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Business News This Week: 1st January 2018 to 6th January 2018

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Business News This Week,Startup Stories,Inspirational Stories 2018,Stock Sell in Uber,Food Ordering and Delivery Platform Swiggy,Swiggy Business News 2018,Flipkart Invest In Logistics Arm eKart,Salil Parekh New Infosys CEO,Alibaba and XpressBees Business,Startup Funding News 2018,Startup Stories Tips 2018,Biggest Startup Moments of 2017,How To Get Promoted Faster,How To Get Funding For Startups,How To Build Enterprise From Scratch

New year, new aims and new resolutions! The new year started with a bang marking the beginning of a new era for startups, innovations and inventions! If you were too caught up with New Year celebrations, catch up with the news of this week with our weekly wrap up.

ECOMMERCE SITES TO DISPLAY THE MRP AND EXPIRY DATE
This new year, all ecommerce sites will now have to display the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) and the expiry date of all the human consumable products on all their sites. This move comes after multiple customers complained about such ecommerce sites hiking the prices of their products in order to provide bigger discounts. The etailers had until January 1, 2018, to comply with the government’s order to display all the important details about the products up for sale. However, according to a survey by LocalCircles, only 42% of 10,000 respondents had seen products listed above MRP and then discounted off the inflated price.

ALIBABA TO INVEST IN LOGISTICS STARTUP XPRESSBEES
The China based ecommerce firm Alibaba has been keenly looking to invest in multiple Indian startups to build its ‘iron triangle.’ For this purpose, the company will be investing close to $ 100 million in the Pune based logistics firm XpressBees and will be closing the deal in the next two to three weeks. Till date, Alibaba and its financial arm Ant Financials have invested in online payment and digital wallet Paytm and online grocery delivery service, BigBasket.

SALIL PAREKH BECOMES THE NEW INFOSYS CEO
After months of searching and numerous disagreements with the founder of India’s largest IT firm Infosys, the company finally found a Chief Executive Officer. After the resignation of Vishal Sikka in August, Salil Parekh will be taking on the reigns of the Bengaluru based information technology (IT) major, Infosys, as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. According to sources, the new CEO will earn an annual salary of Rs. 16.25 crores, including Rs. 9.75 crores variable pay.

FLIPKART TO INVEST IN LOGISTICS ARM EKART
India’s largest ecommerce company Flipkart, in an attempt to strengthen their logistics arm, infused another $ 257.3 million in eKart. According to filings with the Registrar of Companies, Flipkart raised this sum in multiple tranches between October and November last year. In 2018, according to Kalyan Krishnamurthy, the company would now be focusing on increasing its monthly active users and increasing its revenue.

SWIGGY TO RAISE $ 200 MILLION FROM NASPERS AND TENCENT
 One of India’s fastest growing food ordering and delivery service startup Swiggy will be raising close to $ 200 million from Chinese investment conglomerate Tencent and existing investor Naspers. After ending independent discussions with Japan based venture firm SoftBank, the company is looking to raise funds at a pre money valuation of $ 600- $ 650 million. According to sources, Tencent, which will join the Swiggy bandwagon as a new investor also proposed to increase their investment in the startup to around $ 100 million.

UBER CO FOUNDER TRAVIS KALANICK TO SELL 29% OF STOCK
After facing scandal upon scandal and fighting multiple lawsuits, the global taxi hailing startup Uber is finally on track to raise much needed capital from SoftBank and other investors. For this purpose, the co founder of Uber and former CEO Travis Kalanick will be selling 29% of his stock in Uber for about $ 1.4 billion. As a part of the latest investment round, SoftBank and a consortium of investors have agreed to buy stock from existing investors and employees, valuing the company at $ 48 billion. Post this transaction, SoftBank will take a 17% stake in the ride hailing services company.

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 [email protected]. Catch up with the highlights of the week with our The News This Week section.

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Meta Expands AI-Powered Reels Translation to Hindi and Portuguese, Enhancing Global Creator Reach

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Meta has expanded its AI-powered translation feature for Reels to include Hindi and Portuguese, joining English and Spanish in empowering creators to reach a broader global audience on Instagram and Facebook. Originally launched in August 2025 with support for English and Spanish, this update now allows creators to seamlessly translate and dub their short videos, breaking language barriers across some of the largest Reels markets worldwide. The AI technology mimics the creator’s voice tone and even offers lip-syncing to ensure the translated videos feel natural and engaging for viewers.​

This enhancement is especially significant for India, the largest market for Facebook and Instagram, where over 600 million people speak Hindi. Content creators who are not fluent in Hindi can now easily access this vast audience, increasing their reach and engagement across diverse linguistic groups. To maintain transparency, all translated Reels are clearly labeled with “Translated with Meta AI,” and viewers can choose to switch translations on or off based on their preference.​

In addition to voice dubbing, Meta is developing features to translate captions and text stickers on Reels, making content more accessible even without sound. These AI translation tools are available free for eligible public Instagram accounts and Facebook creator profiles with over 1,000 followers. This innovation reinforces Meta’s commitment to fostering cross-cultural content sharing and enhancing creators’ ability to connect with audiences around the world through short-form videos.

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Dunzo’s Collapse: Reliance’s ₹1,645 Crore Loss Signals Challenges in India’s Hyperlocal Delivery Market

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Startup Stories

Reliance Industries has officially written off its $200 million investment in Dunzo, a once promising quick-commerce startup in India. Despite high-profile backing and the potential to disrupt the hyperlocal delivery sector, Dunzo faced insurmountable challenges including high operational costs, unsustainable cash burn, and stiff competition from larger players like Zepto and Blinkit. Reliance’s decision follows Dunzo’s operational suspension, leadership exits, and failed attempts at securing additional funding or acquisition partners, ultimately resulting in the company’s digital platforms going offline in early 2025.​

The downfall of Dunzo was accelerated by its inability to maintain a healthy balance between rapid expansion and revenue growth, with losses in FY23 reaching an alarming ₹1,800 crore. With monthly expenses crossing ₹100 crore and mounting pressure to scale, Dunzo resorted to layoffs and delayed payments before shutting down most services outside Bengaluru. Reliance’s significant stake, initially seen as a strategic advantage, ended up limiting the startup’s flexibility in making independent decisions during its final months.​

Reliance’s write-off sends a strong message to India’s startup ecosystem about the risks inherent in quick-commerce and hyperlocal delivery models. Investors are increasingly focused on sustainable growth, disciplined scaling, and profitability. For Reliance, lessons from Dunzo’s collapse are shaping future e-commerce strategies, driving greater emphasis on operational efficiency and prudent financial planning in an intensely competitive market.

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Zoho Arattai vs WhatsApp: 5 Reasons India’s Homegrown Messenger Is Winning in 2025

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Startup Stories

Zoho Arattai messenger has rapidly gained popularity in India by offering features tailored specifically for Indian users, setting itself apart from global competitors like WhatsApp. Arattai delivers exceptional regional language support, intuitive low-bandwidth messaging, and a lightweight interface, making it especially accessible to rural communities and users on lower-end smartphones. This focus on localization and inclusivity gives Arattai a significant edge in the Indian market, ensuring seamless communication even in remote areas.

Beyond usability, Arattai places a strong emphasis on user privacy and data sovereignty. The app stores all user data within India and follows a strict no-ads, no data-selling policy, which guarantees that personal information remains secure and uncompromised. While WhatsApp does provide robust end-to-end encryption, its global servers and Meta-owned data monetization model have raised concerns among privacy-conscious users. Arattai’s transparent approach makes it a trusted and attractive alternative for those who value privacy and wish to avoid intrusive advertisements or AI profiling.

Unique features such as integrated meetings, TV compatibility, and advanced mentions functionality further establish Arattai’s position as a well-rounded and future-ready messaging app. These India-first innovations, combined with Arattai’s ad-free philosophy, clean interface, and powerful optimizations for local contexts, make it the preferred messaging solution for those seeking a modern, secure, and regionally relevant alternative to WhatsApp.

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