Best Tech Startup Award at TiE-ISB Connect 2016 for Sugar Maths

Sugar Maths, a Hyderabad based Startup, announced that it has been adjudged as the Best Technology Startup at the TiE-ISB Connect 2016 held in Hyderabad.  ‘Sugar Maths’ with its innovative approach of using gamification to make Maths appealing, is an Advanced Mental Maths Program for students of classes 1 to 10. It covers complete maths topics across CBSE, ICSE, State Boards and international curricula like IB/IGCSE. ‘Sugar Maths’ is a platform designed on proprietary Variable Keystone Active Space Technique (vKast). The "Sugar Maths" Mental Maths Program is based on the latest research in Neuroscience of learning and Psychology of motivation.

Commenting on receiving the award Neeraj Jewalkar, Founder of Sugar Maths said, “We are delighted to receive this coveted award for best use of technology for Sugar Maths. We have developed a proprietary methodology called Variable Keystone Active Space Technique (vKast) to improve learning. vKast is the synthesis of the latest developments in how various regions of the brain function to help learning and memorization. This technique not only leverages the concepts of Crystallized and Fluid Intelligence but also incorporates deep insights based on the psychology of motivation. Sugar Maths aims to make students take more interest in Maths, develop mastery and have an overall positive approach to this very important subject not only in academic life but also for personal growth.”

Multi-sensory learning techniques have been incorporated for strong and lasting memory engrams. This ensures that the learning is retained for years without loss. Mnemonic techniques for instant memorization have been used as part of Maths Tricks. This aids quick internalization and recall of important mathematical concepts that provide a strong foundation for advanced Maths skills. All these exceptional features have been woven together in an extremely fun, engaging and addictive game format that has students addicted to this enriching App. Students are expected to stick to this 10 minute daily routine for the very best results.

Neeraj Jewalkar is the creator of vKast Methodology that powers ‘Sugar Maths’. He holds a degree in Aerospace Engineering from IIT Kharagpur. He has spent 7 years studying and analyzing the latest research in Neuroscience of learning and Psychology of Motivation. vKast has been developed based on the applications of this research on learning outcomes especially for school going children of classes 1 to 10.  

New Ethihad Airways Android Mobile App For Smartphones

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, has extended its digital reach with the introduction of a new mobile application for Android smartphones, enabling guests to manage their journeys with even greater ease.

The new mobile app is simple and enjoyable to use, providing comprehensive trip management and giving guests the information they need in a way that suits them. Guests can now organise their journeys directly on the app, which includes booking flights, checking in for flights, securing a mobile boarding pass, checking flight status, or viewing their Etihad Guest miles balance. Additional key features include a simple flight search function, a credit card scanner for payments, a passport scan facility to check in, and improved flight seat maps.

Justin Warby, Vice President of Direct Sales for Etihad Airways, said: “This is a step forward in our innovation strategy to enable a convenient, more personalised digital travel experience.  Our guests are central to how we develop these services, and their feedback has been important in the creation of this latest app. Technological innovation will be vital in the development of our industry, and as a leading airline, we want to be able to provide services that make travel simple for everyone.”

The airline recently launched an iOS application for iPhones, and partnered with Abu Dhabi Airports to enable guests to navigate their way around Abu Dhabi International Airport using indoor maps. This was a first for the Middle East and there have been over 350,000 downloads from the App Store since it launched in April of this year. The app has also delivered over 25,000 bookings and 130,000 check ins.

Khawla Ali Albadi, Head of Technology and Innovation at Etihad Airways, said: “Following on from the success of the iOS app earlier in the year, we’ve been keen to ensure we’re offering a full range of services to smartphone users. As part of the ongoing investment in the fleet and the work being delivered throughout the travel group, we will continue to develop additional digital products for the benefit of our guests.”

The mobile app is one of many innovative solutions being developed across Etihad Airways as part of its Digital Guest Innovation strategy. The technology strategy is ensuring that Etihad Airways and its equity partner airlines embed world-class technologies to deliver a range of services and products that enhance the guest experience.

The new Etihad Airways app is available now to download via the Google Play Store. Etihad Airways guests will enjoy 10 per cent off flights by using promo code ‘ANDROID10’ and earn 250 miles, for every booking made through the mobile app before November 30, 2016. For full terms and conditions please visit etihad.com\mobileapp.

Call for Indo-Swiss Collaborative Research on Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation in the Himalayas

Under the Framework Agreement on Scientific and Technical Cooperation between the Government of India and the Government of Switzerland, the Department of Science and Technology (DST), in partnership with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is seeking joint proposals from universities and research institutions in India and Switzerland to conduct collaborative research in the field of glaciology and related areas in the Indian Himalayan Region.

The Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) suffers from a knowledge gap as a result of scarce data, limited research and monitoring networks and poor documentation. IHR can benefit and contribute to global knowledge and understanding for a comprehensive scientific consensus on climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation in the world’s mountain regions. The goal of this Indo-Swiss collaborative research is to enhance institutional and human capacities on climate science for adaptation to climate change in IHR and addressing major knowledge gaps in the region.

"The Himalayan ecosystem is extremely rich and diverse yet fragile. It is highly vulnerable and susceptible to the impacts and consequences of climate change on account of both natural causes and anthropogenic emissions at global and local scales. Developing scientific understanding of such changes and their impacts on Himalayan ecosystem is one of the major challenges for the Indian scientific community. The Indo-Swiss collaborative research is envisaged to focus on building human and institutional S&T capacities in the Indian Himalayan region through institutional collaboration and scientists to scientists linkages between the two countries." Akhilesh Gupta, Adviser/Scientist-G and Head SPLICE and Climate Change Programme, Department of Science and Technology.

DST is implementing the National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) as part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). The Indian Himalayas Climate Adaptation Programme (IHCAP) is a project under the Global Programme Climate Change (GPCC) of SDC. IHCAP has been developed to support and facilitate implementation of NMSHE as a technical and knowledge partner.

“The overall goal of IHCAP is that the resilience of vulnerable mountain communities in the Himalayas is strengthened and knowledge and capacities of research institutions, communities and decision-makers are connected and enhanced. IHCAP in Phase 2 is proposed as an initiative to increase knowledge about climate change impacts and response in IHR through scientific research, capacity building and knowledge exchange and dissemination.” Janine Kuriger, Director of Cooperation, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

The ongoing changes in the climate are directly impacting glaciers and snow cover in the Himalayas, and in turn, the hydrology of the region. Glaciers provide some of the clearest evidence of climate change and constitute key variables for early-detection strategies in global climate-related observations.

The Indo-Swiss collaborative research encourages assessments in areas of glaciology, hydrology and meteorology, their interlinkages, current and future impacts of climate change and adaptation strategies. Special emphasis is on design of approaches to enhance the resilience of ecosystem and communities’ livelihoods to changing climate through appropriate adaptation measures.

For greater uptake of results, the collaborative research is expected to involve a wide range of relevant stakeholders including government, civil society organizations and communities during the course of research.

Startups Make Impact on Retail Banking: Efma Finacle Report

Retail banking globally is undergoing a thorough shake-up with innovative technologies, from startup to digitisation, finds the eighth annual study 'Innovation in retail banking' released on Wednesday by Efma and Infosys Finacle.

According to the report, almost 73% of banks consider working with innovative startups as the best approach to access disruptive technologies. "Banks have largely embraced digitisation, and are aggressively adopting new technologies in order to innovate," states the report.

It also finds that the proportion of banks with an innovation strategy has increased from 37% in 2009 to 74% in 2016. "In addition, banks are now more likely to collaborate with startups in order to stay competitive, with nearly three quarters seeing them as the best way to leverage new technologies," the report states.

Infosys Finacle, part of Infosys product subsidiary EdgeVerve Systems and Efma, a global not-for-profit organisation, launched the annual study by collating data from 158 banks in 56 countries.

The study points out that the most disruptive new technology for banks is advanced analytics and big data, with 79% of them claiming that it is having a significant impact now, or will have within in the next two years.

After Four Years Rishi Jaitly Quits With a Tweet as Head of Twitter India

Twitter India head Rishi Jaitly has quit the company after spending four years at the popular microblogging website.

He made the announcement on Twitter itself by writing: “Today, after 4 years of user/business momentum in India and the region, I’m sharing my intention to move on to new opportunities, same mission.”

Jaitly, who played a key role in expanding the company’s operations in India, further said leading Twitter India and expanding @TwitterMedia across Asia Pacific and Middle East was “leadership experience of a lifetime”. 

While he did not disclose his next destination, he said “a personal/civic calling takes me to Chicago, I’ll spend significant time in India/Asia, drawing on my past to further tech’s promise”.

The former Google executive added that he intends to devote himself to “building bridges in service of my mission”.

Jaitly has also been associated with Knight Foundation and College Summit and was co-founder and CEO of Michigan Corps.

When contacted, a Twitter India spokesperson said, “We thank Rishi Jaitly for his contributions, entrepreneurship and leadership over the past four years at Twitter. He was our first person on the ground to bring Twitter into the high-growth Indian market”.

“There will be a smooth transition as his last day is in late November after which he will move back to the US,” the spokesperson added.

Vijaya Bank Records Impressive NPA of Rs 692 Crore in Q2 FY2016-17

Vijaya Bank on Thursday reported 34.05% rise in its net profit for the September quarter due to higher net interest income and other income. Net profit for the quarter stood at Rs154.55 crore as compared Rs115.29 crore a year ago.

Net interest income (NII), or the core income a bank earns by giving loans, rose 19.5% to Rs827.82 crore in the September quarter from Rs692.55 crore last year. Other income increased 100.23% to Rs388.31 crore from Rs193.93 crore in the same period last year.

Gross non-performing assets (NPAs) at Vijaya Bank fell 1.5% to Rs6,490.52 crore at the end of the September quarter from Rs6,589.23 crore in the June quarter. On a year-on-year basis, gross NPAs jumped 87.6% from Rs3,459.90 crore. As a percentage of total loans, gross NPAs were 7.07% at the end of the September quarter as compared to 7.31% in the previous quarter and 3.98% in the year-ago quarter.

Provisions and contingencies rose 45.55% to Rs389.82 crore in the quarter from Rs267.82 crore a quarter ago. On a year-on-year basis, provisions jumped 42.5% from Rs273.47 crore. Net NPAs were at 5.1% in the September quarter compared to 5.42% in the previous quarter and 2.84% in the same quarter last year.

At 12.30pm, Vijaya Bank was trading at Rs 46.6 on the BSE, up 15% from its previous close, while India’s benchmark Sensex index fell 0.24% to 27,769.85 points.

Candor Mgt Services & Bangalore Metro Sign Agreement to Launch New Business Incubation Service

Candor Management Services, a leading provider of human capital transformation services with over 1200 employees on its rolls, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement with Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation to setup a new business incubation centre at the “Namma Metro” Trinity Station, Bangalore augmenting the Karnataka government's efforts to position Bengaluru as one of the top startup ecosystems in the world.

Appropriately branded “candorHUB”, the state-of-the-art incubation ecosystem, will nurture startups in bringing their innovations to market efficiently; providing them with an array of startup advisory, business support, co-working space, structured training programs in addition to extending much needed linkages with industry sponsors, mentors, investors, and accelerators.

“We will extend full support to Candor in setting up their new business incubation centre at Trinity metro station, “said U A Vasanth Rao General Manager Finance (Taxation and Resources), and Chief Public Relation Officer Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited, “Beyond providing the physical space for this initiative they have an excellent opportunity to connect with other startup eco-system stakeholders within the government and its various startup initiatives, “he added.

As a vibrant new business incubation ecosystem, candorHUB will:

•        Invite startup entrepreneurs to apply for incubation program.

•        Shortlist promising startups and incubate them on a case to case basis

•        Identify, connect and engage a suitable mentor to nurture each startup

•        Offer a state-of-art work environment and other support services, at the candorHUB centre, for startups to bring their ideas to life

•        Conduct special events, during the program period, to update startup founders with a variety of skills necessary to run their outfits. During such events, startups will also get to meet a variety of successful startup founders, sponsor customers, investors, and benefit from their valuable advice

•        Host a pitch day event where each startup will present their offerings to an invite only seed-stage investors, sponsor customers and mentors.

“By spurring creativity and mitigating avoidable risks in early stage startups business lifecycle, the startup incubation ecosystem will increase rate of success and time taken to gain customer traction for new innovations, “said Thirumurugan Subramanian, Managing Director Candor Management Services and Principal, candorHUB.

“candorHUB’s single point agenda is to transform societal value to make a significant impact in our society, “said S. Srikrishna, Director-Finance Candor Management Services and Lead Principal, candorHUB,” We are industry agnostic and will not reject any startup application for reasons that it doesn’t fit a pre-conceived vertical. Having said this, initially candorHUB will foster technology centered digitization initiatives across key sectors like healthcare, education, financial verticals,” he added.