NASSCOM & Facebook - Next Billion Program to Motivate Innovation Among Developer Community

                                                                     

                                                                

The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) has announced the introduction of the Leaders Building for the Next Billion Program. The aim of program is to inspire large-scale innovation for new internet users by supporting and spotlighting developers who are building innovative apps and mobile websites for these communities.

NASSCOM 10,000 Startups is a vision, which is committed to incubate, fund and provide support to impact 10,000 technology startups in India, by 2023. The aim is to nurture the promising startups into full-fledged technology stalwart companies, by giving them support via access to startup incubators, accelerators, angel investors, venture capitalists, startup support groups, mentors, and technology corporations.

The next billion program introduced in India by NASSCOM 10000 Startups will invite developers and students through an application process wherein 10 developers will be selected who will demonstrate a commitment to build for new-to-internet populations, and hence will be part of a six-month program. The developers will be provided with technical, marketing, and financial support, and leadership skills, to build their applications and businesses. They will further be connected to industry leaders such as CEOs, thought leaders, VCs, ecosystem evangelists, social change leaders, funders and the media to bring public attention to their commitment, solutions and impact such that they inspire many other developers to build innovative solutions for new-to-internet users.

Further, students will be selected through application process to build mobile application relevant to the next billion and lead engagement with engineers, designers, and other students on campus interested in applying their talent to build mobile applications that are relevant to the next billion. There will be four students per campus across seven different universities.  

IET Bangalore Local Network Felicitates Bharath Lal Meena

Bangalore Local Network of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) - one of the world’s leading professional societies for the engineering and technology community felicitated Bharath Lal Meena, IAS- Additional Chief Secretary to Government Education Department (Higher Education) – Government of Karnataka, at the IET Dr Abdul Kalam Memorial Oration today. Bharath Lal Meena was awarded with Unnatha Shikshana Pravarthaka in recognition of his exemplary contributions towards Higher Education in Karnataka.

In his most recent role at the helm of Karnataka Higher Education, he is leading a team of education officals on an 86-point plan to bring in digitisation in higher education institutions.  Focused on automation and student centric initiatives, the department is planning to introduce online application and admission process for undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

The IET Dr Abdul Kalam memorial oration was held on the birthday of Late Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and is 1^st in the annual series in memory of the engineering genius. Prof H P Kincha, Chairman, Karnataka State Innovation Council and Mr Kapil Khanna, Chairman of the IET Bangalore LN were the Guests of Honor at the function. 

Marc Carrel-Billiard New Managing Director of Accenture Global Technology R&D

Accenture has announced the appointment of Marc Carrel-Billiard as managing director of Global Technology Research & Development within Accenture Technology. In this role, Carrel-Billiard will oversee the Accenture Technology Labs, Accenture’s global technology R&D organization which explores new and emerging technologies, with locations in Silicon Valley, California; Sophia Antipolis, France; Arlington, Virginia; Beijing, China and Bangalore, India.

Marc Carrel-Billiard, Managing Director, Global Technology R&D, Accenture

Additionally, Carrel-Billiard will direct Accenture Open Innovation, the group that works with start-ups, venture capitalists, leading academic organizations and corporate R&D groups.  He will also lead Accenture’s annual Technology Vision research, which looks at the future of enterprise IT and makes recommendations for how organizations can take advantage of technology to improve their competitiveness and business results.

 “I’m thrilled to take on this incredible opportunity to lead Accenture’s Technology R&D group which continues to stretch the boundaries of traditional enterprise technology and help clients reimagine the future,” said Carrel-Billiard. “I look forward to working with an incredible global team of top minds, researchers and scientists, to take the latest technology innovations from vision to value for our clients.”

Carrel-Billiard joined Accenture in 1998. His most recent role was as Accenture’s global lead for emerging technology. He has conducted extensive research into artificial intelligence, and is the author of several articles and books. He holds a Master of Science degree in Computer Sciences from École Nationale des Telecommunications de Paris as well as a Master of Science degree in Computer Sciences from École Nationale Supérieure d'Informatique pour l'Industrie et l'Entreprise / ENSIEE (formerly Institut d’Informatiqu e d’Entreprises / CNAM) in France.

 “Marc is a visionary technologist who is highly respected in our industry and exceptionally qualified to lead this area of our company,” said Sanjay Podder, Accenture managing director, Bangalore Technology Labs and Software Engineering R&D. “He has extensive experience in developing and delivering emerging technologies, including key areas of IT such as cognitive computing and robotics. Throughout his career, Marc has distinguished himself as a thought leader and evangelist for new and innovative technologies, and has also had great success as an Accenture leader delivering business results to clients.”

Interior of the Accenture Technology Lab in Beijing

Accenture’s five Technology Labs are comprised of R&D professionals who research and explore key technology areas to uncover new methods of disruption, identifying and scaling innovative solutions to ultimately bring new opportunities to life for clients. Through the work of the Technology Labs under Accenture Technology R&D organization, Accenture is incubating new ideas that are changing how businesses operate and compete in the market. Accenture’s Open Innovation network and work has been hailed as pioneering by independent analyst firm Horses for Sources.

Boxer Inc.to be Acquired by VMware Shortly

VMware has announced that it plans to acquire Boxer, a privately held company that offers a comprehensive and secure personal information management (PIM) solution for mobile devices to businesses and consumers.

The proliferation of applications, devices and an increasingly mobile workforce has driven up the cost and complexity of managing end-users. Access to mobile email is essential for employees who need to work on the go. However, corporate email often contains sensitive data and documents. It’s important that companies have a strategy for productivity and social collaboration applications keeps data secure while providing an intuitive experience for end-users. Boxer enables the secure synchronization and use of native and third party productivity applications (email, calendar, tasks and contacts) and enterprise social collaboration tools (Salesforce, Box, Evernote, etc.) across mobile devices and platforms (iOS and Android).

The Boxer team, which will join AirWatch, has developed a mature PIM solution for enterprises that offers a container approach to mobile application management and security. The company has partnered with industry leaders and supports market leading productivity, enterprise and social networking solutions including Box, Dropbox, Evernote, Facebook, Gmail, iCloud, Salesforce, Twitter, Outlook and Yahoo, just to name a few.

“I am incredibly proud and excited to share that VMware has announced plans to acquire Boxer,” said  Andrew Eye, CEO, Boxer. “Both of our teams strive to provide solutions that are “consumer simple and enterprise secure” which made this an obvious fit. The Boxer team will continue development of our consumer apps, which are available for download on the Apple and Google app stores.”

“I still remember the first time I was able to get my work email on a handheld device. I felt connected and empowered to be in the know, and get things done from anywhere. Since then, the world of enterprise mobility has evolved significantly,” said Noah Wasmer, chief technology officer and vice president of product management, mobile products, End-User Computing, VMware. “Upon closing of the acquisition, the combination of Boxer and AirWatch by VMware will create a world-class suite of services that will enable businesses to provide their employees with secure access to their email, content and apps.”

Boxer will enhance the AirWatch Inbox solution with a robust mobile PIM client that offers secure email, calendar, contacts and tasks. The solution aligns well with the AirWatch architecture and will offer customers a mature, all-in-one PIM that is enterprise mobile management (EMM)-ready and secure.

India's Second IBM Public Data Centre Comes Up In Chennai

IBM, a leading technology company on Tuesday launched public data centre in Chennai to tap into growing demand from financial services and government sectors. The move is also likely to help IBM tap into the government initiatives like Smart Cities and Digital India.

Part of the company’s global investment of $1.2 billion, it is IBM’s second such centre in India. The first one in Mumbai offers private cloud computing services. Its cloud clients include Tata Sky, Bharat Light and Power, Janalakshmi Financial Services and Mankind Pharma.

"We are looking at setting up another public cloud data centre. As you know, sectors like government and financial services prefer their data residing within the country," said Vanitha Narayanan, IBM India Managing Director.

“With a local onramp to IBM Cloud, Indian customers, especially those in regulated industries, gain more flexibility to store and compute data within the country,” said Robert LeBlanc, IBM Cloud senior vice president told media.

This is IBM’s 42nd data centre in its expansive network, providing users with performance and disaster recovery to ensure business continuity, he added.

He, however, did not disclose details about specific investments on the centre and the size of the centre.

IBM has cloud centres in cities such as London, Beijing, Melbourne, Toronto and Dallas.

The centre will help IBM tap into government initiatives like ‘Digital India’ and ‘Smart Cities’ It will also enable the company to tap into data sensitive sectors like banking, financial services and telecom that often mandate that data be hosted in local data centres.

Earlier this year, Microsoft had also announced setting up of three local data centres in India to tap into what it believes is a $2 trillion cloud opportunity.

“India’s cloud market is poised for exponential growth. The Chennai data centre will support India’s growing customer demand for in-country cloud solutions with faster network speeds,” LeBlanc said.

IBM has also partnered IT industry body Nasscom for the latter’s 10,000 start-ups initiative.

“In an effort to accelerate digital transformation both at the enterprise and start-up level, IBM is establishing a partnership with Nasscom to launch Techstartup.in, a digital hub wherein the entire Indian start-up ecosystem, including angels, mentors, investors, academia and venture capitalists, can interact with each other to grow the cloud market,”, said Sandy Carter, IBM GM, Cloud Ecosystem and Developers.

Highlighting the role that the Chennai data centre can play for start-ups, LeBlanc said developers and start-ups are an integral part of India’s ecosystem and key to Digital India initiative.

A study suggests that by 2018, India will have 5.2 million developers, surpassing the US, he said.

“This growth will only increase as thousands of start-ups are expected to establish themselves in India, generating employment opportunities. This will not only pave the way for innovative services, but will also act as a major booster for the development of the Indian economy,” he added.

IBM has also launched two initiatives - Works Premium and a cloud certification programme - to enable developers with tools and skills to compete and innovate in the global marketplace.

Indian Start-Ups Ecosystem Records 4x Growth to $4.9 Billion in 2015

As per a recent report from Nasscom & Zinnov indicates that the start-up ecosystem in India has experienced a 4X growth in PE’s and VC’s funding of $ 2.1 billion in 2014 to $4.7 billion in 2015. Likewise, overall funding is estimated to grow by 12%, from $2.2 billion in 2014 to $4.9 billion in 2015. The other highlights of the report covers the number of deals from 224 during the previous year to 458 deals in 2015 and also that the new start-ups are moving away from the traditional e-commerce to leveraging technology to solve India’s urban problems like power, infrastructure, healthcare and financial inclusion.

With a 40 percent growth since 2014, the start-up eco-system in India now has scaled up to No 3 position only behind USA and UK in 2015.  Report indicate that India has about 4,200 to 4,400 start-ups spread mostly across the NCR, Mumbai and Bangalore while USA, the leader has 4,750 to 4,800 start-ups followed by UK 4,500 to 5,000. India has overtaken Israel that recorded about 3,900 to 4,100 during the same period.

Nasscom along with Zinnov launched the second edition of the start-up report titled “Start-up India – Momentous Rise of the Indian Start-up Ecosystem” on the side-lines of Nasscom Product Conclave 2015 in Bengaluru on Tuesday. The report was launched by R Chandrashekhar, President, Nasscom, Ravi Gururaj, Chairman, Nasscom Product Council and Rajat Tandon, Vice President, Nasscom 10 K start-up program.

The report also highlights that the Indian technology start-ups landscape has seen a tremendous growth in the emergence of innovative start-ups and creative entrepreneurs. In terms of providing a conducive ecosystem for the start-ups to thrive, India has moved up to third position and has emerged the fastest growing base of start-ups worldwide. India is one amongst the first five largest startup communities in the world with the number of start-ups crossing 4,200, a growth of 40 per cent, by the end of 2015. India's position as a global startup hub that is becoming attractive for investors, startups, & corporate.

Sharing his views, R. Chandrashekhar said, “The maturing Indian start-up ecosystem is now contributing to the Indian economy in many ways. Apart from positively impacting the lifestyles of citizens involved, start-ups are now creating innovative technology solutions that are addressing the key social problems that India is facing and creating significant growth opportunities for every stakeholders. To enable the next stage of growth for these start-ups, Nasscom will work closely with the government to ensure ease of doing business, by simplifying procedures and create a conducive environment for these start-ups to grow.”

With 100 per cent growth in number of private equity, venture capitalists, angel investors along with a 125 per cent growth in funding over last year, Indian start-up ecosystem has risen to the next level. The total funding in the India based start-ups is estimated to be nearly $5 billion by 2015. Various central and state government start-up initiatives are further supporting this progressive phase of start-ups in India.

The report also highlights certain ways and means to make starting-up further easy in India. Nasscom has recommended ease the rules and regulation for registration of a business in India, funding, and simplifying compliance procedures by minimizing licenses/permits/approvals/tax for start-ups. Removal of angel tax, simplifying norms for capital raising, enabling easier exit for entrepreneurs and requisite changes in the credit guarantee for loans to start-ups are few recommendations that will further enhance a smoother functioning of the start-ups in India.

Stakeholders across the ecosystem must also come together to create market access by way of guidance in regulatory requirements for project participation and specialized training for start-ups working in innovative areas. Steps must be taken to create an even more conducive environment by facilitating incubation, IPR, and innovation norms and also encourage academia-industry tie-up and collaborate to develop the right kind of talent and capabilities that will propel the growth further. Another important aspect will be to encourage and recognize these start-ups for the innovation and rapid growth by sharing their success stories on a national-level and awarding at relevant Indian and global platforms to help India build a reputation of a startup-friendly nation.

Ravi Gururaj said “India is the youngest start-up nation in the world with 72% of the founders are less than 35 years old, and 50% rise in share of female entrepreneurs in 2015 over 2014. We are thankful to the Government for the policies and initiatives that are aimed towards improving the overall start-up ecosystem. Nasscom has been partnering with the Governments for Start-up warehouses to create a micro-ecosystem where start-ups and entrepreneurs can work together, share their learning and best practices with each other. This is fostering an entrepreneurial culture contributing to the increased knowledge, employment and societal wealth.”

Rapid growth of Indian startups has created significant growth opportunities for every stakeholder within the ecosystem. Further, start-ups are providing an exciting work culture along with attractive financial benefits to attract new and retain existing talent. This maturing start-up ecosystem is contributing to the Indian economy in multiple ways.  There is a need to regularly nurture the startup ecosystem through regulations, branding, collaboration, mentorship and funding to stay ahead of disruptive growth.

The report identifies the current scale and size of the startup landscape, factors that are impacting the growth of the overall ecosystem and steps that need to be taken to make the environment more conducive for start-ups. It analyzes the existing scenario and evolving trends across the various dimensions that define the Indian startup ecosystem, and measure.  

Volvo Group Provides Competitive Integrated Financial Solutions in India

Volvo Financial Services has announced the launch of its operations in India. The Volvo Financial Services offering strengthens the Volvo Group’s ability to provide a competitive and total one-stop shop solution of equipment, loans, leases, insurance, maintenance, and other aftermarket services, to customers and dealers of the Volvo Group and VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd. (“VECV”, a joint venture between the Volvo Group and Eicher Motors Limited) in India.

Volvo Financial Services in India offers a comprehensive selection of customisable loan, lease and insurance options for truck, construction equipment, and bus customers under three different Volvo Group brands – Volvo Financial Services, Eicher Financial Services and SDLG Financial Services.

Volvo Financial Services seeks to enable value for customers and dealers throughout the business lifecycle. Scott Rafkin, EVP and Global President, Volvo Financial Services, who officiated the launch today said, “Volvo Financial Services is a global enterprise, and being part of the Volvo Group, we have a strong understanding of the use of the products made by Volvo Group and VE Commercial Vehicles under the Eicher Trucks and Eicher Buses brands, and the industries in which our customers operate in. We are ready to support our customers and dealers through all business cycles. India has always been an important market for Volvo Financial Services and the Volvo Group, and this exciting development underlines Volvo Financial Services’ commitment to Volvo Group and VECV customers and dealers. Our value proposition and competitive advantage are customized financial solutions, expertise, and knowledge of both our customer’s business and the products we are financing.”

John Rakocy, President, Volvo Financial Services Region Asia-Pacific added, “After running a private label financing program with one of the leading finance companies in India during 2011 to 2014, we decided to launch full-fledged operations in India using our own balance sheet. Through the Volvo Group’s experience in India for over 17 years, Volvo Financial Services has developed a solid understanding of our Indian customers’ and dealers’ needs and expectations of financial solutions. India continues to be a key growth market in the APAC region, and we are here to demonstrate our long term commitment to India’s growth story by facilitating our customers’ and dealers’ business.”

Santosh Aiyer, Managing Director, Volvo Financial Services India said, “Whether our customers are large fleet operators or small business owners, they are at the core of everything that we do. We work hand-in-hand with our construction equipment, truck, and bus colleagues to understand their business model, propose customised and integrated solutions that meet their business needs, and deliver these solutions in a responsive and efficient manner. The launch of Volvo Financial Services in India further confirms Volvo Group’s commitment to India and while Volvo Group was already a strong part of the ‘Make in India’ story, we now also ‘Finance in India’.”

Customers who finance their Volvo or Eicher products with Volvo Financial Services or Eicher Financial Services can preserve their existing lines of credit with their banks for other business needs, while enjoying the benefits of an integrated solution from the Volvo Group and VE Commercial Vehicles. Kamal Bali, Managing Director, Volvo India said, “With Volvo Financial Services now in India, we are better equipped to creating even higher value for our customers and partners. We believe that this investment will further fuel and fructify Volvo Group’s vision of providing sustainable transport solutions, thereby catering to the needs and aspirations of a resurgent India. This is also in line with our constant endeavours over the last 17 years in India to invest in state-of-the-art technologies and solutions, many of which have brought about a paradigm shift in the industry”.

 Vinod Aggarwal, CEO, VE Commercial Vehicles commented, “As a major player in the Indian trucking industry, we are extremely excited by the possibilities that Volvo Financial Services opens up as a captive financial solutions provider for our customers and dealers, and we believe that our integrated solution will be a winning value proposition for our customers.”

Explaining the value of the integrated solution, Dimitrov Krishnan, Vice President and Head of Volvo Construction Equipment India said, “Volvo CE customers are looking for a competitive solution that takes care of their every need so that they can focus on their core businesses. By bundling all of our customers’ needs into one package that includes equipment, financing, insurance, maintenance, and other aftermarket services, our customers will enjoy peace of mind.”

V.R.V. Sriprasad, Managing Director, Volvo Buses India commented, “Volvo Bus customers have unique and exacting needs. With Volvo Financial Services as a captive financial solutions provider, we are able to tailor financing solutions to fit our customers’ needs.”