Everyone in the world knows the name Coca-Cola. Invented 133 years ago in 1886, Coca-Cola, manufactured by The Coca-Cola Company, is a carbonated soft drink. The Coca-Cola Company is also one of the world’s most recognized and iconic brands with more than 3500 beverages, ranging from sodas and energy drinks to soy based drinks, under its name.
Coca-Cola was the invention of Confederate Colonel John Pemberton, who developed the drink as a substitute for his addiction to morphine. His invention was sold at soda fountains in various pharmacies, in the form of a patent medicine marketed as a nerve tonic.
After the death of John Pemberton, American businessman Asa Griggs Candler bought the rights to Coca-Cola from Pemberton’s family for just $ 300 in 1889 and established The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta, Georgia in 1892. It was due to Candler’s incredible marketing strategies, that Coca-Cola was sold in every state of America by 1895. Candler was a great businessman ,but he took one wrong step when he sold the right to package Coca-Cola to bottlers, for a fee of one dollar. This led to the appearance of many knock off brands and people had trouble identifying the real product. To solve this problem, The Coca-Cola Company asked the bottlers to come up with a bottle which would help people distinguish Coca-Cola from other knockoffs. The first bottle made for Coca-Cola was designed as a cocoa bean. Since then the bottle design of Coca-Cola has gone through various changes, with Coke cans first being introduced to the public in 1955.
Coca-Cola remained popular well through the 20th century, with the Company owning almost 60 % of its market share in 1948. However, this number decreased in 1984 to 21.8 % because of a new competitor—Pepsi. This prompted The Coca-Cola Company to change its formula and it then introduced New Coke, the taste of which consumers preferred more than the old Coke and Pepsi. However, Coca-Cola faced backlash because of the public’s nostalgia for the old drink and the Company returned the old formula under the name Coca-Cola Classic. Coca-Cola Classic was changed back to Coca-Cola in 2011, after the New Coke formula was stopped from production. The Coca-Cola Company is popular for its acquisition of various brands all over the world, including Minute Maid, Indian cola brand Thumbs Up, Fuze Beverage and many others.
Despite its popularity, Coca-Cola has faced much criticism for its effect on health, environmental issues, animal testing and the nickname of the brand, “Coke.” The Company is also banned in countries like North Korea and Cuba because of its identity as an American brand.
Coca-Cola is the most popular brand of soft drinks, with its name being the second most popular word in the world after “OK.” With an annual revenue of $ 31.856 billion in 2018 and a net worth of $ 224.43 billion, Coca-Cola is still ruling the soft drink industry with its amazing drinks and incredible marketing campaigns.
MobiKwik is venturing into the stock broking sector with the launch of its subsidiary, MobiKwik Securities Broking Private Limited (MSBPL), following approval from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs on March 3, 2025. This move aims to diversify MobiKwik’s offerings beyond its core digital payments services and compete with established players like Zerodha and Groww.
MSBPL will provide a range of brokerage services, including trading in shares, securities, commodities, and derivatives. The subsidiary has an initial capital of Rs 1 lakh, with plans for an additional Rs 2 crore investment to support its operations.
As MobiKwik enters this competitive market, it brings a substantial user base of 172 million and a merchant network of 5 million. Despite recent financial challenges, including a reported loss of Rs 55.2 crore in Q3 FY25, the company aims to leverage its existing infrastructure and user engagement to capture a share of the growing investment technology market, projected to reach $74 billion by 2030.
This strategic expansion aligns with MobiKwik’s broader goals of enhancing its financial service
Nazara Technologies has sold its entire 71.54% stake in Sports Unity Private Limited, the company behind the multiplayer quiz game ‘Qunami’, for INR 7.15 lakh. This divestment, effective March 25, 2025, signifies a strategic shift for Nazara, which had previously acquired a controlling interest in Sports Unity in 2019 for INR 7.5 crore.
The decision to offload the stake comes as Sports Unity has faced financial difficulties, reporting no active business operations and a negative net worth of INR 0.45 crore at the end of FY24. This move aligns with Nazara’s broader strategy to streamline its operations and concentrate on more profitable ventures within the gaming sector.
This sale follows Nazara’s recent divestment of a 94.85% stake in another subsidiary, Open Play, to Moonshine Technologies for INR 104.33 crore. Despite reporting record quarterly revenue of INR 544.7 crore in Q3 FY25, Nazara experienced a 53.5% decline in net profit year-over-year.
Nazara continues to focus on enhancing its portfolio through strategic acquisitions and investments in high-potential gaming platforms while navigating the competitive landscape of the gaming industry.
Fractal, a leading SaaS unicorn, has announced a strategic investment of $20 million in Asper.ai, an AI-driven platform focused on the consumer goods and manufacturing sectors. This funding, revealed on March 19, 2025, aims to accelerate Asper’s growth by enhancing product development and expanding its enterprise customer base.
Investment Highlights
Pranay Agrawal, Co-Founder and CEO of Fractal, expressed excitement about the partnership, noting Asper’s impressive growth over the past three years. He stated that this investment will unlock new opportunities for enterprise customers and drive further innovation within Asper.
Asper.ai’s Objectives
Mohit Agarwal, Co-Founder and CEO of Asper.ai, emphasized the need for consumer goods leaders to have a strategic ally that can adapt to their operations and transform data into actionable insights. The investment will support Asper in building its autonomous growth AI platform and attracting top talent.
Future Plans
Anuj Kaushik, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Asper.ai, highlighted the positive market response to their offerings. With Fractal’s investment, Asper.ai plans to enhance its AI capabilities across key areas like demand forecasting and revenue growth management.
Conclusion
Fractal’s $20 million investment marks a significant step in advancing AI solutions within the consumer goods sector. The collaboration between Fractal and Asper.ai is set to redefine how businesses leverage AI for growth and efficiency in a competitive landscape.