Edtech Startup - Avishkaar Receives Accreditation From STEM.org

* Showcases commitment to delivering quality STEM education to its community of 100K+ young innovators

Avishkaar, a category leader in next-generation technology education for children between 5 and 15 years of age, has received STEM accreditation from the prestigious independent credentialing and education research organization STEM.org. Avishkaar earned both the STEM.org Accredited™ brand trust mark and STEM.org Authenticated™ trust mark for developing and delivering authentic STEM experience and content to its community.

Commenting on the accreditation, Pooja Goyal, COO & Co-Founder, Avishkaar, said, “We are honoured to be accredited by STEM.org. This is a testimony of the seamless education experience put forth by our team at Avishkaar, while reiterating our commitment towards achieving excellence in STEM education and delivering value to our community of young innovators. 

Our aim is to continue working towards developing a global platform that encourages an innovative mindset among children at an early age, and to build with #Tech4LargerGood,” she added. 

Manipal Academy Of Higher Education Unveiled The 5th Edition Of Its Flagship Marathon “Race To Beat The Wave” Event In February 2022

 

* Marathon will attract Participants from India as well as Abroad

Manipal Academy of Higher Education in association with Udupi district Amateur Athletic Association has decided to hold the 5th edition of Manipal Marathon that is MM 2022, on 13th February 2022. The announcement was made in the pre-event press conference today MAHE’s University building in the presence of Shri. Raghupathi Bhat, MLA of Udupi and President - Udupi district Amateur Athletic Association and Dr H S Ballal, Pro-Chancellor, MAHE, Dr Narayana Sabhahit, Registrar of MAHE, Mr. S P Kar, Director, PR, Media & Social Media Cell, MAHE along with Dr Vinod Nayak, Secretary, Sports Council, MAHE.

During the marathon, all COVID protocols and majors will be in place as defined by Government and various Regulators, will be strictly implemented.

Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) will give all the facilities to enhance the student's abilities. We give a lot of importance to academic activities. Students should make sure that they focus on their studies and participate in extra-curricular and co-curricular activities. It will help in the overall development of personality. MAHE has a large indoor stadium to keep pupils fit and active. We at MAHE believe that physical and mental fitness should go hand in hand.

Dr. H S Ballal, Pro-chancellor, MAHE said “Running is an excellent approach to improve both your physical and emotional wellbeing. It benefits almost every part of your health, gives a stress-relieving outlet, and boosts your mood and general enjoyment. We are excited to bring back our legacy Manipal Marathon in 2022 keeping all Covid protocol in mind”. MAHE along with Udupi District Amateur Athletic Association is excited to bring the Marathon season back to the district, which was gravely missed last year due to the pandemic. We strongly feel that physical activity is a must to keep immunity in check and we are gearing up for this mega event.

Sri K Raghupathi Bhat, MLA, Udupi, who was present at the press meet who believes that “The marathon is organized in order to support fitness movement, a call given by Prime Minister Modi ‘Fit India’. It is advised to exercise for at least half an hour to keep our body and mind healthy. Udupi District Amateur Athletic Association and MAHE have together been part of Manipal Marathon from decades and we continue this journey with MM 2022. I wholeheartedly urge the people of the district to take part in this event and stay fit always.”

Dr. Narayana Sabhahit, Registrar, MAHE said “Running is not only beneficial for your health, but it is also a tremendous physical exercise that may help you meet new people and form strong relationships. Running is also a good approach to set and then achieve goals. If you're looking for some direction in your life, now is the time to put on your running shoes and get to work. We are happy to announce the 5th edition of the Manipal Marathon scheduled for February 2022. We at MAHE are taking all the necessary precautions and adhering to the government guidelines for Covid-19”

The conference was moderated by Mr. SP Kar, Director, PR, Media & Social Media Cell, MAHE, along with Dr Vinod Nayak, Secretary, MAHE Sports Council who further shares “At MAHE we believe in all-round development. Our flagship marathon event is an example of our belief. In this event, he showcased how MAHE is planning to conduct MAHE’s 5th edition of Manipal Marathon 2022 scheduled for 13th February 2022 keeping COVID protocols and guidelines at its core”

The Press Meet was attended by Col Prakash Chandra, Director (General Services), MAHE, Dr Shobha Erappa, Joint Secretary, Sports Council – MAHE, along with other dignitaries.

eXp India Attracts 1000+ Agents Within 10 Months Of Launch

* The cloud based real estate brokerage continues to grow rapidly with  a presence in over 15 Indian states

eXp India, a subsidiary of eXp World Holdings  (NASDAQ: EXPI)  has on-boarded over a thousand real estate agents across India since their launch 10 months ago. A growing number of agents continue to join the cloud-based brokerage every day, signalling a marked trend in the way real estate transactions are being conducted post-pandemic. 

eXp’s cloud-based brokerage is powered by the company’s immersive and collaborative platform, which enables its agents to communicate, meet and conduct business in a virtual world.  Named eXp World, the cloud-based platform comes replete with meeting rooms, presentation collateral, conferences, extensive training and networking opportunities, myriad ways to personalize the virtual avatar, and much more. eXp India also offers a unique remuneration model for agents with attractive incentives and options to earn additional income by helping grow the company’s agent base globally and earn through listing and selling activities."We entered the Indian market in the last quarter of 2020 excited about the opportunities here, and the last 10 months have seen phenomenal growth. The Indian market has incredible potential, and the real estate agents themselves are talented and well-versed in market trends. We have seen extraordinary adoption of eXp's work model, and are confident that our footprint will continue to grow and attract agents who are looking to break the status quo," says Michael Valdes, the President of eXp.

“We are working towards building a strong foundation for an extremely progressive and transparent real estate sector in India. With that in mind, we give all our agents world-class training, flexibility and support, and have seen immense interest in the market as a result. Our agents have industry-first perks like a chance of acquiring equity shares and an attractive commission model which encourages more entrepreneurial minded agents, as well as existing brokerages to join our growing virtual community” says Shashank Vashishtha, the Executive Director of eXp India. 

In India, eXp conducts business in Delhi & NCR, MMR & Pune, Goa, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Indore, Lucknow, Agra, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Surat, Baroda, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Amritsar etc with a focus on both commercial and residential real estate. The brand began its operations by obtaining RERA licences in 15 states. At present, eXp India works with over 25 developers with 100+ projects and over 3000 property listings on their website and is looking to soon obtain RERA licences for an additional 5 states. The company has also witnessed exponential growth internationally in the last 12 months. eXp Global has launched operations in 14 countries, including India, in the past 12 months and has exceeded 67,000+ agents, making it the fastest growing real estate brokerage. eXp now operates in 18 countries worldwide.

About eXp India - eXp India and its global brokerage, eXp Realty, is one of the fastest-growing real estate tech companies in the world with more than 67,000 agents in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, India, Mexico, Portugal, France, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Italy, Hong Kong, Colombia, Spain, Israel, Germany and Panama. As a publicly traded company, eXp World Holdings provides real estate professionals the unique opportunity to earn equity awards for production goals and contributions to overall company growth. eXp World Holdings and its businesses offer a full suite of brokerage and real estate tech solutions, including its innovative residential and commercial brokerage model, professional services, collaborative tools and personal development. The cloud-based brokerage is powered by an immersive 3D platform that is deeply social and collaborative, enabling agents to be more connected and productive.

Safe Harbor Statement: The statements contained herein may include statements of future expectations and other forward-looking statements that are based on management’s current views and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof, and the company undertakes no obligation to revise or update them. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the economic and social effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; continued growth of our agent and broker base; expansion of our residential real estate brokerage business into foreign markets; demand for remote working and distance learning solutions and virtual events; development of our new commercial brokerage and our ability to attract commercial real estate brokers; and revenue growth and financial performance. Such statements are not guarantees of future performance. Important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those expressed in forward-looking statements include changes in business or other market conditions; the difficulty of keeping expense growth at modest levels while increasing revenues; and other risks detailed from time to time in the company’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including but not limited to the most recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Jupiter Brings ‘Mission Invite’ Program For Its 100% Digital Banking App

* Get an invite for a personalised banking experience that keeps pace with you

Why Jupiter:

●        India's first co-created digital banking experience

●        Customer service is not differentiated based on a customer’s account balance

●        Instant Chat Support for customer resolution with in the App

●        1% Rewards on UPI & Debit Card Spends

Bringing an instant, personalized and seamless banking experience to everyone, Jupiter- a 100% digital bank, has opened its app to more users today. . Founded by Fintech veteran Jitendra Gupta, Jupiter is built on a ‘user-first’ ethos.

To win users’ trust, Jupiter has introduced its ‘Mission Invite’ program to let existing users invite their friends. If you don't know any Jupiter user, you can still get in: just request  the existing community for access.  Or, try downloading the app to see if you can get one of the limited exclusive invites, right from the makers of the app.

Jupiter’s beta release in June recorded more than 1.5 lakhs requests from users for early access with in 2 weeks of launch.

Having received a phenomenal response from early users thus far, Jupiter aims to on-board 1 Million accounts in the next 6 Months. As on date, Jupiter is onboarding more than 3000 new customers for saving account every day. The app witnessed INR 100 crore+ customer deposits in last 30 days.

Jupiter offers more than just a bank account. Co-created with a strong community of fans, it’s tailormade to the needs of the modern consumer. It provides an intuitive, personalised experience that will change the way you think of banking forever.

The app is equipped with smart features that are intuitive to a users’ core financial needs:

●        Insights – A real-time breakdown of purchases, automatically sorted into categories, so you know exactly where and how you spend. 

●        Networth & Debt Tracker – Track all your bank balances or active loans from one place.

●        Pots- Hit all your saving goals by saving easily with Money Pots. Save for your next trip, the cool gadget on your wishlist, or even retirement.

●        Jewels – Earn 1% instant rewards on Debit Card and UPI spends, which can be redeemed as cash

●        Quick, easy payments - Pay from Jupiter or any other bank account, using your Jupiter UPI ID

Jupiter has partnered with Federal Bank and Visa to issue zero-balance savings accounts and debit cards. The app is available, both, on iOS and Android. 

Speaking on the launch, Jitendra Gupta, Founder & CEO, Jupiter Money, said, “Banking requirements are evolving at a fast pace, especially for the younger audience. Today, consumers don’t see bank as place where you go but it’s what you do with your money.. At Jupiter, we are approaching the banking experience with the mindset of an internet company by offering instant resolution to their needs. The ‘Mission Invite’ program is a way to convey our gratitude to initial customers and provide them an opportunity to expand and build a community that is waiting to experience a change in digital banking.”

Founded in 2019, Jupiter is a 21st century, digital banking platform, and is Gupta’s latest fintech venture, aimed at disrupting the financial services industry, after CitrusPay, which, in 2016, recorded one of the then-largest exits in the Indian fin-tech services ecosystem. The company counts the likes of Brazil-based Nubank, Sequoia Capital, Mirae Assets Venture, 3one4 Capital, amongst others and was last valued at INR 2000 crores in last round.

About Jupiter

Founded in 2019, Jupiter is India's first co-created digital banking experience. It has been conceptualised as a digital banking app with one simple aim – to deliver a banking experience that is nicer to the customer, his wallet and his financial goals. It cuts through the banking jargon, offers smart insights based on spending, and provides a range of new-age features to enable sensible financial decision-making.

Anthology Completes Merger With Blackboard, Launches Next Chapter In EdTech

 

* Anthology names new, combined leadership team

Anthology, a leading provider of higher education software solutions that support the entire learner lifecycle, and Blackboard Inc., a leading global EdTech software and solutions company, today completed their previously announced merger.

By bringing Blackboard and Anthology together, the combination will create the most comprehensive and modern EdTech ecosystem at a global scale for education. The company is uniquely positioned to enable deeper insights about the learner so that institutions can deliver unmatched personalized experiences and outcomes across the full learner lifecycle.

The parent company of the newly combined organization will be Anthology, with the Blackboard name continuing as an integral part of its brand portfolio. The Anthology brand represents the collection of the best and signifies the continued focus on creating the next chapter in EdTech. The company will tap its leading global position — with more than 150 million users across 80 countries — and a comprehensive portfolio of innovative solutions, to enable institutions to remove the historical barriers between administrative and learning ecosystems and drive learner and institutional success.

Led by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jim Milton, a team of top-tier executives has been identified across both organizations to lead the combined company. The company’s headquarters will be in Boca Raton, Florida. The company also will maintain its global facility footprint including the main Blackboard office in Reston, Virginia.

“The closing of the transaction represents the next chapter for Anthology and Blackboard as our collective offerings can deliver unmatched personalized experiences and insights across the full learner lifecycle,” said Milton. “Our combined broad set of capabilities – including teaching and learning, student information systems, enterprise resource planning, community engagement, student success and student engagement – will provide our clients with a full suite of enterprise-level products and services that enable institutions to not only focus on data-driven decisions but completely transform both student and institutional success.”

Clients across higher education, K-12 schools, government and business sectors of the combined companies will benefit from:

·       Accelerated Investments and Innovation in Current Solutions: Anthology will continue to support the solutions of both companies with key strategic investments and a focus on accelerating innovation. It also will ensure that the various solutions integrate to a heterogeneous EdTech ecosystem.

·       The World’s Largest Modern EdTech Ecosystem and Expanded Portfolio of Solutions: Clients will have access to an expanded product portfolio and global reach to meet institutions’ learning and administrative needs.

·       A Commitment to Privacy, Security and Openness: Ensuring the privacy and security of clients’ data is a foundational principle and the combined company will continue to meet the high privacy standards globally. The combined company believes openness is a critical element for innovation and will continue to integrate and connect with other solutions.

“With this combination, Anthology is poised to accelerate the data-driven higher ed ecosystem that the market has been demanding,” said Ramzi Musallam, CEO and Managing Partner of Veritas Capital. “Under the leadership of Jim Milton and the company’s proven senior leadership team, Anthology will serve as an industry force to improve outcomes for students and institutions and ensure the advancement of connected knowledge.”

The combined entity is majority owned by Veritas Capital (“Veritas”), a longstanding technology investor with a focus on companies operating at the intersection of technology and government. Leeds Equity Partners (“Leeds”), a private equity firm focused exclusively on partnering with companies in the Knowledge Industries, holds a minority stake in the company as well as Providence Equity Partners LLC (“Providence”), Blackboard’s previous majority owner.

Milbank LLP acted as legal advisor to Anthology and Veritas. Deutsche Bank served as financial advisor to Blackboard, and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP acted as legal advisor to Blackboard. Debevoise & Plimpton LLP acted as legal advisor to Providence.

About Anthology

Anthology exists to help higher education advance and thrive using modern cloud technology and services that keep the learner at the forefront. Drawing on a fully connected data experience, Anthology solutions create operational efficiencies, provide intelligence for staff and administrators, and empower institutional leaders to support and guide students on a path to success.

The full suite covers admission and enrollment management; student success and retention; institutional and learning effectiveness; alumni and advancement; and enterprise applications and infrastructure, offering solutions to the challenges facing campuses today. Working with more than 2,000 colleges and institutions in over 30 countries, Anthology is constantly discovering new ways to revolutionize higher education. 

Cashfree Payments Launches PAN Verification For Customer KYC; Simplifies Bulk KYC For Businesses

●        Cashfree Payments gives merchants the option to do single or bulk PAN verification

●        Merchants and businesses can get their customers’ PAN card details online, complete the verification and check status online, improving the speed and experience of onboarding

●        Loan and insurance companies, investment portals, wallets, payment banks, as well as large corporations (for employee KYC) to benefit from this

Leading payments and API banking solutions company, Cashfree Payments today announced that it has launched PAN (Permanent Account Number) Verification on Cashfree Payments Verification Suite. This feature will allow merchants to do a single online PAN verification or bulk pan verification of upto 10,000 PANs of their customers via PAN verification API.  Through this solution merchants can check pan card details online and check pan status online.

The PAN Verification can verify PAN Details such as validity of the PAN, Name provided, Verification ID, PAN type, Name registered, Father’s name, Date of Birth and Date of issue. With this launch, merchants and businesses can get their customers’ PAN verification done and check the status in real time, improving the speed and experience of onboarding.

A Permanent Account Number (PAN) is a unique ten-digit alphanumeric number issued by the Income-tax Department of India to all taxpayers in India. PAN Verification is used to check the authenticity of the details, validate PAN Card and also check if the card is owned by a business or an individual. Merchants and businesses use PAN for various purposes, such as:

●        Onboarding vendors

●        Onboarding employees

●        Transferring funds or process payments

●        KYC for financial services

Akash Sinha, CEO and Co-Founder, Cashfree Payments said, "With markets becoming increasingly competitive, it is vital for businesses to reduce turnaround times for any KYC-related requirements so that onboarding or payments can be conducted faster. We're excited to introduce our API based pan verification for our merchants to verify their users’ PAN card details, get the status of the PAN card, and check whether it belongs to a business or an individual. With this move, onboarding new customers will be much easier and quicker."

PAN card Verification is a new feature added to Cashfree Payments’ Identity offering. Cashfree Payments launched its Identity offering, starting with Bank Account Verification in 2019, and since then, it has been adopted by various businesses for their unique business use cases like KYC before vendor onboarding, employee background checks, and account verification before disbursals, etc.

With over 50% market share among payment processors, Cashfree Payments today leads the way in bulk disbursals in India with Cashfree Payments Payouts. Recently, India’s largest lender, SBI invested in Cashfree Payments underscoring the company’s role in building a robust payments ecosystem. Cashfree Payments works closely with all leading banks to build the core payments and banking infrastructure that powers the company’s products and is also integrated with major platforms such as Shopify, Wix, Paypal, Amazon Pay, Paytm and Google Pay.

About Cashfree Payments:

Cashfree Payments is a leading payment and API banking solutions company. It provides full-stack payments solutions enabling businesses in India to collect payments and make payouts via all available methods with simple integration. Cashfree Payments’ offerings include an advanced and easy way to integrate payment gateway, a split payment solution for marketplaces, bank account verification API and Auto Collect -- a virtual account solution to match inbound payments to customers. Founded by IIIT Hyderabad alumnus Akash Sinha and IIT Kharagpur graduate Reeju Datta, www.cashfree.com is among the leading payment service providers in India processing transactions worth USD 20 Billion annually. It has leveraged technology to lead payment disbursals in India with more than 50% market share among payment processors. Cashfree Payments enables more than 1,00,000 businesses with payment collections, vendor payouts, wage payouts, bulk refunds, expense reimbursements, loyalty and rewards. Apart from India, Cashfree Payments products are used in eight other countries including the USA, Canada and UAE. Cashfree Payments is backed by Silicon Valley investor Y Combinator, Apis Partners, State Bank of India (SBI) and was incubated by PayPal.

Maybelline New York Drums Up The Buzz For The Wedding Season With Maybelline Insta Weddings Featuring Sara Ali Khan

* Be it a bold bridal shower, glamourous sangeet night, or an illustrious engagement ceremony, Insta Weddings by Maybelline New York will have you set for every occasion

Narrating the essence and individuality of the new age woman, Maybelline New York, the leading makeup brand has launched ‘Insta Weddings’, a mesmerizing hero range of products for all the modern brides. The brand launched the campaign with youth icon and Bollywood sensation Sara Ali Khan. From a pre-wedding shoot to mehndi to sangeet and more, a wedding is definitely not just about the wedding day! With Maybelline New York’s Insta Weddings hero range of products you can plan a trend-setting entry or rock the floor with an ultimate glamorous avatar.

Epitomizing the vibrant personality of the bold and sassy bride, Insta Weddings brings a hero range of long wear products for lips, face, and eyes. The range of products includes Superstay Matte Ink (Rs. 650), Superstay Ink Crayon (Rs. 599), Insta Age Rewind (Rs. 650), Super Stay Foundation (Rs. 750), Master Chrome (Rs. 650), City Mini Eyeshadow Palette (Rs. 780), Tattoo Liner (Rs. 550), Define and Blend Brow Pencil (Rs. 349), Colossal Mascara (Rs. 399), Colossal Super Black (Rs. 300) and Lasting Fix Setting Spray (Rs. 599).

Speaking on the new & extensive Insta Wedding line of products, Maybelline New York’s brand ambassador Sara Ali Khan said, “Weddings are always special and stay forever in the memories of every woman. The Insta Wedding series by Maybelline New York can be considered as one stop brand for all the bridesmaids. The range helps in bring out uniqueness of bride tribe ensuring she dazzles at every ceremony. I am absolutely honored and delighted to bring Insta Weddings range of products for all the beautiful bride tribes out there.”

Adding further, Maybelline New York’s official make-up artist, Elton Fernandez said, “The Insta Weddings series of products effortlessly blend with the requirements of every modern bridesmaid. The range gives an alluring and long-lasting look while enhancing the overall wedding attire. Tune in to watch me create some stunning looks on everyone’s favorite influencers as they get ready for their own special moments. We look forward to creating everlasting memories with brides through this range of products.”

Glam up with Maybelline New York’s Insta Weddings!