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Amazon and Tencent Back Andy Rubin’s Essential

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Essential Products Inc., the startup founded by Android creator Andy Rubin has raised $ 330 million in a new funding round from Amazon and Tencent Holding. The company has also signed up with retailers, including Best Buy, Amazon.com and carriers such as Sprint Corporation in the United States and Telus in Canada to sell their first $ 699 smartphone.

The company, in a statement, revealed Access Technology Ventures led the funding round along with strategic investors Tencent Holdings Ltd., electronics contract manufacturer Foxconn and Amazon.com. Existing investors Redpoint Ventures and Playground Global also participated in this round.

The director of Amazon’s investment arm, Alexa Fund, Paul Bernard said, “Essential Products has a compelling vision and road map for connected devices that integrate voice technology in novel ways. We are excited to see Alexa become part of that vision where interacting with technology is simple, helpful and creates an interface that others can build on and innovate. We look forward to what will come from this collaboration.

This funding round values the company at about $ 900 million to $ 1 billion. The release date for the new smartphone will be announced sometime next week and will compete against the Samsung Galaxy 8 and iPhone 8, set to be released in September and October respectively. The big idea behind the Essential smartphone, according to Andy Rubin, is that this phone will make things simpler for customers.

President Niccolo De Masi, speaking about their new smartphone, said they won’t be targeting mass market popularity in the beginning itself but will take advantage of the company’s small scale to innovate faster than their larger rivals. “If we are able to sell low single digit millions [in the first year] that’s very successful for a startup,” he added.

Andy Rubin recently shared 3 images on Twitter to prove that Essential’s first product will be coming soon.

Essential is also developing a smart home hub similar to Amazon’s Echo, along with the smartphone. The hub will have the ability to control music, answer questions and manage tasks, among other things. The speaker can be set up in no time as its Ambient OS can automatically introduce itself to new and existing devices, according to Essential’s website.

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Info Edge Shareholders Approve ₹1,000 Crore Investment in New Venture Fund

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Info Edge

Info Edge (India) Ltd shareholders have overwhelmingly approved an investment of up to ₹1,000 crore in the company’s third venture capital fund, Info Edge Ventures Fund III. The proposal received near-unanimous backing, with 99.9995% of valid votes in favor out of 1,274 participants.

Smartweb Internet Services Ltd, a wholly owned Info Edge subsidiary, will act as sponsor and investment manager for the new fund. This move strengthens Info Edge’s commitment to backing early-stage startups and expanding its footprint in India’s venture capital landscape.

Info Edge has a strong track record as an early investor in leading Indian startups like Zomato and PB Fintech, with combined holdings in these firms valued at ₹31,500 crore ($3.7 billion) as of March 31, 2025.

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PayU Gets Final RBI Nod to Operate as Payment Aggregator Ahead of 2025 IPO

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PayU

PayU India, owned by Prosus, has received final approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as an online payment aggregator, a year after getting in-principle approval in April 2024. This authorization allows PayU to onboard new merchants and offer digital payment solutions, joining other major players like Razorpay, CCAvenue, and BillDesk.

The RBI’s nod comes as PayU prepares for its planned IPO in the second half of 2025, following a delay from its original 2024 timeline due to market conditions. The company, which serves over 450,000 merchants, reported $319 million in revenue from its core payments and credit business in the first half of FY25.

PayU stated that the approval will help it build a resilient, compliant, and innovation-driven institution, supporting merchants of all sizes and advancing the Digital India vision. The company has also strengthened its risk management and expanded its presence in real-time payments through a strategic stake in Mindgate Solutions.

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Google’s Iconic ‘G’ Logo Gets First Update in 10 Years

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Google has refreshed its iconic ‘G’ logo for the first time in nearly 10 years, replacing the familiar solid blocks of red, yellow, green, and blue with a smooth, vibrant gradient that blends these colors seamlessly. This subtle update gives the logo a softer, more fluid, and modern appearance, aligning with Google’s evolving digital identity and current design trends.

The new gradient transitions smoothly from red to yellow, yellow to green, and green to blue, making the logo more visually appealing and adaptable across various devices, especially on mobile platforms. This redesign also reflects Google’s growing emphasis on artificial intelligence, echoing the gradient style used in the branding of Google Gemini, the company’s AI-generative assistant.

The updated ‘G’ logo has started rolling out on iOS through the Google Search app and on some Android devices, particularly Pixel phones running the Google app beta version 16.18. However, most other platforms, including the web and non-Pixel Android devices, still display the classic solid-color logo. A wider rollout is expected in the coming weeks.

So far, Google’s main wordmark and other product logos like Chrome, Maps, and Gmail remain unchanged. Given the shift toward gradient designs and AI-inspired visuals, similar updates to other Google icons may follow in the future.

In summary, this first major update to the ‘G’ logo since 2015 signals a subtle but meaningful shift in Google’s branding strategy, blending tradition with innovation as the company deepens its focus on AI and modern design aesthetics.

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