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16-10-2017 to 21-10-2017

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Inspirational Stories 2017,Startup News highlights of the week,startup stories,The News This Week,Apple New Payments Service,Microlending Startup KrazyBee Raises Funds From Xiaomi,Wireless Connector Technology,Flipkart Plans Invest In BookMyShow,WhatsApp New Feature To Share Live Locations,Gorakhpur Gets First Co working Space,Animoji Feature in Apple

Diwali is a festival of bright lights, sweets and family. If you missed out on the major news celebrating the win of good over evil, here’s our weekly wrap up.

APPLE EYES LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS TO LAUNCH PAYMENTS SERVICE
The technology giant is all set to enter the online payments field in India to boost their presence in the country. Senior Vice President of Apple, Eddy Cue said India has some great payments mechanisms today which can be leveraged by the company to launch their payments arm. Apple Pay will integrate multiple payment options to make the entire online payments process easy and safe. Along with the payments platform, two new Mac Labs will also be launched in Chennai and Mumbai to help identify and unearth talented musicians in the country.

MICROLENDING STARTUP KRAZYBEE RAISES FUNDS FROM XIAOMI, SHUNWEI CAPITAL
Bengaluru based microlending firm KrazyBee has raised $ 8 million in a Series A funding round, led by Xiaomi Technologies and Shunwei Capital with participation from E city Ventures and RK Group. Through this equity and debt financing round, the company plans to strengthen their risk model and core algorithm to cater to new market segments and focus on product diversification. A portion of the funding will also be spent on geographical expansion of their existing segments. The company plans to expand to six other cities apart from their current operations in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Vellore, Pune and Mysore. KrazyBee was founded in 2015 by E. Madhusudan and Wan Hong and is operated by Finovation Tech Solutions Pvt., Ltd.

ESSENTIAL SUED FOR ALLEGEDLY STEALING WIRELESS CONNECTOR TECHNOLOGY
Considered to be the father of Android, Andy Rubin recently launched his own smartphone company Essential Products. The Essential smartphone is their flagship product which comes equipped with modular connector pins on the back of the phone. These pins allow the company to build accessories and smart home devices, such as the 360 degree cameras that can be connected to the device. However, the company is being sued by the wireless technology company Keyssa Inc., over allegedly stealing their connector technology and trade secrets and for breaching their nondisclosure agreement. One of the most defining factors of the smartphone rests on this lawsuit from Keyssa.

FLIPKART PLANS ON INVESTING IN BOOKMYSHOW
India’s ecommerce giant Flipkart is in talks to invest in the Mumbai based online ticket booking company BookMyShow. The move comes after the market saw a recent rise of the Alibaba backed startup, Paytm. A partnership with Flipkart will allow the company to offer a wider range of services to its customers. Post this potential investment, BookMyShow may be valued between $ 500 million to $ 700 million. At present, BookMyShow accounts for a majority of India’s $ 2.5 billion online ticketing market. Insider, MeraEvents, BookMyEvent, TicketGenie and Kyazoonga are some of the other major eticketing platforms.

WHATSAPP INTRODUCES NEW FEATURE TO SHARE LIVE LOCATIONS
Global messaging service Whatsapp has introduced a new feature that lets all users track the locations of their friends and family and keep a tab on them until they reach their destination. Whatsapp, which is owned by Facebook, will make this latest feature available on both Android and iOS devices very soon. The Live Locations feature allows users to share their live locations for a certain period of time and is equipped with end to end encryption. Shared locations can be seen in Satellite and Terrain view and the feature also shows live traffic data as an overlay.

‘FLIPKART FIRST’ RELAUNCHED TO BATTLE AMAZON PRIME
Homegrown ecommerce giant Flipkart relaunched their loyalty programme ‘Flipkart First’ to provide consumers with more value added services. The loyalty programme was launched in an attempt to compete with Amazon Prime by providing consumers with free fast delivery, discounted same day delivery and priority customer services. Although the programme failed to gather public attention when it was first launched in 2014, the company wants to ensure they do not miss out in an area where there is potential to grow a huge base of loyal customers. Amazon Prime, which was launched last year, currently accounts for the largest chunk of spending on ecommerce sites.

GORAKHPUR GETS ITS FIRST COWORKING SPACE
Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh got its first ever coworking space Startup Cafe, where people can think, ideate and create. Located in one of the prime areas of Gorakhpur, Startup Cafe provides more than just the basic amenities including 24 hours electricity, unlimited high speed internet, meeting room with video conferencing facility, fully airconditioned office rooms and a cafeteria. At present, the Cafe is self funded and can accommodate 7 people. Started by Arunn Gupta and Vibhore Jaiswal, the ultimate goal of Startup Cafe is to build a space that helps bring people from different communities together.

APPLE SUED BY JAPANESE SOFTWARE COMPANY OVER ANIMOJI TRADEMARK
The smartphone touted to change the mobile industry, iPhoneX is facing a trademark infringement lawsuit. Technology giant Apple was sued by a Japan based software company emonster k.k., over the trademark for the term “Animoji.” According to the lawsuit, Emonster’s CEO Enrique Bonansea registered a trademark for his texting app Animoji in 2014, whereas Apple announced their animated emoji in September 2017. Emonster also alleged, Apple made the conscious decision to try to pilfer the name for itself and pretended to the world that ‘Animoji’ was original to Apple. The iPhone X uses an A11 Bionic camera to analyze over 50 facial muscle movements to animate them to a dozen different “Animojis.” The phone is scheduled to be released in November this year.

That’s all for this week! Subscribe to our portal to never miss updates from the startup world! If your startup has an exciting announcement coming up, you can even write to us at i[email protected]. Catch up with the highlights of the week with our The News This Week section.

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Quick Commerce Set to Boost HUL’s Revenue

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Unilever’s CEO, Fernando Fernandez, is optimistic about quick commerce’s growth in India, predicting it will significantly boost Hindustan Unilever Ltd’s (HUL) revenue. Currently, quick commerce accounts for about 2% of HUL’s revenue, but Fernandez expects this to rise to 10-15% within the next three to four years.

Why Quick Commerce?

India’s unique demographic, with affluent and economically active households living in close proximity, makes quick commerce a logical and profitable channel. The margin mix in quick commerce is also favorable for improving profitability12.

Market Trends

Quick commerce is rapidly expanding in India, with its contribution to ecommerce sales doubling annually. Major players like Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, and Zepto are driving this growth, driven by consumer preference for convenience over discounts13.

Future Outlook

Fernandez’s strategy aligns with Unilever’s goal to transform its business and meet evolving consumer preferences. Leveraging quick commerce will be key to enhancing HUL’s revenue in India, a crucial market for Unilever

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Social Media Platform X Faces Global Outage

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Social Media Platform X Faces Global Outage

Elon Musk’s social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, experienced a significant global outage on Monday. The disruption began around 3:20 PM IST, with over 19,000 reports of issues globally, according to Downdetector.

Impact by Region

  • United States: Over 21,000 users reported issues, primarily with the app.
  • United Kingdom: More than 10,800 incidents were recorded.
  • India: Nearly 2,300 users faced difficulties, though some reports suggest around 1,000 complaints, mainly with the search bar.

Nature of the Outage

The outage affected both web and mobile app versions, preventing users from accessing timelines or posting content. The cause remains unclear, as X has not issued an official statement.

Resolution

Services resumed after about 30-40 minutes, but concerns about the platform’s reliability have increased due to its recent technical issues

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Acevector Limited Announces New CEOs for Snapdeal and Stellaro Brands

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Acevector

Acevector Limited, the parent company of Snapdeal and Stellaro Brands, has announced significant leadership changes within its organization. Achint Setia has been appointed as the new CEO of Snapdeal, while Himanshu Chakrawarti will transition to the role of CEO of Stellaro Brands.

Himanshu Chakrawarti to Lead Stellaro Brands

Himanshu Chakrawarti has successfully led both Snapdeal and Stellaro Brands for the past three years. In his new role, he will focus exclusively on driving growth at Stellaro Brands, which houses various apparel brands, including Rangita. Chakrawarti brings over 30 years of experience in the retail industry, having held leadership positions at notable companies such as Trent, Arvind, and the Landmark Group. His extensive background in brand building and retail operations will be instrumental in scaling Stellaro’s growth.

Strategic Focus

Chakrawarti’s shift to Stellaro Brands allows him to leverage his experience to enhance the brand’s market presence and operational efficiency. His leadership is expected to drive innovative strategies that align with consumer trends and preferences.

Achint Setia to Head Snapdeal

Achint Setia takes over as CEO of Snapdeal, bringing a wealth of experience in e-commerce, media, telecom, and government services. He has a proven track record in business building, marketing, strategy, and technology. Prior to joining Snapdeal, Setia served as the Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer at Zalora Group in Singapore. He has also held senior leadership roles at Myntra, Viacom18, McKinsey & Co., and Microsoft.

Background and Expertise

Setia holds an MBA in Strategy & Finance from the Indian School of Business and completed the Stanford GSB LEAD program in Corporate Innovation. His diverse experience positions him well to lead Snapdeal through its next phase of growth as it navigates a competitive e-commerce landscape.

Focus on Growth and Innovation

These leadership changes are strategically aimed at driving growth and innovation across both Snapdeal and Stellaro Brands. With experienced leaders at the helm of each business, Acevector Limited is well-positioned for continued success in the dynamic Indian market.

Market Positioning

The transition comes at a critical time for Snapdeal as it seeks to strengthen its market position amid rising competition from other e-commerce platforms. Setia’s expertise in digital ecosystems is expected to enhance Snapdeal’s offerings and customer engagement strategies.

Recent Developments at Acevector Limited

Acevector Limited has been actively involved in restructuring its operations to optimize performance across its portfolio. The company has previously made headlines with initiatives such as:

  • The formalization of a group structure encompassing Snapdeal, Unicommerce, and Stellaro Brands.
  • Strategic investments aimed at enhancing technology capabilities and expanding service offerings.

Conclusion

The appointment of Achint Setia as CEO of Snapdeal and Himanshu Chakrawarti as CEO of Stellaro Brands marks a pivotal moment for Acevector Limited. These strategic leadership changes are designed to leverage their extensive industry experience to foster innovation and drive growth across both brands. As they embark on their new roles, the focus will be on enhancing operational efficiencies and adapting to evolving market demands within India’s competitive e-commerce sector.

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