Hindware Pledges to Promote Safe Public Hygiene Practices in Unlock Phase; Brings Contactless Handwashing System

Reiterating its commitment towards promoting good health and hygiene in the society, Brilloca, makers of India’s iconic bath ware solutions brand, Hindware,  has introduced the first-of-its-kind ‘Contactless Handwashing System’, to be installed at public locations, as the country navigates though the Unlock phase.

In keeping with the brand’s legacy of driving innovation as per the needs of the community, the sensor-based handwashing system addresses one of the key priorities of the nation, i.e., creating awareness and building access to safe and hygienic hand-washing facilities at public places.

The contactless systems are being initially installed at eight sites in the National Capital Region, including four in Delhi, two in Gurugram and two in Noida. 

Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Sandip Somany, Chairman and Managing Director, Brilloca Limited, said, “Hindware has remained committed to promote health and hygiene in the society, and the Contactless Handwashing System is reflective of our efforts in this direction.  As the nation transitions through the Unlock phase, there is a need to stay cautious while we get into our routines. Safety is of prime importance, however, it is not always close at hand when we venture out. With our new initiative, we are aiming to not only bring safe hygiene practices to the masses, but also drive a behavior change which is imperative in the new normal.”

Crafted after a thorough field study at Hindware Design Studio, the contactless hand wash system come fitted with sensor operated faucet, basin and foot operated soap dispenser with a digital sensor, keeping a count of hand-washes at that particular station.

Mr. Sanjay Kalra, Chief Executive Officer, Bath Products & Tiles, Brilloca Limited, added, “These are unprecedented times, and it is imperative that the brands, with their expertise and knowledge, bring solutions that contribute towards the larger priority of the nation. While the focus remains on arresting the spread of coronavirus, it is also important to stay vigilant as we step out during the Unlock phase. The Contactless Handwashing Systems are being installed at specific locations where the footfall is expected to be higher. We are starting with the initiative in the National Capital Region and will adopt a phased approach to expand further.” 

Over the years, Hindware has emerged as India’s leading sanitary ware and faucets brand. Driven by innovation at the Hindware Design Studio, it brings together a perfect amalgamation of technology and aesthetics, to create bathroom products that are aligned with the changing requirements of the customers.

Hindware has been a pioneer and trend setter in the sanitary ware segment for more than six decades, thereby, creating a loyal base of millions of customers across the country.

IDEMIA Launches iCube, an Innovation and Incubation Program in India

IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity, launches iCube, an innovation and incubation program to support and assist Indian startups that leverage Augmented identity. In a fast-changing digital environment, Identity has become an indispensable building block for making businesses and cities safer and smarter in a vast range of environments and usages including financial services, healthcare, education, food sustainability, smart cities, IoT, e-Governance, e-commerce, travel & mobility, telecom, defence and more.

IDEMIA addresses these new challenges and needs with the launch of iCube, a program designed to assist and speed up start-ups and innovators in their product development and commercial roll-out.

Pierre Barrial, President & Chief Executive Officer at IDEMIA, stated: “IDEMIA has always been at the cutting edge of innovations in making the world a smarter and safer place. We are delighted to enable start-ups and developers to leverage the innovations we originally developed for corporations and governments across the globe. I am thrilled that the IDEMIA Innovation and Incubation program - iCube - is launched in India, one of our most vibrant markets globally. Not only do I look forward to help start-ups to succeed in India, but I am equally excited about taking some of their solutions to our customers across the world. I look forward to this mutually rewarding and exciting journey of co-creation.”

Sanjeev Shriya, Managing Director IDEMIA India added, “Innovation is the core of IDEMIA’s identity. Over time, we have developed cutting edge solutions with a global impact in domains like Financial services, Citizen Identity, Telecom, IoT or M2M. Thus, we are delighted to announce the launch of iCube - the IDEMIA Innovation and Incubation program that will help build compelling solutions for a safer and better world. This program is designed to assist startups and innovators by providing them access to our expertise and technology. It aims to speed up their product development and help them get to market faster.”

To further support developers and innovators, IDEMIA has opened its application program interfaces (APIs) and launched a credit program. In addition, IDEMIA’s engineers and its industry experts will share their insights and knowledge during several sessions and talks.

http://idemia.co.in/iCube

iCube will also work closely with corporations in curating and co-creating solutions that may be mutually beneficial.

IDEMIA will engage with startups and innovators through the following programs:

Startup Assistance Program

An ongoing program providing eligible startups credits to use IDEMIA and partner organizations’ technologies and products, APIs, SDKs, and other support

Accelerator Program

A curated 3-month program to help developers and startups become better prepared for market

Developer Program

A selected opportunity for startups to co-create solutions with IDEMIA’s technology teams and business teams

Scale Fast-Track Program

A selected access for startups to IDEMIA’s global client base and opportunity to jointly go to market with IDEMIA

 iCube may also provide selected startups with office space in their world class incubation facility located in Noida, India. iCube has already partnered with Lumis Partners Supply Chain Labs and Freshworks to reach out to a wider range of startups and support them in their journey.

About IDEMIA

IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity, provides a trusted environment enabling citizens and consumers alike to perform their daily critical activities (such as pay, connect and travel), in the physical as well as digital space.

Securing our identity has become mission critical in the world we live in today. By standing for Augmented Identity, an identity that ensures privacy and trust and guarantees secure, authenticated and verifiable transactions, we reinvent the way we think, produce, use and protect one of our greatest assets – our identity – whether for individuals or for objects, whenever and wherever security matters. We provide Augmented Identity for international clients from Financial, Telecom, Identity, Public Security and IoT sectors.

With close to 15,000 employees around the world, IDEMIA serves clients in 180 countries.

SCHUTZEN Chemical Group Appoints “Azelis as Preferred Distributor for Personal Care & Paint Coating" Markets in India

SCHUTZEN Chemical Group, the leading diversified specialty chemical manufacturer has announced the appointment of Azelis, a leading global distributor of specialty chemicals and food ingredients as the preferred distributor for its Personal Care & Paint Coating Markets in India.  

Azelis will focus on the distribution of two innovative actives from Schutzen: 

The Tamarind based active for Hair & Skin Care 

The Anti-Viral, Anti-Microbial, Anti-fungal active which is safe and free of hazardous chemistries 

 SCHUTZEN Chemical Group has developed an innovative Hair & Skin Conditioning Product which is derived from Tamarindus indicia Seed polysaccharide, a more sustainable option compared to ubiquitous chemistries like Polyquaternium -10 & Cationic Guar Gum. 

Further as a rapid response to the COVID-19 crisis, SCHUTZEN Chemical Group was quick to develop & deploy a very safe Anti-Viral, Anti-Microbial & Anti-Mite active for Home & Personal Care markets and Paint Coating market. The Biocide is an active which is free of hazardous chemistries and aligns with SCHUTZEN’s sustainability objectives. 

Raj Mahendra Tanna, Founder & Director, SCHUTZEN Chemical Group said, "We are proud that we could quickly adapt to the COVID-19 crisis & rapidly respond with the launch of one of the safest Virucidal, Microbicidal & Fungicidal actives. The active will further serve as a major contributor in the hygiene market post COVID-19. We are equally excited to launch our unique Hair & Skin conditioning active based on Tamarindus Indica Seed polysaccharide through our patented process. This presents to be a game changer in terms of sustainability & performance in the personal care market.” 

He further added, “Azelis’ market presence, formulation development capabitlities and customer centric approach proved crucial in our decision to chose them as a partner. We sensed Azelis to be a very supportive & humble organization. They exhibit a genuine focus on solving challenging customer problems. We are confident that Azelis India will make an excellent partner and significantly add to our growth & brand equity.” 

Commenting on the partnership, Mrs. Aparna Khurana, Managing Director Azelis India comments: “Schutzen offers highly innovative products in line with the market demand for our key markets of Personal Care and CASE. Their new launch, the Anti-Viral, Anti-Microbial, Anti-Fungal active, a clean and safe hygiene solution, is a great demonstration of their adaptability to the market demand, making their portfolio continually attractive. We are delighted about this partnership as it offers new product development opportunities for our customers. Azelis will do its utmost to boost Schutzen’s penetration across India and grow the number of customers in CASE and Personal Care.”  

SCHUTZEN has chosen Azelis India as one of its key distributors thanks to its strong market presence, formulation development capabilities and support towards all spectrum of customers. This distribution agreement enables the Group to optimize its distribution network. Both companies share a strong focus on innovation and technical service to customers based on expert knowledge & business support, sustainability, transparency, and constructive collaboration.  

SCHUTZEN is very determined to bring around sustainable solutions to difficult areas in the industry. 

 

Zebra Survey: The Future of Retail Depends on Seamless Experiences

Zebra Technologies Corporation, (NASDAQ: ZBRA), an innovator at the front line of business with solutions and partners that deliver a performance edge, today revealed the results of its 12th Annual APAC Shopper Study, which analyzed retailers’ technology plans for solving chronic shopping issues. Results show that retailers are looking to harness technologies like intelligent automation, cloud computing and mobility to drive economic growth. To strengthen retailers position in these unprecedented times, the launch of the 12th Annual APAC Shopper Study is aligned with the unveiling of array of products by Zebra Technologies.

As businesses reopen and rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic, the resiliency of retailers and supply chains are being tested more now than ever before. One monumental shift relates to the concept of “Economy at Home,” which addresses the way consumers have completely changed their shopping habits. The frequency and volume of online spending on food has increased across the region, with consumers expressing a preference for self-checkout rather than assistance from cashiers for safe distancing.

To meet rising customer expectations, retailers need to rethink the safety of the customer journey, whether it is in store or via delivery. Click-and-collect, or buy online, pick-up in store (BOPIS), are becoming preferred methods of shopping, with 55% of consumers requesting more retailers to offer mobile ordering options. This is forcing businesses to rethink their fulfillment strategies given that only 36% of respondents agreed that their stores are equipped to fulfill web orders.  The study expects this trend to continue, while retailers implement additional solutions that minimize in-store contact and improve customer convenience at the same time.

“COVID-19 has significantly altered the retail sector, forcing both essential and non-essential retailers to assess their omnichannel fulfillment capabilities and quickly adapt their operating models in a matter of days – some implementing changes within hours,”  said Deep Agarwal, Regional Sales Director of India, Zebra Technologies. “We’re seeing how retailers are transforming ‘dark stores’ to serve as temporary distribution facilities inside their establishments. Retailers should prioritize the expansion of click-and-collect service offerings and invest in technologies that increase shopping capacity and speed. This reduces in-store traffic and aids in social distancing efforts, while providing retailers with inventory visibility across every corner of the shop floor.”

Putting a mobile device into the hands of a retail associate simplifies tasks like inventory management, yet an estimated 64% of retail associates are not equipped to maximize the benefits of technology. In response, retailers are moving away from dated green-screen technology to enterprise-class devices with intuitive, user-friendly interfaces with smartphone-like operating systems.

The pandemic has proven this true as click-and-collect orders have surged, creating the need for store associates to enable contactless transactions via curbside pickup with handheld mobile computers and tablets. When paired with a mobile printer, the likes of the TC52 touch computer and TC21 touch computer form Mobile Point of Sale (mPOS) solutions that can drive contactless fulfilment by alerting associates of new online orders, enabling them to pack merchandise, label products and print receipts prior to the customer’s arrival .

The adoption of mPOS solutions is expected to hit 98% by 2026, up from 76% today. The same trend is also observed for handheld mobile computers with scanners as retail associate device usage is expected to reach 96% by 2026, up from the current 75%.

Zebra Technologies has also launched Self-checkout solutions like the DS9900 Series Corded Hybrid Imager, DS9300 Barcode Scanner and the upgraded MP7000 Grocery Scanner Scale that are helping retailers to reshape the front-of-store experience. Growing up with technology and automation, 89% of surveyed shoppers agree that self-checkout improves their shopping experience. Additionally, self-checkout has become even more relevant during this pandemic as both shoppers and retailers strive to minimize in-store contact to ensure safety.

Returns are another pain point for shoppers and poses a significant challenge for retailers. Up to 51% of retail executives report that they have started or are planning to start upgrading their returns management technologies in the next five years. Meanwhile, 83% of retailers currently have or plan to implement automated inventory verification systems within the year to advance real-time inventory accuracy.

ASIA-PACIFIC HIGHLIGHTS

88% of retailers agree maintaining real-time inventory visibility is a significant challenge, and 85% say their companies need better inventory management tools to ensure accuracy.

Retailers also cite robot assistance (83%), smart check-out and real-time store IoT platforms (89%) as extremely important to their operations over the next five years.

81% of retailers plan to provide mobile ordering as a fulfilment option by 2021.

70% of retailers are integrating social media within their ecosystem for digital native shoppers to provide feedback.

SURVEY BACKGROUND AND METHODOLOGY

Zebra’s 12th Annual Shopper Study surveyed over 6,300 global respondents, including over 1,200 APAC region respondents (retail executives, store associates and shoppers) to gauge the attitudes, opinions and expectations that are reshaping brick and mortar and online retail. The results, summarized in a two-part series, are essential reading for industry leaders seeking actionable insights to serve today’s tech-savvy shoppers.

Ed-Tech StartUp TagHive Collaborates with Government of Madhya Pradesh to Make their Schools Smart Across 52 Districts

Schools Smart 

* TagHive’s flagship product – Class Saathi to onboard 2080 schools across 52 districts in MP

* This decision has been made after successful pilot tests of Class Saathi in 2 districts, which was launched on Children’s day, 14th November, 2019

* Looking at associating with a CSR partner to expedite the deployment 

Samsung Ventures backed ed-tech start-up TagHive Inc., today announced that it has received a letter of confirmation from the Government of Madhya Pradesh to deploy ‘Class Saathi’ to a network of 2080 schools in the state. Class Saathi is an AI powered app by TagHive which, along with its clicker, is an affordable classroom solution that engages every student even in remote schools that have no infrastructure such as Internet, computers and electricity. Class Saathi also provides an app for parents and an app for administrators to monitor progress and take appropriate action. TagHive recently closed its Pre-Series A Funding round by Mr. Joon Hyon from South Korea, currently valuing the start-up at USD 10 million.

The Education Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shri. Prabhuram Chaudhary, along with the Principal Secretary of Madhya Pradesh, Mrs. Rashmi Arun Shami and thier delegation had personally visited South Korea last year. The objective was to benchmark best practices in Korean schools. And, they witnessed successful implementation TagHive’s clicker solution across schools of South Korea. The visit convinced the team of Indian delegates to kick-start Class Saathi’s pilot on 14th November, 2019 (Children’s Day).

Speaking about this collaboration, Mr. Pankaj Agarwal, Founder & CEO of TagHive said, “TagHive entered the Indian market in 2019 and has been looking to strengthen and rapidly grow the presence of ‘Class Saathi’ – world’s first patent pending clicker solution to work on a mobile phone app. We did a successful pilot with government schools in 2 districts of Madhya Pradesh last year. Over 4,800 questions were solved by students during the pilot test. The government officials could see the learning outcomes of the students in real time and take corrective action almost immediately. With this collaboration, Class Saathi would be deployed in over 2000 schools catering to over 100,000 students and 4000 teachers. Class Saathi as a solution is ideal for government schools because it is low-cost and does not need schools to have any additional infrastructure, besides the teacher’s smartphone.”

Mr. Lokesh Kumar Jatav, Commissioner of School Education Department in Madhya Pradesh said, “We believe Class Saathi will revolutionize the K-12 education system of the state. On the basis of the pilot done in our schools, the results are extremely encouraging as it helps to increase student engagement in the classrooms and learning outcomes of the students. To begin with, we are now looking at installing the Class Saathi clickers in 40 schools in each of the 52 districts.  We are also looking for a suitable CSR partner to help us accelerate the deployment of Class Saathi across the state.”

Speaking on the future plans of TagHive, Mr. Pankaj Agarwal further added, “Not only does Class Saathi improve the learning capabilities of students, it also helps identify students that need help in specific subjects. The interactive quiz solution of the app enables teachers to understand the strength and weaknesses of the students. Post Madhya Pradesh, we are also looking at expanding to other states. Our mission is to help students and teachers achieve more on a daily basis and provide Class Saathi to all 250 million students in India.”

About TagHive Inc.:

Incorporated in April 2017, TagHive Inc. is a Samsung funded, education technology company headquartered in South Korea and with corporate infrastructure and operations in India. The edtech startup is founded by Mr. Pankaj Agarwal, an IIT Kanpur graduate with an MBA from the

Harvard Business School. TagHive offers clicker-based classroom response systems and AI powered at-home learning app under the ‘Class Saathi’ brand in India and under the ‘ClassKey’

brand elsewhere. This mobile and desktop enabled smart and low-cost classroom technology solution is currently being used in over 450 K-12 schools in Korea alone. Also, over 85,000 students have already benefited from Class Saathi at-home learning app, which, for now, caters to students from Class 6 to Class 10. Currently, TagHive owns 13 registered patents and trademarks and 8 more are in the pipeline. The EdTech company recently raised its latest round of investment and stands at US$10M valuation.

Edtech Superapp Ken42’s StartNXT Ideathon Records Over 13,000 Registrations Since Launch

Within less than a month of launch of its StartNXT Ideathon programme, Edtech Superapp Ken42 has recorded over 13,000 registrations from students of leading universities across the country. The company announced the launch for the startup acceleration programme in the beginning of July itself, inviting students to submit their innovative ideas and has received an overwhelming response for the same. The Ideathon will be conducted in association with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) with support from multiple corporate giants.

Over 30 universities have participated across the country with leading names including IIT Kanpur, Indian School of Business (ISB), IIT Delhi, St. Xaviers Kolkata, Vellore Institute of technology, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology, National Institute of Technology Delhi, IIMT College of Engineering, BITS Pilani, IIT Bhubaneshwar, IIT Varanasi, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Birla Institute of Technology Mesra Ranchi, IIT Jammu. 

The entries also include international institutions like RMIT University Melbourne and James Cook University Singapore International Campus. 

Talking about the programme, Ganesh Raju, Founder & CEO, Ken42 said “We are delighted to receive such an overwhelming response from leading institutions across different cities in India. The core purpose for kickstarting this 6-month acceleration programme was to provide a solid impetus to generate a new wave of future-ready leaders. However, we are hoping to double the amount of entries received so far by the end of the registration period, with more students to share their ground-breaking ideas.”  

The purpose of the StartNXT Ideathon is to facilitate innovation and entrepreneurship in India. After idea submission, refinement, solution generation and evaluation, pitching and assessments, the most impactful ideas will be recognised with cash prizes and assistance in building a company.

Ken42 is awarding the Top 3 winners with funding up to INR 2 crores each, and INR 10 lakh each to the runners-up as well, along with internship opportunities with leading startups and firms. Students will also have access to one-on-one mentor sessions with noteworthy Turbostart advisories where they will receive guidance from industry experts.

Registrations for the StartNXT Ideathon close on 31st August- Sign up here to submit your revolutionary ideas and kickstart your entrepreneurial journey!

About Ken42:  

Ken42 is a complete education ecosystem that revolutionizes how administrators manage their institutions, faculty imparts learning, and how students gain academic and real-world knowledge and skills. Designed to support students at every stage of their crucial learning years, from Class 6 through 12 in its offering for schools, and from standard 12 through higher education and placements, Ken42 is strongly differentiated from other learning management platforms.

Conceptualized by serial entrepreneur Ganesh Raju in October 2019, Ken42 also enables online classroom and exams, certificate courses from universities around the world, and opportunities for personal growth in the form of interview preparation, public speaking and professional skills.   

Backed by Turbostart, a bi-yearly programme for early-stage startups that aspire to be part of a unified and encouraging startup ecosystem, Ken42 occupies a unique position as mentors to the startup ecosystem with a focus on ed-tech. It boasts a series of strategic alliances as well as long-standing relationships with premier educational institutions and governmental organizations, enabling it to create a solution that is not just cutting edge with unmatched user experience but closely aligned to educational policy and change.   

With its one-of-a-kind integrated platform, Ken 42 is set to disrupt both universities and the K12 edtech industry by ensuring maximum student success, without the need of managing multiple platforms.  

MG Motor India Signs Up 6 More Start-Ups Under “MG Developer Program & Grant”

MG (Morris Garages) Motor India has announced that it has signed up 6 more start-ups for its ongoing MG Developer Program & Grant. The 6 finalists include Highway Delite, Socialcore, InCabEx, CamCom, ClearQuote, and the Alexa-based project Meeseeks. The start-ups will receive a grant and mentoring from technology experts and may get an opportunity to work directly with specialized MG teams on selected projects.

Demonstrating its firm focus on encouraging innovation within the start-up community, MG Motor India has already supported over 60 start-ups since 2017 to drive innovation in the automobile space of India. Such start-ups are working in the fields of engine & emissions, technology, child in-car safety, navigation, connectivity, and electric vehicles ecosystem alongside others. The overall objective of the program is to support the local start-up community by creating a specialized grant. The brand intends to indigenously foster innovation and contribute towards the development of the start-up ecosystem in India, thereby holistically contributing to the society.

The MG Developer Program & Grant is a part of the carmaker’s focus on innovation as a core pillar of the organization. Launched in partnership with several tech giants including Adobe, Cognizant, SAP, Airtel, TomTom, Unlimit, and others, the program aims to nurture ground-breaking solutions within the Indian urban mobility space.

Speaking on the development, Rajeev Chaba, President & MD, MG Motor India said, “MG thrives on innovation and has developed a symbiotic relationship with the Indian start-up ecosystem. Our goal is to indigenously develop a comprehensive, sustainable, and smart infrastructure for urban mobility in our country. The MG Developer Program has received an overwhelming response and we welcome all teams who have been signed as a part of the initiative. We look forward to mentoring and closely working with them. MG will also explore synergies with these start-ups and may deploy their solutions in its upcoming vehicles.”

The program had received over 300 entries, out of which, 60 teams were shortlisted in the first round. These teams were provided mentorship by 25 industry experts including MG India’s leadership as well as its technology ecosystem partners, making it one of the largest mentoring programs’ in the automotive segment.

Amongst the selected candidates, Highway Delite is India’s first free travel app to make highway travel and road trips both safe and fun. Meeseeks leverages Alexa/MG’s Voice Assistant to digitally manage and improve customer’s service experience.

Socialcore uses Artificial Intelligence to enhance customer interactions with sales improvement and cost reduction, while InCabEx creates a better in-cabin experience by personalizing car profiles as per users’ preferences.

CamCom is an AI-based start-up that provides defect and damage assessment while ClearQuote generates repair estimates via images/videos of a damaged car.

The 6 start-ups will be joining the already signed companies including Voxomos, Driftly, and Innvolution under the MG Developer Program & Grant.

MG’s journey with start-ups started back in 2017 with its first MG Innovation Hunt that was launched in partnership with TiE Delhi. Since then, MG India has conducted a total of 6 start-up programs, in partnership with India’s start-up community and leading educational institutions, all coming together in the MG Developer Program & Grant. The various MG start-up programs have attracted over 750 applications from start-ups and innovators so far in auto tech across India. 

About MG Motor India

Founded in the UK in 1924, Morris Garages vehicles were world famous for their sports cars, roadsters, and cabriolet series. MG vehicles were much sought after by many celebrities, including the British Prime Ministers and even the British Royal Family, for their styling, elegance, and spirited performance. The MG Car Club, set up in 1930 at Abingdon in the UK, has thousands of loyal fans, making it by far one of the world’s largest clubs for a car brand. MG has evolved into a modern, futuristic and innovative brand over the last 96 years. MG Motor India has commenced its manufacturing operations at its car manufacturing plant at Halol in Gujarat.

C-CAMP, Applied Materials India Assist Biotech Start-Ups to Increase Availability of Indigenous Medical Supplies

C-CAMP and Applied Materials India Private Limited (Applied Materials India) announced financial and technical support to two biotech start-ups in order to fast-track near-to-market technologies in the battle against COVID-19.

The two start-ups, Coeo Labs and Biomoneta, incubated under the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), an initiative of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), and were chosen by C-CAMP’s COVID-19 Innovations Deployment Accelerator (C-CIDA) launched on 25th March 2020 to identify and help accelerate near deployment-ready solutions that have the potential to fight the pandemic.

C-CIDA received more than 1100 innovation submissions and after a rigorous assessment, selected 31 innovations that have high potential to help battle against COVID-19 as C-CIDA Stars for Impact. With this, C-CIDA has built a diverse portfolio of innovations ranging from diagnostics and novel therapeutic approaches to air and surface sanitization and many more categories.

Of the 31 innovations identified as “C-CIDA Stars for Impact”, Applied Materials India selected two start-ups working in the following high-priority areas:

Assisted Respiratory Technologies: Coeo Labs, for its non-invasive Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) product, Saans ProAir Sanitization Technologies: Biomoneta, for its air decontamination product, ZeBox

 

The Applied Science & Technology Research Accelerator (ASTRA) provided an avenue for multiple start-ups incubated by C-CAMP to explore potential collaborations and/or investments with Applied Materials India. In continuation of these efforts and to help battle the COVID-19 crisis, Applied Materials India will provide technical expertise and financial assistance to C-CIDA, Coeo Labs and Biomoneta.

Speaking on the funding, Srinivas Satya, Country President and Managing Director, Applied Materials India said, “It is heartening to see the passion start-ups bring to our nation’s battle against COVID-19.  Many of these entrepreneurs have brilliant solutions and need help bringing the technology to scale.  As a company with deep technical expertise and a long history of supporting our communities, we believe we must do all we can to accelerate the development of innovations that can strengthen the country’s response to COVID-19. In a time when infrastructure is a challenge and access to medical relief is limited, we are pleased to collaborate with indigenous start-ups that can help pave the way to a healthier future in India.”

Speaking on the collaboration, Dr. Taslimarif Saiyed, CEO and Director, C-CAMP said, “We are delighted to get this support from Applied Materials India for our C-CIDA, where our mission is to bring near deployment-ready innovations to the field. C-CIDA has had a significant impact across India and this support further fosters our efforts. We look forward to working closely with Applied Materials India to deliver impactful innovations together.”

C-CAMP is one of the flagship incubators set up under the DBT and a member of the Bangalore Life Sciences Cluster (BLiSC), with a mandate to enable cutting-edge life sciences research and innovation and promote life sciences entrepreneurship. In 2019, C-CAMP forged a close collaboration with Applied Materials India to help accelerate time-to-market of promising biotech start-ups in India. Applied Materials India has also been engaging with the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council, a program under the DBT, across various levels since 2019.

To find out more about these companies in India who are part of new wave of health tech start-ups aiming to create innovative solutions that are also affordable, please visit the Coeo Labs website for Saans Pro and the Biomoneta website for ZeBox.

SAP Unviels Co-Innovation Lab in Bangalore

SAP AG formally launched its Co-Innovation Lab in Bangalore, the third such lab in the world by the company. The lab that started its operation in October last year, joins the league of similar labs in Palo Alto and Tokyo. "The main goal of this lab is to create a platform for collaboration between SAP and its customers and partners on solutions to different challenges in the industry", said Satyajit Singh Mecker, Senior Vice President, Global Ecosystem and Partner Group.

The SAP Co-Innovation Lab hosts a simulated heterogeneous datacenter, integrating hardware and software from SAP and other participating sponsors. "This lab is not like a R&D lab, but it is a real lab, where partners and customers can solve their problems by collaboration", said Satyajit.

Wipro Technologies, a SAP partner, was one of the first to benefit from this SAP initiative. An Insurance Claims Analytics solution was developed by Wipro by working on a platform that was developed in the SAP Co-Innovation Lab. Some of the other partners associated with the lab include Cisco, HP and Intel.

SAP India that now has over 3,800 customers with 2,900 SMEs in the list, wants to tap the potential in the Indian market by this collaborative effort. "India, especially Bangalore has been a region that has seen explosive growth and the global meltdown has not diminished its stature in the global market", said Dr. Axel Henning Saleck, Vice President and Head of the Global SAP Co-Innovation Labs.

"In 2006, SAP had announced a total investment of one billion dollar in India over 5 years and establishment of this lab is part of the investment", said Satyajit. According to Satyajit, the company sees tremendous potential in the Indian market in segments like information technology, engineering, construction, chemicals and automotive. "The current challenge that we see in India is to maintain a balance between customers and partners and keep the focus right", added Satyajit.

Agencies