Curefoods Acquires 7 Food Brands To Expand Its Cloud Kitchen Footprint In India

• Curefoods has added multiple popular D2C brands to its portfolio and is becoming a major player in India’s booming cloud kitchen segment

• It is looking to on-board 25 more brands of which 15 LOIs have already been signed

• Curefoods’ domain expertise and tech-driven farm-to-fork model will give a major push to these brands and help them expand kitchens across India

Curefoods, a leading cloud kitchen company which operates brands like EatFit announced its acquisition of multiple D2C food brands across the country. Currently, Curefoods has 10 brands in its portfolio, of which 7 are new acquisitions featuring the likes of CakeZone and MasalaBox.

It has also acquired exclusive online franchising rights for 3 brands namely YumLane, Sharief Bhai, and Aligarh House.

Tapping further into India’s booming cloud kitchen segment, Curefoods is looking at on-boarding a total of 25 brands. The company has already signed 15 more letters of intent (LOIs). Typically, it follows a 21-day period of end-to-end closure while on-boarding such brands.

Curefoods is leveraging its end-to-end farm-to-fork technology and highly adept consumer-facing marketing stack to integrate these brands into the business. Moreover, Curefoods’ expertise in running significantly advanced central kitchen facilities allows it to power these food brands and help them grow at a faster rate.

Curefoods’ acquired brands include the following –

• MasalaBox, which includes subscription-based home-cooked meals, is currently present in Bengaluru and Kochi with Hyderabad added post its acquisition. MasalaBox’s business model provides entrepreneurial opportunities to passionate home-cooks and the product has successfully been scaling since it was acquired in June;

• Paratha Box is a Bengaluru-based brand specialising in all-day Indian breakfast meals. Since acquisition, it has scaled from 3 to 35 kitchens across multiple cities by the end of October;

• Cake Zone is one of India’s largest online confectionary chains. While currently focused in southern India, Curefoods aims to take CakeZone to the northern and western Indian markets and achieve a 10x growth projection in the next five years;

• Ammi’s Biryani is a Bengaluru-based brand serving up one of India’s most popular dishes – biryani. After a complete brand buyout, Curefoods will be rebuilding the brand and relaunching it soon;

• Two Hyderabad-based pizza brands - Olio and Crusto’s are also now part of Curefoods’ roster and will see their business expand rapidly in coming months;

• Chaat Street, Bengaluru’s leading online ‘chaat’ brand has joined the Curefoods umbrella to scale its operations to multiple cities.

Aside from these, brands that Curefoods has obtained exclusive online franchising rights for include –

• YumLane, a Mumbai-based Pizza cloud kitchen brand which has scaled from 15 to 40+ outlets since it was acquired by Curefoods;

• Aligarh House, an Indian and Mughlai food cloud kitchen delivering in cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, and Mysore;

• Sharief Bhai, a popular brand known for its fragrant biryanis which aims to now open 100 new cloud kitchens under Curefoods.

Commenting on these developments, Ankit Nagori, founder, Curefoods, said: “We are on a mission to make good food easily accessible at affordable prices, and to do this, we are acquiring a host of brands that people recognise and love. Given the accelerated growth of cloud kitchens in India, especially since the pandemic, we want to leverage our market expertise and advanced technology in order to elevate and amplify the experiences these brands offer. By having them under the Curefoods banner, we will be able to ensure the creation of a highly standardized, efficient, and hygienic kitchen network across the nation. We are excited to have all the newly acquired brands on board and look forward to serving India some really great food.”

Gokul Kandhi, Business Head, Curefoods, added: “We are thrilled to have on board some really great food brands that are serving up delicious meals across geographies in India. Now, having them as part of our network, we will be doubling down on improving scale, operations, technological integration, and marketing for each of these. We are already seeing some of these companies grow much faster with us than they did before the pandemic. This is a pattern we hope to see for each brand that we integrate into Curefoods. We look forward to working with them and becoming a major contender in India’s growing cloud kitchen segment.”

About Curefoods:

Curefoods is a leading cloud kitchens operator in India. It commenced its operations in 2020. It operates brands like EatFit, Yumlane, Aligarh House Biryani, CakeZone and Masalabox. It has over 50 kitchens across ten cities in India. Additional information on Curefoods is available at https://curefoods.in

Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE Ropes In Tiger Shroff As Brand Ambassador For Its New Campaign

* Digital campaign showcases Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE’s

* 5-in-1 full synthetic formula that offers ‘Performance That Surprises’

Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE, India’s premium engine oil brand for two-wheelers has launched a new digital campaign around #PerformanceThatSurprises highlighting the brand’s 5-in-1 full synthetic formula that offers superior engine health for two-wheelers. The campaign features Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff as the face of Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE, whose persona resonates with the idea of a ‘performance that surprises’.

Conceptualized by Schbang, the campaign explores the idea of ‘The Man & the Machine’ and showcases a performance face-off between Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE and Tiger Shroff. In the face-off, both Tiger and Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE compete against each other to emerge as the ULTIMATE performer.

Speaking about the campaign, Jaya Jamrani, Vice President – Marketing, Castrol India, said, “At Castrol, we have consistently delivered industry-leading products that offer unmatched protection and performance for vehicles. Our new campaign #PerformanceThatSurprises creatively illustrates how our consumers can unlock the ULTIMATE performance by using Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE. Looking ahead, we will continue to innovate our offerings and communications with the purpose of providing superior performance and experience to bike enthusiasts.”

Link to the YouTube video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaYCtXYRHtI

Commenting on the new film, Harshil Karia, Founder, Schbang, said, “Every bike enthusiast wants to get the ULTIMATE performance from their bike. This is especially true for Indian consumers, given their heightened enthusiasm for better performance from bikes. Taking a cue, we conceptualised a face-off between Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE and Tiger Shroff, to offer a visual delight for bike enthusiasts who want to unlock the ultimate performance from their vehicles.”

Sharing his excitement about the launch of the new campaign, Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE brand ambassador and Bollywood superstar, Tiger Shroff said, “It's an absolute pleasure to represent Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE. I don't think a brand has embodied what I believe in so perfectly as this campaign has. When Castrol approached me for Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE, I knew this was a natural fit cause we both deliver performance that surprises. The creative, the tech, the use of digital, I am sure my fans will love the film and everything else that the brand is planning."

Castrol’s POWER1 ULTIMATE campaign will go live on key digital platforms from 22 October and will be bolstered by strong on-ground execution to leverage Castrol’s wide retail network; including independent auto workshops through product displays, key visuals, and demonstration videos. 

Rakuten Medical, Karkinos Healthcare Collaboration To Expand The Reach Of Novel Cancer Care To India

Rakuten Medical Inc, and Karkinos Healthcare Private Limited announced a strategic collaboration to expand the reach of novel cancer care to India. This includes a minority stake acquisition in Karkinos Healthcare by Rakuten Medical. Rakuten Medical’s investment marks Karkinos Healthcare’s first international investor.

Rakuten Medical is focused on developing and commercializing innovative cancer treatments for multiple indications based on its IlluminoxTM platform. Karkinos is a healthcare technology platform focused on delivering quality healthcare by providing access to, and availability of, cancer detection, diagnosis and treatment options. This strategic collaboration will enable continued innovation in cancer care with the goal of transforming cancer care in India and abroad. 

Rakuten Medical’s first pipeline drug developed on its Illuminox™ platform, ASP-1929, has received approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, and is currently the subject of a global phase 3 clinical trial for recurrent head and neck cancer. Karkinos Healthcare is pioneering the Distributed Cancer Care Network model in India addressing clinical needs that will bring quality care closer to patients. Karkinos already offers its services in Kothamangalam, Chottanikkara, Thodupuzha, Munnar locations across Ernakulam and Idukki Districts, in Kerala and is planning to ramp up its operations across India.

“We are happy to partner with Karkinos Healthcare, who is committed to transforming cancer care”, said Mickey Mikitani, Chief Executive Officer of Rakuten Medical, Inc. “We believe this partnership will open up more opportunities for cancer patients in the Indian market, help Rakuten Medical further develop and commercialize our treatment based on our Illuminox platform, and ultimately deliver on our mission to bring this technology to as many patients as possible”.

“Our collaboration with Rakuten Medical will allow us to introduce their breakthrough therapies and vital support structure for cancer patients in India”, said Venkataramanan R, Chief Executive Officer of Karkinos Healthcare. “We at Karkinos believe platforms like Rakuten Medical’s Illuminox platform can revolutionize cancer care in the country and beyond.”

Karkinos Healthcare counts Tata Group and business personalities including Ratan N Tata, Venu Srinivasan, Ronnie Screwvala, Bhavish Aggarwal, and others as investors.  

Nokia C30 Launches In India With 6.82” HD+ Screen And With 6000 mAh Battery

* Equipped with the impressive 13MP dual camera and 3/32GB and 4/64GB configurations

* Will be available with JioExclusive offer- across retail stores, Nokia.com and leading e-commerce platforms

* Love it: Battery for up to three days1, quality imaging, and a screen that means business

* Trust it: Pure android with two years quarterly security updates that will protect your data

* Keep it: Sturdy device which has passed durability tests tougher than the industry average

HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, has strengthened its popular C-series portfolio of smartphones by introducing the Nokia C30, with a strategic partnership with Jio in India. Launched in the midst of the ongoing festive season, the budget-friendly Nokia C30 is the most powerful C-series smartphone, with the largest battery and biggest screen yet in a Nokia smartphone. This is the fourth Nokia smartphone which comes with the benefits of the special JioExclusive program.

With a colossal 6.82” HD+ display, the Nokia C30’s screen means there’s more to see, share and cherish. Due to its huge 6000 mAh battery that can last up to three days on single charge, you can binge on your favorite shows, listen to music, do long video calls with your friends and family, click photos whenever you want to and more, without worrying about the battery life. Capture your best ideas in authentic quality with the impressive 13MP dual camera. And, thanks to regular quarterly security updates for at least two years, the Nokia C30 will not only stand the test of time but will also keep you and your work safe for the entirety of it.

Commenting on the new launch, Mr. Sanmeet Singh Kochhar, Vice President, HMD Global said: “The new Nokia C30 is the most powerful addition to our C-series range, and it epitomizes what this range stands for – a holistic smartphone experience at an accessible price point. It’s the ultimate device, from a brand you know and trust, for people who want to transition into the world of smartphones. The Nokia C30 is an answer to what people have been asking for – more time between charges, bigger screen, our signature security and durability, and an accessible price point.”

More screen, more room for your bold ideas

The huge 6.82” HD+ display on the new Nokia C30 is here to supply what fans have been asking for. Give your work the attention it deserves – on the Nokia C30, all viewing angles are the good ones, so you can show your ideas with ease. When it’s time to unwind, settle in for some well-earned catching up with your favourite series.

A battery that can keep up

Hard-working individuals and busy days ask for a battery that can keep up. On the Nokia C30, it’s been supersized to an impressive 6000 mAh, giving you enough energy to work up to three days on single charge – so you can upskill, stream, and connect to those that matter most. Complemented by the quality feel that only a truly durable build can provide. The Nokia C30 is wrapped in a sturdy polycarbonate shell that you can trust, giving you a device that will last.

Love the camera

Treasured moments can be relived thanks to the dual 13MP camera - highest resolution on a C-series device yet. The added depth sensor will give your portraits the quality they deserve.

Safety first with industry-leading security

When it comes to your ideas, you can’t put a price on security. Just like the rest of the C-series family, the Nokia C30 comes with a security update promise. Updated quarterly for two years, you can trust that your best work will always be protected. Plus, with fingerprint and face unlock, your work will be well guarded.

Pricing and availability

The Nokia C30 is available in India in Green and White and comes in 3/32GB and 4/64GB configurations starting at a recommended best buy price of INR 10999 & 11999 respectively, across leading offline retail stores, e-commerce platforms and Nokia.com.

Customers who choose to avail the JioExclusive offer will get an instant price support of 10% or a maximum of Rs. 1000 on the best buy price, and will have to pay INR 9999 & 10999 for the 3GB & 4GB variant respectively.

Customers can avail the offer at participating Retail stores or through the MyJio app. In case of self-enrolment via MyJio app, they can opt for JioExclusive offer within 15 days of activating the device and the Price Support benefits would be passed directly to customer’s bank account via UPI within 30 minutes of successful enrolment.

Additional Benefits for all Jio Subscribers:

Jio subscribers doing recharge of INR 249 and above would also be eligible for benefits worth INR 4000 across Myntra, PharmEasy, Oyo & MakeMyTrip.

Star India Introduces Series Of High-End Innovations For The ICC Men's T20 Wold Cup 2021

Audiences are in for a special experience during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 as the broadcast production gets a major facelift. Star India, official broadcaster of the marquee tournament, announces a revamp of design and technology and the debut of some industry first broadcast innovations ahead of the Super 12 stage that gets underway on October 23rd, 2021. The new tech has been developed under Star and Disney India’s R&D arm -- Star Lab that spearheads innovation in emerging technologies.

Star India is deploying new tools for analytics, camera technology, immersive AR graphics, virtual and automated sets, and a plethora of new cricket broadcast experiences. Notably AI is powering a range of integrations, from a robotic statistic genius ‘Cricko’, to automated cameras, optical tracking of fielding positions and even super slow-motion replays. Design philosophy has been transformed to attract youth audiences who will #LivetheGame through the course of the tournament. These new additions will elevate the viewing experience to be more immersive and give a unique look and feel to the tournament.

Venues on-ground will witness high-tech integrations with ultra-modern cameras, creating 360-degree highlights using multiple patented technologies. These facilitate the ability to showcase detailed analysis of player movements during the game. Player graphics will be refreshed and will consist of unique symbols inspired by gaming that highlight a specific trait or quality of that cricketer.

Speaking about the technological innovations ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 on the Star Sports Network & Disney+ Hotstar, a Star India Spokesperson said, “The broadcast design for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 receives a complete makeover where our major focus will be to enhance the viewing experience and get fans to live the game with us. Technology has been used to bring alive some facets of the game which are generally ignored to the human eye – the look and feel of the presentation will be completely new as we aim to attract youth to engage and be a part of the marquee tournament. This will be achieved using world class technology such as enhanced 4D replays, AI interfaces, and automated cameras in the studios which will elevate the broadcast as we foray into new and innovative mechanisms.”

Technological integrations introduced in the studio include the use of artificial intelligence to aid in-depth analysis revolving around statistics in order to help the audience to better understand the nuances of the game. A digital model of the stadium will be embedded to showcase fielding placements, wagon wheels, scoring area percentages, and countless more statistics as well as tech which produces the illusion that presenters are teleporting between the ground and the studio. AI driven gesture control will enable the experts to display and analyze graphical representations relevant to the game. There will also be the inclusion of indoor drone cameras in the studios, the first ever indoor installation in the Indian Subcontinent. These flying cameras give an untethered 360-degree perspective to the audience for a new viewing experience

In the regional broadcast studios, robotic auto framing face tracking cameras will follow the precise movements of the presenters, using computer vision. Larger than life augmented reality graphics create stunning visuals on ground, while back in the studio presenters are using mixed reality headsets in a broadcast world first. The tool allows presenters to be able to see and physically interact with dynamic graphics during analysis of fielding positions, weather conditions and more. The solution has been developed using Unreal Engine by Epic Games to create the next generation of sports broadcast experiences.

Star and Disney India, also marked a historic day in sports broadcast with the live production of a total of six ICC T20 World Cup matches (Round one & warm-up) on the same day no less than twice, on October 18th & 20th 2021. This scale of production for any major Cricket event is unprecedented and has been a first for Cricket in Asia.

So, gear up for a tech savvy and high-end production broadcast of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 LIVE & Exclusive on the Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar VIP.

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.