, she realised her cricket talent. She's now in the T20I team for next month's England visit. She played for Azam Sports Academy in Pune. She was casually hitting sixes. Her power amazed me. Gulzar Sheikh and Dr. PA Inamdar questioned her after the match where she trains.

Kiran's response stunned Inamdar and Shaikh. She answered, "No club, mister; have fun." I like athletics, but cricket is expensive. (I'm not a club rep. I enjoy cricket. Shaikh wants to try sports because cricket is expensive.

Kiran's first coach, Shaikh, claims she doesn't realise her own potential after listening to her. Kiran consented to play cricket when Inamdar and Shaikh said she wouldn't have to pay. "She's humble." Farmer parents in Solapur. We assured her everything will be fine. You can play cricket at Shaikh's academy.

A move to Nagaland

In 2016-17, she scored 429 runs in five Pune District Cricket Association matches. In 2017, she was recruited for the Maharashtra team, however she quickly moved to Nagaland.

She scored 525 runs in 2022's Senior Women's T20 Trophy, including 162 off 76 balls against Arunachal. Only she has scored over 150 in a T20 match for India. Yastika Bhatia (325 runs) and Shafali Verma followed Kiran (303 runs).

Kiran lead Nagaland to the quarterfinals, where she scored 56 against Kerala but lost.

Women’s T20 challenge

Her six-hitting skills got her in the Velocity Women's T20 Challenge team. Kiran hit five sixes and five fours in a 34-ball 69. Kiran hit a six over midwicket against Bangladesh's Salma Khatun.

"She hits hard" She told me her strength comes from assisting on her family's farm as a child and doing sports. Shaikh says she used to throw shot put and javelin, which may explain her power.

"She loves MS Dhoni." Every day at the nets, she tried to replicate Dhoni's World Cup-winning six,” chuckles Shaikh. Kiran was praised for her strokeplay, but then she lost. Deandra Dottin hit Kiran with a 13-ball duck.

Her second game was just cricket. A reminder that she can't hit sixes every day. Shaikh says that zero impacted her game strategy. She started thinking professionally after Women's T20. Previously, she did one net session, but now she's there from 4:30 am to 10 pm. She'll eat at the canteen."

This trip will be a major learning curve for her, and perhaps she can show off her potential.

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MasterChef India's rights have been acquired by Sony Entertainment Television

noreply@blogger.com (Times Applaud) — Sat, 20 Aug 2022 12:57:00 +0530

The rights to produce and release the Indian edition of the Endemol Shine India-produced culinary reality competition format known as "MasterChef" have been acquired by Sony Entertainment Television.

Sonal Yadav, Head Of Programming (Non-Fiction), Sony Entertainment Television, said that MasterChef "has revolutionised the global foodscape, transforming the way cooking is seen while influencing the lives of amateur cooks throughout the world who have a passion for cooking" (SET). The number of amateur cooks who have started various culinary endeavours and are creating their own recipes has sharply increased as a result of the pandemic. So now is the perfect time to introduce a competition like MasterChef India, which highlights aspiring chefs in the field. We are ecstatic to be collaborating with Endemol Shine India to produce a delectable new season that will pay homage to India's extensive culinary expertise. We sincerely hope you'll join us in this effort!

"India has a wide population of exceptional home chefs who are able to wow and surprise in the kitchen," Endemol Shine India's Chief Executive Officer Rishi Negi said. We at Endemol Shine India are thrilled to announce our collaboration with Sony Entertainment Television for one of our signature formats. We envision creating a new season of MasterChef that will be an unqualified success with your help. By providing them the chance to compete on MasterChef, we hope to uncover their hidden talents and give them the best tools and opportunities to realise their aspirations of doing something truly extraordinary. There has been an increase in talented home cooks with a passion for cooking over the past several years, and this will be a great opportunity for them to show their skills by impressing our judges with their culinary creations. Prepare yourself for some incredible new MasterChef moments because of the show's updated, more hospitable format. MasterChef is a pleasant and heartfelt celebration of family and cooking.

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After Sri Lanka, Bhutan's crisis risks are growing as foreign exchange reserves decline

noreply@blogger.com (Times Applaud) — Sat, 20 Aug 2022 12:44:00 +0530

In an effort to preserve its diminishing foreign exchange reserves, Bhutan has decided to place a restriction on the import of all automobiles, with the exception of utility vehicles, large earthmoving machines, and agricultural machinery.

In order to conserve the country's dwindling foreign exchange reserves, the government of Bhutan has announced in a notice that was seen by Reuters on Friday that it will prohibit the import of all vehicles, with the exception of utility vehicles, heavy earthmoving machines, and agricultural machinery.

The tiny nation, which has a population of less than 800,000 people and is located between China and India, is struggling to recover from the effects of skyrocketing oil and grain prices brought on by the conflict in Ukraine. Additionally, the nation is dealing with the ongoing effects of the pandemic, including a stringent zero-COVID policy that has banned foreign tourists for the past two years.

According to statistics that was made public by the Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan a month ago, the country's foreign exchange reserves dropped from $1.46 billion in April 2021 to $970 million at the end of December 2021. This was a significant reduction.

In a statement, the Ministry of Finance stated that the import of utility vehicles with a price tag of less than 1.5 million ngultrums ($20,000) would be permitted, and that cars that would be used for the purpose of promoting tourism would be excluded from the import tax.

According to what was written there, the restriction was put into place "to secure enough foreign currency reserves for the purpose of sustaining macroeconomic stability."

According to the daily Kuensel newspaper, Bhutan imported almost 8,000 vehicles in the year leading up to June, and this was one of the primary contributing elements that resulted in the depletion of reserves.

According to its constitution, Bhutan is required to save sufficient reserves to cover at least one year's worth of imports.

According to what was stated, the government would examine and perhaps change the ban that just went into force on Friday in six months depending on the situation of the foreign currency reserve.

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MiyaHealth gets some more funds to expand its healthtech business

noreply@blogger.com (Times Applaud) — Sat, 20 Aug 2022 11:11:00 +0530

MiyaHealth has secured an undisclosed amount of investment from HealthXCapital, SEEDS Capital, and Central Capital Ventura. The Singapore-based health technology company had raised $4.8 million in a pre-Series A round earlier this year.

MiyaHealth, a Singapore-based health technology company, has received an undisclosed sum of funding from HealthXCapital, Central Capital Ventura, and SEEDS Capital. This is in addition to the $4.8 million it raised earlier this year in a pre-Series A round.

The startup, which was founded in 2019, provides two technology platforms: MiyaPatient, a navigation platform that assists patients in managing chronic illnesses, and MiyaPayor, which combines AI-powered claims processing and predictive analytics. It is developing a third product, MiyaProvider, to improve the patient experience in hospitals and clinics.

These platforms are currently used by over 3,000 medical providers and 12,000 physicians. The additional funding, according to the company, will aid in product development, hiring, and expansion plans.

It will specifically support its efforts to launch MiyaPatient in Europe for the first time, as well as the MiyaPayor and MiyaProvider platforms in Indonesia and the Philippines.

MiyaHealth also revealed that it is planning to launch a Series A fundraiser "within the next six months," with the proceeds going to "further develop its product suite, expand its operations globally, and continue embarking on collaborations with key stakeholders moving forward."

With rising demand, Asia's consumer-centric digital health ecosystem is expanding. According to a McKinsey & Co. report, the region's digital health market could be worth $100 billion by 2025, up from $37 billion in 2020.

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Exponent Energy gets $13M to scale up charging network for electric vehicles

noreply@blogger.com (Times Applaud) — Sat, 20 Aug 2022 08:47:00 +0530

Electric vehicle startup Exponent Energy has secured $13 million in funding. Among other things, the money will used to scale up the charging network to 100 points per city. The company says its technology will reduce the time taken to charge an electric vehicle from three hours to 15 minutes.

Exponent Energy, an electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging startup, announced a $13 million funding round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, with existing institutional investors including YourNest VC, 3one4 Capital, and AdvantEdge VC also participating. This is Lightspeed's first investment in the electric vehicle market.

Exponent Energy claims to have developed a technology that can fully charge a vehicle in 15 minutes, which is significantly less than the standard time of at least three hours.

Exponent's battery pack must be installed in EVs to ensure rapid charging, and the end user can charge the vehicle using Exponent's own charging stations. In Bengaluru, the company currently operates 30 such charging stations. The funds raised will be used to expand the charging network to 100 points per city, beginning with Bengaluru, to streamline battery pack production, and to bring more exponent-enabled EVs to market.

The startup's primary focus is commercial vehicles, and it recently partnered with EV manufacturer Altigreen to install its battery pack in one of their vehicles. These battery packs are constructed using standard industry cells.

Arun Vinayak, cofounder and CEO of Exponent Energy, said, "We will operate the only profitable charging network in the world. You have to sell more energy on a plot of land, which is a high-tech problem involving the construction of a battery, a charging network, and ensuring that energy throughput is optimised." The current slow-charging stations, according to Vinayak, are inefficient because they take up valuable real estate for three to four hours, raising the total cost to the end user to Rs 20 to 24 per unit of electricity.

Exponent claims that its solutions can reduce costs to Rs 12-15 per unit.

"Rapid charging completely changes the economics of a charging station," he explained.

Typically, a battery pack can only be charged 1,000 times before its health deteriorates and its range decreases. Exponent claims that its battery pack can withstand 3,000 charging cycles without harming the user's health.

The company will generate revenue from two sources: selling battery packs to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and its charging network. "For us, Exponent is thinking through all the filters that we think are critical," said Harsha Kumar, partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners.

First, a GTM (go-to-market) strategy that focuses on commercial vehicles; second, fast charging as a proposition - which we thought was critical for the segment; and third, affordability, which means that if you offer this product, it cannot be significantly more expensive than what is currently available."

The slow-charging model popular in the West will not work in India due to multiple pain points, according to Kumar. This includes a lack of parking in public places as well as in residences.

Many commercial vehicle owners park their vehicles in front of their homes, and stopping a vehicle in the middle of the day to charge for three to four hours will reduce revenue for these users.

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Ratan Tata backs new startup that seeks to be a good fellow to the elderly

noreply@blogger.com (Times Applaud) — Fri, 19 Aug 2022 17:47:00 +0530

A new startup that seeks to be a companion to the elderly people has been launched in India. The company, called Goodfellows, is being backed by Ratan Tata.

Goodfellows, a Mumbai-based startup founded on August 16 and backed by 84-year-old Indian industrialist Ratan Tata, aims to reach out to the elderly. Through "intergenerational friendships," it hopes to provide companionship in the sunset of their lives.

The startup will hire recent graduates to assist senior citizens "in the same way that a grandchild would." These young soldiers will be referred to as goodfellows.

Fortunately, a 30-year-old Cornell University graduate has taken the lead on this front.

Shantanu Naidu is also a Tata employee. "The company emphasises that companionship can mean different things to different people."

To some, it may mean watching a movie or retelling old stories... and we are here to accommodate it all...

Mr. Tata's investment in our venture is also a huge source of encouragement for our commitment to this concept," Naidu said at the company's launch.

The startup will use a freemium subscription model, which means that senior citizens will be able to try out its services for free for a month. Charges begin in the second month.

"The subscription fee will be based on a personalised plan," according to the company website.

It justifies the fees by stating that its young employees must also feel financially secure. Goodfellows is putting a lot of effort into growing its human capital. Growth will be slow because "empathy cannot be vetted quickly or through the traditional recruiting process."

However, Ratan Tata's investment stake has not been disclosed. At the launch, he expressed his enthusiasm for the initiative, saying, "You don't know what it's like to be lonely until you spend time alone wishing for companionship."

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