Work From Home To Go On Till Year End For Startups as Bengaluru Startup Springworks Sets Trend

While tech giants like Google, Facebook announced last Friday that most of their employees will work from home (WFH) for the remainder of 2020, Bengaluru-based startup Springworks had already announced the move to WFH to all it’s employees last Wednesday (May 6th). The startup announced to its 120+ employees last Wednesday (May 6) that it’ll be moving to WFH till the end of the year 2020.

Springworks, a HR Tech startup, has decided to give up two-thirds of its office space and move to WFH till December.

“Last week we made a tough decision to move to WFH till December 2020.  It was a difficult decision to give up two out of three floors of our office space. Lot of hard work went into growing that space,” said Kartik Mandaville, CEO and Founder of Springworks in a LinkedIn post.

The organisation is now ensuring that the team is prepared for this ‘new reality’.

“To tackle the inability to mingle with colleagues in-person, we have started ChaiTime calls every weekday at 5.30pm. On some days we play pictionary using Zoom’s whiteboard feature or someone creates a quiz and the participants vie for the title of Quizzard. The quizzes we did on Zoom were fun, but we went ahead and created our own app that virtually allows you to play 100s of quizzes right inside Slack, ” said Kartik on the issue of tackling loneliness.

Meanwhile, Springworks has also created a common pool of leaves for employees who need extra leaves due to kids and parents at home or just due to increased housework. This common leave-pool is made up of donations of paid leaves from the other employees who are relatively free and wish to help their colleagues who need it more.

“Apart from this, we do virtual mindfulness sessions every day, celebrate birthdays over Slack and Zoom, do meme-sharing and chit-chats on random channels inside Slack, ” he said.

Springworks has also recognized the challenge some of its employees are facing with power and internet issues. A one-time INR 10,000 per person WFH setup reimbursement has been done for those employees.

"We're also doing Internet reimbursements for all employees with a salary under INR 7.5 lac pa. This includes interns as well," added Kartik.

They are also shipping monitors, keyboards, other accessories, and a few office chairs to folks within Bengaluru.

To ensure camaraderie within the team, Springworks has launched a tool for Slack that lets its employees acknowledge each other’s good work.

“We realized that with no in-person discussions it was much more important to celebrate team spirit. We've built a tool that gamifies this whole experience now,” said Kartik about the soon-to-be publicly launched tool.

Google Cloud Collaborates with TechGig to Launch Cloud DevJam

Today, TechGig in collaboration with Google Cloud launched the Cloud DevJam, an interactive upskilling online program designed to help Indian IT professionals enhance their cloud-based skills and apply knowledge to advance their professional careers. The program has been designed to enable developers to build their skills while at home during the current scenario.

Cloud DevJam program participants can build their expertise around an array of Google cloud Platform (GCP) skills including Core Infrastructure, Data & Machine Learning, Application Development and more. With live interactive sessions led by Google Cloud experts, developers can apply and test their knowledge through multiple choice question tests, hands-on labs, hackathons, and other skill-tests. Every participant of the program will also have the opportunity to validate their knowledge by applying and completing their Google Cloud certification. With points to be earned with each activity, developers can earn the recognition of ‘Cloud DevJam Champions’ at the end of the program.

Sanjay Goyal, Business Head, TimesJobs and TechGig said, “The COVID-19 outbreak, and the social lockdown, has made it critically important for everyone to remain updated with the newer technologies. Today, the digital frontier - led by the cloud-based technologies - is driving most initiatives in all the sectors. I am glad that at such juncture, TechGig - in collaboration with Google Cloud - is launching ‘Cloud DevJam’, a unique opportunity for the technologists to explore, learn and upskill on the Google Cloud Platform. This program has been curated to help the developers learn and understand the fundamentals of Google Cloud and advance their skills in the process. I welcome all the IT professionals to participate in the ‘Cloud DevJam’ hackathons and skill-based contests and showcase their innovative ideas”.

Karan Bajwa, Managing Director, Google Cloud India said, “One thing that recent events has made clearer than ever is the importance for organisations and tech talent to be digital-first and cloud-ready. The Cloud DevJam is unique because it’s been conceptualized to enable developers to build their knowledge while at home, and companies will need to call on their skills in the immediate and long term to ensure business agility, resilience and overall competitiveness.”

Getting started
Interested participants can visit Cloud DevJam (https://www.techgig.com/googlecloud) to register and join the learning journey that best suits them. 

Aeternity Starfleet Accelerator to Back Three Indian Blockchain Startups

The first edition of the Starfleet Program in India organised by blockchain investment firm, AE Ventures and IBC Media, an Indian innovation management company, announced the three startups - Drife, Hypermine, and Pontis as the winners at the Demo Day that proceed to receive a venture investment as well as go-to-market opportunities in the EU and EMEA region, support in technology implementation, business development, marketing, and legal affairs. AE Ventures also announced a partnership with the International investment companies CV Labs and Woodstock Funds, providing the startups with access to the partners’ international ecosystem, facilities, and network. The winners will now have the opportunity to attract investment from AE Ventures and go through active due diligence by Woodstock Fund and CV Labs.

The announcement was made at the Starfleet Demo Day, a virtual conference with over 350 participants attending from across the globe on May 8, 2020, where the 7 selected start-ups battled it out. The event was attended by several leading innovators across blockchain and start-up space including keynote speakers Hon’ble Smt Rama Devi (Officer on Special Duty (OSD), ITE&C Department, Government of Telangana), Shradha Sharma, Chief Editor, and Founder, YourStory, Wei Zhou, Chief Financial Officer, Binance and Nikola Stojanow, CEO, AE Ventures. The event witnessed virtually across the globe also had 2-panel discussions on Startup way from adversity to success and Crisis 2002 VS 2020-Seeking the opportunity with panelists including Sriram V Iyer, Vice President and App Engineering at Flipkart, Vivek Prakash, Leading Product at BrowserStack and Co-Founder of HackerEarth, Neeraj Khandelwal, Co-Founder & CTO, CoinDCX among others.

At a time when the world is hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and fewer investors or VCs are committing funds to the market, the Starfleet accelerator program continues to make long-term venture investments having successfully supported over 15 seed-stage blockchain startups with a total investment of $2.1 Million investment so far.

The Starfleet India began at the beginning of 2020 when 13 Blockchain Startups from India were shortlisted from a staggering 176 applications received and post the 7-day intensive training period, Genesis Week, proceeded to the second round of the incubation initiative narrowing it to 7 finalists from the pool of contestants.

“The Indian blockchain space has seen an immense development in the recent months with the multiple initiatives taken by the government and corporates alike, and we are proud to provide a catalyst with Starfleet India, wherein our selected startups, with their disruptive ideas, have demonstrated impressive progress over the course of this acceleration program. Our partnership with Woodstock Fund and CV Labs cements our commitment to the Indian Blockchain ecosystem and will be actively collaborating to explore investments in not only startups that presented at the Demo Day, but also those that will come up in future. We will continue to evaluate, guide, mentor, and provide access to our wide network, globally,” said Nikola Stojanow, CEO of AE Ventures and CBO of æternity. “We are very happy to collaborate with IBC Media and identify and work with interesting new startups in India. This only proves that together we all can achieve more, and we hope to continue to educate and invest in companies on the bleeding-edge of this new technology.”

“We started Starfleet India with the hope of giving a credible platform for the upcoming Indian blockchain startups in India. This journey has been a revelation to the technological prowess of the Indian entrepreneurial and developer ecosystem and we are very proud of the selected startups whose solutions are relevant to every individual in the society. We will continue to grow this ecosystem and enable a temperament of innovation in the future.” said Raghu Mohan, CEO, and Co-Founder, IBC Media.

The seven startups that were shortlisted for the final pitching on the Demo Day include Hypermine, Drife, Pontis, QuillTrace, Murmur, GoFinito and ESG Robo. The final three blockchain startups that successfully secured funding offers and mentoring support from the AE Ventures and IBC Media teams are:

Hypersign by Hypermine

Hypermine is a Bangalore-based startup that provides a decentralized identity management solution enabled with a single-sign-on. In its essence, Hypermine uses the underlying protocol to validate a digital signature produced by a standard blockchain algorithm in a mobile device using authentication service which is a smart-contract deployed on a blockchain. It does not rely on a central authority; it, therefore, provides a completely decentralized environment for identity management.

Hypermine envisions a world where privacy is a fundamental right, where people are given true ownership of their data.

Pontis

Pontis is a DeFi solution for centralized exchanges built by a two-member team based out of Bangalore, Karnataka. The value proposition of Pontis lies in its ability to aggregate the best tools in DeFi and integrate them with the exchanges, providing a single gateway for engaging with all of them, comparing their rates and switching between them. This is built as a cross-platform plug-n-play model that is a B2B product for enterprises.

Drife

Set to disrupt the ride-hailing industry, Drife is building the taxi 3.0 with blockchain technology. Drife is a Bangalore-based startup, it aims at empowering both the driver and the rider’s community. Drife is developed with the intention of solving the current concerns in the drivers’ community, alongside enhancing the quality of rides for the customer.

This is a one-person-show that is enabled to disrupt the ride-hailing industry. The platform deals with a whole new economic model and will incentivize all the value creators equally. Drife in no way undermines the need to circumvent the obstacles of a bureaucratic world; however, in its own way, this app creates an organic system for the ride-hailing industry to thrive well on the internet.

More Than Half of Indians Not Leveraging Technology for Home and Digital Safety

India has made various advances through technology to ensure the overall safety of the country. However, when it comes to leveraging technology for improving home and digital safety, more than half of the people in the country are not leveraging technology to its fullest, highlights Godrej Locks Har Ghar Surakshit report, conducted by Research Now. Through this survey, Godrej Locks took a deep dive into the use of technology by people against home safety threats like robberies, thefts, burglary and digital safety threats like phishing, data theft, credit/debit card fraud, among others.

In India, people are aware of technology and its benefits, but are not making optimum use of it for their safety.  As per Godrej Locks ‘Har Ghar Surakshit’ report, while 89% Indians prefer high-tech home safety solutions like digital locks, yet 61% don’t want to upgrade to these solutions for homes. When it comes to digital safety, 51% Indians don't use a reputed anti-virus for computers. 51% Indians don't read security features of their online accounts, thus making them vulnerable to digital threats.

People use technology for other aspects of daily life. Yet, when technology is offered to them in home safety solutions like digital locks, the adoption remains low. Surprisingly, the research also suggests that for 69% Indians, cost of high-tech home safety solutions is also not a hindrance when buying them for homes. 57% even prefer technology while investing in home safety solutions. This indicates a resistance to use technology for home safety persist in spite of affordability and willingness.  It further highlights that 60% Indians are more concerned about home safety than digital safety. However, with 62% not prepared to handle cyber threats, they need to upgrade their digital safety levels as well.

A further deep dive into regions across India to check their adoption of technology to ensure home safety showed that 67% people residing in the West region, 62% in the North, 57% people in the South and 54% people in the East region, do not want to upgrade to high-tech safety solutions for homes. In today’s times, with an ever-rising cases of home intrusion and cyber-crime, a shift is required to get technology awareness into action, for improving both home and digital safety.

B.PAC Survey - Safer Public Transport Systems Post-COVID-19 Lock Down in Bengaluru City

Now that the lock down is in its final stage, life in the post-COVID19 era seems to be very different as this pandemic has brought in many changes in our way of life and habits and soon with they way we travel too.

Imagining ourselves traveling using public transport is a matter of great concern. Crowded buses, long queues, confined space with limited ventilation, no access control to identify potentially sick persons and many common surfaces to touch (ticket machines, handrails, etc) are worrisome.

Hence we are doing the survey to understand what precautionary measures undertaken by public transport operators (BMTC/BMRCL/KSRTC/SWR) would make Bengalureans to consider public transport as a safe mobility option.

Please spare a minute to respond to the survey. Click to respond to the Survey

Survey ends on Tuesday 12th May.

Hero Motocorp Swiftly Resumes Retail Business Across India with Strict Safety Guidelines

Details

* OVER 1500 RETAIL OUTLETS OPENED ALREADY
* RETAIL SALES CROSS 10,000 UNITS SINCE RE-OPENING
* COMMENCES WHOLESALE DISPATCHES FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FY’21
* SHARES RESTART MANUAL WITH DEALERS IN 12 LANGUAGES

Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, has commenced its retail operations with the re-opening of more than 1500 customer touch-points including authorized dealerships and service centers. These outlets contribute to around 30% of the Company’s total domestic retail sales.

10,000 units of motorcycles and scooters have already been sold since the reopening of these customer touch points.

Keeping the safety and wellbeing of everyone as top-most priority, the Company has issued a Restart Manual to all its Dealerships, Service Centers and Parts distributors.

Hero MotoCorp also commenced vehicle dispatches from its manufacturing facilities for the current fiscal year (FY’21) on Thursday, May 7. All of Hero MotoCorp’s manufacturing facilities across the globe had halted operations since March 22 as a precautionary preventive measure against COVID-19.

On May 4, Hero MotoCorp became the first two-wheeler manufacturer in the country to resume operations after it reopened three of its manufacturing plants at Dharuhera and Gurgaon in Haryana and Haridwar in Uttarakhand.

In addition to sharing the restart manuals with dealer partners and parts distributors, Hero MotoCorp has also conducted intense training programs though webinars reaching to 700 internal sales, after-sales employees and over 7000 customer touch-points, already.

Besides English and Hindi, the Company has released the restart manuals in 10 regional languages, which have proven immensely helpful in rural and interior areas. The manuals have a lot of visuals that accurately yet simplistically convey all crucial aspects to be followed. It is also providing guidance on the acquisition of key safety materials such as masks, gloves, sanitizers, disinfectants, and other equipment to the dealers.

The elaborate restart manuals cover the whole breadth of activities for restarting operations, from pre-opening preparations to monitoring & operating protocols post restart. The manuals provide guidance on –

* Deep cleaning
* Fumigation
* Safety marking of the channel point
* Rearrangements at the channel point to ensure social distancing
* Seating, washroom, work-station, equipment hygiene
* Staggered break times, staff/ customer entry protocols, use of PPEs
* Encouraging digital payments, careful handling of documents/credit cards/cash
* Staff training, entry protocols, social distancing, customer entry protocols
* Use of PPEs such as masks, gloves

The manuals also cover various other aspects like Pre-delivery inspection (PDI), delivery norms, home delivery, pre-booking to avoid customer rush, social distancing protocol in workshop, hygiene/care of tools, vehicle pick-up and drop protocols, and creation of waiting areas.

Hero MotoCorp had recently also shared similar Safety Manuals with its employees as operations commenced at its three manufacturing facilities. The Manuals for operations employees focused on safety and hygiene measures to be followed within plant premises. The Company is maintaining strict procedures to ensure hygienic workplaces by ensuring measures such as thorough sanitization of all workplaces regularly, sanitization of buses, shuttles and other official vehicles after each trip, deep cleaning and sanitization before daily shift commencement.    

FAIFA Appeals for Urgent Rescue Package for Tobacco Farmers as Crop Worth Rs 4400 Crores Lying Unsold in Fields

Details

* Demand immediate resumption of auction for nearly 130 Million Kgs of Flue Cured Tobacco worth Rs. 1700 Crores under prolonged storage; estimated loss of Rs 200 crore to farmers due to deterioration in quality
* More than 330 millions kgs worth Rs 2700 crores of tobacco lying in the open sky in Gujarat as  famers fail to sell the produce
* Appeals to the Government to immediately sanction a compensation amount of Rs 25,000 to each registered tobacco grower for their survival and re-schedulement of crop loans
* Failure to revive demand results in significant price drop in Auctions & loss of farmer income, with devastating impact on livelihoods of small and marginal farmers in the drought prone and degraded tracts of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh majorly depending on income from tobacco crops
* Appeals for temporary reduction of taxes on cigarettes as FCV tobacco demand has drastically fallen under prolonged lockdowns

Federation of All India Farmer Associations (FAIFA), a non-profit organization representing the cause of millions of farmers and farm workers of commercial crops across the States of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat etc. today appealed to the Government of India to save their livelihoods in the present pandemic as the demand for the crop has weakened due to declining volumes of cigarettes and other tobacco products as a result of prolonged lockdowns.

FCV tobacco farming community is undergoing severe stress to sell their harvest and also to cope up with mounting labor and infrastructure charges due to interruption to auctions due to the lockdown. Nearly 130 Million Kgs of Flue Cured Tobacco worth over Rs. 1700 crores is waiting to be sold as the tobacco auctions are moving at snail’s pace, causing quality loss under prolonged storage.

The Gujarat famers, whose tobacco produce is used in the making of bidi’s and other tobacco products are also struggling for their livelihoods. More than 330 million kgs of tobacco worth Rs 2700 crore is lying in the open fields as the traders are not ready to pick-up the produce because government has banned the sale of tobacco products. The rains are expected in coming days and if the government will not start the sale of tobacco products both traders and farmers will go bankrupt. In Gujarat, tobacco is produced in several districts such as Anand, Kheda, Vadodara, Panchmahal, Banaskantha, and Sabarkantha etc.

The farmers have also appealed for reducing taxation on cigarettes to pre-GST levels so that demand can be restored for the domestic legal cigarette industry which is already reeling under penal taxation on account of continuous increases in excise duties and compensation cess. Adding to the existing woes of tobacco farmers, the Indian Government has also removed tobacco export incentives, making India a less competitor in the Global market, whereas other countries like Zimbabwe, Malawi, etc are encouraging the tobacco farmers by providing incentives and subsidies.

The tobacco auctions for the winter FCV cultivation usually starts in March and farmers got an average price of Rs 121.53 per kg for the Andhra Pradesh crop sold in 2019. This year, the demand has been very weak from the traders and manufacturers due to rising inventory of cigarettes in the market during the lockdown and delay in export shipments. More than 95% crop is waiting in barns to be sold and FCV tobacco farming community of Andhra Pradesh is estimating a loss is excess of Rs 200 crores because of quality deterioration and weight loss.

Mr. Javare Gowda, President, Federation of All India Farmer Associations (FAIFA), said, “We request the government to immediately start the auctions in all the Tobacco Auction platforms. The Government should also direct the Tobacco Board and other concerned officials to coordinate with FCV Tobacco Manufacturers, exporters and traders to facilitate reasonable prices (Pre-Covid market prices) for FCV tobacco produce at the auctions in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.”

“As FCV tobacco farmers' are undergoing severe financial crisis, we request the Government of India to immediately sanction a compensation amount of Rs 25,000 each to all registered FCV tobacco growers for their very survival.”

“Failure to bail out the current duress for tobacco farmers will force many of them into debt trap which will virtually kill the ecosystem comprising of marginal farmers, workers, and people employed in handling and transportation activities while pushing the farmers to extreme measures”, he further added.

Mr. Murali Babu, General Secretary, Federation of All India Farmer Associations (FAIFA), said, “We request Smt. Nirmala Sithraman, Hon’ble Finance Minister, Government of India to intervene with Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the State Level Bankers’ Committee to reschedule the crop loans for next 2-3 seasons and allow the farmers' to repay the loan amounts in splits of 30% each per season while continuing the sanction of the regular seasonal loans. The decision will benefit millions of FCV tobacco farmers, their families and workers dependent of the industry, as they are already staring at burden of huge interests of non-institutionalized loans.”

FAIFA has also demanded for a comprehensive FCV Tobacco Production plan for 2020-21.  Tobacco Board should make more efforts to promote Indian exports studying opportunities arising out of COVID 19. Based on the current International trends, it is essential to be prepared with an action plan for the next season by assessing domestic/export market trends considering actual Traders indents.

In this backdrop, with folded hands, we request the Government of India to implement our request and “Protect our Livelihood”.