Zebra Robotics, a world-class robotics and coding center, today announced the grand opening of its first robotic school in Bengaluru with an aim to bring quality curriculum, content and approach to kids in India. Located at Jayanagar, Bengaluru, the Canada-based organization will open its doors for classes on August 1st, with an open house event scheduled on July 14, 2018 from 1-3 PM.
Founded in the year 2014, Zebra Robotics has taught over 1000 students in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada. “What merely started as casual sessions to teach robotics to our family friend’s children quickly transformed into a multi-location evening, weekend and summer camp program in the neighbourhood”, said Sharmila Govindarajan, co-founder of Zebra Robotics, while talking about the inception of the company.
Zebra Robotics plans to open 5 centers in Bengaluru by the end of this year, and 20 centers across various regions of India next year.
“We have always thought about coming back to India, and we are finally ready to give local kids easy access to robotics and coding classes. Zebra Robotics India has been made possible due to countless hours put in by JV partners, Collatrix Technologies Private Limited, friends and family members. While we have a long way to go, we have definitely taken our first step in the country,” she added.
"Learning should be hands on and fun. Especially when it comes to something so fascinating like robotics, kids should work together to solve a challenge in a friendly atmosphere without feeling pressurised,” co-founder Satish Thiyagarajan stated while stressing on the importance of a fun-filled environment in a classroom.
The unique approach of Zebra Robotics has proved to be truly essential for its students who have not only participated in but also won several competitions, awards at provincial and national levels. Some students have also represented Canada in the World Robotics Olympiad, which adds another feather in their cap.
Rise in the number of vehicles and emissions created from diesel generators are top contributors to air pollution, a recent WHO study confirms. With 14 cities ranked among the world’s top 20 most polluted cities, it’s a state of air pollution emergency across India. As a part of its efforts to promote sustainability and create awareness on the issue, Dell, today organized an experiential event at the Rangoli Metro Art Center, MG Road, Bangalore. Dell has partnered with the Chakr Innovation which converts diesel soot into ink (POINK) through their retro-fit emission control device for diesel generators.
The event saw popular cartoonist N. Ponappa take a humorous take on the issue by sketching live cartoons depicting the harmful impact of diesel emissions on our health. Budding designer, Tahera Peeran showcased her stunning collection curated with khadi fabric and hand painted with diesel ink (POINK) to encourage the audience to use recycled products and adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle.
Speaking about the event, Rajeev Kapoor, India Vice President and CSR Champion, Dell said, “Environmental responsibility is much more than creating eco-friendly products. It's about incorporating sustainability into every practice. Innovative thinking and eco-friendly designs are the first steps in minimizing the impact on the environment. We support inventions which solve larger problems and are glad to partner with Chakr innovation to address the issue of rising levels of air pollution in the city and initiate a positive dialogue around the issue.”
Adding to this, Kushagra Srivastava, CEO, Chakr Innovation said, “Our aim is to curb air pollution by recycling it. Our product, Chakr Shield helps reducing air pollution by converting diesel soot from generators into inks and paints which can be safely reused. We are proud to partner with Dell which not only promotes but also practices various sustainable methods across its functions. It’s encouraging to see that Dell has been using poink for packaging and printing products at its manufacturing facility in India. We hope to amplify the partnership to capture the air pollution at its source and create a beautiful and greener tomorrow for everyone around us.”
The technology can capture over 90% of the particulate matter emissions from the exhaust of diesel generators without causing any adverse impact on the diesel engine.
“Dell’s key focus on the PC business is evident with the establishment of Dell India’s manufacturing unit at Chennai, which has been using the diesel ink to package and print, a range of client solutions including the award-winning desktop portfolio - OptiPlex. Our customers care about sustainability more than ever, and we constantly look for ways to design our waste and innovate with materials. It’s part of our global commitment to putting our resources and technology to work where it can do the most good “added Navneet Kejriwal, Sr. Director Manufacturing, Dell.
By Santhosh Kumar, Vice Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants
For a very long time, real estate developers and investors focused almost exclusively on the metros and tier 1 cities, as these were considered the safest bets for sales and returns on investment. After all, these cities were generating the most employment and therefore inward migration.
As a result, the metros and tier 1 cities across India are currently experiencing the immense pressure of overpopulation due to urban migration in search of better livelihood and enhanced quality of life, thus resulting in an inadequate infrastructure for the citizens.
The Smart Cities Mission, launched in 2015, aims to tackle the escalating problems being faced in urban areas with regards to transportation, energy supply, governance, basic urban infrastructure services and overall quality of life. Although the mission is trying to address these issues to a certain extent, the challenges of remodelling India's tier 1 cities into smart cities are considerable, as many of them have reached their saturation point.
Tier 2/3 cities stage a comeback
As a result, more and more real estate demand and supply are now drifting down towards tier 2 and tier 3 cities of the country. It is estimated that the country will have 104 tier 2 cities and 331 tier 3 and 4 cities by 2030, and only 155 tier 1 cities by 2030.
This shows the strong rise of tier 2, 3 and 4 cities in the future, and many tier 2 and tier 3 cities are now showing a strong resurgence.
Two of the driving factors behind this resurgence have obviously been increased economic activity and infrastructure development, which have served to divert migration to the larger cities.
These smaller cities also offer the important advantage of cheaper real estate prices and a lower cost of living. Their reappearance on developers' and investors' radars is helping to spread real estate development and demand more uniformly across the country, also decreasing the pressure on the overly-burdened metros and tier 1 cities.
Smart Cities - snail-like progress
One of the most important drivers of new real estate demand for many of these smaller cities has been their inclusion in the Government of India's ambitious Smart Cities program, which - at least in theory - bodes very well for their real estate markets. While many of the bigger cities have also managed to enlist themselves under the Smart City scheme, it is, in fact, the smaller city contenders who have managed to show any visible progress.
Overall, it can safely be said that the Smart Cities program has not really unfolded as was initially expected and hoped for. As of now, only 2% of the ₹9,943 crore released under the smart city mission have been utilized, and only 5% of the proposed projects are completed. This does raise questions about whether the development of smart cities by 2020 is a realistic expectation.
To be fair, there are various bottlenecks preventing the speedy implementation of these projects. Similar projects are implemented at a much faster speed in developed countries. Some of the challenges in India are doubtlessly related to hard issues such as land acquisition, buy-in from resistant stakeholders, and so on. However, there is also the factor of political will to back up the vision.
Apart from the slow implementation, it is also a fact that smart citizens are – at least in theory - an integral part of the smart city ecosystem. With more active citizen participation in such Government initiatives at the implementation and not only end-user level, the pace of Smart City development in India could theoretically be faster.
The tier 2/tier 3 Smart City advantage
As an interesting adjunct to this state of affairs, it has been the smaller cities that have shown faster progress on the Smart Cities map. This could have any number of reasons:
They have more to gain
They face fewer challenges in terms of resistance to change
They have less densified urbanization patterns to work with
There are fewer challenges when it comes to land acquisition.
Many have the advantage of stronger local political will.
The recent smart city rankings by the Ministry of Urban Development, also vouchsafe this trend. The tier 2 smart cities of Nagpur (score: 259.96), Vadodara (score: 195.31) and Ahmedabad (score: 190.59) topped the charts, leaving behind tier 1 cities such as Pune, Chennai and many others.
The rankings included 87 cities out of the 99 smart cities (the remaining 12 were not evaluated due to the recentness of their inclusion into the smart cities mission list) and were made based on parameters such as project implementation, expenditure, and performance of civic bodies in the past 4 years.
As already mentioned, smaller cities have more to gain from the Smart Cities program, and a strong, determined local Government can push the necessary reforms much more expediently in these smaller cities than those in the metros. Of course, the larger cities are invariably already massively congested, thereby presenting huge roadblocks to the deployment of the requisite Smart City ingredients.
However, it is also a fact that political elements may be heavily invested in maintaining the status quo. This is especially true in cities which have large slum areas.
In short
Smaller cities have fewer challenges to overcome on the road to becoming Smart Cities, a lot more to gain from the generous funds that have been deployed for the select cities and may have the benefit of more progress-oriented local governing bodies which are truly invested in the betterment of their cities.
Underlining its push towards sustaining its impressive growth momentum, Cybage, a leading global technology consulting organisation specialising in outsourced product engineering services, has recently appointed Greg Butterfield to its Board of Directors. The move follows close on heels of the appointment of Walter Mastelinck to the Cybage board and marks another major milestone for the company, which has been bolstering its ranks with highly-experienced and successful business leaders. Greg will be responsible for guiding the long-term vision, strategy, and business growth at Cybage.
Greg has several major accomplishments to his name. He joined Altiris in February 2000 as its Chairman of the Board, President, and CEO, guiding the company to eight consecutive years of revenue growth and profitability before being acquired by Symantec. By the time of the acquisition, Altiris’ annual revenues had grown by around 100 times to exceed $300 million, from $3 million in 2000.
While at Altiris, he was also the driving force behind eleven acquisitions and completed a successful IPO in 2002 in the face of a large-scale economic downturn, following it up in August 2003 with a successful secondary offering. In the same year, Greg was named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year. He was invited to the 2006 World Economic Forum as a Technology Pioneer. Greg joined Symantec through the company’s acquisition of Altiris in April 2007, serving as the Group President for Symantec’s $4 billion Server and Storage business units. Greg has also served as the CEO of Vivint Solar, a leading full-service residential solar integrator.
Speaking on the appointment, Arun Nathani, CEO & MD, Cybage, said, “Greg is highly regarded in the entrepreneurial circles for his ability to identify and nurture high-potential ventures into market leaders. We are excited to have him on board, along with his impressive wealth of business experience that he has amassed over his career. By bringing onboard such a distinguished business leader, we aim to further strengthen our business operations and build on our market success. We are confident that, with Greg amongst those guiding its vision and strategy, Cybage will be able to accelerate its growth trajectory and unlock unparalleled success in the future.”
Currently serving as the Founder and Managing Partner at SageCreek Partners, Greg has an extensive track record of building and nurturing successful companies. Under his able leadership, Sage Creek Partners has helped more than 100 companies realise their business potential by extending end-to-end operational, networking, human capital, and technological support; several SCP clients have gone on to have successful IPOs and establish themselves as leading players in their respective domains. Greg has also served as the Chairman of the Board of the Utah Information Technology Association.
Speaking on joining the board at Cybage, Greg Butterfield said, “I have always been drawn to businesses which demonstrate a strong future growth potential and have the capability to scale swiftly without comprising on their profitability. As a domain leader in the technology and product engineering space, I believe Cybage is perfectly positioned to leverage its cutting-edge technological capabilities and capitalise on the massive business opportunities that will arise in the near future. With the world undergoing a widespread digital transformation at present, I am looking forward to a long and fruitful association with Cybage and aim to help the company achieve its true potential.”
HDFC ERGO Launches Title Insurance Cover for Property Developers
HDFC ERGO, country’s third largest non-life insurance provider in the private sector has announced the launch of ‘Title Insurance Policy’, a first of its kind product in the private insurance segment in India.
This specialty insurance product provides Indemnity to property developers and the subsequent owners of the property against losses and risks related to defects in Property Title arising out of Third Party challenges not discovered prior to the commencement date of the policy due to the Title of Property belonging to someone other than the Insured, Descriptions & Plans in Historic deeds of the property being inadequate, Historic transaction being subject to an act of fraud or forgery by a third party that adversely affects insured’s rights over the title of the property, Title to the Property being subject to Unknown Burdens or Discharge of Burdens which may have been imposed in historic deeds executed prior to the commencement date etc.
Moreover, defence costs / Legal costs incurred are also covered under the policy. Also, certain known defects in the title, may also be covered under the policy by specific underwriting assessment for an additional premium.
The product has been developed stemming from the requirement of the Real Estate Regulation and Development Act 2016 (RERA), which mandates the purchase of Title Insurance for all new and ongoing property developments registered with the regulatory body.
Commenting on the launch of the new product, Anuj Tyagi, Executive Director & Chief Distribution Officer, HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company, "We are always looking at opportunities to offer protection to the customers from any unforeseen financial losses. Title insurance is one such innovative product that will provide customers’ the peace of mind from Title risks related to the land on which the property rests. It is crucial and a must-have, for developers not only because it is mandatory but is as an effective risk transfer mechanism.”
This new Title insurance policy will prove beneficial to real estate developers, property investors and housing finance companies. The policy can be obtained by developers and is subsequently assigned to the association of allotees or allotees /members of the housing societies, who are the ultimate beneficiaries of the policy.
For more information on the policy and the full range of HDFC ERGO Insurance products please contact HDFC ERGO representative. In addition, for further details on risk factors, exclusions, terms and conditions please read the sales brochure before concluding a sale.
Jaguar Land Rover India has broadened the appeal of the F-TYPE with the introduction of the state-of-the-art four-cylinder Ingenium petrol engine. The award-winning F-TYPE now spans from the entry-level four-cylinder model to Jaguar’s 322 km/h, all-weather supercar – the F-TYPE SVR. The all-aluminium sports car with the 221 kW 2.0 l turbocharged petrol motor delivers Jaguar sports car DNA with enhanced agility and improved efficiency and affordability.
The Ingenium engine contributes to an overall vehicle weight reduction of 52 kg – most of which is over the front axle – and this is key to the four-cylinder F-TYPE’s enhanced agility. Meticulous tuning of the chassis to complement the new engine delivers even greater steering response, body control and ride comfort. A finely-tuned active exhaust is standard on entry-level F-TYPE models, while the R-Dynamic variants feature a switchable active exhaust for an even more involving driving experience.
Rohit Suri, President & Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover India Ltd. (JLRIL), said, “We are very excited about the introduction of the 2.0 l engine on the F-TYPE. This will make our sportscar brand more accessible to Jaguar fans and customers across the spectrum. Enthusiasts are sure to be thrilled by the appeal of this pure breed F-TYPE with its own unique driving character.”
More information on the Jaguar F-TYPE can be found on www.jaguar.in
Jaguar Product Portfolio in India
The Jaguar range in India includes XE (starting at ₹ 39.73 Lakh), XF (starting at ₹ 49.58 Lakh), F-PACE (starting at ₹ 62.99 Lakh), XJ (starting at ₹ 110.38 Lakh) and F-TYPE (starting at ₹ 90.93 Lakh). All prices mentioned are ex-showroom prices in India.
Unacademy, India’s largest learning platform, announced the closing of its $21 million Series C funding round from Sequoia India, SAIF Partners, and Nexus Venture Partners. Blume Ventures also participated in this round. Unacademy has raised $38.6 million in total so far. The funds raised will be utilised to onboard new educators on the platform, penetrate deeper in categories including pre-medical, GATE and CAT, and further strengthen the core product and technology team.
Commenting on the announcement, Gaurav Munjal, Co-Founder and CEO, Unacademy said, “Right from the outset, we have focused on growing the platform by empowering the best educators. We have grown tremendously since our inception, and just last month, more than 3000 educators were active on the platform and lessons created by them were watched more than 40 million times by learners. I am thankful to our existing investors for infusing Unacademy with growth capital and reaffirming their faith in us. We will utilise these funds to invest heavily in our product and technology to make Unacademy one of the best global internet products out of India. We remain committed to growing our platform with more educators, learners and categories.”
"Sequoia India is thrilled to lead the new round in Unacademy, which is already making a big impact in India’s online learning space. Gaurav, Roman and Hemesh are driven founders with a very focused mission, and that is having a clear effect on the pace of production innovation, team building and overall growth," said Shailendra Singh, Managing Director, Sequoia Capital (India) Singapore.
Unacademy was founded by Gaurav Munjal, Roman Saini and Hemesh Singh in 2015. The platform empowers educators by making it easy for them to create high quality educational lessons on the Educator App, that learners access via the Learning App.
In October 2017, Unacademy also launched ‘Plus’ courses on its platform with a private discussion forum, live video classes, and a personalised classroom learning environment with its top educators. Currently, more than 30 educators take paid ‘Plus’ courses on the platform apart from the lessons that are also available for free. Since the launch of Plus courses, the company has achieved a 6x growth in its monthly revenue.
“Unacademy has demonstrated tremendous progress towards their goal of delivering personalized learning by connecting great quality educators and students on their platform. The company has diversified across several new domains and has achieved amazing word of mouth among learners. We are excited to continue supporting Gaurav and team in their journey,” said Alok Goel, Partner, SAIF Partners.
“We are super excited to support the Unacademy team on their mission to become India’s largest online learning platform. The team has done a great job in building market leadership in the government test preparation domain since we led their Series A round in early 2017, and they are aggressively expanding to new examination categories,” said Sameer Brij Verma, Managing Director at Nexus Venture Partners.
State Bank of India, the country’s largest lender will organize Kisan Mela at nearly 875 rural and semi-urban branches across Karnataka on 18th July, 2018. Kisan Mela is one of its kind initiative by SBI to develop connect with farmer customers, resolve their grievances and educate them about various their rights and banks initiatives. The Bank which has close to 1.50 cr. farmer customers, plans to connect with atleast 10 lakh farmers through this mega Kisan Mela.
SBI had recently organised Kisan Mela which attracted over 6 lakh farmers across various locations in the country.
As part of Kisan Mela, bank also offers KCC farmers an enhancement of 10% to their credit limit on renewing the account. SBI has taken this initiative to reach out to the farmers to educate about the benefits of renewing KCC account to get maximum benefits of interest subvention from Government and coverage under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. Bank will also make farmers aware about the benefits of timely renewal of KCC account and usage of KCC Rupay Card for transactional convenience.
In addition to this, SBI will sensitise farmers on various Agri-products of the bank like Asset Backed Agri-loan, Mudra Loan and loans on other allied agri activities.
