Esper Announces $60 Million Series C Funding As Market Demand Explodes

 
* Insight Partners Leads Latest Financing, Esper’s Second in 2021

India and US based Esper, the industry’s leading DevOps platform for devices, today announced $60 million in Series C funding led by Insight Partners, with participation from existing investors including Scale Venture Partners, Madrona Ventures and Root Ventures. The investment brings Esper's total funding to $100 million and follows the company’s $30 million Series B just four month ago in May 2021. Esper developed the industry’s first DevOps platform for intelligent edge devices and was named one of the top 10 hottest startups in 2021 by CRN.

Enterprise edge devices is a fast-growing category that includes everything from the tablets used in travel, restaurants, and warehouses, to medical devices, fitness equipment, and in-store kiosks. Esper is the only software platform that lets organizations remotely scale, manage, secure, and update mission-critical edge devices and custom apps using the proven DevOps practices now considered standard in web app development.

There is a massive potential for Indian organisations to adopt Android DevOps across sectors including hospitality, restaurant, healthcare, education, and logistics sectors to deliver contactless services. Esper works with some of the major brands including cult.fit, Teach for India to power and manage their devices.

“India witnessed unprecedented digital transformation since the pandemic, which makes it a unique market with the potential to adopt DevOps across every industry. Android DevOps has the potential to transform Indian businesses through their journey towards agility, increase operational efficiency and control costs,”says Yadhu Gopalan, CEO and co-founder at Esper.

“Esper’s team in India is pivotal to the company’s growth. Currently 83 employees work out of India and are responsible for designing and engineering Esper's core DevOps platform along with tackling the core marketing and sales functions. We plan to increase the employee count to 200 by 2022 as we are looking to expand the Engineering and Sales functions,” said Shiv Sundar, COO & co-founder at Esper.

“Customer expectations are higher than ever. When a point of sale terminal in a retailer is out of order, the merchant doesn’t have the time or expertise to fix it. These devices are mission critical and expected to work flawlessly 24/7. This is especially true for devices directly tied to revenue generation or in verticals like medical devices where a life might literally be on the line. We built Esper with the customer’s customer in mind,” Yadhu Gopalan further adds.

Edge devices are a new path to connecting with more customers in more places, but challenges persist.

“For years now we’ve seen these massive projections about IOT devices of all kinds. But on the ground, enterprises and SMBs are struggling with the reality that large-scale deployments of devices are hard and expensive when you go it alone,” said Philine Huizing, Vice President at Insight Partners. “Esper has emerged as the only platform that provides modern DevOps capabilities in a package purpose built for intelligent edge devices. And even better, developers tell us that they love using Esper.”

Esper has over 200 paying customers and over 2,000 developers using its platform for product development. Esper addresses verticals as diverse as fast food, healthcare, connected fitness, retail, and digital signage, driving 2021 revenue 4x higher than the year prior and making Esper one of the fastest growing startups in the enterprise software sector. The Seattle-based company quadrupled headcount during 2021 and tripled its office footprint in Bellevue on a square footage basis.

As this hyper-growth attests, innovative brands are using Esper to move from whiteboard to deployment faster than they ever thought possible. This is particularly important in markets like healthcare where ease-of-use and continuous uptime are critical: 

“With Esper, our remote patient monitoring service just works,” said Neema Moraveji, PhD, Co-founder and Chief Scientist at Spire Health. “Esper’s seamless deployment ensures that even patients who are not as comfortable with technology can successfully use our service. Device set-up is simple, there is zero configuration needed by the patients, and Esper’s full-service solution detects connectivity and sensor failures ahead of time and alerts the Spire team for proactive outreach to our patients, often before they even notice an issue.”

This latest funding round will primarily be used to further expand Esper’s ability to get in front of more enterprise customers.

“Our biggest opportunity right now is getting the word out to more enterprises that Esper exists,”adds Shiv Sundar. “No other software does what we do. Our customers tell us that we are completely resetting their assumptions about what is possible. It’s truly rewarding to see the light bulb go off when a customer realizes all of the infrastructure they no longer have to build themselves.”

Enterprises can sign up for a technology demo at https://www.esper.io/book-demo.

worxpertise And Uniphore Partner To Offer AI-Powered Business Solutions To Enterprises

worxpertise, a global digital business solutions company today announced a strategic partnership with Uniphore, a leader in Conversational Automation to provide intelligent business solutions to enterprises. The partnership will enable worxpertise to implement Uniphore’s platform for clients in India, Australia, New Zealand, and the US. 

Under the agreement, worxpertise will deploy Uniphore’s interaction analytics solution, U-Analyze, for client contact centres to drive agent performance and transform customer experiences with rapid solutions derived from real-time insights. Using Uniphore’s AI (Artificial Intelligence) and NLP (Natural Language Processing) capabilities, worxpertise’s clients will have access to quality monitoring of and listening to 100% of customer conversations, deliver smarter quality management, drive compliance, boost revenue and reduce customer churn. 

worxpertise will also offer additional solutions from Uniphore’s platform, including AI powered intelligent conversational self-service options, real-time assistance for agents during and after-call with automated actions such as summary creation and call categorization to lower the average handle time (AHT); and provide frictionless and ongoing agent veriÿcation. 

This partnership is in line with worxpertise’s focus on deploying emerging technologies to serve its clients and help them attain a competitive advantage in a dynamic business environment. worxpertise is a true digital transformation partner and provides a comprehensive solution to clients across various industries using its deep domain expertise. worxpertise designs, implements, and operates intelligent solutions as per the unique requirements of clients. worxpertise selects the most suitable technology, creates a robust business case and a solution roadmap which brings together various critical elements such as technology, data, process and organizational change for the client. 

Ultimately, worxpertise maximises customer lifecycle value for its clients by focusing on transforming the four key business phases – run (driving cost reduction and operational efficiency); grow [customer experience (CX) and customer acquisition]; change (process transformation and technology) and protect (customer retention). 

Rajiv M Gupta, MD and Founder, worxpertise Group commented, “We are excited to partner with Uniphore to bring intelligent contact centres to our clients. An AI-powered contact centre delivers extraordinary customer experience every time and, ultimately for our clients, enhances the customer lifecycle value. We have always focused on creating strategic business advantage for our clients, and from that perspective, this partnership is a natural fit. Apart from transforming the customer experience, our clients will be able to derive multiple benefits, including better ROI and growth in revenues. Uniphore’s comprehensive technology platform will enhance our portfolio of enterprise solutions and services.”

Gokul Gopalakrishnan, Business Head, Asia, Uniphore said, “The rapid changes in today’s business landscapes have brought on increased need for innovative CX capabilities, and an urgency to act on customer demands in real-time. It’s imperative for contact centres to adopt technology that provides real-time insights and solutions for customers, reducing agent workload while increasing their efficiency. Our partnership with worxpertise will address these needs for its customers enabling frictionless customer experiences.” 

Garware Hi-Tech Films Continues To Focus On Long-Term Societal Development With CSR Initiatives

* GHFL at Forefront in Fight Against Covid-19, continues to provide critical Covid support to authorities amid fears of third wave

Garware Charitable Trust, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of Garware Hi-Tech Films Ltd. under the visionary leadership of Chairman Shri S. B. Garware, has also been working alongside the local Disaster Management Authority at Aurangabad and The Municipal corporation of Greater Mumbai to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

As the need to step up relief efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic continues, Mr. S. B. Garware led The Garware Charitable Trust has developed a COVID CARE CENTRE in Garware’s existing premises at STPT, Chikalthana MIDC, Aurangabad. With an aim to take utmost care of the COVID’s pediatric patients, the Centre is equipped with 125 Oxygen beds with all essential infrastructure & facilities. The Centre is said to be one of the best COVID Care Centre in India with additional facilities like quality food, cardiac ambulance, swinging cradle for infants, and entertainment including, decorative lights & illumination, recreational and indoor games, Library, posters, displays and play stations. The entire Centre with all the infrastructures is donated to Aurangabad Municipal Corporation by Garware Charitable Trust.

GHFL continues to commit towards helping the healthcare system and communities to combat the crisis and contain the spread of the pandemic with financial support to “Society for Mumbai Incubation Lab to Entrepreneurship Council” a company promoted by Bombay Municipal Corporation. Face shields and masks were also donated to the front-line workers in Mumbai and to the Greater Mumbai Police personnel.

“As a socially responsible company, GHFL is committed to providing necessary support towards various relief measures announced by the government to combat Covid-19. We have developed the covid care Centre specifically focused for pediatric patients as the central government has a cautionary view that third wave of Covid-19 may have a strong impact on children.” said Mr. S. B. Garware, Chairman and Managing Director, GHFL. The company will continue to work with various Government bodies to aid the community at large, he added.

Thriving on Shri B.D. Garware Sir’s vision of long-term societal development, GHFL inaugurated a new community Centre in the Cantonment school building complex at Aurangabad. The community Centre has been equipped by high-quality modern facilities which aims to enhance the creative potential of women and children. Garware community Centre plans to conduct various activities to build skills and aptitude in the participants through sports, yoga, meditation, music, dance, art, and craft, etc. At the same time, it will also undertake sessions on tailoring, fashion designing, and other essential skills which will help the women to become career-ready.

While dedicating the community center to the people of Aurangabad, Ms. Monika Garware, Vice-Chairperson and Jt. Managing Director, GHFL said “For the past few decades, GHFL has been actively contributing towards the development of local communities. With a strong belief that the learning environment and infrastructure are both vital components of learning, we have developed the new community Centre with the latest infrastructure & an aim to enhance the creative potential of the community”

The Garware Charitable Trust led CSR activities also included renovation of one of the best heritage School in Pune. Established in 1925, Sou. Vimlabai Garware High School and Junior College is well-known for its exhaustive facilities such as a well-equipped library and science laboratory, E-learning, Vocational Education, Computer Laboratory, Sports facilities, etc. The school building was renovated with the financial support of Garware Charitable Trust.

Levi's Unveils Their New Collection In Collaboration With Deepika Padukone

* Levi’s®️ and DeepikaPadukone collaborate to create an iconic capsule collection for the brand.

Levi’s®️ announces the launch of its collaboration with style icon and brand ambassador, DeepikaPadukone. Levi’s®️ x DeepikaPadukone is a collection that truly defines the icon's fashion sensibility and authentic style.

Rooted in Levi’s®️ authentic style and updated with Padukone’s signature style, this inaugural Levi’s®️ x DeepikaPadukone collaboration exudes freshness and confidence. The collection re-imagines Levi’s classics through its range of jeans and denims while introducing Padukone’s signature favourites like athleisure pieces, edgy faux leather pants and oversized shirts.

“The endeavour with my first ever collaboration with Levi’s®️ was for it to be an authentic representation of my personal style. And I believe we’ve been able to stay true to that vision.” said Padukone.

The collaboration brings Padukone’s ultra-casual style to life through long varsity jackets, co-ordsweatsuits, crop-tops &bralettes. You will also see edgy faux leather pants and an all-denim jumpsuit. It also features modern & updated interpretations of Levi’s®️ denims, with new on-trend 70’s-inspired high waist jeans and cut & sew wide leg silhouettes to be paired with extra-long or cropped trucker jackets.a range of oversized shirts, soft romantic tops with organza sleeves, easy graphic t-shirts and elevated sweatshirts. Overall, the collection features quintessential pieces that will stand out in any wardrobe.

“We are absolutely thrilled that DeepikaPadukone’s first collaboration as brand ambassador for Levi’s®️ is so iconic yet personal. Levi’s®️ has always believed in ‘authentic self-expression’ and the collaboration is just that. We wanted to work with Deepika because of her iconic sense of style and its influence on consumers. Her understanding of colours, fabrics and silhouettes is unique and extremely individual. With this collaboration we see the inclusion of newer fabrics, finishes and fits. The introduction of athleisure pieces, faux leather pants, long varsity jackets and even the oversized shirts are a way for us to explore unknown textile territories and also relate to a newer fashion consumer.”  Sanjeev Mohanty, SVP & MD- South Asia, Middle East and Africa, Levi’s®️ 

The Levi’s®️ x DeepikaPadukone collaboration is responsibly made, in line with Levi’s commitment to sustainability. 60% of the collaboration line is sustainably sourced with 100% of the line ethically produced. Featuring organic cotton, super-soft Tencel made from wood pulp, cottonized hemp and denim produced with the brand’s Water<Less® technology, the line allows consumers to make a statement, with sustainability at the forefront.  

The Levi’s®️ x DeepikaPadukone Collaboration will be available at Levi’s retail outlets, Levi.in and select partner e-commerce platforms on October 8th 2021.

Cyient Appoints Rajaneesh Kini As Senior Vice President And Chief Technology Officer

* A quarter after the launch of their innovation platform - CyientiFIQ, Cyient strengthens its technology leadership.

Cyient, a global engineering, manufacturing, and digital technology solutions company, today announced the appointment of Rajaneesh Kini as Senior Vice President & Chief Technology Officer. This new role will focus on Technology Development at Cyient. Rajaneesh will be responsible for shaping the company's technological vision, building competitive, relevant, and market-ready solutions, and seeding new skills within the organization.

Rajaneesh joins Cyient with over two decades of experience in Engineering across various industry verticals, including Communications, Health, Industrial, and Tech Platforms. He has expertise in building engineering capabilities and solutions in VLSI, Embedded, Cloud software, Data Platforms, Connectivity, Security Engineering, and Industry 4.0. Before Cyient, Rajneesh headed the Global ER&D Solutions Delivery business for Wipro.

As the Chief Technology Officer at Cyient, Rajaneesh will be instrumental in defining and spearheading the company's technology footprint, focusing on building competencies, solutions, and offerings. Cyient is keen to implement a sound technology strategy across the key growth areas of digital, geospatial, embedded, VLSI, and networks. Rajaneesh will closely work with the team to co-create technology-led solutions to drive disruptive innovation value for our customers.

Speaking on the appointment Krishna Bodanapu, Managing Director and CEO, Cyient, said, "Rajaneesh joins us at a crucial time. We are no longer in a demand-driven market but rather in one that requires innovation and technological breakthroughs to address the evolving normal.  I am confident that with his rich background in ER&D innovation and delivery, Rajaneesh will play a pivotal role in accelerating Cyient's technology landscape and strengthen CyientiFIQ, our innovation platform."

1 Million Cases In Sales - Seagram’s 100 Pipers Becomes The First & Only Scotch Brand In India To Smash The Record, Yet Again

Seagram’s 100 Pipers, the largest selling Scotch whisky in India, continues to achieve bigger milestones and set new benchmarks in the industry. 

It has proven itself to be a market leader, thought leader & an innovation leader. In the last business cycle, Jul’20 - Jun’21, 100 Pipers has broken not one but two records.

100 Pipers became the first & only Scotch brand in India to cross 1 Million+ cases mark in annual sales, twice - a solid stamp on the consumers’ love for the brand.

Adding to this success streak, the brand’s premium variant ‘100 Pipers Blended Scotch, Aged 12 years’ crossed 100,000 Cases in annual sales for the first time ever since its launch in 2012.  A notable performance by the aged variant – it is now the largest selling 12 Year Old Scotch in India, confirming that “Age Matters” to the discerning Indian scotch afficionado.

Asserting its dominance in the Scotch whisky market, the brand had recently launched a new variant ‘100 Pipers Blended Malt Scotch, Aged 8 Years’. This is the first & only ‘100% Malt’ Scotch offering in the Standard Scotch category – a game changing innovation by 100 Pipers.

With a global footprint spanning 8 countries across Asia, Europe, Africa, Middle East & South America, 100 Pipers brings a truly international experience to the Indian consumers, with the widest range of unique Scotch variants. It is also the 2nd largest Scotch whisky in Asia.

Commenting on the multiple achievements, Kartik Mohindra, Chief Marketing Officer, Pernod Ricard India said, “100 Pipers continues to shape the Indian Scotch segment & set new records. This is driven by its increased popularity among the younger, aspirational consumers who are resonating strongly with the brand’s purpose-led initiatives due to their uniqueness, authenticity & credibility.

Like, the international award-winning Legacy Project – which showcases endangered Indian artforms via Limited Edition Packs & provides tangible livelihood support to artisans. Recognized internationally & in India by some of the most prestigious awards in the world for creative excellence, The Legacy Project won the Bronze Pencil at One Show Awards (New York), Merit at D&AD Awards (UK), Bronze at Spikes Asia and multiple honours at Kyoorius Creative Awards.

Also, the 100 Pipers Play for a Cause platform that has been leveraging music for many years to raise awareness & funds for various social causes like meals for underprivileged, flood relief, etc. in addition to supporting the partnering musicians.

In addition to trend-setting campaigns, the young, aspirational consumers have also taken well to the newly launched 100 Pipers Blended Malt Scotch, Aged 8 Years. This category-first 100% Malt Scotch seeks to give younger consumers a unique experience that welcomes them into the world of Malt Scotch. With the discerning consumer increasingly experimenting with Malts, this eclectic and premium scotch, showcases its craftsmanship and heritage that dates back to decades of scotch whisky making.

Overall, our strong performance over the years is a testament to great product craftsmanship, category first innovations, our differentiated & aspirational brand communication and purpose led initiatives – all coming together to help us build greater stature esp. amongst the younger consumers.”

As the largest whisky market in the world, India’s scotch segment continues to be highly aspirational for whisky consumers. With sales hitting bigger benchmarks across variants and a keen eye on leading innovation, Seagram's 100 Pipers is poised to continue as the dominant force in the market.

Cult.fit Eyes Expansion Across Karnataka State Via Franchise Model

* Cult.fit seeks franchise partners to dig deeper into other markets in Karnataka

* By the end of 2021, Cult aims to expand in 50 cities, including metros and smaller markets

* Cult.fit will provide end-to-end support for franchise partners via its tech-driven and automated operations process

Cult.fit, India’s leading health and fitness platform, is scaling its operations by amplifying its nationwide expansion using a franchise business model. It is eyeing partnerships with local franchisees in Karnataka to dig deeper into smaller markets. It currently has centers present in Bangalore, Mysore, and Mangalore.

With an existing footprint in 21 cities across India, the company aims to be present in 50 cities, including top metros, by the end of the year. With this expansion Cult.fit will further cement its leadership position in the Indian fitness segment.

Under the Franchise-Owned and Franchise-Operated (FOFO) model, people with an entrepreneurial spirit and inclination towards fitness or running a fitness business can take up a Cult franchise license to operate a Cult Centre, a Cult Gym or both. Due to their local expertise and knowledge of regional market nuances, these franchise partners can contribute fruitfully towards delivering a better customer experience at Cult centres.

Cult.fit will provide end-to-end support to franchise partners via a dedicated central team which will help ensure that a standardized experience is offered to customers across the nation. A highly tech-driven and automated operations process has been put in place to ensure smooth functioning. Cult.fit will also support these partners with digital marketing and brand campaigns to drive growth and generate higher revenues.

Talking about the expansion, Naresh Krishnaswamy, Growth and Marketing Head, Cult.fit, said: “Over the last year, we have seen a rise in demand for our services online and offline, not just in the top metros but also in smaller cities. Our online presence has increased Cult’s demand for centres in new pockets.

The FOFO model of expansion supports Cult.fit’s aim to make fitness accessible for everyone everywhere. With more tech-enabled Cult centres and gyms across the nation, we can not only create a larger and healthier community but also ensure that the right experiences drive that community.”

About cult.fit

cult.fit is a health and fitness platform by Cure.fit Healthcare Pvt Ltd and is headquartered in Bangalore, India. Founded in 2016 by Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori, cult.fit caters to living a healthy life through its critical dimensions — physical fitness & wellness. The platform provides fitness-related services through a mix of online and offline channels. These include offline group workouts at cult.fit centres and other gym- or equipment-based workouts at partner gyms and fitness centres across the country. cult.fit also offers online personal training, group workouts, and live fitness classes across various formats.

cult.fit is an app-based service provider and is available on Android and iOS.

For more information on cult.fit: www.cult.fit