A group of Indian and international partners today announced the formation of the ‘Global Alliance Mass Entrepreneurship’ (GAME), a new coalition that aims to catalyze a ‘Mass Entrepreneurship’ movement in India that will aim to create 10 million new entrepreneurs, at least half of whom will be women, and 50 million new jobs by 2030. GAME has received initial funding commitment of INR 100 crore over three years from several Indian and global donors.
The announcement was made at a day-long workshop, a first step in identifying a collective vision, driving commitment from interested organizations and defining concrete action plan for the proposed alliance. The workshop organized by The Rockefeller Foundation with support from Dalberg Advisors, had participants from nearly 50 organizations including the Ministry of Skills Development and Entrepreneurship, Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME), State Governments of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Meghalaya, Tata Trusts, UNICEF, World Bank, Omidyar Network, Facebook India, Wadhwani Foundation, Social Alpha, Aptech, BYST, Pratham and Going to School amongst others.
Like many countries, India has a major challenge when it comes to creating enough jobs; with nearly one million young people entering the working age population every month, India needs new engines of job creation. Entrepreneurship is a critical lever of such job creation but has so far been eclipsed by an nordinate focus on education and skilling.
“Mass entrepreneurship” refers to the millions of ordinary local businesses that typically hire five or more people, use local inputs and serve local needs in every community. These range from a beauty salon or food caterer, to a motorbike repair shop or artisan collective. In most thriving economies, such businesses form the backbone of the economy and employment.
Based on the research of Dalberg Advisors, GAME has identified three pathways of intervention
A) Nurture entrepreneurial mindsets early to help students consider entrepreneurship a viable career option and receive relevant exposure and experience,
B) Converting job seekers to entrepreneurs by creating entrepreneurial opportunities & reducing the risks associated with becoming an entrepreneur, and
C) Finally, help single and micro-entrepreneurs to grow and aspire for more than basic survival by providing services like training, advisory/mentoring as well as access to finance.
While several promising initiatives already exist to promote mass entrepreneurship, there is a need to achieve co-ordination of efforts and drive massive scale. Ravi Venkatesan, former Chairman of Bank of Baroda and Microsoft India and founder of GAME said, “Job creation is a classic “wicked” problem; it is systemic, involves lots of stakeholders, and is interconnected with many other issues, ranging from infrastructure and access to finance to ease of doing business. It defies simple solutions and silver bullets.”
Announcing the formal launch of the initiative, Venkatesan said, “With GAME, we aim to create a focused autonomous organization, bringing together a consortium of public, private and civil society organizations. With a shared mission, the right leadership, and governance model, it can become a platform that allows everyone with an interest in mass entrepreneurship to plug in and play.”
Endorsement and support for the Alliance has come from many organizations.
“The Rockefeller Foundation has been working in and learning from India for more than a century,” said Christine Heenan, Vice President for Policy, Partnerships and Communications at The Foundation. “Helping more Indian families rise out of poverty remains a challenge we’re committed to tackling; creating thousands of new companies and millions of new jobs is key to that. This Alliance can make that goal a reality.”
Dr. K.P. Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Govt. of India said, “One of the foundational ideas in the creation of a Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship was the notion that skilling should lead to livelihoods generation. The missing link is the ecosystem for creation of mass entrepreneurship. GAME, with potential solutions to this problem, is most timely. My Ministry fully welcomes and supports this initiative and hopes to benefit by these ideas.”
R. Venkataramanan, Managing Trustee, Tata Trusts and a key supporter of GAME, “At Tata Trusts we have made significant progress on promoting rural livelihoods especially amongst women. We believe that this grassroots action must be enhanced by promoting mass entrepreneurship. Initiatives like GAMEare much needed and we are pleased to participate in and support this initiative as it requires platform thinking and multi-stakeholder collaboration.”
“Grassroots creativity and widespread entrepreneurship are the recipe for mass flourishing. India and the world will benefit profoundly from embracing this initiative”, said Professor Edmund S. Phelps, 2006 Nobel Laureate in Economics and Director, Center on Capitalism & Society.
SpiceJet, the country’s favourite airline, today announced the launch of six new daily direct flights on both domestic and international routes starting from October 10, 2018.
SpiceJet is the first airline in the country to introduce a daily direct flight on the Guwahati-Patna route. The airline is also introducing daily direct flights on the domestic sector of Hyderabad-Guwahati and the international route of Hyderabad-Bangkok. The inaugural fare on the domestic routes are as low as of Rs. 3099/- whereas on the international route of Hyderabad-Bangkok the inaugural fare for the to and fro journey is Rs. 9999/- and Rs. 8299 /- respectively.
Deploying its Boeing 737 aircraft on these routes, the new flights will help SpiceJet strengthen its network connectivity between metros and non-metros.
Shilpa Bhatia, Chief Sales & Revenue Officer - SpiceJet, said, “We are pleased to announce the launch of our new flights which will offer additional flying options and travel flexibility at affordable prices. We see immense potential in these routes and are proud to be the only Indian carrier to provide direct connectivity between Hyderabad and Bangkok.”
Bookings for tickets are now open on www.spicejet.com, SpiceJet’s mobile app and through online travel portals and travel agents.
AVerMedia Technologies, Inc., the preeminent name in digital multimedia technology, today announced its plans of distribution of 4k capable premium capture cards in India. The company targets majorly to focus on Live Gamer EXTREME 2 (GC551) and Live Gamer Portable 2 Plus (GC513) gaming cards through its distributors Abacus peripherals and Tirupati Enterprises in all major metros as well as B class cities. The efforts are being put to increase reach and meet the demand for these units across the country.
According to the recent reports of 'Streamlabs Livestreaming', in 2017 alone YouTube grew by a whopping 343% in monthly active streamers, while Twitch grew by 197% globally. In 2017 alone, around 666 million people around the globe tuned in to gaming video content made by fans and publishers, and that number is expected to grow to over 740 million by 2019 says another report from 'Statista'. With growing broadband penetration, improved internet speeds over the last few years and increased opportunities to monetize content, videogame streaming in India is on the verge of a breakthrough in India too.
Live Gamer EXTREME 2 (LGX2), the successor of the vastly-popular Live Gamer EXTREME (LGX), is a game capture box capable of recording/streaming 1080p60 gameplay from PC or game console while allowing stunning 4Kp60 visuals via its pass-through technology. The LGX2 also inherited the Ultra-Low Latency capability from the LGX which allows for uncompressed data capturing with near-zero latency. This instant viewing greatly improves creators' workflow and overall recording experience; streamers with one monitor can seamlessly play and broadcast fast-paced games right in the preview window with minimum lag.
Featuring wide connectivity, hardware compression capability, and a revamped RECentral intuitive user interface (v4.0), the LGP2 Plus is the first capture card to offer 4Kp60 gameplay while recording at 1080p60 footage without a high-spec PC. Thanks to the portable nature of the device, it can even record gameplay, commentary audio, and party chats directly to a MicroSD card, making it an essential tool for streamers and gamers to capture and share epic moments no matter where they are. UVC Plug and Play also means the LGP2 Plus is compatible with any platform, making it an accessible card by removing the need to install any drivers. Additionally, the card offers MP4 and MOV recording for easy editing and efficient uploading across a variety of services.
Apart from the hardware AVerMedia also offers powerful yet user friendly free software bundle RECentral and CyberLink PowerDirector 15. This all-around feature packed editing tools lets users to record, stream, edit and share the quality content they generate in simplest way.
Price, Availability, Warranty and Specification:
Live Gamer EXTREME 2(GC551) - MRP Rs. 20,000
Live Gamer Portable 2 Plus (GC513) - MRP Rs. 22,900
Flipkart, India’s largest e-commerce marketplace, today announced the launch of ‘2GUD’, its first ever independent platform for refurbished goods. The product portfolio of 2GUD would initially include smartphones, laptops, tablets and electronic accessories, and several more categories will be added soon.
Although a few players cater primarily to the Customer-to-Customer segment, the refurbished goods market in India is still largely unorganized. With the launch of 2GUD, Flipkart is taking its values of affordability, accessibility and availability to the refurbished market, while also addressing the critical problem of trust and convenience.
To bring down the barriers of trust and affordability, 2GUD takes care of quality assurance through a vast selection of certified products. The post purchase warranty of 3 to 12 months for each product will be serviced through an extensive network of service centers across the country. Additionally, users will always be assured of convenience in payments and logistics. The roll-out of the platform is via mobile web initially, but will soon be taken across other channels including desktop and mobile app.
Further, while existing refurbished sellers take the classifieds route, which insists on interactions between buyer and seller, 2GUD with its robust structure, completely removes the hassle of buyer-seller interaction.
“As a market leader, Flipkart has always tried to solve for India and offer a more fulfilling shopping experience in every aspect. With 2GUD, we have removed the trust deficit that exists in the refurbished goods market, and along with the added convenience, are offering customers yet another avenue to access quality products at the most affordable prices,” said Kalyan Krishnamurthy, CEO, Flipkart
“The refurbished goods market has remained highly fragmented and unorganised despite its size, primarily due to complex processes, and missing assurance on the quality of products. Unlike existing C2C platforms, 2GUD offers an organised space devoid of regular buyer-seller interactions, which simplifies the process for both parties. 2GUD further leverages Flipkart’s capabilities in the service and support network to make it the preferred destination for certified, great-quality refurbished products,” said Anil Goteti, VP, Flipkart, who will be heading 2GUD along with Flipkart Marketplace.
2GUD will remain a distinct and separate platform aimed at value buyers, while Flipkart shall remain the preferred online shopping destination home for new goods. The launch of 2GUD as the first choice for quality refurbished goods allows Flipkart to focus on acquiring new customers in a different segment, and further cement its leadership position in the Indian e-commerce space.
Tata Motors, along with its distributor, Diesel & Motors Engineering PLC (DIMO) announced the launch of its most stylish compact SUV, Tata Nexon in Sri Lanka, today. The Tata NEXON is a revolutionary design of “breaking the box” with an aerodynamic silhouette. This enhances its sporty character and marks an evolution in SUV design by combining the functionality of an SUV with style of a sports coupe.
Tata Motors has also introduced the much-appreciated NEXON with HyprDrive Self-Shift Gears, the AMT version of the vehicle. The Nexon in Sri Lanka will be available in six variants (XE, XM, XT, XZ, XZ+, XZA+) and six colours (Etna Orange, Vermont Red, Moroccan Blue, Seattle Silver, Glasgow Grey, and Calgary White). It will be for sale in 15 outlets across Colombo. Launched at a price of Rs. 1.99 Mn for Petrol and Rs. 4.6 Mn for Diesel (Permit Holder Prices) for the XZA+ (Top Variant), the Tata Nexon is one of the most loved vehicles from the Company’s passenger vehicle stable. Setting a new benchmark in safety, the Nexon recently bagged a 4-star adult safety rating by the Global New Car Assessment Programme (Global NCAP), the highest adult safety score (13.56/17.00) amongst all the models tested by Global NCAP in India.
Speaking at the launch, Mayank Pareek, President, Passenger Vehicle Business Unit, Tata Motors, “Combining contemporary design with best-in-class technology and advance features, the Tata NEXON is meant for those who like to make a unique style statement. Since its launch in India, the Tata NEXON has set new benchmarks in compact SUV segment. It has been one of the most loved products from our PV portfolio. We are elated to introduce the manual and the AMT variants in Sri Lanka today. With the introduction of this entire range, we aim to tap a larger market and increase our market share in not only the Compact SUV segment but also the AMT segment.”
Unveiling the Tata NEXON, Ranjith Pandithage, Chairman & Managing Director, DIMO, said, “This is our first big step into the Compact SUV segment with Tata Motors. Continuing our long standing relationship with the Company, we are proud and confident to launch this product in our country and look forward to introduce many more such fantastic products.”
The Tata NEXON flaunts two new engines, the 1.2L Turbocharged Petrol from the Revotron series and the 1.5L Diesel engine from the Revotorq series, mated to a 6-speed transmission for class leading fuel efficiency. A first-in-segment feature, NEXON’s best in class AMT with Multi-Drive modes (Eco, City and Sport) ensure that the vehicle delivers performance as per the driver’s requirement – Sport mode is for more spirited driving delivering 260 Nm torque (Diesel), City mode is for cruising swiftly in an urban environment. The Tata NEXON comes with a standard warranty of 100,000km / 3 Years, whichever is earlier.
Key Highlights:
• First A.M.T with Multi-Drive modes (3 drive modes - ECO, CITY, SPORT), available in both petrol and diesel variants
• ‘Manual Tip-Tronic’ mode to shift gears manually while enjoying a clutch free drive experience
• Crawl function with Smart Hill Assist for convenience in ‘stop – and – go’ city traffic
• Intelligent transmission controller with features such as anti-stall, kick-down and fast-off for an enthralling drive experience
• Advanced HARMAN infotainment system enabled with a drive mode based HMI theme.
• First-in-class wearable key to aid the active lifestyle
R&M, a Swiss cabling systems developer and provider of high-quality fiber & copper solutions for network infrastructures around the world, today inaugurated its state-of-the-art production hub in a sprawling facility in Bengaluru. This manufacturing facility is built under the 'Make In India' initiative. This Bangalore based facility is dedicated to production and warehousing, and will soon act as a primary supplier of Fiber Optic solutions for data centers and 'Fiber to the X' (FTTx) customers globally.
Gaurav Ahluwalia, Managing Director of R&M India says, "Opening production facility in India means that 2018 will be characterized by huge expansion in production capacities, where over 400 highly qualified employees will be producing Fiber Optic solutions in accordance with high R&M quality standards. With the Bangalore site up and running, R&M India is looking forward to stepping up production in the coming days. At R&M India, this is a new chapter of growth and expansion."
Gracing the occasion with his presence, Michel Riva, CEO & Member - Board of Directors, R&M AG Switzerland said, "Today's announcement reaffirms R&M's long-term commitment to India, a strategic center of digitization, innovation and technology. We are honored to collaborate with people of India to accelerate each other's economic growth and create a fruitful relationship. This initiative is a step towards the government's vision "Make in India" to create sustainable competitiveness and prosperity."
"Since we have established our operations in India, we have made significant investments and are committed to being the strategic partner to India. Opening the production facility is another milestone in deepening our commitment to India," he adds.
Laurent Amestoy, Executive Vice President SR APAC of MO-Singapore said, "Today we lay the foundation for the next chapter in R&M's development in India. The facility will bring advanced manufacturing capabilities in delivering a diverse product portfolio to our customers in India and across the Asian region. Further, it will help us to strengthen our position in structured cabling market."
The inauguration started with prayer rituals in Indian customs and traditions. The ceremony of the production facility took place in the presence of the Chief Executive Officer, Sterlite Technologies Limited, KS Rao; The CEO & Consul General (Swissnex India, Consulate General of Switzerland, Bangalore, his honorary Sebastien Hug. Besides, Michel Riva, CEO, Markus Stieger, COO and Laurent Amestoy, Executive Vice President SR APAC, were also part of the ceremony.
In the coming months, Swiss major R&M will focus on gradually expanding and becoming a cornerstone of the worldwide R&M production network. The intention is to increase the number of high-quality FO assemblies produced in India at optimal cost-efficiency levels to satisfy worldwide demand, and manufacture assemblies for other production plants, thereby contributing to "Make in India".
The ceremony was witnessed by over 200 business partners and customers who have contributed and played crucial role in R&M's successful journey in South Asia.
Columbia University’s Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science and Columbia Global Centers | Mumbai are pleased to announce the launch of the Urban Works Innovation Challenge 2018. Supported by the RMZ Foundation and in partnership with The CoWrks Foundry, this three-year collaborative design challenge brings together engineering, planning, and policy solutions to transform 21st-century workspaces into environments that support innovation and productivity.
India has a young and growing population with a workforce estimated to touch 700 million by 2030. Indian workspaces are undergoing massive transformation spurred by the digital revolution, global economic shifts, and resource scarcity. But the country has barely engaged with the reality of such an evolving employment landscape. Studies and solutions for innovative workplaces have been primarily focused on US and European contexts.
A reimagining of Indian workspaces is critical not only to India’s future economic success, but also to the future of the global knowledge economy itself. According to Dr. Ravina Aggarwal, Director of Columbia’s Mumbai Center, “India must lead the way in creating working conditions that attract, nurture and retain top talent. This means generating and promoting new ideas, designs, skills-sets, and inventions that can support workspaces that are sustainable, secure, healthy, creative, and inclusive.”
In light of this, the Urban Works Innovation Challenge 2018 that will run from July 2018 to March 2019 will provide mentorship and infrastructural and financial support for innovative solutions on environmentally sustainable workspaces to passionate young professionals and entrepreneurs. Broad areas for solution development in workspaces include green technologies and infrastructure, decentralized energy-efficient solutions, ergonomics, sustainable resource use, and waste/pollution reduction.
Participants will get the opportunity to work with faculty and alumni from the prestigious Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science at Columbia University, as well as benefit from hands-on mentorship from distinguished entrepreneurs and academics in India. “We are very pleased to participate in the Urban Works Innovation Challenge in partnership with Columbia University’s Global Center in India and the CoWrks Foundry,” said Mary C. Boyce, Dean of Columbia Engineering. “Design challenges are a wonderful way to spur engineering creativity and foster cross-disciplinary collaboration. Columbia Engineering faculty and alumni will mentor students as they design sustainable work spaces, and a winning student team from Columbia Engineering will travel to India to implement their ideas in India next May. All involved will share their expertise and gain a better understanding of the Indian context for environmentally friendly work areas.”
Shortlisted teams can also avail themselves of a tech-first collaborative workspace at The CoWrks Foundry, located at CoWrks in Mumbai and Bengaluru for a six month period. “The sense of purpose that drives young entrepreneurs and professionals in India has already made a dent globally. This is evident when we look at the Indian startup ecosystem—although it is young and still emerging—it is the third largest startup ecosystem in the world. RMZ Foundation and The CoWrks Foundry's partnership with Columbia brings together world-class mentorship and education, while paving way for innovation led by a modern and young workforce on a global stage”, said Anu Menda, President of the RMZ Foundation
As representatives of a future workforce, participants are encouraged to use their own vision to co-create an ideal workspace. Teams with successful design prototypes will have the opportunity to pitch their design to leading corporations and investors in March 2019.
