Accenture Innovation Challenge Launches to InspireYoung Innovators to Create Disruptive Business and Tech for Good Solutions

Accenture has launched the Accenture Innovation Challenge to inspire and catalyze technology innovation among college students across India. The Challenge invites full-time graduate, under-graduate and post-graduate students to imagine and develop innovative ideas that can create value for people and businesses and to discover their own innovation potential.

The Accenture Innovation Challenge encourages students to adopt new and emerging areas in technology and its applications such as blockchain, security, artificial intelligence, internet of things, and others. The contest will award seven winning teams including the Grand Prize winner and two category winners. All winners will receive prizes worth up to Rs.1,00,000 per member of the winning team, as well as certificates, trophies and a fast-track recruitment opportunity with Accenture. The winners will be judged by a jury panel from the business, technology and start-up fields. The shortlisted entries will be invited to present in a Grand Finale round to be held in Bengaluru towards the end of 2017.

Speedo India Joins Hands With Nisha Millet Swimming Academy

Speedo, the world’s leading swimwear brand, today announced its association with one of India’s leading swim academies; Nisha Millet Swimming Academy (NMSA).

With an aim to nurture the swimming ecosystem in India, this unique partnership will provide abundant opportunities to help grow and develop young talent. Speedo India and Nisha Millet Swimming Academy will both collaborate closely to grow the popularity of the sport and to help produce world class swimming champions.

Speedo and NMSA further introduced the Speedo-NMSA scholarship where they will together support a select group of talented swimmers with Exclusive Racing Kits. The Racing Kits will include the Fastskin LZR RACER suits (which usually retail at Rs. 25,000 to 30,000) and undoubtedly the fastest and most technologically advanced swimsuit ever created in the world, only available from Speedo.

Speedo will also fully equip all the coaches of NMSA and the competitive swim team known as the NMSA Marlins.

Talking about the association, Shamir Genomal, Chief Strategy Officer at Speedo India, commented, “We are delighted to announce our partnership with the Nisha Millet Swimming Academy. We together see immense potential in growing the sport and the swim category in India. With this association, we are confident of growing and developing top talent which can represent India in the upcoming International Competitions”

Unlike most academies, NMSA train their swimmers starting from age 1 until the competitive level. They offer classes to toddlers, beginners, intermediate and competitive swimming. Additionally, they even have classes for Masters, Triathlon and Aqua Pilates. NMSA wishes to encourage water as a form of fitness.

Nisha Millet said, “Speedo in all ways embodies the spirit of swimming, the passion and drive to achieve larger goals. These brand values are in sync with what our academy would like to promote. We look forward to the continued growth of the swimming movement in India."

The partnership will prove to be a huge step forward for the sport of swimming, which needs some much deserved attention.

The Speedo stores are available in Mumbai, Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata & Goa in India.

Greaves Cotton, Altigreen Propulsion Labs Enter into Strategic Partnership to Deliver Clean Energy Powertrain Solutions

Greaves Cotton has announced a strategic partnership with US & Bengaluru based start-up – Altigreen Propulsion Labs.  The partnership aims to provide a range of clean energy powertrain solutions for the 3-wheeler and micro 4-wheeler commercial vehicles. This alliance will be kick-started with the launch of a unique offering of Altigreen’s HyPixi – a low cost partial electrification solution for retro-fitment on current fossil-fuel based vehicles. The solution will help deliver significantly improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions, hence providing un-matched total cost of ownership to the last mile transportation segment. 

Greaves Cotton Limited’s Automotive Engines Division has been successfully providing powertrain solutions to customers in the last mile transportation segment in India. They have built strong credibility in this segment with their fuel-efficient engines and class leading cost of ownership. These reliable engines have been sold through a strong base of 35+ OEM customers across India in the 3-wheeler & micro 4-wheeler space, exceeding 5 million Greaves-powered vehicles on the roads today.This huge park of passenger & cargo vehicles can be offered this partial electrification solution through Greaves’ vast 3500+ aftermarket network in India.

Talking about the partnership Nagesh Basavanhalli, MD and CEO, Greaves Cotton Limited, – “We are excited to sign this strategic partnership with Altigreen Propulsions Labs. This partnership allows us to address the core issue of reduction in carbon load in the atmosphere, along with providing a cost effective greener solution to our customers. Greaves is committed to providing fuel-agnostic solutions and this strategic partnership is a manifestation in the same direction.”

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Amitabh Saran, CEO, Altigreen Propulsion Labs, said “Altigreen is proud to partner with Greaves Cotton Limited, a company with a long track record of providing reliable powertrains for small vehicles. Our advanced 48-volt electric-assist technology generates a positive triple bottom-line impact – on people, planet and profits – throughout the value chain. This partnership leverages Greaves’ unmatched aftermarket network enabling more people to benefit sooner from the use of Altigreen’s products and technology.”

The retro fitment solution gives up to 25% improvement in mileage, dramatic reduction in harmful tailpipe emissions, especially in densely populated cities and reduces wear-and-tear so there is less engine maintenance. The electric-assist system meets government notified standards and has been thoroughly tested and certified under Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR) & is ready for fitment in India. The ARAI approved electric-assist HyPixi system, which is protected by US and global patents, gives Greaves an opportunity to expand the use of electric propulsion technology on existing and future vehicle population. Through this move, Greaves, a fuel agnostic powertrain solutions provider, re-affirms its commitment to remain a consumer centric solutions provider in the last mile transportation space with focus, investment on technology and continued interest in the clean energy space.

Cardiovascular Disease Witness a 40% Spike Among Millennials: SBI General Insurance

Marking World Heart Day, claims data by SBI General Insurance, one of the fastest growing general insurance companies in India, shows that claims related to Cardiovascular Diseases in the age group of 35 & below have risen alarmingly - a 40% increment in FY16-17 as compared to FY15-16.

In the 35-45 age group, the data reflects a 32% increase in claims for the commensurate period. Interestingly, according to the data, claims in the age group of 55-60 years and 65 years & above have declined by 13% and 25% respectively in FY16-17 as compared to FY15-16. Thus demonstrating the fact that cardiovascular ailments are no longer restricted to individuals within older age groups.

Appended are a few interesting trends that emerged: 

§  Claims by males went up by 12% in FY16-17 as compared to FY15-16, while those by females witnessed a slight reduction of 5% during the same time period

§  Various studies have shown that while males are more prone to heart diseases, females are likely to develop heart diseases at a later age as female hormones provide protection until menopause

§  Increased stress, sedentary lifestyles and long working hours have increased the risk of heart diseases amongst individuals today

§  Overall, cardiovascular diseases ranked second after those of the digestive system in terms of percentage of total amount paid for non-communicable diseases for both FY15-16 and FY16-17

§  Karnataka is a state known for awareness when it comes to heart and related ailments as many specialist hospitals have come up in the region. Yet it has seen almost double an increase in number of claims made in FY16-17 from FY15-16.

Sukhesh Bhave, Deputy Vice President - Accident & Health Claims, SBI General Insurance said, “At SBI General Insurance, we are aligned to the cause of spreading awareness about the increasing incidence of cardiovascular diseases in India and are committed to promoting a healthy and balanced lifestyle across ages. Within our data, majority of the claims settled under cardiovascular diseases are for Ischemic Heart Disease, Angioplasty, Myocardial Infarction, Rheumatic Heart diseases and CABG surgeries.”

He added, “Our data points to the increased incidence of cardiovascular diseases amongst millennials given increased stress, long working hours and sedentary lifestyles. Exercise and a healthy diet are crucial in order to keep such ailments at bay.”

World Heart Day, celebrated on September 29 every year, is the world's biggest platform for raising awareness about cardiovascular diseases. It aims to drive action to educate people on how heart diseases and strokes can be avoided. Each year, the celebration has a different theme, reflecting key issues and topics relating to heart health. In 2017, the focus is on creating heart-healthy environments.

Indo-French Economic Alliance to Strengthen with International Delegation’s Visit to India, Led by MEDEF

The Mouvement des Entreprises de France (MEDEF), or the "Movement of the Enterprises of France" has announced today their intention to strengthen trade ties between France and India, on their official visit to Bangalore, India. Led by Pierre Gattaz, President, MEDEF, the 60-member delegation comprising of SMEs and some of the leading corporations of France visited NUMA Bengaluru, a French startup accelerator, to discuss investment opportunities between the two countries. MEDEF is the largest employer federation of France representing over 800,000 member companies advocating for the interest of large, medium and small enterprises at the local, regional, national and EU levels. 

Historically, India and France have been trade allies with strong ties in defence, space, nuclear energy and smart cities. The delegation visited India on a three-city tour of New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore to meet various central and state ministries, industry bodies - FICCI, CII, large companies such as Michelin, CapGemini, Larsen & Toubro and leaders in innovation including Team Indus, amongst others. The aim of the delegation is to initiate talks between both countries to fillip both economies, with special interest in the government’s “Make in India” initiative. 

The delegation’s visit marks the pre-cursor to French President Emmanuel Macron’s official state visit to India later this year. 

Commenting on his visit, Pierre Gattaz, President, MEDEF said, “France and India have held strong trade ties under our respective state leaders for more than two decades. During this visit, we have held many discussions with the private sector and with our Indian counterparts in the government and industry to source viable opportunities for both our nations to participate in each other’s progress. India’s ingenuity and technology prowess is a cornerstone of its economy. With decades of bilateral cooperation, we have built a strong foundation of mutual trust and commitment towards each other’s development.”

“We have gathered immense data and researched untapped sectors, which we intend to recommend to our ministry and industry that will create an even more robust ecosystem than before. We thank NUMA Bengaluru for hosting us in this great city and providing their resources to facilitate a meaningful engagement. We are confident that President Macron’s visit later this year, will cement the partnership and improve the bilateral and trade ties of our great democracies,” he added.

MEDEF held this press briefing at NUMA Bengaluru- the leading European hub for innovation and entrepreneurship, world renowned for startup acceleration and innovation hubs, having made its presence felt in eight cities (Paris, Moscow, Casablanca, Bengaluru, Barcelona, Mexico, Berlin and New York).  Currently in its third year of operations in India and with more than 17 years of entrepreneurship and innovation experience globally, NUMA operates mainly on 3 different verticals; Startup Acceleration, Corporate Innovation, and Community & Events.

AGS Transact Technologies Recognized as ‘India’s Most Trusted Payment Solutions Company for 2017

AGS Transact Technologies Limited (AGSTTL), one of India’s leading end-to-end payment solutions provider today announced that the company has been recognised as ‘India's Most Trusted Payment Solutions Company’ at INDIA'S MOST TRUSTED COMPANY AWARDS, 2017. AGSTTL was recognised for its exceptional contribution to the payments industry in India while other prominent names like Tata Coffee, Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services, Acer India, Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals, Db Corp, etc. were recognised within their respective categories.

Gracing the occasion as Chief guests were Vijay Shivtare (Minister of State for Water Resources & Parliamentary Affairs - Maharashtra Government), Hemant Kaushik (CEO) IBC INFOMEDIA and Satinder Pal Singh Ahuja (Honorary Consul of Georgia in Mumbai),who felicitated the winners at a gala ceremony held in Mumbai in presence of leading dignitaries.

With an established corporate legacy spanning over a decade, AGSTTL has strived to build an alternate transaction ecosystem in India with a robust portfolio of payment solutions seamlessly unifying all forms of money on a single brand platform. The company was selected through a rigorous selection process by competing against 500 companies and each of these companies were selected based on expert analysis and attributes based qualitative research. IBC InfoMedia had conducted a comprehensive research in collaboration with Media Research Group to identify the list of select companies.

Commenting on this recognition, Ravi B. Goyal, Chairman and Managing Director, AGS Transact Technologies Limited said, “We are honoured to be recognised as one of India’s most trusted companies in the payments space. Since our inception, we have envisioned to simplify transactions and introduce seamless payment technologies at various touchpoints for our customers across sectors.  I would like to thank everyone who is a part of the AGSTTL family for their role in building innovative solutions for our esteemed clientele to provide the end-consumers with a seamless payments experience.”

INDIA'S MOST TRUSTED COMPANIES AWARDS recognises companies as, “MOST TRUSTED” in its industry category based on their current year market standing, innovation, workplace culture, leadership, business ethics, governance, corporate social responsibility, reputation & other such factors of the company.

Established in 2002, AGS Transact Technologies Limited (AGSTTL) is one of India’s leading end-to-end payment solutions provider with a wide spectrum of highly customised products instated with state-of-the-art technology for the Banking, Retail, Petroleum and Transit sectors. AGSTTL operates across 700 cities and towns reaching out to over 160,000 customer touch points across India and boasts of an impressive footprint in South East Asia.

Pioneering the change in financial technology space, our three major lines include Banking Automation Solutions, Banking Payment Solutions, Automation Solutions for the Retail, Petroleum and Colour sectors.

Our subsidiaries include Securevalue India Ltd. (SVIL) focused on cash management and vault services, India Transact Services Ltd. (ITSL) offering Omni-channel merchant digital payment solutions and Novus Technologies that offers banking automation and payment solutions in Singapore, Cambodia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. With close to 8400 employees, round the clock customer service centers and two manufacturing & warehousing units located in Daman and Puducherry, AGSTTL is committed to provide clear, credible and contemporary solutions to steer how India transacts.

Schneider Electric Powers the Digital Economy at Innovation Summit Hong Kong

Schneider Electric, the leader in digital transformation of energy management and automation, is holding its marquee Innovation Summit, September 25-26, Hong Kong. At the Summit, Schneider experts and world-leading industry thinkers will collaborate on ways to turn bold ideas into solutions on Powering the Digital Economy.

Innovation Summit Hong Kong will feature the EcoStruxure World Premiere, unveiling the latest innovations in EcoStruxure, Schneider’s IoT-enabled, plug-and-play, open architecture, which delivers end-to-end solutions in six domains of expertise – Power, IT, Building, Machine, Plant and Grid ­– for four end markets, Building, Data Center, Industry and Infrastructure. EcoStruxure World Premiere includes an exclusive first look at the launch of three new solutions:

· EcoStruxure IT, offering next-generation cloud-based Data Center Infrastructure Management, providing visibility of real-time and predictive analytics, optimizing operations across IT and facilities

·  EcoStruxure Building, features a collaborative smart building platform and an open system architecture allowing developers and partners to interact, share data and develop apps, increasing efficiency up to 30 percent and ensuring optimal comfort for occupants

·  EcoStruxure Industrial Software platform, which combines scalability and domain expertise to enable people and processes to work seamlessly together, enabling lowest total cost of ownership without compromising risk, data security, or performance requirements.

Over 1000 Schneider customers from across the globe will hear from more than 50 expert speakers, including Jean-Pascal Tricoire, Chairman and CEO, Schneider Electric and Cyril Perducat, Executive Vice President IoT & Digital Transformation, Schneider Electric. The event program will feature strategy talks and interactive deep-dive expert learning sessions with a diverse group of customers and partners, designed to further accelerate digital solutions. Attendees will also be able to visit the company’s Innovation Hub, a 1,000+ square meter showcase of the company’s rich portfolio of software, solutions and services. The Innovation Hub also features a Partner Village, which brings together its network of technology partners and start-ups, including Microsoft, Accenture, Cisco, Intel and Salesforce, showcasing their latest co-innovations.

“A new digital economy is emerging in all markets where IoT, artificial intelligence and digitization are accelerating, bringing tremendous opportunities for companies to be dramatically more efficient, disruptive and differentiated,” said Tricoire. “Our mission is simple: we supply open, practical digital technologies that enable this transition and the bold ideas of our customers powered by the digital economy.”

With Innovation Summit Hong Kong, Schneider is also now expanding its COP21 sustainability commitments and its goal to become a carbon neutral company by 2030 into large events. Schneider is investing in a carbon offset project to compensate for all air travel and event construction related to the Summit. Sustainable event practices will be implemented throughout the event through managed climate control, focus on sustainable packaging and food and a reduced use of paper and waste. This sustainability commitment will be incorporated in all future editions of the Innovation Summit World Tour.