Ken42 Launches the StartNXT Ideathon for Students to have a Chance to Walk Away with Rs 6 Cr Funding

Bengaluru-based startup Ken42, India’s superapp edtech platform, has announced the launch of their annual StartNXT Ideathon programme for college and university students across the country. Backed by Turbostart, Ken42 has kickstarted this programme to facilitate innovation and entrepreneurship in India, where the Top 3 winners will receive funding upto Rs 2 crores each, along with internship opportunities with leading startups and firms. Candidates will also receive one-on-one mentorship by industry stalwarts including Turbostart advisories like:

1. Ullas Kamath, Joint MD Jyothy Laboratories;

2. G S Krishnan, Former Regional President/ MD Novozymes;

3. Nirankar Saxena, Hon Deputy Secretary General, FICCI;

4. Shiv Kumar Janardhanan, Strategic Investor and Former CEO of Essilor Group;

5. Natarajan Ranganathan, Co-Founder, Foundation Partners LLP;

6. Aniruddha Ganguly, Former Executive Director of the GMR Group;

7. Vivek Mansingh, General Partner YourNest VC Fund;

8. Venkat Raju, Angel Investor & Silicon Valley Entrepreneur;

9. Sunil Bhumralkar, Former Partner Ernst & Young;

The future is about encouraging students to be ingenious, stemming from their passions, capacity for innovation, awareness and sense of responsibility to shape the world for the better. Through the Ideathon programme, Ken42 aims to provide a solid impetus to all students- the company has announced that it will be giving away up to Rs 10 lakh each in prize money to the runners-up as well.

Talking about the acceleration program, Ganesh Raju, Founder and CEO, Ken42 said “Evidently, the process of funding for upcoming ventures has run dry over the past couple of months owing to the global pandemic. We have observed several startups struggling to keep their head above the water, let alone students who have to put an indefinite halt to the launch of their entrepreneurial journey. In the age of acceleration, young innovators can use their diverse perspectives while harnessing technology to create innovative applications that lead to a better society for all. Hence, it is imperative to provide them with a recognised platform to turn their ideas into businesses. This was our core motive behind launching the StartNXT Ideathon during testing times like these. Ken42 welcomes all students from all universities across the country to participate in the Ideathon, providing an impetus to be future-ready and bring in a wave of new-age startups in India.” The Ideathon will be conducted in association with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) with support from multiple corporate giants.

The first leg of the programme begins with identifying problem statements and goes on to enable candidates to deliver integrated business plans to achieve tangible outcomes by applying innovation in ways that add value. Throughout the course of the 6-month Ideathon, students will be presenting pitch decks and business plans to a jury panel comprising leaders from the academic, corporate, investor and entrepreneur community.

During the course of the programme, students will also have access to one-on-one mentor sessions with noteworthy Turbostart advisories where they will receive guidance from industry experts, along with resources, operational support as well as networking opportunities.

The core purpose behind the Ideathon is to aid learners and students dwell into their creativity, provide them with a prominent platform to build upon their ideas, and in turn cultivate successfully-running businesses as well as entrepreneurs.

Registrations for the Ideathon are open from 6th July till 31st August 2020.

Trend Micro Finds 72% of Remote Workers Have Gained Cybersecurity Awareness During Lockdown

Trend Micro Incorporated, a global leader in cybersecurity solutions, today released survey results that show how remote workers address cybersecurity. Nearly three quarters (72%) of remote workers say they are more conscious of their organisation’s cybersecurity policies since lockdown began, but many are breaking the rules anyway due to limited understanding or resource constraints.

Trend Micro’s Head in the Clouds study is distilled from interviews with 13,200 remote workers across 27 countries on their attitudes towards corporate cybersecurity and IT policies. It reveals that there has never been a better time for companies to take advantage of heightened employee cybersecurity awareness. The survey reveals that the approach businesses take to training is critical to ensure secure practices are being followed.

In India, the results indicate a high level of security awareness, with 84% of respondents claiming they take instructions from their IT team seriously, and 83% agree that cybersecurity within their organisation is partly their responsibility. Additionally, 67% acknowledge that using non-work applications on a corporate device is a security risk.

However, just because most people understand the risks does not mean they stick to the rules.

For example:

44% of employees admit to using a non-work application on a corporate device, and 46% of them have actually uploaded corporate data to that application.

83% of respondents confess to using their work laptop for personal browsing, and only 45% of them fully restrict the sites they visit.

42% of respondents say they often or always access corporate data from a personal device – almost certainly breaking corporate security policy.

14% of respondents admit to watching / accessing porn on their work laptop, and 14% access the dark web.

Productivity still wins out over protection for many users. 52% of respondents agree that they do not give much thought to whether the apps they use are sanctioned by IT or not, as they just want the job done. Additionally, 44% think they can get away with using a non-work application, as the solutions provided by their company are ‘nonsense.’

Dr Linda K. Kaye, Cyberpsychology Academic at Edge Hill University explains: “There are a great number of individual differences across the workforce. This can include individual employee’s values, accountability within their organisation, as well as aspects of their personality, all of which are important factors which drive people’s behaviours. To develop more effective cybersecurity training and practices, more attention should be paid to these factors. This, in turn, can help organisations adopt more tailored or bespoke cybersecurity training with their employees, which may be more effective.”

Nilesh Jain, Vice President, Southeast Asia and India, Trend Micro, said, “It’s really heartening to see that so many people take the advice from their corporate IT team seriously, although you have to wonder about the 16% who don’t. At the same time those people also accept their own role in the human firewall of any organisation. The problem area seems to be translating that awareness into concrete behaviour. To reinforce this, organisations to take into account the diversity across the organisation and tailor training to identify and address these distinct behavioural groups. The time to do this is now, to take advantage of the new working environment and people’s newfound recognition of the importance of information security.”

The Head in the Clouds study looks into the psychology of people’s behaviour in terms of cybersecurity, including their attitudes towards risk. It presents several common information security “personas” with the aim of helping organisations tailor their cybersecurity strategy in the right way for the right employee.

YES Bank Unlocks Full Service Digital Savings Account; Introduces Video KYC Facility

Video KYC Facility

* Now consumers can open an account digitally through e-KYC, video verification and get a virtual Debit card – digital is with you all the way

* Higher Interest Rates

YES Bank announced the launch of a full service digital Savings Account in its endeavour to bring the Bank closer to citizens while ensuring physical distancing, thereby eliminating the need for a branch visit, physical documentation or any in-person interaction, in line with the Bank’s commitment to support citizens and communities while the country starts unlocking in phases. With this launch, the Bank aims to embrace inclusivity by widening its reach to cater to a diverse customer base, especially in tier 1 and tier 2 cities, in line with the Bank’s strategy of building a transformed ‘Digital Bank’.

Offering a completely contactless and paperless account opening experience, YES Bank’s digital savings account comes with a virtual Debit Card, unlocking over 100 features on mobile through YES Mobile and web including transactions, fund transfers and online shopping using the virtual Debit Card.  All that a customer needs to do is initiate an e-KYC by clicking on the link, 

https://www.yesbank.in/personal-banking/yes-individual/savings-account/digital-savings-account, enter mobile number, Aadhaar OTP and PAN card details in the online form, followed by a video KYC.

Key features of Digital Savings account

·         Digital Account opening using Aadhaar card

·         Virtual Debit card which can be used for online transactions

·         Free NEFT, RTGS and UPI facility

·         Mobile banking, Net banking and Phone banking facilities

·         Instant beneficiary and biller registration

·         Avail offers on Debit Card and earn reward points for Digital Savings Account

·         Higher interest rate of 6% p.a*

·         Average monthly balance of INR 10,000 for savings account

·         Zero average monthly balance for Corporate salary accounts

Commenting on the launch, Rajan Pental, Global Retail Head, YES BANK, said “The world as we know it has transformed, wherein we are now adjusting to a new way of life, a new world which has brought us socially even closer while we continue to remain physically distant. The connecting factor binding us all is digital – video calls with family & friends, virtual workouts, e-learning and working from home, among others. Leveraging on YES BANK’s strong technology capabilities along with a higher interest rate, we are geared to serve customers in this new world with a digital solution that brings the Bank to them wherever they are, right at their fingertips.”

Ormax - Momspresso Launches Report That Decodes The New Age Digital Moms Of India

* ‘A Definitive Guide to New Age Digital Moms of India 2020’ is a comprehensive study covering 21+ metros& non-metros, 2100+ online surveys and 270+ hours of consumer interactions & expert interviews

* Rise of Nuclearisation: With a highly nuclearized lifestyle, a majority of moms are exploring & finding their own way by turning towards social media for answers

* Social Media Se PuchteHain: 47% of moms trust online reviews & platforms like parenting websites/ blogs for kids’ clothes and accessories  while 42% rely on online resources for baby care products

* Hi, Hello Ya Namaste: 52% of moms consume online content in Hindi while 34% consume English language content

* The Warrior Mom During Lockdown: 81% of moms are concerned about their child’s immunity while 71% of them are looking for ways to keep their kids engaged

* A series of discussions will  be hosted as part of the launch, the first of which is the CMO’s Roundtable on ‘New Age Digital Moms– what brands need to know’

Ormax Consultants, India’s foremost consumer understanding company and Momspresso.com, India's largest platform for moms, jointly launched the much-awaited report, ‘A Definitive Guide to New Age Digital Moms of India 2020’. The report gleans insights into the changing face of motherhood in an increasingly nuclearized and digital world and a modern approach to childcare. It also touches upon ongoing trends such as the rise of mompreneurs and the impact of COVID-19 on mothers.

According to the report, even while living in a joint families, mums are experiencing physical and mental nuclearization of families, which has led to the evolution of their approach to parenting. Today, mums rely more than ever before on social media for parenting tips, tricks, and advice instead of family members. This bears out in the fact that a high percentage of mums turn to online websites and portals to discuss crucial aspects, read/watch reviews for kids’ clothes & accessories (47%), babycare products (42%),academics (41%), extra-curricular activities (21%) and food and nutrition (17%).

With the country under lockdown due to the outbreak of COVID-19, moms have taken the responsibility of being the ultimate shield for their kids – building kids’ immunity (81%) & keeping a check on their nutrition intake (73%) on one hand, and keeping them engaged in some activities at home (71%) on the other.

PrashantSinha, Co-Founder & COO, Momspresso adds, “At Momspresso, we believe that no one understands Moms the way we do, due to the volume of content that is created, consumed and engaged with, on our platform. The study reflects that in-depth understanding and is a definitive guide to the new age digital mom – not only in her ever-evolving role as a mother but also her multifaceted journey as a woman. This comprehensive report covering Bharat moms, not only in tier 1 but also tier 2 and tier 3 cities, is going to be an essential tool for all brands to leverage.”

Interestingly, the study has revealed that modern mums are relinquishing control when it comes to parenting, moving past the dated ‘my way or the highway’ approach. Instead of being in the driver’s seat, new-age mums are adopting a more balanced parenting style. They believe that they stand to learn from kids as much as they can teach them.

The steady growth of vernacular content has also been covered by the in-depth report with Hindi emerging as the language of choice for a majority of mums. 65% of the respondents stated that they prefer watching television content in Hindi while 52% of moms consume internet content in Hindi.

Commenting on the launch, Priya Lobo, CEO of Ormax Compass, said, “The title, “A Definitive Guide to New Age Digital Moms of India 2020”, is about digging deep to understand a mother from different perspectives. Ormax has been at the forefront of consumer understanding and behavior for over 35 years, and nothing gives me more pleasure than bringing the voices of mothers to the forefront. Over the years, the role of mothers and motherhood has been changing drastically, and today, more than ever, moms depend on digital platforms to raise their children. This 'over-dependence' on social media as the source of information is creating newer levels of confusion on how mothers should really raise their children - the best practices, is it good enough? The experiences of these mothers have stirred me. Having just been on this journey and concluding this report, I already look forward to the next exciting one.”

The report is a result of a knowledge collaboration between Ormax and Momspresso, both accomplished names in their respective industries. At its core, the report prides itself on being the ultimate authority on ‘Digital Moms of India’ at a day and age where most decisions pertaining to motherhood and childcare are made using technology. The study is a pan India research conducted through 2100+ online surveys with 270+ hours of consumer interactions. It covered 21+ metros and non-metros, including a wide scope of mothers and children from working and non-working, nuclear, and joint families across SECs. 

As a part of the launch of Momspresso-Ormax study, the brand is hosting a series of discussions, the first of which is the CMO’s Roundtable on ‘New Age Digital Moms – what brands need to know’ moderated by Ms. ParulOhri, Founding Member & Chief Editor Momspresso and Ms. Priya Lobo, CEO Ormax Compass. This session will bring together top-level CMOs who are Moms from across industries to share their perspectives on the findings of the study.

About Ormax Consultants:

Ormax Consultants is India’s foremost qualitative research company. Established 35 years ago, Ormax has been a leader in providing consumer understanding and market insights across categories. Ormax Compass, an integral part of the Group, focuses on supporting brands in understanding consumer psychology and keeping humans in the equation. Today, Ormax uses its rich, diverse experience of deep human understanding to support companies in generating business growth and mitigating market challenges through its products and services.  

About Momspresso:

Momspresso.com is India’s largest user-generated content platform for women. The finely-brewed content on Momspresso.com  offers support to moms across the country, not just in their journeys as parents but also in their lives as wives, daughters, and – most importantly – as women! Launched in 2010, Momspresso.com  is based out of Gurgaon, Haryana. The platform attracts users and bloggers to create content on subjects as diverse as conception, pregnancy and baby care, teenage and adolescent issues, beauty, fashion, healthcare, and travel. Momspresso.com  users can quickly set up their own blog and express themselves to like-minded mothers in 10 different languages including English, Hindi, Gujarati, Bengali, Marathi, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Punjabi and Kannada. The brand has now extended its commitment to empowering Moms financially, with the introduction of MyMoney, a simple way to make money by participating in campaigns by brands they love and use.   

Godrej Security Solutions Launches UV Case; Expands Health Security Portfolio in India

Godrej Security Solutions (GSS), the leading player in future technology of security solutions, announced its venture into the health security segment with the COVID Defence Security Range of products in May. To meet the growing demand for products in the health security space, Godrej has launched ‘UV Case’ and expanded its health security segment.  The  portfolio address the issue of sanitising daily objects, equipment and surfaces that come in contact with several people before entering a premise.

The newly launched UV Case from Godrej Security Solutions uses the UV-C light disinfection technology that helps to create a multiple barrier approach to reducing the transmission of the virus and germs based on current disinfection data and empirical evidence. Worldwide, UV-C Sterilization is the most established scientific method for dry killing more than 65 families of pathogens, viruses and bacteria, including SARS-CoV-1.

Commenting on the launch Mehernosh Pithawalla, Vice President, Godrej Security Solutions said, “Studies show that UV-C light has been used extensively for more than 40 years in disinfecting drinking water, wastewater, air, pharmaceutical products, and surfaces against a whole suite of human pathogens. Today, health security has become a priority for everyone. There is an increased need for a product post-COVID-19 that would sanitise anything that has been brought home from external environments. The Godrej UV Case meets this need; it disinfects and decontaminates almost everything used by an individual daily from mobiles, masks, newspaper, clothes, accessories, books, bags and many other innumerable articles. It will also be helpful for the healthcare sector for sanitisation of PPEs kits. As a market leader, it was incumbent on us to launch a product only after rigorous internal and external testing before it could reach consumers. With the UV Case, we move one step closer to achieving our mission of making the world a safer and healthier place.”

Mehernosh added, “Godrej Security Solution estimates the total addressable health security and safety market for FY-2021 in the country is around INR 200 Crore. We seek to capture at least 20% share of the addressable market. Homes, work-places of the future, as well as many industries, will have to ensure minimum human interference and combat spread of infectious diseases through surface contact. The product enables homeowners and commercial establishments to sanitise their daily-use items like watches, wallets, keys, mobiles, clothes, parcels, among others. Stationery, medical equipment, and salon products can be disinfected in the case to protect and sanitise them before use. Shop owners can disinfect their items for sale before and after customers have had a touch and feel of the same.”

The sanitisation process of the UV Case is a chemical-free case that helps to kill 99.9% viruses and sanitises everything from cash, jewellery, mobile phones to masks, and PPE Kits. The new product has found industry-wide applications in Hospitality, Healthcare, Leisure, Retail, and Homes. The UV Case comes in 3 sizes – 15L, 30L and 54L which gives consumer maximum usable volume ranging for home use to industrial use starting at INR 8,999. Currently available across stores from GSS and will be available on their e-commerce website (shop.godrejsecure.com).

Hindware Appliances Launches New Range - Ripple series and Alexio series of Auto-Clean Chimneys on Flipkart

Somany Home Innovation Limited, makers of ‘Hindware Appliances’ and one of the top three players in the kitchen appliances segment in India, has launched another futuristic range of auto-clean chimneys ‘Ripple Series’ and ‘Alexio Series’, on Flipkart, India’s homegrown e-commerce marketplace. The latest range of appliances offers advantages like advance level filtration, high suction speed and motion-sensing among others. On the pricing, the Ripple Series has two variants Ripple SS and Ripple Black which are priced between INR 24,990 and INR 26,990. The Alexio Series has one model and is priced at INR 22,990. These products will be available on Flipkart,  which is celebrating “The Grand Kitchen Sale” from July 1 to July 6, 2020.

Amidst the ongoing disruption in the retail industry, virtual is the new way for brands to stay connected with their customers. Therefore, Hindware Appliances has joined forces with Flipkart to strengthen its e-retail business and consistently bring their new offerings to their customers. Both the Ripple Series and Alexio Series auto-clean chimneys offer filter-less technology, max.  suction of 1200 m3/hr, thermal auto-clean, and energy-efficient LED lamp. The Ripple Series comes in two sizes – 600 mm and 900 mm and are equipped with motion sensors for ease of use and metallic blower. The Alexio Series also offers 3-speed touch control and a metallic oil collector. 

Mr. Rakesh Kaul, CEO and Whole Time Director, Somany Home Innovation Limited said, “As we continue to work in the new normal, at Hindware Appliances, our top priority is to enrich our consumer’s lifestyle and ‘give more power in the hands of consumers’. The new range of kitchen chimneys ‘Ripple series’ and Alexio series’ are designed to simplify lives with smart automation while offering industry-best features. Through our strategic association with Flipkart, we will continue to offer our consumer the widest and new generation range of appliances thereby enabling enhanced delight for our consumers.”

Hari G. Kumar, Senior Director at Large Appliances, Flipkart said, “As a homegrown e-commerce marketplace, Flipkart is committed to effectively cater to consumers’ changing requirements by working with ecosystem partners to expand our selection. While the demand for smart kitchen appliances have been on the rise since the past few years, the present COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated their adoption and Flipkart is pleased to partner Hindware to offer millions of our consumers an expanded selection of the best-in-class kitchen appliances across all the serviceable pincodes. We are also making our selection more accessible and affordable through our various payment constructs such as No Cost EMI to make our consumers lives and time in the kitchen simpler and quicker."  

Somany Home Innovation is India’s fastest growing appliances company in the consumer appliances segment with a CAGR of 42%. The kitchen appliance segment is rating in major revenue for the overall brand portfolio. Being the No.1 brand in Kitchen Chimney’s online sales with a market share of 52%, Hindware has registered a growth of over 232% in Kitchen Chimney sales on Flipkart from 2017 onwards and overall Hindware appliances has a CAGR of 124% on Flipkart.

Apart from these, Hindware Appliances has a range of state-of-the-art water heaters, air coolers, water purifiers and fans available on Flipkart. In a span of just 2 years, Hindware’s water purifiers category has grown by 72% at Flipkart, with Calisto Water Purifier, leading the growth. Hindware Water heaters on the other hand has a CAGR growth of 141% in the last 4 years while Hindware Air coolers has grown at a CAGR of 132% for the past 3 years on Flipkart. 

Hindware Appliances is one of the fastest-growing consumer products in the country ranging from water heaters and water purifiers to air coolers, air purifiers, extractor fans, and kitchen appliances, which are all relevant in the modern consumer lifestyle of today, with each contributing to make better homes a reality in India. Currently, Somany Home Innovation Limited (SHIL) has a network of over 9,250+ retail outlets, 700+ distributor partners and our network of more than 800 modern retail stores across India. Recently, the company expanded its product category into IoT enabled appliances across water purifiers, water heaters and chimneys. 

SBI General Insurance Unveils New Brand Identity with Redesigned Logo and Tagline

New Logo & Tagline

* Cues the digitized and future- ready service approach

* Marks SBIG 2.0 Version, a new milestone post a decade long journey

* Appeals to masses and reinforces trust and security in SBIG

 

SBI General Insurance (SBIG) today announced the launch of its new corporate brand identity with redesigned logo and the tagline ‘Suraksha aur Bharosa dono’. Digitization has been always at core at SBIG, hence, at this stage the company has amalgamated focus and strategy in the new brand identity, with a swipe-able and fresh-looking logo.

The new purple colour logo conveys SBIG’s future readiness with services to its customers consisting traditionalists and modernists across India. The traditionalist customers are those who value trust, loyalty, value for money and integrity, whereas modernist look for flexibility and future readiness. Purple colour denotes youthfulness, wisdom and devotion.

Shri Dinesh Kumar Khara, Managing Director Global Banking & Subsidiaries, State Bank of India said, “SBI has always strived to ensure that our business is more than just banking as we touch the lives of people across India in many ways. Our commitment to nation building is complete and comprehensive.

With the new brand identity, we are delighted that SBI General is reinventing, and while contributing in insuring the nation, it is taking forward our legacy of trust. We are sure with enhanced digital capabilities, it is better positioned to serve its patrons and continue to provide positive and better customer experience.”

Pushan Mahapatra, MD & CEO, SBI General Insurance said, “We take pride in having the parentage of SBI, and indeed, it is our privilege to carry forward the strong legacy of trust and security.

The insurance category in India is riddled with fear and insecurity. To address this well and live up to our brand that resonates with “trust”, we have derived the tagline - Security and Trust, both which in Hindi reads as – Suraksha and Bharosa, Dono.”

He added, “We are honoured with the faith that our customers have shown in us. With our new logo, we reinstate and reassure them that we are ready to serve their growing needs of services with new-age processes and services.”

In a decade long journey, SBIG has crossed multiple milestones like fastest company to cross Gross Written Premium of Rs.1000 crores in its 4th year, top private insurer to enter the industry post de-tariffication in Jan 2007, broke even and reported profits consistently since FY18, and from 17 branches in 2011. Over a decade, SBI General has been increasing its reach with 120+ branches & 253 locations pan-India. Its strong distribution partners add up to its reach to every nook and corner of India, with SBI’s over 22000 branch network, other financial and digital partners.

While having the strong foundation of these milestones, with new identity, SBI General Insurance has taken next step in the journey to become the first choice for every Indian’s general insurance needs.