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SoftBank To Invest $ 500 Million In Paytm Mall

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SoftBank Invest In Paytm Mall,Startup Stories,2017 Business New Updates,SoftBank Business Updates 2017,SoftBank Talks with Paytm Mall,Paytm Mall Latest News,SoftBank Invest Money in Paytm Mall,Online Marketplace Paytm Mall,SoftBank Potential Investment in Paytm Mall,Paytm Mall and Softbank Business Plan

SoftBank, the Japan based venture capital firm, is reportedly in talks to invest $ 500 million in the online marketplace Paytm Mall. According to a news daily, Paytm Mall and SoftBank have already held initial talks for a $ 500 million to $ 600 million financing round.

SoftBank may lead this funding round with an investment of $ 300 million in the ecommerce venture operated by Paytm ECommerce Pvt., Ltd. Till date, SoftBank holds close to 20% stake in One97 Communications which runs the digital payments arm Paytm as well as Paytm Mall. Chinese etailing giant Alibaba also holds a majority stake (over 50% ) in the company.

The Times of India reported a source close to the discussions saying, “The funding proposal is yet to be discussed with the company board. However, there (sic) are informal commitments that have come through from investors. They still need to set a valuation for the transaction as the initial capital from Alibaba and SAIF was an internal round.

Reports also surfaced last month hinting the online retail platform Paytm Mall had initiated discussions to raise Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 4,000 crores in fresh funding by the end of this year to compete with Flipkart and Amazon. However, Paytm has not responded to the rumors while SoftBank said the company “does not comment on speculations”.

Earlier this year SoftBank invested a whopping $ 2.4 billion in Flipkart via its Vision Fund. Nevertheless, according to sources, SoftBank’s potential investment in Paytm Mall will not have any conflict of interest with Flipkart because Paytm Mall differentiates itself as a platform that helps bring offline retailers online. 

Paytm Mall also received $200 million from majority investor Alibaba and venture capital fund SAIF Partners in August this year. Alibaba and its affiliate Ant Financial’s stake in Paytm E-Commerce Pvt., Ltd., increased from 40% to 62% post this round of investment. The company was also planning to invest $ 35 million in its technology and logistics infrastructure to strengthen its position in the ecommerce market.  

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Gemini 2.5: Revolutionizing Dialogue and Audio Generation with AI

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Gemini

Google’s Gemini 2.5 marks a significant leap forward in artificial intelligence, introducing groundbreaking capabilities in dialogue and audio generation. Designed from the ground up as a multimodal model, Gemini 2.5 can natively understand and generate content across text, images, audio, video, and code, making it a versatile tool for developers, content creators, and businesses alike.

Advanced Dialogue: Real-Time, Natural, and Context-Aware

Gemini 2.5 excels in real-time audio dialogue, offering users remarkably fluid and expressive conversations. The AI’s ability to interpret tone, accent, and even non-speech vocalizations like laughter enables interactions that feel genuinely human. Users can customize speech delivery using natural language prompts, adjusting accents, tone, or even requesting whispered responses. This level of control is invaluable for applications ranging from virtual assistants to customer service bots.

The model is also context-aware, distinguishing between relevant speech and background noise, ensuring it responds only when appropriate. Integration with external tools, such as Google Search, allows Gemini 2.5 to incorporate real-time information seamlessly into conversations. Moreover, its multilingual capabilities support over 24 languages, enabling users to mix languages within a single phrase—ideal for global audiences.

Cutting-Edge Audio Generation: Flexible and Engaging

Beyond dialogue, Gemini 2.5 offers advanced text-to-speech (TTS) features. Users can generate everything from short snippets to long-form narratives, with precise control over style, tone, and emotional expression. The TTS engine supports multi-speaker dialogue, making it perfect for creating engaging summaries, podcasts, and audiobooks. Enhanced pace and pronunciation controls ensure audio clarity and naturalness, while multilingual output makes content accessible worldwide.

Developers can access these features through Google AI Studio and Vertex AI, with options for both high-fidelity (Gemini 2.5 Pro) and cost-effective (Gemini 2.5 Flash) audio generation. All generated audio includes SynthID watermarking for transparency and safety.

Conclusion

Gemini 2.5 is redefining the boundaries of AI-driven dialogue and audio generation. Its natural, expressive, and customizable voice capabilities, combined with robust reasoning and multilingual support, make it a powerful tool for the next generation of digital experiences.

Whether for interactive applications, content creation, or global communication, Gemini 2.5 sets a new standard for intelligent, multimodal AI.

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Dunzo Gets Breather as NCLT Rejects Insolvency Petition from Invoice Discounters

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Dunzo

The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) Bengaluru bench has dismissed an insolvency plea filed against quick commerce startup Dunzo by its invoice discounters, declaring the petition “not maintainable” after several postponements. This decision offers temporary relief to Dunzo, which has been facing multiple insolvency petitions from various creditors, including Velvin Packaging Solutions and Betterplace Safety Solutions, over unpaid dues.

The invoice discounters alleged that Dunzo had paid only 50% of the required amounts, though the exact sum was not disclosed. Despite ongoing settlement talks, no resolution was reached, and the tribunal noted Dunzo’s delays in responding to creditor petitions. Dunzo continues to grapple with severe liquidity issues, delayed payments, and significant losses—reporting a ₹1,801.8 crore loss in FY23 and owing approximately ₹11.4 crore to major vendors like Google India and Facebook India.

While this NCLT ruling provides Dunzo some breathing room, the company still faces ongoing financial and operational challenges as it works to resolve its outstanding liabilities.

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How a Golden Retriever Became the Heart and Soul of a Hyderabad Startup’s Workplace

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Golden Retriever in workplace

Hyderabad-based startup Harvesting Robotics has won hearts online by appointing a golden retriever named Denver as its Chief Happiness Officer (CHO). Denver, introduced by co-founder Rahul Arepaka in a viral LinkedIn post, has quickly become the star of the office, spreading joy and boosting morale among employees. The company is now officially pet-friendly, a move Arepaka calls their “best decision.”

Denver’s new role has sparked widespread attention, with thousands liking and commenting on the announcement. Many see Denver’s presence as more than just a cute story—it highlights a growing trend of pet-friendly workplaces that prioritize employee well-being and happiness. As companies increasingly focus on holistic wellness, Denver’s appointment shows that sometimes, a wagging tail is the best way to brighten the workday.

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