Urban Company Conducts Breast Cancer Awareness Sessions For Service Partners & Employees With HCG Cancer Chain Of Hospitals

* An esteemed group of oncologists led the workshops across India in Mumbai, Bangalore, Gurugram, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Vizag, Jaipur, and Kolkata 

In India, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every four minutes while another loses her life to the illness every 13 minutes. Aiming to educate its female employees and service partners about breast cancer, Asia’s largest tech-enabled home services marketplace, Urban Company, tied up with HCG Cancer Chain of Hospitals. As part of this initiative, oncologists from HCG conducted workshops on self-breast-examination to create awareness on breast cancer. These sensitization workshops were held pan-India for all female employees and partners at Urban Company on 20th and 21st October 2021. 

With the incidence of breast cancer steadily increasing in India, it becomes imperative for women to understand symptoms and be able to self-diagnose the condition. Urban Company hosted over 500 women employees and service partners from across the country in these sensitization sessions. All attendees were taught to conduct a self-examination for breast cancer by renowned oncologists such as Dr. Sasikala Prabaharan, Dr. Indoo Ammbulkar, Dr. Mansi Shah, and Dr. Amrita Chakraborty, associated with the HCG Cancer Chain of Hospitals. 

Commenting on the initiative, Neha Mathur, SVP - Human Resources at Urban Company said “At Urban Company, we care about the well-being of our employees and partners. Breast cancer is becoming an alarming health issue in India with the rising number of cases from across the country. An early diagnosis of breast cancer can save lives, making self-examination an important first step. Through this partnership, we are extending our support to ensure the well-being of our female service professionals across India.”

Dr. B S Ajaikumar, Executive Chairman, HealthCare Global Enterprises Ltd. said, “We are extremely delighted to collaborate with Urban Company for this Pan-India breast cancer awareness and self-breast examination session on the most opportune occasion of the breast cancer awareness month. Beyond doubt, the most efficient intervention for breast cancer control is early detection, especially given the high incidence of breast cancer among Indian women. This tie-up with Urban Company is yet another manifestation of HCG’s unflinching commitment to serve the larger cause of healthcare with the support of like-minded organizations.” 

The sessions were conducted both physically and virtually across cities including Gurgaon, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Visakhapatnam, Jaipur, and Vadodara. 

According to recent estimates by the World Health Organization, 2.3 million women globally were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, with the number of deaths reaching 685,000. Between 2015 and 2020, there were 7.8 million women alive who were diagnosed with breast cancer, making it the world’s most prevalent cancer. 

Nykaa Acquires Home-Grown Skincare & Fashion Ecommerce Platform Brand - Dot & Key

* Addition of the D2C brand To Grow Skincare Category

Nykaa, India’s leading beauty and fashion ecommerce platform, today announced the acquisition of the Indian skincare brand Dot & Key. This is the first D2C (direct to consumer) beauty brand acquired by Nykaa and following this investment by Nykaa, Dot & Key will join Nykaa’s stable of owned brands

Founded by Kolkata-based Suyash Saraf and Anisha Saraf, Dot & Key is a new age brand focused on providing solutions to skincare concerns. It offers premium skincare products such as serums, face masks, toners and cleansers. The brand has recently expanded into nutraceuticals under the brand ‘IKWI’, whose products are dermatologically tested and cruelty free. Ernst & Young LLP was the exclusive advisor to Dot & Key on the deal.

Commenting on the strategic development, Falguni Nayar, Founder and CEO, Nykaa said, “We are excited to bring Dot & Key into the Nykaa family in time to serve the demand in high quality skincare by Indian consumers.  Dot & Key’s product range presents an exciting opportunity for Nykaa as it allows us to extend the brand’s reach to a larger landscape of consumers and enter the nutraceutical space as well. Dot & Key is a consumer centric brand with a growing base of consumers and a range of skincare solutions.”

“We created a niche brand with Dot & Key, focused on making products based on consumer needs. Our passion to differentiate ourselves has inspired us to take an unconventional angle to skincare. Nykaa’s position in the beauty landscape in India and its resources will allow Dot & Key to grow further as a brand and scale to the next level.” said Suyash Saraf, Co-Founder, Dot & Key.

About Nykaa

Nykaa (FSN E-Commerce) was founded in 2012 by Indian entrepreneur Falguni Nayar with a vision of bringing inspiration and joy to people, everywhere, every single day. Derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Nayaka’, meaning one in the spotlight, Nykaa has emerged as one of India’s leading lifestyle focused consumer technologies platforms. Since its launch, Nykaa expanded its product categories by introducing online platforms Nykaa Fashion and Nykaa Man. Delivering a comprehensive Omnichannel ecommerce experience, Nykaa offers 4,078 brands and over 3.1 million product SKUs through its website and mobile applications as of August 31, 2021. The Nykaa Guarantee ensures that products available at Nykaa are 100% authentic and sourced directly from the brand or authorized retailers. Through engaging and educational content, digital marketing, social media influence, robust CRM strategies, and the Nykaa Network community platform, Nykaa has built a loyal community of millions of beauty and fashion enthusiasts.

Signify Launches Philips HexaStyle, India’s First Hexagon-Shaped LED Downlight

* Hexagonal shape can be used to create unique patterns in the ceiling

* Fits in regular round cut-outs in ceiling, enabling easy installation

Signify (Euronext: LIGHT), the world leader in lighting, today launched its Philips HexaStyle LED downlight in India. It is a unique, first-of-its-kind hexagonal shaped downlight that can be arranged in different patterns to create unique designs in the ceiling. Moreover, it is built with a round fitment, making it easy to install in regular round-shaped cut-outs in the ceiling.

The downlight offers high energy efficiency of 100 lumens per watt and is available in both warm white and cool white options and three wattages - 8W, 12W and 15W. It also features the company’s EyeComfort Technology which is designed to be easy on the eyes.

Downlights are a growing category in India and are very popular amongst people building new homes or making structural renovations. Currently, downlights are only available in 2 shapes - round or square, that are installed as single units offering functional and ambient lighting. With its Philips HexaStyle downlight that can be arranged in unique patterns, Signify is redefining the usage of downlights as a design element as well, in addition to offering just functional and ambient lighting. Customers can use their imagination to create unlimited designs in their ceiling by placing the hexagonal shaped downlights in different configurations.

Commenting on the launch, Sumit Joshi, CEO and Managing Director, Signify Innovations India said, “We are proud to introduce our latest innovation – the Philips HexaStyle downlight in India. Its hexagonal shape will enable consumers to express their creativity and design a truly personalized lighting experience for their home, by creating unique patterns in their ceilings. With this innovative product, we have expanded the product functionality from only illumination to illumination and design as well.”

About Signify

Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) is the world leader in lighting for professionals and consumers and lighting for the Internet of Things. Our Philips products, Interact connected lighting systems and data-enabled services, deliver business value and transform life in homes, buildings and public spaces. With 2020 sales of EUR 6.5 billion, we have approximately 39,000 employees and are present in over 70 countries. We unlock the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world. We achieved carbon neutrality in 2020, have been in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index since our IPO for four consecutive years and were named Industry Leader in 2017, 2018 and 2019. 

24th JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship 2021 To Kick Start This Weekend In Coimbatore

* JK Tyre presents Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup all set for its grand debut

As the country is regaining its feet from the second wave of Coronavirus pandemic and sporting events resuming across the country, JK Tyre is all set to host the 24thJK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship (JKNRC) 2021 at the Kari Motor Speedway, Coimbatore on Oct 23-24, 2021. The weekend will also mark the debut of the first ever Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup. Built on Royal Enfield’s most capable racing motorcycle - the Continental GT 650 - this  introduction adds thrill and provides much more thrust to JKNRC 2021.

Royal Enfield has been at the forefront of creating and growing the leisure riding culture, and the brand has also been a significant part of niche motorcycling sub-cultures like endurance races, cross-country trails, road racing, among others. Royal Enfield has announced its debut into track racing with the Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup 2021. The Continental GT Cup is India’s first retro racing format aimed at building accessible entry into track racing for new entrants as well as experienced racers.

The first ever season of the JK Tyre presents Royal Enfield GT Cup has seen overwhelming response from racing enthusiasts in the country. From an application list of more than 300 aspirants, 100 racers were shortlisted and invited to Coimbatore for the selection on Monday, October 18. A final grid of 18 riders who qualified for the races on Saturday and Sunday were identified along with two Media Wild cards. The qualifying rounds indicated a close competition between the shortlisted racers, and promised some nail biting racing action this weekend.

Topping the time charts in the category was Anfal Akdhar from Thirssur. With a  timing of 1:23.126, he has shown  that he is capable of providing some knee-scraping action, along with other well-known riders like Anish Damodara Shetty. However, it was Lani Zena Fernandez, a young lady from Puducherry, who took the track by storm. She brimmed with confidence and enthusiasm as she competed with the boys while going through the gruelling sessions to be identified as one among the best.

Raivat Dhar, a young motoracer from Jammu who has made it to the final grid, showed he was not going to be left behind on the track and is eager to put on a great show for the final races on Sunday. With majority of the racers being from Southern India, Raivat is a proud representative from the Northernmost state of the country.

The qualifying selection round was conducted under professional guidance and safety controls. The entire grid was within 2.75 seconds of each other on the timing sheet, which shows the level of competence, skill and quality of talent that has made the grid.

The rider representation is truly a national one with riders from all corners of India battling it out over the weekend.

With a  well-known brand like Royal Enfield to be part of the JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship, which spreads over four rounds comprising eight races, the season will be watched with utmost interest.

In the four-wheeler category, which has been the staple diet for racing fans in India who are well versed with JKNRC, the LGB Formula 4 category evokes the same passion and interest. These Formula cars designed at home have withstood the test of time and given drivers ample chance to showcase their skills. Names like Vishnu Prasad and Ashwin Datta are well known to fans. There is also a strong presence of woman driver, led by Mira Erda. But one young man who took the season by storm last year, Amir Sayed will perhaps be watched with greatest interest in the new season. It's a full grid this time, with 26 cars in fray.

The LGB Novice Cup provides the necessary platform for young and new drivers to showcase their talent. The difference between the LGB Formula 4 and novice category is mainly one of seasoned drivers being there in the first category. It’s a packed grid for Novice Cup too as 24 talented drivers representing different parts of the country including cities like Guwahati, Ranchi, Nagpur, Coonoor, Vadodara will be fighting for the title.

JK Tyre Motorsports has produced a galaxy of champions over the last two decades and the next bundle of talent could well emerge from this category. Going by the on-track action seen in last few years, this grid is definitely the one to watch out for this weekend.

Like last year, all safety protocols relating to Covid-19 will be followed by the organisers.

About JK Tyre Motorsport:

JK Tyre has been closely associated with the world of motorsports for almost three decades back. The company laid down a long term plan to popularise and promote the sport in the country. Its first target was to change the notion that this was a sport for the elite. So it packaged and redesigned it in a spectator-friendly way, drawing the masses to the sport.

The company then endeavored to spot, nurture and sharpen the drivers to turn them into world champions. With this goal in mind, we conceptualized the JK Tyre National Racing Champion in 1997. Our efforts started paying dividends in just a few years’ time, with the likes of Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandok going all the way to the F1 rung, the highest level of single-seat racing in the world. Since then, a number of stars emerged, including Armaan Ebrahim, the Maini brothers (Kush and Arjun), Anindith Reddy Konda, amongst many others. 

Before all this, JK Tyre had a successful stint in rallying too, conquering the scene in the early 90s. At the same time, gradually, we moved on to various disciplines, including cross-country rallying and off-roading, leaving a mark in each of them with their unique and innovative ways.  

JK Tyre Motorsports is also very proud of the role it has played in bringing women into motorsports in a big way. Apart from encouraging them to get into the sport through karting as kids, we also gave them opportunities in various national championships. Last year was particularly rewarding for us as an All-Women Racing team was introduced for the first time in the LGB 4 category. In addition, the company also undertook various other initiatives to encourage them to try motorsports, even if for fun to begin with.  

To supplement JK Tyre’s entry into the two-wheeler market, the JKNRC hosted the Suzuki Gixxer Cup and the Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup categories and saw enthusiastic participation from across the country.

Today, the company is synonymous with motorsports, and even more so with racing, creating a lot of goodwill for the brand. Right from budding racers to accomplished drivers in the country, everybody owes their rise and success to JK Tyre.  

OPPO Officially Launches The Global Version Of ColorOS 12 In India

* Based on Android 12, the new ColorOS brings a clean, inclusive UI with smoother performance

OPPO, announced its new ColorOS 12 for its global users. The operating system promises a seamless experience that is closer to stock Android 12 and introduces an all-new inclusive UI, a smoother performance, along with features that boost everyday productivity, as well as help achieve a better work-life balance.

With this launch, OPPO officially rolls out the ColorOS 12 public beta to its user base to become one of the first OEMs to run on Android 12. The update will first come to the Find X3 Pro devices in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. It will roll out in the Indian market from November 2021 starting with the Reno series – Reno6 Pro 5G, Reno6 Pro Diwali Edition, and Reno6 5G.

OPPO ColorOS 12 is based on Android 12 and together we bring the fastest and widest-reaching OS update in the history of OPPO. We thrive towards consumer requirements, and thus, ColorOS 12 has several features related to security and privacy showcasing our commitment to data protection and confidentiality,” says Manoj Kumar, Senior Principal Engineer, ColorOS India R&D.

Inclusivity Now a Central Theme

Inclusivity has been a central theme in the creation of ColorOS 12 with its presence across 68 countries and a reach of 440 million users around the world. It supports 67 languages including 13 major Indian languages. The new OS builds on top of OPPO’s Infinite Design concept, which is lightweight, clean and customizable. It packs softer icons, animations and an information framework that is friendly to different languages and cultures. 

An OS that’s open to the Android developers

OPPO shares a relationship of healthy mutual exchange with its Android partners and contributes to building a culture of openness and technological exchange. ColorOS, for instance, has incorporated many stock Android features like the Wallpaper-based Theming system in Material You. On the other hand, the App Cloner from ColorOS now features in Android 12.

ColorOS aims to become a more developer-friendly OS. In addition to the free camera SDKs covering its most advantageous camera capabilities—including Ultra Steady Video Shooting, HDR, Super Wide-Angle, etc—OPPO has further opened its HyperBoost, Color Vision Enhancement to benefit app developers and enhance the Android ecosystem.

Smoother, Seamless Experience Powering Greater Productivity

The core principle of OPPO R&D and Innovation has always been to give users a smooth, seamless experience. And now—thanks to its long-term code decoupling efforts in ColorOS—OPPO has addressed issues of lags and stutters after prolonged usage, especially in anti-fragmentation and intelligent resource allocation. These efforts have led to a low 2.75% system ageing rate in 3 years, an average of 30% lower memory occupation and 20% lower battery consumption[1]. 

Its Quantum Animation Engine adopts more than 300 improved animations to achieve animated effects that are lifelike. By imitating physical habits of resistance, inertia and rebound, the feature makes the overall experience smoother and more aligned to the cognition and habits of the human brain so that the experience is more realistic and intuitive. 

Practical features such as 3-Finger Translate powered by Google Lens and Phone Manager allow ColorOS 12 users to stay productive through multiple scenarios.

Prioritized Privacy: Cutting the gimmicks and focusing on the basics 

OPPO has been listening to its user feedback and prioritizing privacy on ColorOS. The ColorOS 12 not only comes packed with all the improved security and privacy features from Android 12, including Privacy Dashboards, Approximate Location Sharing and Microphone and Camera Indicators, which empowers users to be the masters of their privacy with clear, visualized menus and buttons; but also keeps the well-received features developed within the OPPO team, such as Private System, Private Safe, App Lock and others.

Being aware that privacy to users is all about keeping transparency, OPPO has been improving data compliance through storage and process. With servers deployed in multiple locations across the world, OPPO guarantees that user data stay in the nearby servers, which is saved in a non-plain text format and is transmitted using a proprietary protocol.

It holds privacy certifications from authoritative organizations such as ePrivacy and ISO27001, and it even deploys third-party supervisors from the data security field to make ensure everyday process compliance.

ColorOS 12 Rollout Plan

OPPO will first roll out ColorOS 12 public beta in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia on the Find X3 Pro 5G. Rollouts will then continue step-by-step in other countries and on additional devices through the rest of 2021 and 2022. The company aims to bring ColorOS 12 to over 110 models with 150 million users with ColorOS 12.

OPPO’s Exclusive Upgrade Policy

For the very first time, OPPO is also announcing a major update policy. Specifically, for the OPPO devices releasing from 2019 and onwards the company will guarantee three major Android updates for its flagship Find X Series devices, and two Android updates for the Reno/F and some of the A Series and a single Android update for the low memory A Series models[2]. Together with four years of regular security patch updates for the Find X/ Reno/ F Series, and three years for the A Series. 

Samsung Enhances Customer Service; Launches Smart Touch Call Visual Interface For Faster Solutions Through Do It Yourself Options

* Through Smart Touch Call, customers will be able to find quick resolution to their most common queries

* New digital self-service option will reduce call wait time for customers

Samsung, India’s most trusted customer electronics brand, has launched the new ‘Smart Touch Call’ service that will reduce wait time for customers when they call Samsung’s Customer Care to resolve their queries, helping them save time as they manage their work and personal responsibilities from home.

Customers calling Samsung’s Customer Care will have the option to switch to a synchronized voice and screen interface instead of a traditional call center experience. Smart Touch Call is an intuitive service experience that captures the caller’s needs and enables them to interact with the system.

Using this digital self-service option, customers will be able to find a resolution to most of their common queries such as locating the nearest service centre from them, repair tracking, software updates, spare part pricing, warranty information, in-home service reservation, appointment booking, order status, product registration and several Do It Yourself product troubleshoots.

“The Smart Touch Call service has been intelligently designed keeping in mind the current needs of our customers, helping them save their time as they juggle between multiple personal and professional roles. At Samsung, we believe in creating innovative customer-centric solutions to meet the changing needs of our users and we are confident that this new service will reduce call wait time and provide customers quick self-service options for their queries,” said Sunil Cutinha, Vice President, Customer Service, Samsung India.

How Smart Touch Call Works

Any customer who dials in to Samsung’s Customer Care (1800-5-7267864) and opts for Smart Touch Call will get an SMS or a pop-up menu while being on call. Customers can select the self-help option or select their preferred communication mode like email support, WhatsApp support, chat support or voice support. Callers can fill out a form with their details and concerns even before getting connected with a customer service agent, for faster resolution.

With Smart Touch Call, customers can expect a lower call wait time and a faster call transfer time that is caused due to wrong menu selections.

To help customers resolve their product service issues without stepping out of their homes. Samsung has recently expanded its contactless service offerings in the country with a new pick-up and drop service for smartphone and tablet devices. Customers visiting Samsung service centers can also opt for drop-only service to get their mobile devices delivered to their home post repair. The pick-up and drop service I currently available in 46 cities and can be availed by connecting with Samsung customer service on Whatsapp number 1800 5 7267864.

In addition, customers who want to visit any of Samsung’s service centres to get their smartphones and tablets repaired can book their appointments online on www.samsung-appointment.com or through the Samsung MyGalaxy App and the Samsung Members App, for a preferred day, time and location.

Samsung also offers several digital service options to its customers, helping them resolve their issues without stepping out of their homes. Customers can opt for WhatsApp, Remote Support, Live Chat, technical assistance through the call center or access do-it-yourself videos on the Samsung Website and on YouTube.

At the service centres, apart from all hygiene measures being taken at the entry points – temperature checks and hand sanitization – service counters have been equipped with sneeze guards and queue management is in place allowing only limited customers in at one time.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.  

Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the world of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems and memory, system LSI, foundry and LED solutions. For latest news on Samsung India, please visit Samsung India Newsroom at http://news.samsung.com/in. For Hindi, log on to Samsung Newsroom Bharat at https://news.samsung.com/bharat. You can also follow us on Twitter @SamsungNewsIN

Fintech & Healthtech Startup Dhani Raises Rs 1,200 Crores Of Equity By Selling 9% Stake

Dhani Services Ltd., one of India’s fastest growing transactional finance and primary healthcare platforms, announced an equity raise of Rs 1,200 crores for a 9% stake. Dhani is ranked at no. 3 on Google Play Store (India) in the Business category. Dhani has over 30 lac paid monthly subscriptions & 90 lac+ monthly active users.

Dhani’s flagship product - OneFreedom Card provides customers with an instant credit limit along with a bouquet of additional benefits such as access to doctors, discounted medicines, instant cashbacks, free trading account and many merchant offers at a nominal monthly subscription fee starting @ Rs. 250.

The leading investor in the equity raise is General Catalyst from the Silicon Valley, investing Rs. 375 crores. General Catalyst has invested in companies like Stripe in the fintech space and Livongo in digital healthcare. The investment firm is focused on early-stage and growth investments in the technology sector. 

The other investors in the round include Ribbit Capital, a leading global fintech investor with early-stage investments in Robinhood, Coinbase and Revolut. The founder of Dhani is also investing Rs. 375 crores alongside the other investors in the preferential round.  

About Dhani Services Limited: Dhani is a consumer business that operates through its app Dhani and provides transaction finance and digital healthcare to its customers. The company has a customer base of 3 crore customers spread across 500 cities in India.