India Fourth Largest App Economy; B’lore Among World’s Top Digital Hubs, Says IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge at GMASA 2017

“Bengaluru is one of the world’s biggest digital hubs and the state of Karnataka is the destination for innovation and technology. An event like the Global Mobile Apps Summit and Awards (GMASA) being held in the city reaffirms this truth,” said Priyank Kharge, Karnataka Minister for IT-BT and Tourism.

In his inaugural address at opening of the two-day Global Mobile Apps Summit and Awards 2017 (GMASA2017), the fifth edition of the global event, at Hotel Sheraton Grand in the city on Thursday, he said the state government is taking concrete steps to strengthen the ecosystem for nurturing technology startups including mobile app companies.

He said the government has the startup policy to stimulate the spirit of entrepreneurship. The government has set up Rs 400-crore fund to accelerate 100 startups from each sector. “The only objective is to help startups succeed. We provide all support including idea validation, legal help, access to funds and mentorship. Karnataka is the only state to set up an exclusive fund to support companies that are into animation and gaming,” Kharge said.

“Over the next three years, the global app economy with be worth US$3.1 trillion and India is the fourth largest app economy. The country has overtaken the US in terms of the highest downloads of mobile apps from the Play Store. The Government of Karnataka is at the forefront of this revolution by adopting mobile technology to deliver services to the people.” the minister said, underling his government’s mobile-first policy.

Giving an example, he said the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) is building a comprehensive travel app to showcase all tourist destinations in the state. People can book guided tours simply by using the KSTDC app, and the service would be delivered at their doorstep.

Welcoming Priyank Kharge on to the stage, C R Venkatesh, Chairman, GMASA, thanked all the sponsors and partners for extending great support for the success of the grand event. He said this edition of GMASA is receiving 1,600 participants including mobile app developers, marketers, managers and executive from some of the best companies around the world. The event is being supported by 19 corporate partners and 12 sponsors.

With the keynote address, the two-day GMASA began on a grand note. The event comprises a number of panel discussions and keynote addresses from industry experts and professionals, besides an exhibition by app developers and companies. It will conclude on Friday evening with a musical event featuring artists Adrea Jeremiah and Vedanth Bharadwaj.

 The previous edition of GMASA 2017 was successfully held in January this year in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Online Automobile Market Player GirnarSoft Successfully Completes 10 Years In India

GirnarSoft, leaders in the online automobile market in India and parent company of leading portals CarDekho, Gaadi, and Zigwheels has successfully completed 10 years of operations. The company has grown to reach consolidated revenue of US$17.5 million in FY2017.

Beginning its journey in 2007, GirnarSoft is the brainchild of two IIT grads Amit and Anurag Jain, brothers who realized the need for an evolved user experience in the auto search space thus giving birth to India’s leading auto focused portal, CarDekho. Since then, CarDekho.com has been credited with revolutionizing the auto search space by providing end-to-end solutions. The company has not only created a niche positioning for itself as an industry expert but has also established itself as a complete ecosystem for consumers, car manufacturers, dealers and related businesses across the country.

Over the years, GirnarSoft, under Amit and Anurag’s guidance and with the support of a well experienced team has built itself as a brand synonymous with superior quality in automobile search and lead generation business in the country. The company successfully ventured into new businesses like BikeDekho, PriceDekho, TrucksDekho, TyreDekho, CollegeDekho, with investments from veterans like Mr. Ratan Tata, Google Capital and Sequoia Capital.  Post the acquisition of Gaadi.com and Zigwheels.com; from Naspers and Times Internet in the year 2014 and 2015 respectively, the company also acquired 6 more start-ups in 2016, making it the number one player in the segment.

Commenting on the milestone, Amit Jain, CEO and Co-Founder, Girnar Soft Pvt. Ltd. said, “Ever since its inception, we have strived to establish CarDekho as a one-stop-destination for everyone interested in purchasing a car. It is our pleasure to announce that within a decade of its operations, CarDekho has managed to not just become a trusted name amongst consumers but also an acknowledged industry expert. We are focused on providing superior customer experience and availing them comprehensive solutions for their needs. The growth of our brand is a testimony of our quality and hard work, and we are confident that in the years to come CarDekho will be able scale much greater heights.”

Today, CarDekho is one of the most sought after sites for latest news and views in the world of automobiles, receiving 40 million unique monthly visitors and 225 million monthly page-views.

CarDekho.com is a flagship portal of Girnar Software Pvt. Ltd. founded in March 2008. CarDekho.com is today India’s most popular and leading auto portal catering to the aspiring buyers, the proud owners, the auto enthusiasts and die-hard fans and dealers of cars across the country. The company acquired Gaadi.com, Zigwheels.com, Buying IQ and Drishya360s. The auto portals together draw close to 40 million visits per month. The company concluded its Series B funding in Jan 2015, picking up US$50 million from two Hong Kong-based investors Hillhouse and Tybourne besides existing investor Sequoia. Google Capital invested in the company in March 2016. It also bagged funding from Mr. Ratan Tata and one of the largest banks HDFC. GirnarSoft is now valued at US$400 million. The group’s vision is to be a multi-billion dollar company by 2021 with global footprint.

Pitney Bowes Is In Top 10 on Best Companies to Work For List in India

Pitney Bowes, a global technology company that provides innovative products and solutions to power commerce, has once again been honored as one of India’s Best Companies to Work For 2017 by The Economic Times. This is the seventh time in the past ten years Pitney Bowes has been recognized by the Best Companies to Work For Survey, India’s largest and most comprehensive survey of workplace culture. In India, the global technology company has offices in Noida, Pune, Gurgaon and Bangalore.

“Our culture of innovation is based on our values which are simply that we do the right thing, the right way,” said Johnna Torsone, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Pitney Bowes. “We are honored to be named by the Economic Times to this prestigious list. We know that our ability to attract and retain talent in India’s competitive technology environment is a credit to our winning culture.”

Manish Choudhary, Senior Vice President, Global Innovation and Managing Director of India Operations, Pitney Bowes Inc. said, “This honor by the Great Place to Work List for a seventh year marks yet another milestone of our digital transformation. Our people are our greatest asset and it is rewarding to see our culture recognized once again in this prestigious survey. ” 

RERA, Demonetisation Gloom and Unsold Stock Cripple Launches in Bengaluru: Knight Frank India

Knight Frank India has launched the seventh edition of its flagship half yearly report - India Real Estate. It presents a comprehensive analysis of the residential and office market performance of Bengaluru for the period January – June 2017 (H1 2017).

Residential Takeaways:

·         Bengaluru residential market continued to be restrained in H1 2017 and witnessed a marginal increase of 5% in new launches and 4% in sales over the figures in H2 2016

·         Despite the slight improvement, the  number of new launches  in H1 2017 lagged behind H1 2016 by 42%and sales lagged by 19% during the same period

·         Factors such as RERA, demonetisation hangover and considerable unsold stock played a major role in constricting the market

·         A significant chunk of new launches in H1 2017 lies in the INR 25-50 lakh range, a welcome development given the government’s focus on the affordable housing sector

·         South Bengaluru continues to lead in both new launches and sales, courtesy its healthy congregation of large IT hubs, and is preferred by both the local populace and expatriate population.

Office Takeaways:

·         Bengaluru records 5.8 mnsqft of office space transactions in H1 2017, depicting moderate activity,as compared to previous years. New completions at 3.7 mnsqfttake a hit.

·         Tepid growth in the IT/ITes sector, stiff competition from other cities and a dearth of ready office spaces are some of the major factors leading to the dip in transactions

·         While IT/ITeSsector continued to drive Bengaluru office market in H1 2017, a prominent development observed during this period is the quantum of office space taken up by co-working space operators

·         Vacancy rates, which had been declining steadily over the years owing to consistent transactions and restrained new completions, continued on its downward movement and are presently at 4%

·         The ORR office market, which has been struggling in the past few quarters on account of dearth of ready to occupy space, saw its share increase in H1 2017 owing to a slew of big ticket transactions

Speaking about the findings,Shantanu Mazumder, Director – Bengaluru said,“Until recently recognized as one of the most resilient residential markets in the country, today the market is reeling under pressure. However, things have started looking up slightly in 2017 and although the figures are still restrained, marginal improvements were observed in the number of new launches and sales at 5% and 4% respectively in H1 2017 on a YoY basis. A significant chunk of new launches in H1 2017 lies in the INR 25-50 lakh range, a welcome development given the government’s focus on the affordable housing sector. Moreover, the inclusion of Bengaluru in the Smart City list is expected to have a far reaching impact on the residential market in the forthcoming years, as that would lead to improved infrastructure in the city. This would, in turn, add to the overall attractiveness and brand image of Bengaluru as a residential market.

On the office market front, 5.8 mnsqft of transactions depict a slight dip, signalling moderate activity compared to previous years. This decline could mainly be attributed to dearth of ready office spaces that forestalled potential occupiers looking to expand. Another factor is the tepid growth the IT/ITeS sector - the key demand driver of the office market in Bengaluru. Having matured over the years the sector stands on a bigger base today thereby limiting the scope for remarkable expansion that was witnessed earlier. On the new completions front, the city witnessed the infusion of 3.7 mnsqft of office space in H1 2017, whichis slightly better than the quantum of new completions in H2 2016. However, this figure is considerably less in proportion to the demand observed in the recent periods. While the IT/ITeS share is gradually reducing due to the advent of newer service sectors, take up of space by co-working companies is a trend to watch out for.”

Cyient and KII Corp Partner for Smart City Deployments Across India

Cyient, a global provider of engineering, manufacturing, geospatial, network and operations management solutions, announced that it has signed a non-exclusive business alliance agreement with Kii Corporation, a leading Internet of Things (IoT) solutions enablement platform provider, to explore, bid and address business opportunities around smart city deployments.

Through this agreement, Cyient and Kii have decided to jointly pursue business opportunities globally, by leveraging their complementing skills and strengths. The partnership will combine Cyient’s domain expertise and geospatial capabilities with Kii’sIoT platform to develop connected solutions through smart devices and applications. Under the terms of the agreement, Cyient will also provide Kii with project delivery and implementation services.

Expressing confidence in the partnership, Sanjay Sahay, Vice President, Cyient said,“I am delighted that we have partnered with Kii Corporation.  Kii’s IoT platform will enable Cyient to create innovative solutions and better address smart city requirements for our clients. I look forward to a long and mutually rewarding association with Kii.”

Paul Barron, Associate Vice President - Partners & Alliances of Cyient said,“Together, Kii and Cyient will provide a unique offering to optimize smart city asset management systems. I am excited at the opportunities this brings to our customers.”

On signing the agreement, Masanari Arai, CEO, Kii Corporation, said, “The combination of our IoT solutions enablement platform and solution accelerators with Cyient's mature engineering design and delivery process presents new opportunities for both companies globally, within smart cities and other IoT segments, such as manufacturing, utilities, healthcare, transportation, and beyond.”

Cyient provides engineering, manufacturing, geospatial, network and operations management services to global industry leaders. Cyient leverages the power of digital technology and advanced analytics capabilities, along with domain knowledge and technical expertise, to solve complex business problems. As a Design, Build and Maintain partner, Cyient takes solution ownership across the value chain to help clients focus on their core, innovate, and stay ahead of the curve.

Relationships form the core of how Cyient works. With nearly 14,000 employees in 21 countries, Cyient partners with clients to operate as part of their extended team, in ways that best suit their organization’s culture and requirements. Cyient’s industry focus includes aerospace and defense, medical, telecommunications, rail transportation, semiconductor, utilities, industrial, energy and natural resources.

Jetking Set to Launch Networking Course in Collaboration with Microsoft

Realizing the growing need of skilled employees in IT Industry and as a part of Prime Minister’s Skill India Vision, India’s leading hardware and networking institute Jetking takes digital education a notch higher with launch of its digital courses in association with Microsoft.

This certification course will validate candidates to boast the essential skills for running a highly efficient and modern data centre, Designed to reduce the gaps in digital domain, this master course will include 360 degree training on Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert Server Infrastructure credential by Microsoft certified faculties across Jetking’s training centres.

With 91% of hiring managers considering the certification as part of their hiring criteria, this offering is a blended learning experience for the students to cater to different industry requirements of the technology honchos. This Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) certification will not only equip students with the required digital skillset but also enable them to become the technology architects of tomorrow.

Elaborating on strategic collaboration with Microsoft, Avinash Bharwani, Vice President – New Business, Jetking says, “We believe in providing comprehensive training to our students and have a larger goal of helping them to achieve their career goals. It is always better to learn the content created by creator of the technology and hence it is important that a student learns using the official curriculum which is internationally recognized. Through this partnership we look forward to make a talent pool of students with competencies that the field desires from today’s professionals”

Active.AI Joins Infosys Finacle’s Growing FinTech Ecosystem Globally

Infosys Finacle, part of EdgeVerve Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Infosys has announced a partnership with Active.AI, a Singapore based FinTech that offers an Enterprise AI platform for banks globally. The Active AI platform, integrated with Finacle, will help financial institutions offer conversational banking services through chat and voice based interfaces across their digital channels. Banks can leverage the joint solution to harness artificial intelligence to automate and enhance customer experience.

Active.AI is one of the companies that was recognized in the recently concluded chapter of Finacle FinTech Connect, an initiative that builds on ongoing alliances and the Infosys Innovation Fund program to identify promising new FinTechs.

Highlights

·         The Active.AI platform, integrated with Finacle, will be delivered with pre-integrated banking services and pre-trained data models for banking services

·         With this joint solution, end customers will be able to interact with software bots in natural language through voice and chat interface to access account information, pay bills, make transfers and access several other banking services

·         The joint solution will use artificial intelligence to better understand customer interactions across channels. It will also be able to personalize conversations to make tailored offers to customers

·          The solution will be available in multiple languages and will be offered through Finacle digital channels solutions such as Finacle Online Banking and Finacle Mobile Banking

Sanat Rao, Chief Business Officer, Infosys Finacle says, “Elevating customer experience and reducing servicing costs are two of the strategic goals banks across the world are pursuing. The advancement in artificial intelligence technologies offer a significant opportunity to achieve these twin goals. Active.AI conversational banking offering focused on financial services will complement our suite of digital banking offerings and will help our clients make banking simpler for their customers.” 

Parikshit Paspulati, Chief Technology Officer, Active.AI says, “We are building the next generation of secure and scalable technology for financial services with an AI first approach. Our enterprise AI platform will enable banks to be ready for the conversational era. Partnering with Finacle helps us greatly increase delivery velocity for our mutual clients. Axis Bank is one of the first banks, where we have integrated our AI platform with Finacle ecosystem.”