Honda 2Wheelers India Delivers Karnataka’s 100th Africa Twin

* #TrueAdventure surpasses new milestone 

Key Features – Africa Twin Adventure Sports

• Lightweight And Powerful: 1,084cc parallel twin engine, Lithium Ion battery, bolt-on aluminium sub-frame and swing arm

• Six-axis Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) controls Throttle by Wire (TBW) and expanded 7 level Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC)

• Comfort On The Go: 5-stage Adjustable windscreen, adjustable seat, heated grips, tubeless tyres, DUAL LED Headlights, Cruise Control, Fuel tank of 24.5 litres

• Smart convenience: Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth connectivity & 6.5 inch MID TFT touch screen

Welcoming yet another milestone and adding another adventurer to the tribe, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. last month delivered Karnataka state’s 100th Africa Twin.  Since it’s India launch, over 310 units of Africa Twin have been sold across India.

Surpassing the expectations, Africa twin has been the preferred choice of Adventure enthusiasts in India with its advanced all terrain capabilities.

Noteworthy, Karnataka’s 100th Africa Twin was delivered from Bigwing Topline Bengaluru (40/1 Vittal Mallya Rd, Shanthala Nagar, Ashok Nagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka - 560001).

Speaking on this occasion, Mr. Yadvinder Singh Guleria, Director – Sales & Marketing, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. said, “Thank you Karnataka for your love and demonstration of the #TrueAdventure spirit. The Milestone 100th Africa Twin delivered in Karnataka is a testimony to the motorcycle’s huge success in the state. I would also like to congratulate BigWing Topline Bengaluru for their distinguished efforts in serving the adventurous Africa Twin Tribe.”

The 2021 Africa Twin Adventure Sports is available at Honda’s premium BigWing Topline outlets (Gurugram, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kochi, Indore, Chennai and Hyderabad), an exclusive network offering Honda’s complete range of premium motorcycles. To book online, visit https://www.hondabigwing.in/BookNow.

For more information, customers can visit the official website of www.hondabigwing.in

NASSCOM FutureSkills Prime Collaborates With WhiteHat Jr To Launch An Instructor-Led One-On-One AI Foundation Course

FutureSkills Prime, the digital skilling initiative by NASSCOM and the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, has collaborated with leading EdTech firm WhiteHat Jr to launch an instructor-led one-on-one Foundation course on Artificial Intelligence (AI) aligned to Competency Standards developed by SSC NASSCOM in collaboration with Industry and approved by Government of India. The course, developed by the WhiteHat Jr curriculum team, will be delivered live online by highly-trained teachers to undergraduates as well as executives.

WhiteHat Jr, in just over two years, has emerged as a leading name teaching live one-on-one online classes to children ages 6 to 18 years. This will be the first time that WhiteHat Jr will reach out to the 18+ undergraduate and executives.

“We are leveraging our expertise to upskill the youth of India, working closely with the industry. AI is a key skill, one that can potentially disrupt the global workforce in the future. The curriculum developed by our team, and offered 1:1 by highly-trained teachers, will help build a strong foundation in AI to help upskill the nation,” said Trupti Mukker, CEO of WhiteHat Jr. “Working closely with FutureSkills Prime, we will be offering the Course pro bono to support and motivate 500 meritorious aspirants who wish to pursue a career in the field of  technology.”

"We are absolutely thrilled to be selected by FutureSkills Prime to help further our collective mission of introducing 21-st century skills like AI to the youth of India", said Nitin Kochhar, Chief Business Officer – B2B, WhiteHat Jr. "This collaboration is a great example of a Public-private partnership to harness and leverage the expertise and efficiencies of both sectors to reach and educate the masses."

"Artificial Intelligence is believed to be as revolutionary as electricity - and just like that, AI is going to transform our lives forever. The past few months are proof of why we need our people to be armed up with tech skills and boost their 'DQ' or 'Digital Quotient'. Technology is becoming sector agnostic and impacting every job role, and clearly Digital is the way forward. From academia to healthcare, our traditional roles are being transformed with technology, and we need to prepare our workforce, regardless of the industry they belong to, to develop AI skills to ensure that they sustain in a digital-first world. This joint initiative with WhiteHat Jr aims to equip the workforce of today with AI-ready skills, and we look forward to it as the next step towards our mission of making India a global hub of digital technologies," said Kirti Seth, CEO IT-ITES Sector Skill Council NASSCOM.

The unique AI Foundation program is an ideal mix of concepts and practicals. The curriculum starts with the basics of Python, Object-Oriented Programming and data structures. It also covers advanced topics such as data visualization, statistical tools and Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) / Machine Learning (“ML”) algorithms. WhiteHat Jr will offer the course from October 2021. Interested students can visit here https://learn.futureskillsprime.in/insights/certificate for more details.

About NASSCOM FutureSkills Prime

FutureSkills Prime is the first of its kind public-private partnership, between Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology and NASSCOM to build a digital skilling ecosystem for the citizens of India.

It’s mission is to reskill/upskill graduates and professionals in emerging technologies and professional skills, to make India a global digital talent nation in the next few years.

FutureSkills Prime is committed to guiding and empowering the Indian professionals towards playing exciting, valued and purposeful roles in a future that has significant possibilities, enabled by new-age digital technologies.

About WhiteHat Jr

WhiteHat Jr has been launched with the singular mission of empowering kids to become creators versus consumers of technology. The company has channeled students’ natural creativity through an engaging curriculum and personalized, live teacher attention. WhiteHat Jr’s 11,000+ strong teacher workforce conducts thousands of  LIVE Coding, Math and Music online classes every day on its proprietary platform.  Cumulatively, the company has conducted more than 8.7 million classes to date.

Choosing The Right Nutritional Products For Kids In Post Covid Era

The Covid-19 pandemic saw generations across navigating the upheavals caused by it. While health remained the top concern for all age-groups as the virus wreaked havoc, children paid a price of their own. Deteriorated mental health, poor diet, increased screen hours, lack of social contact are some of the downsides, and there seems no end to it.

Research suggests that growing kids rely heavily on the nutritional intakes to keep them going. This makes choosing the right nutritional meal a MUST have. But kids can be finicky and moody about their taste buds; more the greens, more the tantrums. With ‘stay at home’ norm here to stay for a while, kids are seeking fun and flavor in their meals. It has become a source of engagement for them. While it’s easy to grab a juice box, nutritional meals demand more.

Despite 100% efforts, kids might lack the minerals and vitamins required in their formative years. Also, a kid’s body will not react in the same way to products meant for adults. Therefore, it becomes important to research well before expanding their food portfolio. With an abundance of products, it might get overwhelming to identify the ideal options for your child. And we understand that as parents, this is a “no white flag” territory. So, this World Nutrition Week 2021, find a list of products that would cover your kid’s 24/7 nutrition quota:

1.       Vitamins, Vitality and Victory: Start your kid’s day with a dose of daily vitamins. NutriBears Daily Multivitamin Gummies offer the 11 essential vitamins such as A,B,C,D, Zinc amidst others. And you don’t have to worry about their taste buds as they come in yummy flavours of lemonade and strawberry at INR 299.

2.       Nutritional Nourishment: Nutrients are a part & parcel of overall growth and development. They work like heaven for bridging the nutritional gap in growing kids and conquering bad eating habits. Pour a quick smoothie or mix it in milk. Modicare’s Strong and Smart Under its Well range is a balanced nutritional drink mix. And what more? It nourishes your kid with 37 vital nutrients like Proteins, Carbohydrates, Vitamins, Minerals, DHA, Colostrum and more. Building stamina and immunity wrapped in chocolate flavour at INR 635/-.

3.       Millet Mania: Brighten their breakfast with a spoonful of chocolate. When Soulfull Ragi Bites offer chocolate in a maida and preservative free bowl of wholesomeness, what’s stopping your kid from having a morning swirl? At INR 233, let your kid pack the goodness of calcium, fibre and ragi.

4.       Herbal Helper: When the clock hits noon o’clock, the mood swings often match the mid-day sun. Take their savoury slurp a notch higher by dressing it in natural herbs like Brahmi, Ashwagandha, Shalaki, Mulethi & Turmeric with Iyurved Kids Daily Nutrition Savoury Spread. Let you kid’s creative juices run wild as they experiment with their spread; Pizza, roti, idli, cheela, there’s no stopping at INR 499.

TECNO Launches New Brand Slogan Of Stop At Nothing In Across The Indian Market

* TECNO pays tribute to human pursuit of purpose and potential

Global premium smartphone brand, TECNO, today launched its new brand slogan of Stop At Nothing, while launching a brand campaign hashtagged #StopAtNothing that pays tribute to those who continue to push forward against all odds. #StopAtNothing represents TECNO’s recognition of human progress and people’s pursuit for purpose, potential and excellence.

With a new brand slogan, TECNO is indeed unstoppable: TECNO has seen a 210% year-on-year growth in the Indian market, reaching 11 million units sold since its local launch in April 2017. (Source: Counterpoint Q2 2021 report)

#StopAtNothing is TECNO’s next step in delivering on a promise of unlocking the best of contemporary smartphone technologies and making it accessible for global emerging markets.

TECNO’s brand campaign celebrates “progressive mavericks” and those “young at heart”, the youth who admirably stayed resilient in the face of adversity.

“We’ve seen how resilient and progressive society can be in the face of adversity, especially among young adults in emerging markets. No matter where you come from or what you physically look like or gender you belong to, people will “stop at nothing” to progress and find creative and disruptive ways to achieve their potential. In return, they find themselves on a joyous and exciting journey,” says Danni Xu, CMO of TECNO. “And this attitude and spirit resonates so strongly with TECNO that we were compelled to embrace it and position it at the very core of who we are and what we do as a technology brand.”

The campaign, which will be rolled out across the globe, features several above-the-line elements including a 60-second global brand video created to demonstrate the resilience of the human spirit. It will be supported by a strategic execution of digital, social and other marketing tactics emanating from representative markets such as Nigeria, Kenya, India, Turkey, Philippines and Russia.

#StopAtNothing is so much more another brand campaign,” says Xu. “It represents the values and the attitude that we as a brand embrace and TECNO’s role in providing the technology they need to progress even further.”

“#StopAtNothing not only inspires, but it also cements TECNO’s total commitment to supporting our consumers with innovative and elegant technology solutions that acts as an enabler of progression,” adds Xu.

TECNO’s goal is to become the most admired tech brand in the world, and continually making breakthroughs in product and experience innovations.

According to a recent Counterpoint study Q2 report, Transsion group brands (itel, Infinix, and TECNO) registered a 296% YoY growth, capturing a 7% share collectively in Q2 2021 in the overall India smartphone market.

“Our success in the Indian market so far be credited to our ‘global approach’ which is based on our philosophy of ‘Think Globally, Act Locally. We exercise foresight to anticipate market needs, adopt change, and tailor our products to suit the behavioral patterns of our customers,” concludes Xu.

Earlier this year, TECNO announced its latest “superpower” – securing Chris Evans, an A-list Hollywood celebrity as its worldwide brand ambassador. This signing has intensified TECNO’s determination to be recognised as a leader in global emerging markets.

As the brand continues to grow on the world stage, TECNO now finds itself competing with major mainstream brands, who undoubtedly will sit up and take note of TECNO’s “super-heroic” manoeuvre.

Assets

Fashion Designer 2

Climber

Musician

TECNO logo

Global video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia1DfwHC034

India video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqC_8gWNuJY

Avishkaar Set To Make Coding Accessible With Its Coder’s Starter Kit; Encourages To Build #Tech4LargerGood

* Priced at INR 3199, the Coders Starter Kit can be used to make 5 smart gadgets from scratch, each taking an average of only 30 minutes to complete

* A recent survey by Avishkaar among 5000 parents shows that 53% use the hands-on learning approach with DIY kits to keep up interest levels in STEM and next-gen tech concepts

With schools shutting down indefinitely in March 2020, many families have been struggling to engage their children in the most meaningful manner and away from the screen. On the contrary, it is a fact that a lot of them have resorted to additional online scholastic and non-scholastic activities. 

As a result, coding has emerged as a new skill to learn among children in the past 18 months. However, they are growing up to be keyboard warriors who are learning to “write” code. Avishkaar has yet again proven that coding does not mean that you sit in front of the computer. It instead is a skill that can encourage young minds to build the impossible and to use #Tech4LargerGood. 

The Avishkaar Coder’s Starter Kit is a beginner’s kit that is ideal to help kickstart a child's journey in innovation with coding and hands-on skills, and building everyday, tangible objects that they can actually use. This includes a smart watch, a portable TV, an arcade game console, a study lamp and whatnot! The kit includes over 15 components that can be used to make 5 smart gadgets that can be used in real life! 

“It takes a lot of grit to build something from scratch. You fail multiple times - maybe because you used a different screw, or used the wrong motor or put a higher weight than the robot could bear. It is through the process of iteration that you can get anything to work, let alone a robot. With the Coders Starter Kit we want young and aspiring minds to develop a mindset that encourages them to build for their own environment. This allows them to have a 5-dimensional coding experience and humanize the very idea of coding. The continuous process of making and breaking things triggers an innovative mindset in children, in turn encouraging parents to constantly create those microenvironments,” Tarun Bhalla, CEO & Co-founder, Avishkaar said.  

Here’s how easy it is for a child as young as 8 years old build his/ her own smart watch - 

* Join the cutouts to make a meaningful form and place the Makerboard in its heart.

* Write a simple code using blocks on the Avishkaar Maker Studio (AMS) platform 

* Burn this on to Avishkaar’s Makerboard 

* Voila! You have done your first Avishkaar! 

What’s unique about the Avishkaar Coder’s Starter Kit - 

* With Avishkaar’s MBPlay android app, children can control their gadgets using a smartphone. This will introduce them with Bluetooth Model enhancing the IoT experience in making robots. 

* The Avishkaar Maker Board is an easy to use electronic platform through which children can create fun, intuitive and innovative projects. It consists of an LED 5X5 Matrix, an on-board buzzer, push buttons, reset switch, bluetooth and GPIO pins.

* Comes in with free video tutorials with detailed instructions that will help children make mobile app controlled gadgets. 

Avishkaar’s Coder’s Starter Kit is available on Amazon and on Avishkaar’s official website at a price of INR 3199.

QuEST Global Appoints Yumi Clevenger-Lee As The New Global Chief Marketing Officer

* Clevenger-Lee is a seasoned consumer packaged goods marketer with 17 years of brand-building experience at Nestlé Waters and General Mills.

QuEST Global, a global product engineering and lifecycle services company, announced the appointment of Yumi Clevenger-Lee as global Chief Marketing Officer. Yumi will be responsible for marketing strategy, brand positioning, advertising, and corporate communications to build the QuEST brand across geographic regions, industry verticals, and services. She will be based out of Connecticut, USA, and will report directly to Ajit Prabhu, Chairman & CEO, QuEST Global.

A marketing veteran, Clevenger-Lee joins QuEST Global with 17 years of experience in consumer-packaged goods. Her vast marketing experience includes new product innovation, reinventing brands through purpose, developing engaging campaigns and creating new communication and business models. With her marketing expertise, she has built many well-known brands around the world including S. Pellegrino, Perrier, Cheerios, and Green Giant. She is a passionate brand builder, focused on delivering a superior and consistent brand experience and emotionally connecting with consumers.

Yumi has robust global experience spanning her career. Before joining QuEST, she was the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Nestle Waters North America, where she was responsible for a $4.5B portfolio of 16 brands. Previously, she served as the Director of Marketing for the Latin America region of Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW), Head of Innovation globally based in Switzerland for CPW, and led the Cheerios brand for General Mills Canada. She earned a Bachelors BSBA degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.    

Extending a warm welcome to Clevenger-Lee on joining QuEST, Ajit Prabhu, Chairman & CEO, QuEST Global, said, “For almost 25 years, QuEST has established itself as a reliable brand that is trusted by its customers. We are excited to welcome Yumi to QuEST Global. She is known as a passionate brand builder who has been instrumental in developing strategies that have helped organizations accelerate growth. I believe under her able leadership and in-depth understanding of marketing; we will be able to further strengthen the QuEST brand and drive growth across our engineering services portfolio.”

Commenting on her appointment, Clevenger-Lee said, “I am excited to join such a fast-growing organization. QuEST has an excellent track record of helping its clients reinvent their businesses through innovation. With a strong vision to build solutions that advance the way we live, work, travel, and engage with each other, I look forward to helping QuEST strengthen its global leadership to be both a force for growth and a force for good.” 

Angel Invester - The Chennai Angels Invests Rs 2.22 Cr In Bumberry

The Chennai Angels (TCA), one of India’s foremost angel investment groups, today announced an investment of Rs 2.22 Crores in Bumberry, a pioneer in the cloth diapering space. With participation from Bumberry’s existing investors Konglo and Kerala Angels, the total investment stands at Rs. 3.11 crores.

Bumberry is the first company to introduce cloth diapers in India.  They were also the first company in this space to get registered on Amazon, Flipkart and other e-commerce sites.  Bumberry has one of the largest range of products for babies, starting from 0-6 months, to 6-12 months, and 12–36-month-olds. This includes Night usage, Cotton Ranges, Smart Fits, Smart Prefolds and others. Bumberry also manufactures cloth diapers for adults.

The Chennai Angels, Investment Director, Mr. Chandu Nair, Entrepreneur-Advisor, said, “Bumberry designs, makes and sells cloth diapers that are functionally similar to disposable diapers but are also washable and hence reusable. This makes them considerably cheaper to use than disposable diapers over the 3-year diapering age of a baby. This segment seeks both convenience and affordability. There is a great opportunity for niche Indian brands to capitalize on the growing domestic consumption for products and services. Bumberry has the potential to be an exciting D2C brand in the baby-oriented segment.” 

Bumberry was Kerala Angel Network(KAN)’s  first investment after formation of the network, early last year. Lead Investor from KAN, Mr. Raveendranath Kamath, Co-founder of Next Education and an active Angel Investor said, “When we first met Bumberry, we were impressed with the team’s environment friendly differentiated offering in the fast growing baby care category. We are happy to have been proven right with growing global investment flows into the category and Bumberry's own fast growth. We have participated again in this round and wish Bumberry all success as they build out the largest baby care brand.”

Mr Madhusudan, Co-Founder, Bumberry, said “We have raised a significant amount from The Chennai Angels and Konglo Ventures along with our existing investors, Kerala Angels, who reinvested in this round cementing their confidence in our growth trajectory. We welcome onboard a phenomenal set of angels whose networks and insights will be of great value to us as we build Bumberry into the largest baby care brands in India. At Bumberry, design and safety are the cornerstones of our brand. We want parents to trust Bumberry as their only choice when caring for their babies.” 

Mr. Chandran Krishnan, CEO of The Chennai Angels, said, “Bumberry clearly has an edge over most others in the diapering space, with a formidable R&D team and best in class manufacturing facilities. They are catering to the needs of thousands of parents who expect the highest levels of functionality, safety and hygiene for their young ones. This fundraise from The Chennai Angels (TCA) will support the company in expanding its product range and enhancing production capacity.  We are extremely happy to take Bumberry on as a TCA portfolio company and are eager to see them scale successfully in the years ahead.” 

About Bumberry 

Bumberry is the pioneer in Cloth Diapering in India. Started in 2013, Company is a much-awarded, CPSIA, USA certified entity offering a range of cloth diapers ranging from diaper covers, pocket diapers, smart nappies, smart fit diapers and adult diapers, with a choice of materials for inserts including bamboo, hemp and microfiber.

The Chennai Angels

The Chennai Angels (TCA, www.thechennaiangels.com) is one of India’s most active Angel Investing groups. Founded in the year 2007, it is comprised of successful entrepreneurs and business leaders with a track record of starting and scaling large enterprises. Over the years, TCA has invested in over 60 start-ups. TCA portfolio companies benefit from the collective expertise and rolodex of its members.