VMLY&R India And Startup Réseau Kick-Off Meet The Makers, A Bootcamp For The Brightest Entrepreneurs In India

Global brand and customer experience agency VMLY&R, and Startup Réseau, a start-up ecosystem facilitator announced the launch of a virtual 30-Day Bootcamp program for emerging tech startups working in MediaTech.

The bootcamp, entitled Meet the Makers, will provide high-potential, emerging tech startups with insights and resources from VMLY&R’s senior leadership, including access to VMLY&R’s suite of tools, the agency’s global operation, and eventually, partners, clients and Fortune 500 companies. For start-ups, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime. For the agency, it’s a chance to innovate with some of the freshest minds in India building solutions to change the future.

To kick things off, Meet the Makers is looking for start-ups that have innovated in the AdTech, MarTech, AR/VR/MR, Immersive Technologies, Gaming, Data Aggregation or Content & Publishing domains. Start-ups who fit the bill are then selected for 30 days of hands-on mentorship by industry experts, offering a chance at a network of Fortune 500 clients, partners, and mentors.

The selected entrepreneurs will be mentored by VMLY&R’s experts in product innovation, UI/UX, brand + technology convergence and much more. They will also get to collaborate with a global media agency, impressive peers and become part of an alumni network over a period of time.

Commenting on the launch of Meet the Makers, Anil Nair, CEO, VMLY&R India said, “The pandemic has required businesses to be nimble in their plans and purpose, and the mantra 'innovate or die' has never been more relevant. The crisis highlights how important it is to match digital capabilities and products with agility and seamless integration, with an equal focus placed on continuity, scale, and scope. Meet the Makers is an effort to help startups realize their potential, grow and stabilize, which simultaneously helping create connected brands that live in their consumers' lives through innovative solutions. We’re thrilled to be facilitating this connection and look forward to more seasons to come.”

"We are pleased to partner with VML Y&R to co-create a 30-Day bootcamp program for emerging tech startups in the MediaTech domain.  The objective of this MediaTech Bootcamp is to help high-potential mediatech startups with insights and resources from a “creative capital” perspective, and access to an industry network of Fortune500 clients and partners of VML Y&R. Selected entrepreneurs will learn about product innovation, UI/UX, Digital & mobile marketing, brand + technology convergence and more. We believe that the practitioners insights will enable the selected entrepreneurs in creating massive new opportunities in a growing market." - Sweta Tiwari, Co-Founder & COO, Startup Réseau.

About VMLY&R

VMLY&R is a global brand and customer experience agency that harnesses creativity, technology, and culture to create connected brands. Made up of more than 11,000 employees worldwide, the agency has principal offices in Kansas City, New York, Detroit, London, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore and Sydney. VMLY&R India works with client partners including Colgate Palmolive, Marico, Ford, ICICI Bank, Kraft Heinz, Future Group, PepsiCo, Abbott Pharma, and Swaraj Tractors For more information visit www.vmlyr.com. VMLY&R is a WPP company (NYSE: WPP).

Evergreen Club: A Digital Engagement App Exclusively For Senior Indian Citizens

A new, unique online platform to support the emotional well-being of the elderly 

January, 2021: Nearly 57 million people in India are victims of depression and another 38 million suffer from anxiety disorders, as per a report by the WHO. This number has increased manifold due to the unprecedented pandemic, affecting people of all age groups, especially senior citizens, whose mental health took a drastic hit in the last few months. 

Keeping the emotional well-being of the elderly in mind, Seniority – India’s largest shopping destination for the elderly – launched Evergreen Club, a digital platform exclusively for the senior citizens of the country. The one-of-its-kind offering has been created to help seniors find a renewed sense of belonging by attending a host of exciting events and forming new meaningful connections. https://bit.ly/39Sg15a 

The Evergreen Club is a web and app-based platform where people above the age of 55 years can ‘e-meet’ like-minded people and socialize with them over similar interests. They can also participate in interactive sessions like Antakshari, Tambola, Open Mic, Karaoke, etc. as well as learning-based expert sessions like Gardening, Yoga, Dance Therapy, Crafts, and so on. Besides indulging in fun recreational activities, they can develop creative hobbies and nurture new talents in the comfort of their homes. The platform also allows them to access exclusive content such as blogs and webinars relevant to them.

Play Store Link: https://bit.ly/3o6NGwS 

App Store Link: https://apple.co/2Y1JtQt 

Tapan Mishra, Founder, Seniority, said, “We are in a situation of mental pandemic, because the coronavirus has affected us all, regardless of geographies and socio-economic backgrounds. Since senior citizens have limited choices to entertain themselves, we wanted to do something to maintain their emotional well-being during such challenging times. Evergreen Club is a unique digital platform through which Seniority has taken the initiative of helping them find a sense of purpose and renewed confidence. Our pilot sessions have received an overwhelming response and we are glad to extend this app to all seniors. We will continue to host exciting events and add relevant content on the app, while also enhancing it with more interesting features in the next few months.” 

While the government and social organizations are developing medical and healthcare solutions for elderly in the country, Seniority has been cognizant of their emotional and lifestyle requirements. Evergreen Club is a step in the direction of ensuring a positive and cheerful future for the elderly in the time to come. 

About Seniority:

Seniority, an RPG Group Company, is India’s largest shopping destination for senior citizens. With a thoughtfully curated product portfolio of over 10,000 products ranging from medical and wellness to leisure and lifestyle, the company has served over 6 lac customers as of December 2020. With over 1.5 million monthly visitors on the website, Seniority continues to engage in community building initiatives throughout the country. Its brand ethos ‘Live Evergreen’ clearly reflects its aim of resonating with the seniors of today, who are independent and empowered in their own right. For more details please visit: www.seniority.in

Goldmedal Electricals Launches ‘NiteHawk’, An Innovative LED Bulkhead Light Series

Goldmedal Electricals, the leading home-grown fast moving electrical goods (FMEG) company announces the launch of its innovative LED bulkhead light series: NiteHawk. With this launch, Goldmedal is bringing a new addition to its energy-preserving and ecosystem-friendly lighting solutions suite for contemporary Indian homes and outdoor lighting needs. 

Goldmedal NiteHawk Bulkhead LEDs are smart and automated LED lighting solutions. There are three exclusive variants, each of which have been designed to ensure that there is maximum illumination with minimum energy consumption. The NiteHawk Bulkhead LEDs have been designed, developed, and made in India for the rising public lighting needs of smart cities. All three variants have an IP 65 rating making them dust and water-resistant and therefore ideal for street lighting.

Nitehawk bulkhead 2 Nitehawk bulkhead

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Kishan Jain, Director, Goldmedal Electricals said, “There is an increasing need and demand for energy efficient lighting solutions especially in the current times when the world needs to shift to sustainable products and solutions. Goldmedal NiteHawk LED bulkhead series are innovative lights are extremely durable and their functionality makes them useful for indoor as well as outdoor application. These LED lights have been manufactured in India, in line with the Government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.”

The first in this series includes a basic bulkhead outdoor light. It is is a compact and tough lighting option for outdoor usage. Available in a 20 watt variant with 100 lumens per watt, a 120-degree beam angle, and a colour rendering index of ?0, NiteHawk offers an instant and bright illumination. These are manufactured using tough polycarbonate with an IP 65 rating, making it a perfect lighting solution for gardens, yards, and patios.

The second variant, NiteHawk bulkhead daylight sensor LED, is fitted with an in-built daylight sensor. This intelligent sensor automatically switches on when the surroundings get dark and turns off with the break of a day without the need for any manual intervention. With a switch ON threshold of 12 lux and switch OFF threshold of 35 lux, the light can recognize the intensity of ambient light and carry out necessary functions accordingly. With sufficient ambient light, the sensor switches on the light only when the brightness is less than 12 lux and remains off at other times.  

The final variant is the NiteHawk bulkhead motion sensor (dimming) LED. This unique LED is equipped with motion sensors that automatically light up when it detects a person nearby. The LED glows at 20 watts but automatically dims to 3 watts when there is no one nearby. NiteHawk has an inbuilt motion sensor that is highly sensitive and reliable with a wide detection range that allows for a peripheral reach of more than 10 ft.  In order to avoid false triggering of the sensor, LED bulkhead mounting height can be set to not more than 13 ft with sensor detection up to 12 ft. The NiteHawk gives 2000 lumens at 20 watts and 300 lumens at 3 watts, preventing any excess energy usage. 

The products are available at select retail outlets for a starting price of Rs. 715/-.

The company also recently launched a range of innovative and stylish products including Crimson and Champion LED strip lights, Artio switches, i-Sense Bluetooth player and a Wi-Fi router and extender. Goldmedal offers a wide range of modular switches and accessories, home automation systems, wires and cables, doorbells, PVC pipes, DBs, MCBs and others.

About Goldmedal Electricals

Goldmedal Electricals is a home grown electricals company which was established in the year 1979 with a vision to create electrical switches and accessories that make a positive difference to the lives of consumers. The company today manufactures a vast range of electrical products including various types of Switches, Home automation systems, Security Systems, Entertainment devices, Door bells, Wires, Cables and more for residential buildings as well as commercial establishments.

Even Machines Need Their Greens: Research Work of USC Viterbi School of Engineering On 3-D Printer Ink With Living Material

 *Chloroplast-Fortified 3D-Printer Ink May Strengthen Products Like Custom Sneaker Soles

A tree grows strong from years of generating its own food. Now imagine if products could be strengthened with the same living materials that provide nutrients to strengthen trees. This is the work of USC Viterbi School of Engineering Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Qiming Wang whose research lab is one of the first to infuse 3-D printer ink with living material. The material has potential for greater strength, to be flexible and self-heal. The work is documented in a paper published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The idea for this bio-inspired ink came from trees that harness the power of photosynthesis to produce glucose that transform to cellulose and strengthen the plant’s cell structure. “When trees are young,” says Wang, “they are flexible, when they are mature, they are rigid.”

“The research idea is also inspired by Popeye the Sailor, the animated character who can strengthen his muscles by eating spinach,” says Wang, whose research is focused on bioinspired manufacturing and mechanics of unprecedented materials and structures that can potentially address engineering challenges in infrastructure, energy, robotics, healthcare and the environment.

“Now, we are using scientific innovation to realize our childhood imagination,” says Wang.

The research team behind this study, which includes USC Viterbi Ph.D. students Kunhao Yu and Zhangzhengrong Feng as lead authors along with Professor Nicholas X. Fang of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Professor Chiara Daraio of California Institute of Technology, used a centrifuge to extract chloroplasts from spinach purchased from Trader Joe’s. They blended the spinach chloroplasts with a newly invented 3D-printable polymer ink. Then they used the ink to 3D-print structures. By applying light to the 3-printed structure, they created conditions to generate plant-based glucose which reacts with the polymer to make the material become stronger and stronger.

By applying two to four hours of light and mimicking the power of photosynthesis, the researchers believe this “living material” can self-strengthen to be six times its original strength. What’s more, the strengthening effect induced by the living chloroplasts can be temporarily suspended by freezing the material at 0℃ (the chloroplasts are temporarily slowed down at freezing). Once the temperature returns to room temperature, the strengthening effect can be resumed.

“The material behaves like a snake that hibernates through the winter,” Wang says.

“Such a temporary ‘suspending behavior’ has never been demonstrated in existing engineering materials,” Wang adds.

Yu, a lead author on the paper notes, “This technology with gradient light illumination can create engineering structures with gradient stiffness, which exhibit an exceptional ‘cushioning’ property far beyond that of the homogeneous ones. 

“Another striking finding is that the strengthening effect can be tuned by external force,” said Feng, the paper’s other lead author.

“When you hang a weight on a tree branch, that branch will become much stronger than other branches, a process called “mechanotransduction.”  The same phenomenon happens here.

The team envisions applying photosynthesis to materials to design a custom 3D-printed sneaker sole that molds to one’s foot and has a customized stiffness.

Some plants exhibit a self-healing capability during grafting and wound repairing. According to the researchers, the “living material” infused with chloroplasts in a lab at USC also presents an outstanding self-repairing property. Such a property is induced by the photosynthesis-produced glucose that creates the molecular process of cross-linking (in essence equivalent to creating sutures). Such crack-repairing capability could be applied in boat propellers or even drones. 

This research was funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the National Science Foundation.

About USC Viterbi School of Engineering

Engineering began at the University of Southern California in 1905. Nearly a century later, in 2004, the school was named the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, honoring alumnus Andrew J. Viterbi, inventor of the Viterbi algorithm, a key to cell phone technology and numerous data applications. The school is consistently ranked among the top engineering programs in the world. It enrolls more than 7,000 undergraduate and graduate students, taught by 188 tenured and tenure-track faculty, with more than 90 endowed chairs and professorships. The school offers comprehensive programs in all major areas of engineering, from aerospace and astronautical engineering, to biomedical, chemical, civil and environmental engineering, to computer science and materials science, and to electrical engineering, industrial and systems engineering and mechanical engineering. With annual research expenditures exceeding $207M, the school is home to the Information Science Institute and more than 45 other research centers. Its more than 50,000 alumni span the globe. USC Viterbi is also home to the pioneering distance learning program DEN@Viterbi, ranked as the top such program in the nation the last two years. USC Viterbi is the only engineering school in the nation with three top-10 USNWR rankings: Best Graduate Schools, Best Online Graduate Engineering Programs, and Best Online Information Technology Programs. 

ServiceNow Helps Solve Challenges To Quickly Vaccinate People Against COVID-19

* ServiceNow “Vaccine Administration Management” solution supports President Biden’s aggressive actions to guide U.S. out of the pandemic and “convert vaccines into vaccinations”

* ServiceNow already working with the State of North Carolina and more than 100 organizations, including NHS Scotland, to help vaccinate people at scale

ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW), the leading digital workflow company that makes work, work better for people, today announced new workflow solutions to help organizations get people vaccinated quickly. These solutions address vaccine management challenges at scale by removing logistical barriers to speed up the immunization process. The State of North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and NHS Scotland are among the more than 100 organizations currently working with ServiceNow on their vaccine management efforts.

“Quickly developing effective vaccines was the world’s first challenge, and the scientific achievements have been outstanding,” said Bill McDermott, president and CEO of ServiceNow. “The world must now rise to the second challenge, getting people vaccinated quickly.

“Distributing, administering and monitoring vaccinations is the greatest workflow challenge of our time,” McDermott said. “ServiceNow is proud to help solve the complex logistics, coordination and effective delivery to people that is required. We are harnessing the power of our Now Platform to provide government agencies and others worldwide the scale, speed and flexibility needed. ServiceNow’s Vaccine Administration Management solves the last-mile challenges of keeping people healthy and safe.” 

Despite heroic scientific achievements in developing the COVID-19 vaccine, organizations are trapped in the “last mile” of vaccine management as they lack the processes and infrastructure needed to vaccinate people quickly. The characteristics of the vaccine – limited supply, precise storage conditions, and two-part injection requirements – make its urgent distribution a complex workflow problem.

ServiceNow’s Vaccine Administration Management solution supports President Biden’s goal to deliver 100 million vaccinations in his first 100 days in office, with immediate actions under way by the Biden-Harris administration to “convert vaccines into vaccinations.” For example, in addition to already helping the State of North Carolina, ServiceNow also is working with NHS Scotland, which has developed custom workflow solutions on the Now Platform to support their goal of vaccinating 5.5 million citizens within three months.

Introducing new vaccine management solutions

Disconnected, manual, legacy systems are among the biggest challenges to getting the world vaccinated. To address these problems, organizations are using ServiceNow’s Now Platform as their vaccine management command center. Available today, ServiceNow’s new Vaccine Administration Management solution gives organizations out-of-the box capabilities that allow people to access critical vaccine information, schedule appointments, and receive appointment notifications from vaccine providers.

Vaccine Administration Management is built on ServiceNow Customer Service Management (CSM) and delivers a modern, self-service experience across desktop and mobile devices. The solution connects patient communication with vaccine inventory systems so organizations can easily notify patients when more vaccines are available, schedule appointments, and send reminders.

The State of North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) is relying on ServiceNow’s technology as the foundation for its “command center” for healthcare providers, clinicians administering the vaccine, and supporting NCDHHS staff to access the latest information related to state vaccine requirements and to get their vaccine-related questions answered.

“To help get our more than 10 million North Carolinians vaccinated quickly and efficiently, the State of North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is using the ServiceNow platform to power our COVID Vaccine Management System (CVMS) Help Desk Portal,” said Thomas Parrish, Acting Secretary and State Chief Information Officer for the North Carolina Department of Information Technology. “Leveraging ServiceNow, we also were able to assist NCDHHS in developing a workflow on the CVMS Help Desk Portal that digitizes the process of requesting and securing state approval to transfer vaccines to different locations. What was previously a manual, time-intensive process can now be completed through the portal with a few clicks – ultimately accelerating the immunization process.”

Accelerating the last mile of vaccine management

As millions of people seek vaccinations, organizations are reliant on legacy systems and processes that are not optimized to support massive spikes in usage.  Meanwhile, organizations do not have established processes in place to offer self-service capabilities and proactively schedule appointments that follow the requirements for effectively administering the vaccine.

Using ServiceNow as their vaccine management command center, organizations can connect all of their data and make work flow across their siloed legacy systems, including scheduling, prioritization, and communication. ServiceNow’s digital workflows connect an organizations’ existing technology infrastructure and provide a dashboard to orchestrate the critical elements of the vaccine management process including:

* Distributing vaccines: Track vaccine delivery, manage inventory, and monitor stock levels to support population prioritization.

* Administering vaccines: Schedule vaccine administrators and support staff, track personal protective equipment (PPE), monitor no-shows, and capture feedback. People can communicate with their vaccine provider on the channel of their choice.

* Monitoring vaccine outcomes: Monitor recipient safety, report adverse events, and support safe return to workplace efforts and ongoing public health monitoring.

“What the world needs now is help overcoming unprecedented logistical challenges to get billions of people vaccinated as quickly as possible, which is the goal of this solution,” said Stephen Elliot, Program Vice President, Management Software and DevOps at IDC. “Organizations urgently need workflows that connect siloed legacy systems to speed the immunization process and get the world back to normal.”

Workflowing a healthier future

ServiceNow’s vaccine management solutions are a part of the company’s broader innovation effort to support customers and organizations as they respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. ServiceNow’s Emergency Response Apps help organizations navigate COVID-19 crisis management and have been downloaded by more than 1,800 customers worldwide. ServiceNow’s Safe Workplace suite helps organizations gauge workforce and workplace readiness as they look to safely return employees to the workplace in the new normal. The Safe Workplace suite of apps continue to be innovated bi-monthly; to date, more than 900 organizations globally have downloaded the apps with close to 10,000 unique installations.

The company will introduce additional solutions to support organizations’ last mile vaccination efforts in the coming weeks.

Availability and more information

Vaccine Administration Management is available today on the ServiceNow Store for organizations to begin coordinating vaccination appointments. The company will introduce additional solutions to support organizations’ last mile vaccination efforts in the coming weeks.

Additional resources:

* Watch a demo of the Vaccine Administration Management solution

* Chief Product Officer Perspective: How to meet the biggest workflow challenge ever

* Workflow article: There’s a better, faster way to distribute vaccines

* ServiceNow blog: ServiceNow addresses vaccine management challenges

Use of Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains “forward-looking statements” about the expectations, beliefs, plans, and intentions relating to new solutions. Such forward-looking statements include statements regarding expected performance and benefits of such solutions. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on potentially inaccurate assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expected or implied by the forward-looking statements. If any such risks or uncertainties materialize or if any of the assumptions prove incorrect, our results could differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements we make. We undertake no obligation, and do not intend, to update the forward‑looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those in any forward-looking statements include, without limitation: (i) delays and unexpected difficulties and expenses in making available additional solutions; (ii) changes in the regulatory landscape related to vaccine development and distribution and the availability of vaccines; and (iii) changes in the duration or severity of the COVID-19 pandemic. Further information on factors that could affect our financial and other results is included in the filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time.

About ServiceNow

ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW) is making the world of work, work better for people. Our cloud‑based platform and solutions deliver digital workflows that create great experiences and unlock productivity for employees and the enterprise. For more information, visit: www.servicenow.com.

Prisma Cloud Now Secures Apps With The Industry’s Only Integrated Web App Firewall And More...

 

* Comprehensive Platform Allows Organizations to Develop, Deploy and Protect Cloud Native Applications Without the Complexity, Risks, and Problems Introduced by Using Multiple Point Products

Palo Alto Networks (NYSE: PANW) today announced a number of enhancements to Prisma® Cloud, the industry’s only comprehensive Cloud Native Security Platform. With these enhancements, Prisma Cloud now has the industry’s most accurate web application firewall (WAF) capabilities. When securing cloud native applications, Prisma Cloud ensures scalability, automated protection and integrated protection for defense in depth. 

Cervical Cancer Awareness Month: Follow These Tips To Prevent Cervical Cancer

 

By Mr Amol Naikawadi, Preventive Healthcare Specialist, Indus Health Plus

* Pap smear screening of 2203 females revealed that 28% had an abnormal report

All women have a risk of developing cervical cancer, a type of cancer that tends to occur in the cells of the cervix (which is the lower part of the uterus that connects the vagina). The condition, however, occurs most often in women over the age of 30. Most of the cases can be linked to Human Papilloma virus and various strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV) can lead to cervical cancer. One may exhibit symptoms like a bloody vaginal discharge, pelvic pain, or pain during intercourse when cancer strikes.

Cervical cancer is highly preventable and treatable. Opting for routine Pap tests, getting vaccinated, practicing safer sex, and making healthy lifestyle choices such as cutting down on smoking can help prevent cervical cancer. According to the research published in the journal Lancet Global Health, India recorded the highest estimated number of cervical cancer deaths in 2018. This is very alarming and hence, the need of the hour is to tackle cervical cancer at the earliest.

Below are a few preventive measures that can help women to keep cervical cancer away and improve their quality of life.

Quit smoking: It is a much-known fact that smoking is very injurious to health. Smoking can not only cause respiratory issues, but it can also lead to cervical cancer. Yes, it raises your chances of suffering from cervical cancer. According to various studies, tobacco by-products tend to damage one’s DNA of cervix cells and in turn, invite cervical cancer. Thus, it is essential to opt for a smoking cessation therapy and quit it as soon as possible.

Regular Screening: Pap smear is a basic screening test to detect abnormalities of the cervix, the lower part of the uterus, in females especially the presence of cancer or precancerous cells. Pap smear screening of 2203 females revealed that 28% had an abnormal report (as per Indus Health Plus data) that could again range from mild inflammation to serious conditions like cervical cancer. The maximum number of abnormalities were noted in the age group of 41 – 50 years which is the peri menopausal period in females leading to a lot of hormonal changes which could trigger a variety of changes in the female reproductive system .Any abnormality detected in a Pap smear test should be brought to the notice of a gynecologist and early detection can prevent complications and increase the chances of cure.  Hence a routine Pap smear screening is recommended in all adult females as it has emerged as a very effective screening test for women wellness.

Practicing safe sex is essential: Various studies have shown that women who have multiple sexual partners are at an increased risk of developing cervical cancer. So, try to adhere to safe sex methods while having intercourse. Also, bleeding between intercourse should be thoroughly evaluated.

Vaccination: There is a vaccine available to protect against certain types of HPV that may cause cervical cancer. You must discuss with your doctor about these vaccines. Your doctor will help you to understand when you are eligible for it. He/she will set a proper schedule and may brief you about the age, and the duration in which you need to get vaccinated.

Lifestyle modifications: Keeping your weight in check and not ignoring symptoms like abnormal or watery vaginal discharge and opting for a well-balanced diet can also be helpful. Try to include fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet, and do not forget to follow-up on abnormal Pap smears.

Likewise, more awareness should be created about this life-threatening cancer. Women should be educated and informed about cervical cancer as doing so can help women deal with it in a better way. Moreover, cervical cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, but it is preventable and treatable.