Planet Smart City Launches €60 M Capital Raise To Accelerate Growth

* UK-based affordable housing proptech pioneer also doubles revenues to €93m

Planet Smart City, the London headquartered global leader in smart affordable housing, today announces that it has launched a €60m capital raise to accelerate the Group’s ambitious business plans. Planet’s India business is helmed from Pune with ‘Universe’ at Life Republic township in Pune, as a joint venture with Kolte-Patil Developers Ltd., and has plans to expand to Mumbai and Bangalore.

Since its establishment in 2015, Planet Smart City, which specialises in large-scale projects that create smart neighbourhoods and affordable homes - has raised more than €160 million, from 390 institutional and private investors. In 2021, the Group recorded revenues of approximately $105 million dollars (€93 million), doubling the result of 2020 which had been $52 million dollars.

The €60m capital increase is aimed at accelerating the implementation of Planet’s ambitious business plan that includes the launch of approximately 54 smart projects over the next three years (a total of over 40,000 housing units). This will provide a platform to help establish Planet as a world leader in the affordable segment housing by 2030 with more than 45,000 homes sold each year.

Planet's projects are capable of revolutionising the way residents live in urban environments. Its success in Brazil - where the first families are moving to its neighbourhoods – has created a unique proposition compared with the rest of the real estate market, particularly in the affordable market segment.

Planet's approach to community building is aligned with the highest environmental and social sustainability standards which can be measured through its proprietary digital platform, the ‘Planet App’. Because of this, residents' experience within their community is totally transformed: services are accessible through digital solutions that provide increased convenience, help residents save money, and live more sustainably. The Planet App, which is provided to all residents for free has 70% adoption rate across its projects.

The Group’s approach also completely transforms the classic real estate business model whereby revenues come exclusively from the sale of properties. Planet’s digital business unit generates revenues from the management of services offered to the community and data analytics. This also enables Planet to continue to reinvest in its neighborhoods for the long-term.

Giovanni Savio, co-founder and Global CEO of Planet Smart City commented: “The design of new large-scale residential real estate developments is increasingly characterised by a multidisciplinary approach: technological innovation, digitalisation of services, and solutions that promote sociality. Planet Smart City is the only global company that integrates these concepts into an innovative and scalable offer for affordable housing. Our unique approach is also increasingly recognised by sector players who are looking at Planet to be involved in their projects and co-create first smart neighborhoods in Dallas. In India, we have planned 20+ smart solutions for project ‘Universe’ at ‘Life Republic’ township in Hinjewadi, Pune. We will continue to expand this successful association. ”

Building upon the success of its first co-development in Pune, ‘Universe’, Planet and Kolte-Patil plan to add several projects to the platform over the next three years in Mumbai, Pune, and Bengaluru with an aim to co-develop a minimum of 15,000 housing units*.

About Planet Smart City

Founded in 2015 by real estate experts Giovanni Savio and Susanna Marchionni and chaired by physicist and entrepreneur Stefano Buono, Planet Smart City is a global leading proptech company that designs and builds neighbourhoods in countries with high housing deficits and works in partnership with real estate developers around the world to improve quality of life. Planet Smart City's mission is to create communities that respect local cultures and support inclusivity and sustainability. It does this through integrating innovative infrastructural, technological and social innovation solutions into its projects.

The research, development and integration of these innovative solutions is undertaken by subsidiary Planet Idea, which operates through multidisciplinary Competence Centres in Turin (Italy) and Pune (India). Planet Idea has, amongst other projects, created and launched the Planet App, a digital platform of high value-added services that also facilitates communication between residents in Planet Smart City’s neighbourhoods.

The Planet Smart City model has been proven in Brazil where four projects are underway: Smart City Laguna, Smart City Natal, Smart City Aquiraz and Viva!Smart. In 2020, the business expanded into India through a partnership with Kolte Patil. In Italy, the company collaborates with leading real estate developers in numerous smart social housing projects.

For further information please visit www.planetsmartcity.com

Parallel Wireless, Türk Telekom And Juniper Networks Announce Leading-Edge Open RAN Initiative In Turkey

* Enabling state-of-the-art 4G and 5G broadband communications and new applications  

Parallel Wireless, Inc., the U.S.-based Open RAN company delivering the world’s leading All G - 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G, cloud-native Open RAN solution, has announced a collaboration with Türk Telekom and Juniper Networks on a multivendor Open RAN initiative to deliver state-of-the-art broadband communications. Türk Telekom, the leading-edge and first integrated telecommunications operator in Turkey, will deploy Open RAN technology utilizing the RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC). Deployments will occur across trial sites after completing tests in the Türk Telekom Innovation Center.

Türk Telekom is an early adopter and pioneer of Open RAN technology, utilizing a broad vendor ecosystem to build more flexible, efficient, and secure mobile networks to meet the demands of the 5G era. Türk Telekom has previously collaborated with Juniper Networks for the productization of the RIC, a critical part of Open RAN architecture, to automate networks, enable efficient resource utilization, and provide an optimal customer experience.

Within the scope of this new initiative, Türk Telekom will utilize Parallel Wireless Open RAN software and Juniper’s state-of-the-art RIC:

·       Parallel Wireless will provide an end-to-end Open RAN solution utilizing Band 1, 3, 7, 8, 20 radios and DU,CU software for 2G, 3G, and 4G and band 78 radios and DU,CU software for 5G.

·      The first phase of the lab trial utilizing the RIC for admission control over 4G has been completed with more phases to come.

·      Juniper Networks will be working alongside Türk Telekom and Parallel Wireless to provide its extensive RIC platform. Juniper will be deploying both the near-real-time (near-RT) and the non-real-time (non-RT) RIC and demonstrating the capabilities of various xApps/rApps. This will enable Türk Telekom to deliver differentiated services faster to their customers.

This Open RAN initiative will be trialed in both Türk Telekom’s Innovation Center and in field environments by:  

·      Building a cloud-native, Open RAN world-class network solution based on a high-performance, distributed architecture.

·      Improving service agility and reducing overall Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) with the introduction of RAN automation.

·      Providing a turnkey solution that optimizes high traffic capacity requirements.

·      This leading-edge network will help to enable mobile broadband services such as 8k video streaming, Internet of Things (IoT), e-Health, e-Education and much more.

Yusuf Kirac, CTO, Türk Telekom, said, “At Türk Telekom, we successfully represent our country in the global arena by taking active roles in drawing the roadmap for 5G. As a result of our cooperation with Juniper Networks for the RIC solution last year, we now export our  new technology solutions globally. We have also established collaborations with global technology manufacturers. Within the scope of these collaborations, we continue our development, tests, and productization of Open RAN. Our collaboration with Parallel Wireless and Juniper Networks on this initiative is extremely important throughout our Open RAN journey and we are confident that this collaboration will be an important step towards enabling state-of-the-art 4G and 5G broadband communications and new applications.”

Constantine Polychronopoulos, VP, 5G and Telco Cloud at Juniper Networks, said, “Collaborative efforts by technology vendors and service providers are critical to demonstrate real-world interoperability in this exciting and emerging space. Juniper’s ability to provide an open SDK and network-based APIs facilitates seamless portability of x/rApps on its RIC in multivendor environments and underscores the potential for all operators.”

Keith Johnson, President of Parallel Wireless, said, “Parallel Wireless is proud to partner with Türk Telekom, the first integrated telecommunications operator in Turkey, providing our leading-edge, next-generation Open RAN softare platform, enabling All G - 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G broadband communications and new state-of-the-art digital applications.”  

About Parallel Wireless

Parallel Wireless’s ALL G (2G, 3G, 4G, 5G) O-RAN compliant software platform has been deployed with global Mobile Network Operators from across six continents and forms an open, secure, and intelligent RAN architecture to deliver wireless connectivity, so all people can be connected whenever, wherever, and however they choose. For more information, visit: www.parallelwireless.com. Connect with Parallel Wireless on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About Türk Telekom

Türk Telekom, with over 180 years of history, is the first integrated telecommunication operator in Turkey. Having a wide service network and product range in the fields of individual and corporate services, Türk Telekom unified its mobile, internet, phone and TV products and services under the single “Türk Telekom” brand. “Turkey’s Multiplay Provider” Türk Telekom has 16.9 million fixed access lines, 14.3 million broadband, 2,9 million TV and 24 million mobile subscribers as of December 31, 2021. Türk Telekom Group Companies provide services in all 81 cities of Turkey with nearly 36 thousand employees with the vision of introducing new technologies to Turkey and accelerating Turkey’s transformation into an information society. www.turktelekom.com.tr

Hero MotoCorp And BPCL Join Hands To Electrify The Country

“Hero MotoCorp has always been at the forefront of propelling the industry and leading it into the future. Once again, as the automotive and mobility sectors are poised to evolve, we are taking strategic steps to lead this evolution. Through our endeavors towards both organic and inorganic business expansion, we are poised to accelerate the growth of emerging mobility trends. 

"Sustainability has been a key pillar of growth within the Hero MotoCorp global ecosystem. Now, with our Vision “Be the Future of Mobility” we are aggressively advancing our initiatives towards the technologies and solutions that will empower all individuals, societies and industries to contribute towards the planet’s environmental targets.

“In addition to developing world-class and tech-driven sustainable emerging mobility solutions, we are also making significant efforts towards building a robust EV ecosystem and offering the most advanced services to customers. The partnership with BPCL, which is already at the forefront of customer energy solutions, will be beneficial for both the EV segment and customers. This collaboration will also unlock opportunities for asset allocation and expansion in the future.”

Dr. Pawan Munjal, Chairman and CEO, Hero MotoCorp

“Bharat Petroleum has been pioneers in providing innovative mobility related solutions to consumers in the field of energy. Our Pure for Sure customer promise launched at the turn of the century brought in a whole new paradigm in consumer trust and transparency at the point of sale and our expansive digital embrace has added new dimensions in convenience and personalization thereby enriching our customer engagement processes.

As we step into the exciting phase of energy transition, BPCL will continue to be at the forefront of accelerating the spread of clean energy in the country and will be creating a network of 7000 Energy Stations across the country with EV charging leading our endeavor.

India’s personal mobility is primarily driven by two-wheelers who form the largest part of our valued customer base and the two-wheeler segment has been the early adopters of electric two wheelers. Our alliance with Hero MotoCorp, global leader in the two-wheeler industry and with a fine penchant for innovation, is therefore an extremely strategic step towards ushering in an era of best-in-class EV charging solutions for our customers in our Energy Stations and an exciting future of innovative solutions in the EV sector”.

Arun Kumar Singh, Chairman & Managing Director, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd.

In a development that is set to electrify India, Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), a ‘Maharatna’ and a Fortune Global 500 Company, have collaborated to set up charging infrastructure for two-wheeled electric vehicles (EVs) across the country.

Aligned with its Vision to “Be the Future of Mobility” and with its aim to drive the growth of EVs, Hero MotoCorp has become the first automotive OEM to tie up with the leading Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) to set up charging infrastructure across the length and breadth of India.

Bharat Petroleum, accelerating its focus on new business segments for sustainable growth, announced in September 2021 that it is converting 7,000 conventional Retail Outlets into Energy Stations providing multiple fueling options, which will include EV charging facility also, in the medium to long term.

The two mega entities will first establish a substantial charging infrastructure at the existing nationwide energy station network and subsequently may broaden the collaboration to develop more synergies within the EV ecosystem and adjacent business verticals, thereby enabling prospects throughout the customer life cycle.

In the first phase, charging stations will be set up across nine cities starting with Delhi and Bengaluru. The network will be then expanded across the country with the aim to establish a high density of charging stations.

Hero MotoCorp will soon commence the infrastructure development in the two cities. Each charging station will feature multiple charging points including DC and AC chargers and will be available for use to all two-wheeled EVs.

The entire user charging experience will be controlled by a Hero MotoCorp Mobile-App and will be a cashless transaction model.

The massive Bharat Petroleum energy station network will also provide accelerated opportunities to expand the scope of operations and services. The companies may utilize the gateways created to make additional investments into building a robust EV ecosystem.

Baaz Bikes Raises 2M$ Led By Kalaari Capital To Support The Gig Economy With EVs.

Baaz Bikes (ElecTorq Technologies) today announced that it has received 2M$ in Pre-Series A led by Kalaari Capital. Existing Investors like AdvantEdge, 9Unicorns and Sumant Sinha (CMD-Renew Power) also participated in this round. The company’s focus is to become a Mobility Platform that provides gig delivery workers access to its in-house designed cost-efficient EV ecosystem (Baaz Bikes and Baaz Swap Network). Baaz aims to solve the critical problems faced by gig delivery workers, i.e., long range requirements, rising petrol costs, lack of capex to buy bikes and heavy downtime due to maintenance.

Baaz bikes have an infinite range, supported by their Dense Automated Battery Swapping Infrastructure (Baaz Swap), which helps the gig delivery workers (a.k.a. Baazigars by Baaz) to efficiently make deliveries with minimum cost and without the anxieties associated with EVs i.e., Range, Charge and Service.

Aimed at assisting gig workers to increase their net take home income by up to 100%, Baaz adopted a tech-driven Asset and Operations Light approach, which not only provides an opportunity for gig workers, but also enables local businessmen to enter the rapidly growing EV market in India by becoming a Baaz Bike Rental Partner.

“It’s always exciting when we meet purpose-oriented entrepreneurs inventing and creating foundations which will unlock tremendous economic value. When the ergonomics of engineering directly impacts the livelihood of gig workers, it is almost a certainty that scale and its benefits will be visible quarter to quarter for the business. Baaz Bikes’ indigenous & innovative “Vehicle to Energy to Software” platform is a large-scale mobility solution designed for both India and Bharat, and will be the global standard for last-mile delivery. We are fortunate to partner with impact-oriented founders and are privileged to share their passionate vision of creating scale and a profitable EV business while directly enhancing India’s economy.” said Ravinder Pal Singh, Partner, Kalaari Capital.

“We are getting bombarded with requests from gig workers to join our platform and start delivering via Baaz. Currently on our Baazigar platform, we have gig workers working for food delivery giants like Zomato and Swiggy. With new age companies promising 10-minute deliveries, demand is only going to strengthen from here. We are excited to have Kalaari’s support in our journey towards Building for Bharat. With this 2M$, we are going to blanket Delhi with our ecosystem in the next 6 months and are targeting to clock 100,000 kms every day,” said Anubhav Sharma, Co-Founder and CEO of Baaz.

A shift towards a sustainable and inexpensive modes of travel has been observed globally. The EV sector is expected to grow by 90% by 2030, according to a report by RBSA Advisors. In the Union Budget 2022-23, the government has created a framework for battery swapping policy to allow EV charging stations for automobiles. The private sector will thus be motivated to create innovative battery models to accelerate the EV ecosystem. This will boost the adoption of EVs, and initiate a move towards cleaner energy and environmentally friendly transportation.

Baaz Bike is a start for inexpensive and sustainable transport for gig workers. India is moving towards being a global hub for EV adoption and manufacturing, with the impetus the government has provided. People are moving away from hydro-carbon based fuel systems towards green and cleaner energy. This demonstrates that EVs are the future. Baaz is already live in two zones of Delhi with its Swapping Infrastructure and its riders are clocking close to 100,000 green kms every month.

About Baaz Bike:

Founded by 5 IIT Delhi Alumni, Baaz Bikes is a Mobility Platform that provides the Gig Delivery Workers, an access to its in-house designed Cost Efficient Bikes (Baaz Bikes) provided by the Local Bike Rental Partners, with practically an infinite range supported by its Dense Automated Battery Swapping Infrastructure (Baaz Swap), which helps the Gig Delivery Workers (a.k.a Baazigars by Baaz) to efficiently make deliveries with least cost and without worrying about various anxieties associated with EVs i.e. Range, Charge and Service.

About Kalaari Capital:

Kalaari Capital is an early-stage, technology-focused venture capital firm based out of Bengaluru, India. Since 2006, Kalaari has empowered visionary entrepreneurs building unique solutions that reshape the way Indians live, work, consume and transact. The firm's ethos is to partner early with founders and work with them to navigate the inevitable challenges of fostering ideas into successful businesses. At its core, Kalaari believes in building long-term relationships based on trust, transparency, authenticity, and respect.

Exhilarating Exterior At Vaishnavi Icon On Richmond Road, Bengaluru

Vaishnavi Group, a leading builder in Bengaluru has incorporated a unique design element in one of their commercial buildings. Vaishnavi Icon, a six-storeyed office space located on Richmond Road a few meters from Trinity Circle boasts of a very unique exterior.

A profound steel sculpture greets you at the entrance of the building which is as magnificent as the building itself. The sculpture, named ‘Exhilaration’ is a 15-foot-high wired human face crafted in pure stainless steel by renowned sculptor, Arzan Khambatta

The concept of the sculpture is all about keeping an open mind and letting your imagination run free. The sculpture took Arzan 6 months to complete.

“In the current work scenario where everyone seems to be competing, meeting goals, pushing for deadlines, and in the process losing themselves, this sculpture is about giving the mind a vacation, so the soul can wander,” explains Arzan Khambatta, about his work of art.

“In the most stressful of situations, if the mind is open, if you let it breathe, life becomes better and miracles happen. The sculpture aims to bring about a calming, soothing & relaxing feeling to those who view it,” adds Arzan Khambatta.

Procter & Gamble India Extends Its Medical And Workplace Benefits To Partners Of LGBTQ+ Employees

Procter & Gamble today announced that all its company offered benefits are now extended to partners of LGBTQ+ employees. Effective April 1, 2022, the following company medical and workplace benefits will be extended to partners of LGBTQ+ employees:

a)      Medical support: Partners of LGBTQ+ employees will now be covered under company’s medical plan that provides hospitalization coverage to employees and their dependents

b)      Emergency financial assistance: LGBTQ+ employees can avail emergency financial assistance for their partners. P&G India provides emergency financial assistance to its employees and their partners in case of natural calamity, death of an immediate family member or hospitalization of an immediate family member to cover expenses not covered in the company’s medical policy

c)       Flex subsidy allowance: The company provides additional fixed allowance to its employees to meet their personal and family needs. These include interest payments for bank loans, allowance for medical care, childcare, wellness, productivity tools, home renovation, personal vacation and travel, personal development for employee and family, and family celebrations. LGBTQ+ employees can now avail this benefit for their partners

d)      Relocation benefits: The company will extend financial support and transfer related assistance arising out of a company-initiated relocation to partners of LGBTQ+ employees

PM Srinivas, Vice President and Head – Human Resources, Indian Sub-Continent, Procter & Gamble said, “At P&G, our goal is to create a fully inclusive workplace where our employees feel included and are able to bring their authentic selves to work every day. In line with that, we are proud to shape our company offered comprehensive benefits to a fully inclusive and equality-based program which extends to partners of LGBTQ+ employees. This latest initiative builds on top of our ‘Share the Care’ inclusive parental leave policy that we launched last year. We will also continue to strengthen our awareness and training programs that sensitize our people on LGBTQ+ diversity. We hope that this will enable us to strengthen our company’s culture, inspire change and create a positive societal impact.”

Back in 1992, P&G took a public stand for inclusion by adding sexual orientation to its non-discrimination policies. The company has an internal affinity group, GABLE (Gay, Ally, Bisexual, Lesbian, and Transgender Employees) that is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and supportive network, that empowers diverse employees to bring their whole selves to work every day. The company’s India GABLE network has been conducting LGBTQ+ diversity training to sensitize employees on inclusive behaviours, role modeling inclusion and showing support. In the past six months, more than 70% managers have completed this training.

P&G India has also launched ‘Pride Podcasts’ wherein it invites leaders from within P&G globally and external advocates who are sharing their journey, educating, and addressing myths about LGBTQ+. In 2021 the company organized its first ever virtual pride event titled ‘PrideON’ to educate and celebrate the progress made on LGBTQ+ equality and inclusion in the workplace.

About Procter & Gamble: P&G serves consumers in India with one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Vicks ®, Ariel®, Tide®, Whisper®, Olay®, Gillette®, Venus®, AmbiPur®, Pampers®, Pantene®, Oral-B®, Head & Shoulders®, Herbal Essences® and Old Spice®. Please visit in.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G India and its brands.

5IRE And The City Of Alliance, Nebraska Sign An MoU To Develop Smart Policing System

 

5ire, the 5th generation blockchain network, announced today that it had signed an MoU with the City of Alliance, Nebraska, USA.  The MoU will help develop Smart and Robust Policing for the city.

The MoU will create a public-private partnership between the City of Alliance Police and 5IRE to

* Create and implement a robust smart policing solution that strengthens both transparency and accountability in policing procedures.

* Would streamline procedures that are auditable and reflect all events in greater detail to stakeholders involved.

"This is the central piece of action towards building a civil society that any community can take. Responsible law enforcement that simultaneously serves the public and requires accountability from officials is something that was long expected and needed in our community.  As Sir Robert Peels’ principles established in 1829, “knowing the police are the public and the public are the police.” 5ire helps thrust us into policing the frontier," Phillip Lukens, the chief of Police for the Alliance city, said at the MoU signing.

The MoU signed with the Alliance Police Department is the first of its kind in the United States for 5ire that is gearing up to build confidence in its blockchain network, 5ireChain with a wide diversity of use cases globally.

"Police have a civic role that requires a delicate balance between law enforcement and accountability.", Pratik Gauri, the CEO and co-founder of 5IRE, said at the signing, "The smart policing solution that we are developing with the city of Alliance is one of many solutions across the United States that can be deployed on a public sector scale in a more efficient way than the existing solutions."

5ireChain acts as a bridge to facilitate the world's shift from the 4th industrial revolution, focusing on AI and technological advances, to the 5th industrial revolution, focusing on human-centred design and sustainable development.

"As the chief puts it, 'Policing is a delicate balance between the business aspect congruent with the human rights aspect.' and we are here to provide a tool that empowers everyone to benefit from this new frontier in technology," said Prateek Dwivedi, Co-founder, and CMO at 5ire.

5ire is focused on implementing the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. So much so that 5ire has produced 5ireChain, an innovative blockchain technology with the UN SDGs written into its core. Non-financial factors such as environmental, social, and governance scores are weighted in the 5ireChain ranking protocol, impacting a party's participation in the 5ire network.

By incorporating sustainability into the network's base layers with its blockchain technology and rankings, 5ire is building a for-benefits economy with its mission to accelerate the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

About 5ire

5ire is a blockchain ecosystem that brings sustainability, Technology & Innovation to build the 5th industrial revolution (5IR). Founded by Pratik Gauri, Prateek Dwivedi, and Vilma Mattila, proponents of blockchain technology, in August 2021, the mission of the 5ire ecosystem is to embed the for-benefit paradigm at the heart of the blockchain, highly incentivize practises that align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), facilitate the transition from the 4IR to 5IR and accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The company's primary offering is 5ireChain, a first layer, sustainability-driven 5th generation blockchain that ensures adherence to the philosophy of 5IR, creating a net positive impact on the planet and serving humanity.