Protectt.ai Ropes In Industry Veteran Sunita Handa As Principal Advisor

* With Sunita on board, Protectt.ai aims for accelerated expansion in the enterprise mobile app security space

Pioneering mobile threat defence (MTD) start-up, Protectt.ai announced the appointment of BFSI industry veteran and popular digital transformation stalwart, Sunita Handa, as the company’s Principal Advisor to lead the Strategy initiatives of the fast-growing firm.

Sunita comes with over three decades of rich experience in heading technology-led initiatives in varied assignments at State Bank of India’s (SBI) business and IT verticals in India and abroad.

Her accomplishments include multiple breakthroughs in the areas of Tech-Partnerships, Payment Systems, SWIFT, UPI, e-Commerce, Mobility (including SBI–YONO), Digital Collections / Payments/ Cash Management for MSMEs, Corporates & Govts. and digitization in SBI’s Overseas Offices in 25 countries across the Globe.

As core member of SBI’s IT leadership team, she was instrumental in enabling migration of operations of SBI’s overseas offices to a single technology platform. Sunita also held position as member of NPCI Innovation Council. 

She has been a regular speaker in leading domestic and international industry events and has won multiple industry acclamations.

On her appointment, Sunita said,” Mobile apps offer a fertile ground for the digital attackers to find and exploit vulnerabilities to reach & breach an enterprise’s confidential data. An effective way for an enterprise is, to make their mobile apps self-protect themselves by identifying and blocking attacks in real time. Protectt.ai with its pioneering industry-first innovation in the mobile app security platform holds immense potential and I look forward to being part of the company in this exciting phase of exponential northward march.”

Manish Mimani, Founder & CEO, Protectt.ai commented,” India is Mobile First Economy with organizations offering multiple Mobile Apps to customers, employees & partners. We see tremendous opportunity for enterprise mobile app security market & our mission is to change the security landscape for mobile apps with our Innovative offerings & capabilities. Sunita’s appointment comes at a crucial time for us as we widen our reach and capabilities in enterprise mobile security space.” 

In less than two years’ time since inception. Protectt.ai has witnessed accelerated growth basis its distinct value proposition of offering a robust mobile app security framework that enables enterprises including banks to deliver secured and enhanced user experience to their customers. It does so basis the next generation capabilities around the aspects of mobile app, device and transaction security developed leveraging the best of new-age deep tech in form of unique Run Time Application Self Protection for Mobile App security.  The company has quickly spread its wings in key cities of India including a Product Innovation Center at Chennai and has further expansion plans in near future.

About Protectt.ai:

Protectt.ai is a mobile threat defense (MTD) cyber-security start-up building the next generation Mobile App, Device & Transaction security solution driven by Deep Tech. It is Industry First Innovation with unique Runtime Application Self Protection for Mobile App Security. Established in 2020, the company has set-up offices in Gurgaon, Mumbai and Chennai including an innovation center where a team of dedicated product & cyber security experts continuously strives to solve complex mobile cyber security challenges.

The company has embraced a vision to provide Mobile App & Device security covering two billion Mobile App Sessions every month spanning over 200 million smartphone users in India over the next two years.

Lam Research, Entegris, Gelest Team Up To Advance EUV Dry Resist Technology Ecosystem

* Collaboration provides robust chemical supply chain for global chipmakers using the breakthrough technology and supports R&D for next-generation EUV applications

Lam Research Corp. (NASDAQ: LRCX), Entegris, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENTG), and Gelest, Inc, a Mitsubishi Chemical Group company, today announced a strategic collaboration that will provide semiconductor manufacturers worldwide with reliable access to precursor chemicals for Lam's breakthrough dry photoresist technology for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, an innovative approach used in the production of next-generation semiconductors. The parties will work together on EUV dry resist technology research and development (R&D) for future device generations of logic and DRAM products that will help enable everything from machine learning and artificial intelligence to mobile devices.

A robust supply chain for process chemicals is critical to EUV dry resist technology integration into high-volume manufacturing. This new long-term collaboration further broadens the growing ecosystem for dry resist technology and will provide dual-source supply from semiconductor material leaders with provisions for continuity of delivery in all global markets.

In addition, Lam, Entegris, and Gelest will work together to accelerate the development of future cost-effective EUV dry resist solutions for high numerical aperture (high-NA) EUV patterning. High-NA EUV is widely seen as the patterning technology that will be required for continued device scaling and advancement of semiconductor technology over the coming decades. Dry resist provides the high etch resistance and tunable thickness scaling of deposition and development necessary to support high-NA EUV's reduced depth of focus requirements.

"Dry resist technology is a breakthrough that shatters the biggest barriers to scaling to future DRAM nodes and logic with EUV lithography," said Rick Gottscho, executive vice president and chief technology officer of Lam Research. "This collaboration brings together Lam's dry resist expertise and cutting-edge solutions with material science capabilities and trusted supply channels from two industry precursor chemical leaders. This important expansion of the dry resist ecosystem paves the way for exciting new levels of innovation and high-volume manufacturing with the technology."

First developed by Lam in collaboration with ASML and IMEC, dry resist extends the resolution, productivity, and yield of EUV lithography, thereby addressing key challenges associated with creation of next-generation DRAM and logic technologies. It provides superior dose-to-size and dose-to-defectivity performance, enabling higher EUV scanner productivity and lower cost of ownership. In addition, Lam's dry resist process offers key sustainability benefits by consuming less energy and five to ten times less raw materials than traditional resist processes.

"Lam's dry resist approach reflects key innovations at the material level and offers a wide range of advantages, including better resolution, improved cost-efficiency and compelling sustainability benefits," said Bertrand Loy, chief executive officer of Entegris. "We are proud to be a part of this innovative collaboration to accelerate dry resist adoption and to be a trusted process materials supplier for customers as they push to create the next generation of semiconductors with this important technology."

"Our collaboration with Lam and Entegris to advance dry resists for EUV lithography demonstrates our commitment to support chipmakers as they innovate in materials science," said Jonathan Goff, president of Gelest, a Mitsubishi Chemical Group company. "We've seen EUV demonstrate exceptional value in recent years, and we're pleased to be part of the growing ecosystem to extend its potential."

About Lam Research

Lam Research Corporation is a global supplier of innovative wafer fabrication equipment and services to the semiconductor industry. Lam's equipment and services allow customers to build smaller and better performing devices. In fact, today, nearly every advanced chip is built with Lam technology. We combine superior systems engineering, technology leadership, and a strong values-based culture, with an unwavering commitment to our customers. Lam Research (Nasdaq: LRCX) is a FORTUNE 500® company headquartered in Fremont, Calif., with operations around the globe. Learn more at http://www.lamresearch.com/. (LRCX-T)

About Entegris

Entegris is the global leader in electronic materials for the semiconductor market. With approximately 8,800 employees across its global operations, Entegris offers the industry's most comprehensive and innovative unit-driven end-to-end offering for semiconductor customers, in addition to solutions for the life sciences and other advanced manufacturing environments. Entegris' solutions help customers improve their performance, productivity and yields to enable technologies that transform the world. It has manufacturing, customer service, and/or research facilities in the United States, Canada, China, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. For more information about Entegris, visit us at https://www.entegris.com/, or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

About Gelest

Gelest is a U.S.-based innovator, manufacturer, and global supplier of specialty silicones, organosilanes, metal-organics, and acrylate monomers that serves advanced technology end markets including medical devices, life sciences, coatings and adhesives, microelectronics, and personal care. As a Mitsubishi Chemical Group company, Gelest can leverage the expertise, research and development support, and resources of one of the world's largest and most successful chemical companies. Gelest helps contribute to customer success by developing cutting edge chemical technology, products, and services to address society's most complex material science challenges.

K2V2 Technologies Launches ‘BeyondWalls’, An Integrated PropTech ecosystem For Real Estate In India

* A unique tech-driven platform designed to scale Real Estate distribution in India; powered by Developer and Channel Partner collaboration

BeyondWalls, a tech-driven platform that aims to be India’s one-stop trusted and transparent PropTech ecosystem has been launched today. BeyondWalls enables collaboration between Developers and Channel Partners with a view to providing a seamless end-to-end offering for homebuyers.

Backed by Aurum Proptech (earlier known as Majesco), a publicly listed tech firm, and powered by a 300-member team of K2V2 Technologies, BeyondWalls is geared to become India’s answer to creating an evolved and elevated experience for the entire real-estate value chain.

BeyondWalls helps Developers gain sales velocity during project launches by outsourcing or augmenting their sales team and targeting the right set of Homebuyers. The firm also offers curated services across the value chain- right from market intelligence that can effectively shape product design to ensuring continued homebuyer engagement. BeyondWalls has a tech-enabled aggregation platform for Channel Partners (CPs) which helps digitally transform their unorganized businesses and provides them with real-time access to project information and market insights. BeyondWalls also integrates with Sell.Do CRM, an award-winning integrated technology solution designed exclusively for Real Estate.

The firm has been operational in Pune market for the past 6 months. During this period, they have successfully sold over 1500 units of inventory across 20 projects and 2 townships in Pune and onboarded 3000+ Channel Partners. Post its success in Pune, BeyondWalls has ambitious plans to expand to major markets like Mumbai and Bengaluru and sell over 5000 units of inventory in FY 2022-23. The team also plans to onboard over 15000 CPs on their platform.

“Real Estate in India, a multi-billion-dollar asset class, is gradually opening up to technology-led  transformation. PropTech will be the key to scaling the distribution network in the current unorganized market. We conceptualized BeyondWalls to bridge the gap between Homebuyers, Developers & Channel Partners. With our unique tech platform, we will be able to scale the distribution much faster than the competing players in the market.”, said Vikram Kotnis, Exec. Chairman and MD, BeyondWalls.

Ashish Deora, Founder, and CEO of Aurum Ventures, said, “Real estate developers are now turning towards technology solutions and services to streamline their processes and innovate offerings to create enhanced customer experiences. K2V2 Technologies holds a substantial market share in real estate CRM, sales automation, and marketing.  We believe BeyondWalls will add the most significant milestone to the growth journey of K2V2 Technologies.”

HCL Technologies Ltd In-Line Revenue; Margin Disappoints In Q1, 2022

BUY

CMP: Rs928  

Target Price: Rs1100

 * HCLT delivered in-line revenue in Q1FY23; however, margins performance disappointed. Revenue grew 1.1% QoQ to USD3.02bn (2.7% CC). EBITM declined 100bps QoQ to 17.0% due to weakness in the profitability of the Services segment (down ~150bps).

* It signed 7 large services deals and 9 product deals across life sciences and healthcare, technology, manufacturing, and financial services with a total new deal TCV of USD2.05bn. Broad-based demand, robust deal intake (23.4%/17.9% YoY growth in deal TCV/ACV) and a near record-high pipeline augur well for revenue acceleration.

* HCLT has reiterated 12-14% CC revenue growth guidance for FY23, implying a 2.3%-3.5% CQGR over Q2-Q4. Despite weak margins in Q1, it has retained 18-20% EBITM guidance for FY23, factoring in anticipated improvement in margins in coming quarters.

* We cut FY23/FY24/FY25 EPS estimates by 3.2%/2.3/2.5%, factoring in the Q1 miss. Pressure on Services business margins remains a concern, and execution on margin recovery will be key for the stock's performance. We maintain Buy with a TP of Rs1,100 at 18x Jun'24E EPS, considering reasonable valuations and >4% dividend yield.

Post Covid, Demand for Health Insurance Rises By More Than 300% In India: Just Dial Consumer Insights

 
-         Demand growth rate for health insurance in Tier-II cities almost double of Tier-I

-  Delhi, Bengaluru, and Mumbai were the leading three Tier-I cities with maximum demand for health insurance

-         Demand for travel insurance jumps up by 44% on the back of international travel boom

Demand for health insurance in India shot up by 321% post- Covid, with Star Health, Max Bupa, Aditya Birla, HDFC Ergo, and Acko dominating the leading five searched and sought-after insurance brands, according to the latest Just Dial Consumer Insights.

The report suggests that while searches during the April-May-June’22 quarter shot up by 3X YOY, the QoQ growth was at 252% with Tier-I cities dominating almost 61 percent of the demand for health insurance.

Commenting on the search trends, Mr. Prasun Kumar, CMO, Just Dial, said: “After Covid, we have been witnessing a surge in demand for health insurance on the platform. The impact of Covid has accelerated the penetration of health insurance in Tier-II towns and cities as well and we are witnessing a higher growth rate vis-à-vis Tier-I. It is heartening to see such a strong trend of health consciousness and awareness across Tier II cities, and we foresee this to pick up further momentum in the days to come. Our data suggests that demand (YOY) growth rate for insurance in Tier-I cities grew 3X and in Tier-II it was 5.7x. Keeping in line with the rising demand, we have augmented the platform with a wide range of insurance products making Just Dial the go to search platform for India at large.”

Delhi, Bengaluru, and Mumbai were the leading three Tier-I cities with maximum demand for health insurance. Among Tier-II cities, Coimbatore, Chandigarh, and Jaipur were the leading three with maximum demand for brands like Star Health, Max Bupa, Aditya Birla, HDFC Ergo, and Acko.

Besides health insurance, demand for international travel insurance also saw a significant surge of 44% QoQ, riding on the wave of international travel boom by Indian travellers. The most sought-after insurance providers were Bajaj Allianz, Tata AIG, IFFCO Tokio, New India Assurance, and Religare.

Most of this demand for travel insurance came from Tier-I cities that witnessed a growth of 28% (QoQ) while in Tier-II cities, the demand rose by a relatively lower 18%. Delhi saw the maximum demand during the summer holidays that catapulted to a surge of 282 percent for travel insurance, followed by Mumbai and Bengaluru. Among Tier-II cities, Chandigarh saw maximum demand with Coimbatore, Surat, Vellore, and Indore, following suit.

Demand for car insurance has also been growing steadily across the country with Acko, Go Digit, Bajaj Allianz, ICICI Lombard, and Tata AIG being the five most searched insurance brands.

About Just Dial Limited

Just Dial Limited provides local search related services to users in India through multiple platforms such as Desktop/PC website (https://www.justdial.com), mobile site (https://t.justdial.com), mobile apps (Android & iOS), over the telephone (Voice, pan India number 88888-88888) and text (SMS). Justdial’s latest version of JD App, is an All-in-One App, replete with features like Map-aided Search, Live TV, Videos, Stock quotes, etc. to make the life of the consumer infinitely smoother & more engaging.

The Company has recently launched its B2B marketplace platform, JD Mart. JD Mart platform, available at https://www.jdmart.com and via apps on Play Store and App Store, is aimed at enabling millions of India’s manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers to become internet-ready in post-COVID era, get new customers and sell their products online. The platform offers digital product catalogues to businesses and aims at digitalising India’s businesses, especially MSMEs, across categories. Buyers can discover quality vendors offering a wide selection of products to choose from, spread across millions of categories to suit all B2B needs.

Justdial has also initiated transaction-oriented services for its users. These services aim at making several day-to-day tasks conveniently actionable and accessible to users from one App. With this step, Justdial is transitioning from being purely a provider of local search and related information to being a direct/ indirect enabler of such transactions. Justdial has also recently launched an end-to-end business management solution for SMEs, through which it intends to transition thousands of SMEs to efficiently run business online and have their adequate online presence via their own website, mobile site. Apart from this, Justdial has also launched JD Pay, a unique solution for quick digital payments for its users and vendors.

Electrolux Enters The Consumer Durable Market Across India

* First experience center to help shape living for the better

Electrolux, a leading global appliance company that has shaped

living for the better for more than 100 years, announced today, the launch of their first experience center in India. This launch signals the company’s entry into the Indian consumer durables market, via an omnichannel retail approach.

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought to the forefront a greater demand for products and solutions that promote health, hygiene, and sustainable practices. As the focus deepens on in-home appliances alongside growing household incomes, the consumer durables industry is expected to witness sustained growth over the next few years. Electrolux will introduce a complete range of solutions for refrigeration, fabric care (washers & dryers), air purification and conditioning, dishwashing, cooking, and vacuum cleaner in a phased manner starting from July through to October 2022.

Commenting on the launch Sudhir Patil, Commercial Director, Electrolux India said – “India is an ever-evolving market. This launch is the first step towards Electrolux’s aggressive business plans in the country. Being a consumer-centric brand, Electrolux delivers quality solutions to meet their needs. I am optimistic about the sustainable and better living experience we will offer our customers.”

In an endeavor to shape living for the better, Electrolux has partnered with Planet Water Foundation, a non-profit organization that addresses global water poverty. With their initiative in Maharashtra, Electrolux and Planet Water will ensure that 3600 children and community members are provided with access to clean and safe drinking water alongside hygiene education programs in India.

With a focus on sustainability, some of the notable sustainability initiatives undertaken by Electrolux globally include:

A global company’s goal to become climate neutral throughout its value chain by 2050.

Continue to reduce the company’s environmental footprint by shifting to renewables and optimizing the use of energy and other resources throughout its operations.

The rollout of Electrolux’s Zero Waste to Landfill program helped to recycle or reuse over 97% of waste across all its manufacturing sites as it works toward climate-neutral operations.

Currently, air conditioners are being produced in India through an OEM partner and the remaining products will be imported from the company’s production facilities in Poland, Italy, Germany and Thailand. 

About Electrolux - Electrolux is a leading global appliance company that has shaped living for the better for more than 100 years. We reinvent lifetime taste, care, and wellbeing experiences for millions of people, always striving to be at the forefront of sustainability in society through our solutions and operations. Under our brands, including Electrolux, AEG and Frigidaire, we sell approximately 60 million household products in approximately 120 markets every year.

Emirates And Air Canada Form Strategic Partnership Agreement

Emirates and Air Canada today announced the signing of a strategic partnership agreement that will create more options for customers when travelling on the carriers’ networks while also enhancing the customer experience throughout the journey.

Emirates and Air Canada intend to establish a codeshare relationship later in 2022 that will offer enhanced consumer travel choices for Air Canada customers to travel to the United Arab Emirates and to destinations beyond Dubai. Emirates customers will also enjoy an enhanced travel experience when travelling to Toronto or to key destinations across the Air Canada network. Customers will have the ability to book connecting travel between both airlines’ networks with the ease of a single ticket, seamless connectivity at the carriers’ respective global hubs and baggage transfers to their final destinations. 

Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline said: “This is a significant partnership that will enable our customers access to even more destinations in Canada and the Americas, via our Toronto and US gateways. It also opens up many new route combinations for travelers across Emirates’ and Air Canada’s extensive networks in the Americas, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. We are pleased to partner with Air Canada, one of North America’s most established airlines and Canada’s flag carrier and we look forward to jointly progressing on various areas to provide even better customer flight choices and experiences.”

"As we continue pursuing our strategy of expanding our global reach in response to growing opportunities in VFR markets (Visit Friends and Relatives) that serve Canada’s large multicultural communities, we are very pleased to form a strategic partnership with Emirates, a highly respected flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates with a hub in the vibrant city of Dubai. This strategic agreement will create network synergies, and Air Canada customers will have additional, convenient options when travelling between Canada and the United Arab Emirates as well as destinations beyond Dubai" said Michael Rousseau, President and Chief Executive Officer at Air Canada. "We look forward to introducing Air Canada codeshare service on key Emirates flights, as well as adding the EK code on select Air Canada flights, and welcoming Emirates customers on our services later this year." 

To further enhance the customer experience, the carriers will also establish reciprocal frequent flyer benefits and reciprocal lounge access for qualifying customers. Further details of the partnership and specific codeshare routes will be announced when finalized and will be subject to regulatory approvals and final documentation.

About Air Canada 

Air Canada is Canada's largest airline, the country’s flag carrier and a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2022. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 51 airports in Canada, 51 in the United States and 86 internationally. It is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking from Skytrax, which in 2021 gave Air Canada awards for the Best Airline Staff in North America, Best Airline Staff in Canada, Best Business Class Lounge in North America, and an excellence award for managing COVID-19. Through its leading travel loyalty Aeroplan program, Air Canada offers the ability to earn or redeem points on the world’s largest airline partner network of 45 airlines, plus through an extensive range of merchandise, hotel and car rental rewards. Its freight division, Air Canada Cargo, provides air freight lift and connectivity to hundreds of destinations across six continents using Air Canada’s passenger flights and cargo-only flights with its fleet of Boeing 767-300 freighters. Air Canada has committed to a net zero emissions goal from all global operations by 2050. 

About Emirates

Emirates is the award-winning global airline that serves over 130 cities on six continents through its efficient hub in Dubai. It operates the world’s largest fleet of modern wide-body Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft that are fitted out with the latest comforts in the sky. Emirates has won numerous accolades for excellence across its operations, including being named World Class Airline at The APEX Official Airline Ratings™ awards, which stands at the pinnacle of all APEX Passenger Choice awards, and being rated Five Star Airline by APEX.

For more information visit: www.emirates.com