Monday, March 28, 2022

Klub Partners With Cashfree Payments To Finance Over 5,000 Indian Merchants


* India’s leading Revenue Based Financing player and leading payments and API Banking solutions platform join hands to promote embedded capital offering to Cashfree’s merchants 

Revenue Based Financing platform, Klub, announces its partnership with India’s leading payments and API banking solutions company, Cashree Payments. With this partnership, Klub and Cashfree Payments aim to finance 5,000 merchants through Revenue Based Financing.

Cashfree Payments offers an advanced payment gateway with features like instant refunds, card pre-authorization, among other products. The brand also provides a bouquet of payment services to vendors, including payment collections, recurring payments, and verification services to banks. Backed by SBI, Y Combinator, Apis Partners, and incubated by PayPal, Cashfree Payments enables 1,00,000+ growing businesses in India and across 8 other countries, including the USA, Canada, and UAE with payment collections, vendor payouts, wage payouts, bulk refunds, expense reimbursements, loyalty, and rewards.. 

Speaking about the partnership, Reeju Datta, Co-Founder, Cashfree Payments, said, “We are delighted to partner with Klub’s embedded financing platform. The collaboration will help Cashfree Payments merchants avail flexible financing options to operate in a nimble manner and drive their growth in the dynamic digital environment. We at Cashfree Payments stay true to our commitment to devise innovative solutions to address critical industry challenges.”

Klub’s full-stack embedded capital platform offers capital starting from INR 5 lakhs up to INR 20 crores to digital SMEs. The RBF player has already partnered with 5 of India’s largest marketplaces across e-commerce, logistics, and payment gateways. Klub is now on the path to providing capital solutions at scale via every platform that supports digital SMEs.

Sudharsan Venkatkrishnan, Vice President, Klub, said, “We are excited to roll out Klub’s embedded capital platform on the Cashfree Payments ecosystem. Our platform will enable instant access to a range of capital products for 5000+ merchants on Cashfree Payments. Our products combine well with those of our partners like Cashfree Payments to accelerate the revenue growth of digital merchants. .”  

Klub has facilitated more than 400 investments in 200+ digital businesses so far and has a community of more than 6200 patron investors. The company raised $20 million in one of the largest seed rounds in the country and grew by 20x in the last year. 

Link In Bio, But Make It Shoppable: Meet Linkpop, Shopify's Newest Offering For Creators In India


* With Linkpop, merchants can create a cohesive brand experience across social channels and sell products directly from their link in bio page

Ever make a mental note to look into that new product your favorite TikTok star keeps recommending, only to lose the plot as soon as you get to your Google search bar? Us too. That’s part of the reason why we’re so excited to launch Linkpop, our new link in bio tool that’s commerce-first—meaning that creators and merchants can not only house all of their important brand-building links in one place, but launch social storefronts to sell directly on the platforms where they’re already engaging with followers. Consumers can then browse a Shopify merchant’s curated selection of products and purchase directly on Linkpop, without ever leaving the social app they were using (or trying to remember what to search).

That’s good news for consumers because the creator economy—which is estimated to include more than 50 million creators globally—is only growing. In 2021 alone, investors backed the industry with more than $1.3 billion in funding. At Shopify, we’re investing in supporting creators of all kinds by expanding access to our world-class commerce technology and by building tools that will help merge creativity, community, and commerce. And we’re starting with Linkpop.

Merchants can set up an account, link it to their Shopify store, and start populating their Linkpop page with shoppable links, as well as links to websites, articles, videos, and playlists (among other possibilities!) in less than five minutes. Shoppable links automatically sync with a merchant’s product catalog to feature all of the product details a customer will need directly on the merchant’s Linkpop page.

“We have an incredible community on social, and with Linkpop we're able to turn our followers into customers and brand advocates,” said Evie, YouTuber and founder of LongHairPrettyNails. “The results speak for themselves: We used Linkpop to support our most recent product launch and were able to increase our social sales conversions by over 600%.”

Linkpop gives merchants the ability to create a branded, social storefront that they can share wherever they engage with their followers. With Linkpop, merchants can:

· Provide buyers with a best-in-class checkout experience: Linkpop is powered sby Shopify, so consumers are able to enjoy a fast and secure checkout experience when they make a purchase from a merchant’s Linkpop. And because checkout happens right on Linkpop, consumers never have to leave the platform they were already browsing on to make a purchase.

· Track toward success: With Linkpop’s free, built-in analytics tool, merchants can better understand the behaviors and choices of visitors to their Linkpop. In addition to providing high level metrics like link clicks and unique visitors, Linkpop shows merchants how well individual links are performing—giving merchants invaluable insight into what their followers are engaging with most.

· Customise their page: Merchants can customise many aspects of their Linkpop page—from the background color and font to the profile description, logo, and beyond—to create a page that reflects their brand. Merchants can also upload photos to accompany specific links, creating a truly curated experience for their followers.

· Add up to 200 links & shoppable links: Once a merchant sets up an account, they can start adding links and shoppable links to their page. Since merchants can share up to 200 links on their Linkpop, they’re free to include all the touchpoints that are most important to their brand—whether that’s a link to a new YouTube video, a shoppable link featuring a new product, or something else entirely.

“Merchants and creators today are using multiple channels to engage with customers, and that number of touchpoints will only continue to grow,” said Amir Kabbara, Director of Product at Shopify. “With Linkpop, we've created a surface that unifies all links merchants post across social channels. What’s even better, we’ve made it a shoppable destination so it’s easy to purchase products directly on Linkpop, which is a win-win for merchants and buyers alike."

“We have long believed that the future of retail is everywhere: consumers are now shopping whenever, wherever and however they prefer to. With consumption patterns in India diversifying and evolving in the last few years, e-retail has become mainstream and at Shopify, we’ve had the opportunity to work with businesses across scale to help them bridge the offline to online shift. With the rising social commerce wave, we are now excited to be creating more value and opportunities in the social world. Linkpop has been introduced to help harness the benefits of evolved consumer spending behaviours through more selling opportunities to makers, creators, influencers and curators,” says Bharati Balakrishnan - Country Head & Director, India

For creators who are just getting started and haven’t yet launched a business, choosing tools that can grow alongside their audience and brand is crucial. They can use Linkpop to help grow their audience, and when they’re ready to launch their store on Shopify, they’ll be able to share products directly on their Linkpop page—seamlessly merging their existing community with their commerce ambitions. And for creators who are already merchants, Linkpop makes it easy to sell products directly on the social platforms that are most important to their brands.

About Linkpop

Linkpop is free and available globally in English, whether the user is a Shopify merchant or not. Shoppable links are currently only available to Shopify merchants. To learn more about Linkpop and get started, visit Linkpop.com.

About Shopify

Shopify is a leading provider of essential internet infrastructure for commerce, offering trusted tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business of any size. Shopify makes commerce better for everyone with a platform and services that are engineered for reliability, while delivering a better shopping experience for consumers everywhere. Proudly founded in Ottawa, Shopify powers over one million businesses in more than 175 countries and is trusted by brands such as Nush by Anushka Sharma, Raymonds, Starstruck, John Jacobs eyewear and many more. For more information, visit www.shopify.in.

Godrej Properties To Develop A 33-Acre Project Near Bannerghatta Road In Bengaluru


* The new project near Bannerghatta Road will have a developable potential of approximately 3.4 million square feet of saleable area with an estimated revenue of approximately INR 2,000 crore *

Godrej Properties Ltd. (GPL), (BSE scrip id: GODREJPROP), one of India’s leading real estate developers, today announced that it has entered into an agreement to develop a 33 acres land parcel in the residential micro-market of Bannerghatta Road in South Bengaluru. The agreement is for an outright purchase with ~5% area share to the landowners. 

Bannerghatta Road is one of the established residential locations in South Bengaluru and has excellent connectivity to the Bannerghatta Main Road and the IT/ITES belt in Electronic City. In addition, the site is in close proximity to several other key hubs of the city and offers an extremely well-developed social and civic infrastructure with multiple schools, hospitals, retail, residential, and commercial spaces in close proximity.

Mr. Mohit Malhotra, MD & CEO, Godrej Properties, said, “Bannerghatta Road is an important micro - market within Bengaluru and we are happy to add this land parcel to our portfolio. This will further expand our presence in South Bengaluru and fits with our strategy of deepening our presence in key micro markets across India's leading cities.”

*On the basis of the current business assumptions.


Two-Day Workshop On AI Inaugurated At Manipal Institute of Technology


* The workshop called ping 2.0.2.2 has the theme “Artificial Intelligence & Cognitive Science: An Industry Perspective”

Department of Information & Communication Technology, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal organised a two-day workshop ping 2.0.2.2 during 25th & 26th of March 2022 on the theme "Artificial Intelligence & Cognitive Science: An Industry Perspective". The workshop commenced with an inaugural ceremony on March 25th.

The workshop aims at providing industry exposure to students where experts from reputed organisations would help students get a deeper understanding of artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques. The event was attended by dignitaries, participants, faculty and students.

Dr. Madhusudhan Govindaraju (Professor, Department of Computer Science & Vice Provost for International Education and Global Affairs (IEGA), Binghamton University, New York) was the chief guest. Lt. Gen. (Dr.) M. D. Venkatesh (Vice Chancellor-MAHE) and Mr. Gautam Bhat (Vice President, Head of Cloud Architecture & AI, Deutsche Bank, Bengaluru) were the guests of honour. The event was presided over by Commander (Dr.) Anil Rana (Director, MIT, Manipal)

Dr. Smitha N. Pai, (Professor & Head, Department of I & CT, MIT, Manipal) and Co-convener of ping 2.0.2.2 welcomed the gathering. The event was also attended by Dr. Manohara Pai M. M. (Professor, Department of I & CT, MIT, Manipal) who described the importance of ping 2.0.2.2 and its theme.

Speaking on this occasion, Lt. Gen. (Dr.) M. D. Venkatesh (Vice Chancellor, MAHE, Manipal), said “Workshops like ping 2.0.2.2 provide an opportunity for participants to listen to industry experts' views, build up a network with them, and also work on collaborative projects. I encourage all the students to capitalise on such opportunities and participate in such events. These can be a stepping- stone towards a bright professional future”

Commander (Dr.) Anil Rana (Director, MIT, Manipal) said “We are extremely pleased to be organising this workshop. AI is a flourishing field that can provide immense career opportunities to students. I encourage the students reap the benefits of such workshops through active participation”

Mr. Gautam Bhat (Vice President, Head of Cloud Architecture & AI, Deutsche Bank, Bengaluru) provided details about the sessions and the importance of each session. Chief guest, Dr. Madhusudhan Govindaraju briefed the audience on the opportunities available for MAHE students and faculty at Binghamton University. He wished for the success of the workshop and inspired the participants to have a rewarding experience. 

Dr. Preetham Kumar (Deputy Registrar-Academics (Technical), MAHE & Professor, Department of I&CT, MIT, Manipal) and convener of ping 2.0.2.2 gave the vote of thanks for the ceremony. 

Saturday, March 26, 2022

PNB Invests Rs 10.00 Crores For Acquiring 5.97% Stake Of ONDC In Its First Tranche


Open Network for Digital Commerce’ (ONDC) is an initiative of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, under the Government of India, to promote open networks for all aspects of the exchange of goods and services over digital networks. ONDC is based on open-source methodology, using open specifications and open network protocols, independent of any specific platform.   

ONDC was incorporated on December 30, 2021, with an early investment from the Quality Council of India (QCI) and Protean eGov Technologies Limited. ONDC is expected to digitize the entire value chain, standardize operations, promote inclusion of suppliers, derive efficiencies in logistics, and enhance value for consumers for almost all types of businesses.  

In the current platform-centric digital commerce model, buyers and sellers must use the same platform/application to do a business transaction. With ONDC’s network-centric model, buyers will be able to access all services currently provided by various sellers on different platforms, on a common network, thus making the network interoperable.   

In its meeting earlier, the Board of Punjab National Bank (PNB) had approved investing in ONDC with an equity participation of 9.5%. Accordingly, the Bank has invested Rs 10.00 Crores for acquiring a 5.97% stake of ONDC in its first tranche, as per the directives of its board. 

Ricoh Asia Pacific Announces The Appointment Of Minosha India Limited As Their “Strategic Partner” iIn India


* Ricoh Asia Pacific Pte Ltd. (“Ricoh”) announced a Strategic Partnership with Minosha India Limited, India. 

Under this alliance, Minosha India Limited will be authorized to cater to the Indian market with Ricoh’s Office Equipment and Digital Services. This partnership will not only help Ricoh expand its reach in India, but it will also help Minosha India Limited to strengthen its promise to provide best-in-class products and services to its customers.  

“We are very delighted to be onboarded as a Ricoh partner. Ricoh is known for its innovative products and solutions and this collaboration will leverage Minosha’s service capabilities and strong pan-India network to deliver best in class solutions. Both alliance partners will contribute to India’s digital growth story” says Mr. Atul Thakker, Managing Director, Minosha India Limited. 

“India is one of the key markets in the region and it is imperative for Ricoh to have partners that can reach out to customers in the country. Our partnership with Minosha will help customers discover and navigate digital transformation, allowing them to create greater value for their business in the process,” said Mr. Tomo Ota, Director, Ricoh Asia Pacific.  

About Minosha India Limited 

Minosha India Limited was established in 1995 and operates through a robust pan-India network of 7 offices and over 300 business partners. Headquartered in New Delhi, Minosha offers a comprehensive range of printing products, document management and workflow solutions to its customers across the country for digital transformation and optimised performance of their businesses. 

With its rich legacy of 27 years, Minosha India Limited has enabled various governing bodies to bring digital transformation in the field of Education, Healthcare, E-Governance and Citizen Centric initiatives. Minosha India Limited partnered with TCIL for successful implementation of ‘Rural Information and Communication Technology’ project in rural post offices across the country and continues to manage the project. 

For further information, please visit - https://www.minosha.in/ 

About Ricoh 

Ricoh is empowering digital workplaces using innovative technologies and services that enable individuals to work smarter from anywhere.  

With cultivated knowledge and organisational capabilities nurtured over its 85-year history, Ricoh is a leading provider of digital services and information management and print and imaging solutions designed to support digital transformation and optimise business performance. 

Headquartered in Tokyo, Ricoh Group has major operations throughout the world and its products and services now reach customers in approximately 200 countries and regions. In the financial year ended March 2021, Ricoh Group had worldwide sales of 1,682 billion yen (approx. 15.1 billion USD). 

For further information, please visit www.ricoh.com 

InsuranceDekho Ropes In “Farhan Akhtar- As A Brand Ambassador” Launches New Ad Campaign


* Launches a new ad campaign around the ‘Sukoon’ or peace of mind theme 

* With the tagline Bharosa Kar Ke Dekho, the Campaign will go live on 26th March’22 coinciding with the IPL 

InsuranceDekho, one of India’s leading Insurtech players, has roped in Farhan Akhtar as its brand ambassador and will be seen in their upcoming ad campaign – Sukoon. The campaign captures the delicate emotion behind ensuring the security and well-being of one’s family.  

With the tagline Bharosa Kar Ke Dekho, the campaign will go live on 26th March 2022 coinciding with the IPL Season 2022 launch, and will run on various channels, OTT, digital and surrounding mediums. It aims to build awareness around the InsuranceDekho brand and how with health insurance plans, people can breathe a sigh of relief even in the toughest times.  

Farhan Akhtar is admired by fans for his agile personality which can be seen in his performance across diverse roles he takes on as a director, actor, singer, and writer. His personality complements the InsuranceDekho brand as just one platform takes care of one’s all insurance needs; Farhan makes a great fit with InsuranceDekho 

Commenting on the association and campaign launch Ankit Agrawal, CEO and co-founder of InsuranceDekho said,” We are thrilled to be associated with Farhan. We at InsuranceDekho, believe that Sukoon does not come from materialistic things like having a swanky car or owning a big house but from seeing the people in one’s house at peace. It comes from watching one’s family share little moments of laughter, from seeing them full of life, from knowing that their health is secured. These tiny activities make way for the idea that Sukoon is in knowing your family is happy and healthy. And that even when times get tough, this feeling is taken care of by your health insurance partner.” 

Vishal Shekhar, Director said, “When we got the brief from InsuranceDekho, we dabbled with a few themes centered on the security and wellbeing of one’s family. The theme that we all related to on a deeper level, was Sukoon. This underrated, beautiful feeling of relief. We realized that ultimately, the one thing that fills a person with the feeling of Sukoon is the knowledge that their loved ones are healthy and happy.” 

Weaving these warm visuals with the soft words, InsuranceDekho nurtures the feeling of ‘Sukoon’ and offers Health Insurance plans best suited to your need as a tool to get closer to it.  InsuranceDekho has always believed in building impactful avenues for brand connect and this collaboration is in tandem with the brand’s underlying philosophy. 

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