A Toast to Fanzart’s Fans Success Held Recently in Bangalore

Fanzart has had an extraordinary 2019, finishing with 12 awards, including the Economic Times Business Leader, Power Brands - Rising Star, Woman Entrepreneur of the Year, Best Luxury Designer Fans and more. Moreover, Fanzart bought a pro golf league, called Fanzart Eagles and won the maiden Pro Golf League held in Bangalore to finish off the year.

2020 has just begun and Fanzart has already started it with a bang, with coalitions with bigger brands, partners beyond India and patented technology to be released in March, 2020 - around the same time Fanzart completes 8 years of redefining luxury from the ceiling point of view. With 70 experience centres across India, as well as presence at 10 Future Group's Hometown showrooms, Fanzart now sees a good amount of market adoption from both offline as well as online channels.

As a way to show their gratitude, Fanzart’s promoters celebrated the extraordinary 2019 with family and friends, including well-known Architects and Interior Designers, prominent developers, team Fanzart Eagles as well as well-wishers. 

“Cross Connection” - Debut Novelist Preety Praveen Unveils Unique Love Story in Bangalore

Preety Praveen launched her maiden novel ‘Cross Connection’ on 14th February 2020, at Sapna Book House, Bangalore. The realistic fiction read is inspired by a true story and published by Blue Rose Publishers.

Speaking at the launch, Sandhya Mendonca, author, media entrepreneur, cultural evangelist and chief guest of the event said “When love is in the air, right in time for Valentine's Day, here's a good old fashioned love story - girl meets boy and then follow the pangs of separation and hardships that destiny throws their way. This couple shares an extraordinary love story and the romantic in me cheers them!”

Cross Connection is a story of love, commitment and destiny. Set in the simple town of Salem, Tamil Nadu, the storyline takes readers through the lives of Simar and Naveen, who are distinctly different people, with whom one can identify with almost instantaneously. With nothing in common, destiny brings them together in a captivating plot, connecting them in a lifelong bond.

“I have always been passionate about writing, and penning down this love story which is really close to my heart, was a beautiful experience. The readers of Cross Connection will surely enjoy the roller coaster ride of emotions. I want them to believe in and cherish the value of true friends, how and when to stand by them and most importantly the power of destiny,” says Preety Praveen speaking about her debut novel.

Cross Connection is sure to strike the right chord as it connects the lives of Simar, a bold and brilliant girl with a pampered upbringing and Naveen a determined youngster with a brusque exterior. While she traces her roots to Punjab, he comes from Kerala. Long after recognizing and accepting their love for each other, the couple have a tough battle ahead of them convincing their respective parents to accept their relationship. Simar has to also cope from the turmoil of recovering from a life threatening car crash without Naveen by her side. Through love, tears, anger, sacrifice, sadness, hope, triumph and joy, the captivating plot makes Cross Connection a compelling read.

Syed Asad Hassan, Managing Director of Blue Rose Publishers, speaking on the launch of Preety’s novel said “It was a pleasure working with Preety Praveen on this book. The moment we read the story for the first time, we knew instantly that it was one that would connect with people on many levels. Also, what better time to launch a book like this than the valentines season itself. This book is definitely a must read book and I am confident that it will leave a mark on this genre for many years to come.”

A Bangalore based psychologist, Preety Praveen draws from her personal and professional experiences to give readers an insight into the ups and downs of relationships and the importance of commitment. Cross Connection is released in collaboration with Avasar Foundation and a percentage of the profits are pledged to open doors of education for girl children.

Cross Connection is priced at Rs. 299 and available for purchase on Amazon, Flipkart, ShopClues and leading bookstores across the country.

Preety Praveen is also penning down a sequel to the book, titled ‘A Pocket Full of Promises.’ As the name suggests, the book is an honest take on the ups and downs Simar and Naveen face after marriage.

Blurb of the book:

To accomplish the dreams of her parents, Simar, a girl from Punjab, lands up in Tamil Nadu to complete her degree in dentistry. But fate had written a different story for her. Struggling to survive in a new world, she meets the love of her life, Naveen, a boy from Kerala. Smiling in the world of their love, they weave a beautiful life around their dreams. But everything changes once Naveen leaves India, trying his luck to get a job abroad. After a year, he comes back to marry her…but…is she still there waiting for him…?

AMP Convenience Mall Now Launches in Namma Bengaluru

India’s unique and first of its kind AMP (Mini Mall/Neighborhood mall on Saturday  making its debut in Bengaluru with its first innovative mini shopping mall & Food court at Bilekahalli, Vijayabank Layout. AMP further plans to add 20 outlets across Bengaluru in next 24 months which will create 1000 plus employment in Bengaluru. Mrs Padma Priya- Mrs Universe along with other celebrities will be launching this unique neighborhood AMP Mall.

AMP has its current footprint in TN, Kerala and now in Karnataka through this first AMP Mini Mall, AMP Further plans to Expand across India.

Speaking at the launch Mr.Rajesh-CEO-Ask Era Infra Pvt Ltd “ Our aim is to create 1000 job opportunities in Bengaluru by opening 19 more AMP Mini Malls. We are also excited to create 200 to 300 full time entrepreneurs and to provide a platform for 500 women part time entrepreneurs. Our mission is to provide a high potential retail space without monthly rental, Big saving in labor cost to provide quality and  trained manpower.

Mr. Rajesh – CEO AMP, He has 18 years of experience in Retail Industry worked for 3 fortune 500 retail Companies (Reliance, YUM (KFC) Staples International, Future Group)

Mr.Suresh-Vice President-AMP , he is Ex-Walmart-Head of Quality & Compliance and 30 years of experience in  retail sector  Said ” Especially in retail people likes multiple assignments in one go, such as shopping, eating and self  grooming.

Mr.Narasa Reddy- Has vast experience of 30 Years in Real Estate Industry. His 30 years of rich experience in developing various Commercial, Residential and Government projects across India. He is also the Managing Director of Valdis homes Pvt Ltd.

Ask Market Place(AMP)  is located at  : 17/18, Kodichikkanahalli Main Rd, Anugraha Layout, Vijaya Bank Layout, Bilekahalli, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560076.

East Meets West - French Students Work on Natural Fabric Dyes in Bengaluru

‘East meets West’, A group of 40 Fashion Design Students, 20 of them from LISAA Paris and 20 from LISAA Bengaluru worked on natural fabric dyes made from Indian herbs like mehandi, mulethi etc in Bengaluru, which taught them sustainable practices and working with eco friendly & organic colours. Students learned from master artisans about the types of block printing, pattern dyeing, wood carving techniques – how blocks are made, preparation of pigment print colours, contemporary interpretations of block printing, and much more. Students had to create innovative textile swatches by combining different techniques learnt, but with a contemporary treatment.

“LISAA organized the visit to Tharangini Studios to give them wide knowledge of development process of the dyeing and hand block printing. Hope they will use it in their projects presented in France,” said Avi Keswani, Director, LISAA School of Design which organized this visit.

"Dyeing and Hand block printing was something new that French students really liked and were fascinated. We are curious to see what this 'East meets West' exploration of indigenous techniques of the local artisans combined with the design sensibilities of the French students, brings about,” says Girish Keswani, Co-director, LISAA School of Design.

“Hand printing by using natural fabric was something new which we have never seen before and we will never forget our visit in Bengaluru,” said Chloe Moulin one of the French students who was totally fascinated by the art.

The French students will in Bengaluru till 18th February 2020 and many workshops and visits to different heritage and cultural centers have been arranged during this time.

LISAA School of Design is a premier Design institute over 35 years of existence in France. The aim of LISAA School of Design is to nurture their students to become not only technically professional but also be sensitive to the aesthetics, culture and spiritual ethos of the society for whom they design. Spread across 11 locations globally, LISAA School of Design is built on heritage, excellence and opportunities. It was set up in Bengaluru India in 2013 with state-of-the-art infrastructure and campus in Bangalore.

LISAA - Bangalore is owned and operated by CREO Valley, the school of creativity and innovation recognized by Qualifications & Assessments International (QAI), UK, Federation of European School (FEDE) and Jawaharlal Nehru Technical Education - Council of Skill Development (JNTE) in higher education. LISAA School of Design has a multidisciplinary approach to design education that promotes both creativity and experimentation, studying and learning in this environment helps the students to develop a unique perspective.

LISAA Bangalore is recognized by the University in Bangalore to offer Degree Courses in Fashion & Textile Design, Interior & Product Design and Graphic & Web Design. It also offers Student Exchange program with more than 7 other locations in France.

HappyOn -An Exclusive Mom & Kids’ Event in Bangalore

HappyOn is a niche and concept- based mom and kid’s event that helps moms and kids to explore latest trends related to education, indoor & outdoor activities, sports and fashion. It’s a unique platform for people to connect and understand each other's ideas and implementing it by providing curated products & services - “A professional cum Emotional trade”.

HappyOn conducted an engaging workshop at Reset Wellness Center today that witnessed a talk on how to resolve your child's sleep issues by Kerry Bajaj, bestselling author of Sleep Baby Sleep (Harper Collins). The conference was followed by a fun-filled kids fashion show and sunset yoga by RESET along with a talk on Access Consciousness by Priya Alti.

Talking about the event, Samir Viran, Director, HappyOn said - ”HappyOn is an experience for the kids & parents to explore the finest brands from all over India under one roof with fun-filled activities and entertainment for the family. We create a memorable experience for our stake holders & attendees providing family time away from gadgets where they can rejoice, learn & bond with one another. HappyOn plans to travel to cities like Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Mysore, Coimbatore, Delhi, Raipur, Mumbai & Chennai in near future. "

Adding to this M. Balaji, CEO, RESET Sadashivnagar, said “We are delighted to be the wellness partner for HappyOn. Good health is a function of right lifestyle and healthy habits need to be introduced at a young age. Moms are the role models for kids from an impressionable age and they are the ones whom we need to target to inculcate the importance of overall wellness in kids. We look forward to a successful event.”

HappyOn exhibition will be taking place in Bangalore on 29th February 2020 at The Lalit Ashok. In this edition HappyOn will bring 75+ best exhibitors under one roof coming from different parts of the country, along with Kids Play Area, Interactive Workshops, Fun Activities & Educational games for Parents & Children’s.

HappyOn is set to travel across the country where participating Brands, Parents & Kids can come together to have fun and bounded to surpass the experience they look for at HappyOn.

People Love OYO - Hotel Chain Records a 90.57% Increase in Bookings in India

Valentine’s Day is no longer limited to a sombre exchange of gifts and dinners. Instead, it is an opportunity to spend quality time with loved ones, thereby encouraging many to relax with short getaways reveals the Valentine’s Day booking statistics by OYO.

OYO Hotels & Homes, a young hotel startup and the world’s leading chain of hotels, homes, and spaces today released a snapshot of Valentine’s Day bookings trends in 2020. OYO’s booking data revealed a whopping 90.57% increase in Valentine’s Day bookings across India, with guests ranging from families, couples to solo travellers.
Interestingly, OYO’s mobile app witnessed a 100% increase in consumer bookings from last year, while less than 10% of the total bookings preferred to book their stays through the website and other channels. With Valentine’s Day falling on a Friday, booking trends revealed that this year consumers started planning their travel way in advance, with one consumer booking his OYO as early as 24th August 2019.

Here are India’s Top 10 cities of love:
The startup observed a spike in bookings pan India, with Delhi continuing to top OYO’s Valentine’s Day booking charts, followed by the cities of Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai. Interestingly, across OYO’s international markets too, guests opted to stay at OYOs located in capital cities, with Kaula Lumpur emerging as the most booked city in Malaysia, Kathmandu in Nepal and Jakarta in Indonesia.

Across South India, Pondicherry, Chennai and Hyderabad emerged as the most sought-after destinations for Valentine’s Day celebrations whereas Goa, Pune and Mumbai were top locations preferred by consumers across West India. With no surprise here, Kolkata was the most popular city in East India for 14th February bookings.

Love is in the air: According to OYO's booking data, Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata were the top three cities that made the most advance bookings for the big Valentine’s Day weekend, which explains why these cities were also the most searched locations on the OYO app for booking requests between 14th-16th February.

Harshit Vyas, Chief Business Officer, OYO Hotels & Homes - India said, “Valentine’s Day falls on a Friday this year, giving people across the country an opportunity to extend this special day into a long weekend. We’re thrilled to share that so far, we’ve observed a whopping 90.57% increase in Valentine’s Day bookings, along with a 100% increase in-app bookings with a mix of bookings coming in from families, couples as well as solo travellers.

We believe that with our offerings, we’ve enabled many consumers to opt for an affordable and good quality stay across cities. With consumer experience at the heart of everything we do, we are enhancing our capabilities to ensure that every guest who walks out of an OYO has the best experience. We’re extremely excited to host everyone who chose to stay with us while celebrating this special day and look forward to serving many more guests throughout the year!”
This Valentine’s Day, OYO also rolled out its social media campaign #CheckInForLove, a concept that takes a desi approach to Valentine’s Day by riding on existing pop phrases and cult art styles. The campaign that went live on 7th February has resulted in a 284% increase in positive sentiment for OYO.

*Period of comparison: Bookings for 14th -16th February made before 9th February (2019 Vs 2020).

Esper Secures $7.6M from Madrona Venture Group and Seed Investors

In a Series A funding round led by US-based venture capital firm Madrona Venture Group, Esper has raised $7.6 Million. Madrona Venture Group is well known as an investor in Amazon’s Series A round in 1995. The round also saw participation from their existing seed investors - Root Ventures, Ubiquity Ventures, Haystack Ventures, and Pathbreaker Ventures.

Esper is an intelligent cloud platform that helps enterprises deploy and scale Android dedicated devices and manage applications and devices in real-time. Their full-stack solution enables enterprises to efficiently develop, manage and monitor these devices securely across different versions of Android and device types. Esper has a large customer base in the US and India. The funding will be utilised for product development and to expand its customer base in India and the United States.

“We are excited to have the full support of these investors to expand our team and further scale our business to help customers move beyond Mobile Device Management into true device orchestration. Our vision is to provide a platform that allows our customers to focus on building their value proposition rather than their infrastructure,” said Yadhu Gopalan, Co-Founder, and CEO, Esper.

Android Devices are at the Forefront of Digital Transformation

Android-based devices such as tablets, point-of-sale devices, mobile payment devices, and kiosks are rapidly proliferating in the market and have become commonplace to consumers. India represents a strong market for these devices with over 97% of devices deployed using the Android operating system. These include tablets in cabs, biometric devices, POS, delivery and logistics devices.

“India has been an early adopter of Android devices for enterprise use cases, we have some leading POS, logistics, and retail customers in India who are using Esper to deploy their device fleet. We look forward to utilizing our Series A fundraise to grow our India market share and expand our engineering team in Bengaluru.” adds Shiv Sundar, Co-Founder, and COO, Esper.

Esper’s customer base in India includes leading enterprises from Retail, Logistics, Hospitality and Healthcare industries. Esper also has ongoing partnerships with MediaTek, Lenovo, and Zebra for hardware development and devices. Besides this, Esper is also Android Enterprise Recommended as a Google EMM partner.

By applying Esper’s intense customer focus, the founders identified the huge unmet need for effective device and app management in the Android dedicated device segment. The many customer pain points were poorly addressed by existing systems, typical leaving developers and Android firmware out of their solutions. In 2019 Esper set off on implementing a full-stack approach for customers building, deploying, and maintaining Android-based solutions all the way from offering Esper Enhanced Android, a full developer toolchain, and addressing the table stakes of application and device management honed to the unique market needs. This view and vision were made possible by the unique experiences of the founders including building the Windows CE kernel at Microsoft, working with and for major players in the Android market including Samsung, Huawei, and Cyanogen, and leading Android-based solutions for Amazon.

Esper’s growing team in Bengaluru is set to expand across engineering, sales, marketing, and customer success. The company’s unique culture focused on melding software and devices to impact and improve the human experience worldwide through intense customer focus has resulted in low turnover and high satisfaction. Yet the company prides itself on a cordial environment in a casual but intense atmosphere. Esper is the place to be for the highest caliber personnel in the Android industry.

About Esper

Esper was co-founded in the year 2018 by US-based, industry veterans Yadhu Gopalan and Shiv Sundar. In addition to providing a device and application management platform, Esper enables device manufacturers and chipset vendors to deliver a lean Android solution purpose-built for the smart dedicated device space. Esper allows its customers to control every aspect of their device fleet and go as far as real-time debugging of applications on a remote device when required.