DrinkPrime Raises ?60 Crore In Series A Round Led By Omidyar Network India, Surge Sequoia And 9Unicorns

* The funding will help the IOT-enabled customized water purifier company reach 1 million homes in India by 2026

DrinkPrime, the IoT-enabled customized water purifier on subscription raised ?60 crore in its Series A round. The company plans to invest in people, product and infrastructure to ensure they serve 1 million homes by 2026. The round was led by marquee investors like Omidyar Network India, Surge Sequoia and 9Unicorns at a time when the market is witnessing a steep capital crunch.

Speaking about the fundraise and the roadmap for DrinkPrime, Vijender Reddy Muthyala, Co-founder and CEO, DrinkPrime, said, “DrinkPrime is a drinking water company not a water purifier manufacturer. We raised funds to move closer to our goal of making safe drinking water accessible to the majority of India. We will do everything it takes to ensure we serve 1 million subscribers by 2026.”

The leading water purifier brand in Bengaluru has been growing exponentially over the past six months serving 1 lakh+ users across Bengaluru, Delhi, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, Hyderabad and Noida.

"Our subscriber base grew by 330% this year. With the rising interest in our service offering across several geographies, we expect to maintain the momentum we’ve picked up over the last few months,” said Manas Ranjan Hota, Co-founder and COO, DrinkPrime.

Speaking about their decision to invest in DrinkPrime, Badri Pillapakkam, Partner, Omidyar Network India said, "We are delighted to continue our partnership with DrinkPrime which is increasing access to water purification devices and making quality drinking water on tap more affordable than bottled water and accessible to the Indian mass market, including the Next Half Billion. We look forward to supporting them in their journey to become the largest player in the consumer durable subscription market.”

"Safe drinking water remains one of the biggest challenges in India with around 50 per cent of the population having no access to it and this is all set to increase with time. In such a scenario, the need of the hour is to evaluate if technology can solve a part of it. As a part of our ESG investment approach, we invested in DrinkPrime that is making safe drinking water accessible to millions. Such solutions make a huge impact on the environment as it lessens the need for plastic. We expect some Unicorns to emerge from this space soon and DrinkPrime has huge potential, " said Dr. Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, Co-founder, Venture Catalysts & 9Unicorns.

Aureolis Ventures, Kwaish Ventures and ZNL Growth Fund are a few other investors who participated in DrinkPrime’s Series A round in addition to participation from Northern Arc Capital and Unitus Capital in the debt capital raise.

“DrinkPrime has a unique business model which solves the fundamental problem of clean drinking water in urban cities in an environmentally responsible manner and has seen significant adoption of its tech led water as a service offering. We are delighted to partner with DrinkPrime, given their strong mission orientation and their ambition to scale up this business,” said Bama Balakrishnan, Executive Director & COO, Northern Arc Capital.

COVID-19 increased awareness on a wide range of issues related to health and wellbeing. With 37.7 million Indians affected by waterborne diseases in India yearly, the demand for DrinkPrime’s services will continue to grow as people return to their homes and offices in India’s urban areas.

About DrinkPrime

DrinkPrime was started to solve a personal problem - How do we get access to clean, safe, and healthy drinking water? Seems simple, but here’s what we found. First, most of the water you get in plastic cans isn’t fit for drinking. Second, less than 5% of Indians actually own a water purifier! That’s when we realized this was not just a personal problem but an opportunity to help more people. It’s been six years since we started on this journey. Today, more than 1 lakh+ users in 7 cities depend on us to access clean and safe drinking water!  

Healthcare, Medical Education Unaffordable For People, Says Minister

Appreciating the efforts of Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai for starting a free medical college in Karnataka for rural poor students, Karnataka Minister, Dr K Sudhakar said that medical education and healthcare are unaffordable for millions of people at an International Conference on post-pandemic reforms in medical education for accessible & affordable rural healthcare organised by Sri Sathya Sai University for Human Excellence.

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed a critical need for the current medical education system to provide affordable, accessible, comprehensive, compassionate, and high quality healthcare to all, especially to the underserved populations living in villages. This conference brought together leading medical education experts from India and other countries to share their ideas and programmes and lead the way to national and international reforms in format, curriculum, structure, funding, evaluation, and access to quality medical education.

“The goal of medical systems is to provide good healthcare and service delivery. Today healthcare and medical education is not affordable for all. Understanding this, Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai has decided to start a free medical college to give an opportunity for all the rural children who are bright and goal-oriented. Today, I am so glad to announce that Chikkaballapur will have two medical colleges and two super-specialty hospitals. We have representatives from Ayush today, who focus on traditional medicines which are as old as the vedas. To promote traditional medicines, the Government of Karnataka has taken a step to establish an autonomous Ayush University in Shivamogga. We aim at meeting the WHO's target of reducing the MMR rate, for which there is a huge requirement for good mother and child healthcare hospitals. Like Sadguru always says, State Government and selfless organisations like the Sri Sathya Sai University for Human Excellence should come together and see to that every individual receives their fundamental right to quality healthcare”, Dr K Sudhakar, Minister of Medical Education & Heath, Karnataka, said in a statement.

The objective of this conference was to develop practical approaches for making medical education and training accessible and equitable, to increase the access to high-quality integrative medical education and training the students from rural, tribal and underserved areas, based on their educational accomplishments and future academic portal, and to enhance the quality of medical education system by developing national metrics to evaluate the credentials & social impact of individual, faculty, departments, programmes and institutions.

“We cannot expect the Government alone to function for the nation’s collective welfare.  All the sectors must come together and contribute to the betterment of the healthcare services of our nation. Our speakers today were on the same line of quality healthcare for all, which brought out a whole new spectrum of contributions and innovations. Our hospitals will be completely free of cost and shall grow up to become one of the most buzzing medical service centres soon for people around the globe reviving the tradition of Vasudaiva Kutumbakam", the Founder of the varsity, Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai, said in a statement.

Health is wealth, for only healthy people can work and create prosperity for themselves and the society, as well as attain the spiritual goals of one’s life. It is the fundamental right of every human and the fundamental responsibility of the State and the society to provide it to all.

Acer Televisions Powered By Android 11 Launched In The Indian Market

•     The new generation of Acer Televisions - The I-Series, will be available in four sizes. The 32-inch model has a High Definition display resolution; while the 43-inch, the 50-inch and the 55-inch models have been launched in Ultra High Definition display resolution. All the models come with Dual Band WiFi, and 2-way Bluetooth features

•     It is also equipped with powerful 30-watt speaker systems and supports Dolby Audio in all models

•     The new range of Acer Televisions will be available on all major e-commerce platforms & offline retail stores from today

The highly anticipated new range of Acer Televisions was launched with the unveiling of the I-Series televisions powered by the certified Android 11 operating system today in India. The new generation of Acer televisions allows customers to access a rich library of content for endless entertainment options.

It comes with an edge-to-edge display with a frameless design which is a continuation of the almost bezel-less display that Acer televisions are popular for in the market. I-Series also delivers a significant upgrade in picture quality with an enhanced Wide Colour Gamut+ that delivers over a billion colours in display, HDR 10+, Super Brightness, Black Level Augmentation and 4K Upscaling and much more.

Interestingly, the I-Series also comes with an in-built Smart Blue Light Reduction technology to reduce the blue light exposure to the viewer’s eyes during long periods of content consumption. This makes for a safer and more comfortable viewing.

Speaking on the launch, Anand Dubey, CEO, Indkal Technologies Pvt Ltd, said, “Following a phenomenal response on the first generation of Acer televisions in India, we are excited to launch the I-Series. This new launch reinforces our commitment to offering premium quality televisions with advanced technologies and specifications, which are loaded with many segment-leading features.

”We’re excited to see the Acer-branded television line grow in India, providing consumers with more choice for premium entertainment,” said Jade Zhou, VP, Global Strategic Alliances, Acer Inc. “Our collaboration with Indkal Technologies will continue to bring quality viewing experiences to the Indian market.”

ABOUT THE ACER BRAND 

Established in 1987, the Acer brand empowers people with the technology to make their mark and the freedom to live their desired lifestyle. Acer-branded products strive to make technology accessible to everyone. 

ABOUT INDKAL 

Indkal Technologies Private Limited is a technology and innovation company based out of Bengaluru. Indkal excels in delivering, high-quality and revolutionary products across a wide spectrum of consumer electronics appliances and products. Founded in the year 2020, the company’s mission is to provide prudent, high-quality, and contemporary products to the growing Indian consumer market. 

Toyota Kirloskar Motor And NSDC Along With ASDC Collaborate Towards Rural Skill Enhancement & Employability

* Collaboration to establish Skill Development Centers across India with focus on rural areas thereby providing students opportunity to enhance skill and making them employable

* TKM’s unique Toyota Technical Education Program(T-TEP) initiative currently has associations with 56 Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) and Diploma Institute across 21 states in the country

Toyota Kirloskar Motor [TKM] today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Automotive Skill Development Council (ASDC) to enhance student skill with special focus on rural areas making youth more employable through the company’s unique training initiative, Toyota Technical Education Program (T-TEP).

The MoU was exchanged between Mr Ved Mani Tiwari, Chief Operating Officer and Officiating CEO, NSDC , Mr. Arindam Lahiri, CEO, ASDC, and Mr. Sabari Manohar R, GM, TKM in the presence of Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and Mr Vikram Gulati, Executive Vice President, TKM.

Aimed at generating talented and technically skilled professionals for the automobile industry,

T-TEP is strongly aligned with “Skill India mission” and so far, been associated with 56 ITI/Polytechnic colleges covering 21 states. Currently more than 10,000 students have been trained and 70% of the students are working in various automobile companies.

On this occasion, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said, “Toyota Kirloskar Motor’s initiative, in collaboration with NSDC and ASDC, to establish skill development centers across the country with a special focus on rural areas will have a big impact in making the students highly skilled, employable, and future ready. This effort is aligned with the Government of India’s Skill India Mission. The government is committed to encouraging, supporting and collaborating with industry partners like Toyota by providing them with a platform that will boost their efforts in bridging the existing skills gap and help develop a workforce of global standards.”

The Minister further added, “Automotive sector is an important pillar of Indian economy and offers huge scope in the manufacturing economy over the next 5-6 years. India can also be the Principal Pole for future of Automobile Sector in India thereby creating huge opportunities for Skilling.

The partnership with Toyota is going to be an important one to shape this new direction to Skilling and also serves as a shining example for other manufacturing companies to partner with Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship through NSDC to take PM’s vision of making India a Global Skills Hub forward”.

Lauding the initiative, Mr. Ved Mani Tiwari, COO and Officiating CEO, NSDC, said, “Automotive industry is growing tremendously and since 2006 T-TEP has become a benchmark in imparting automotive training and providing immense benefits to the automotive service industry and society at large. By partnering with TKM and ASDC, NSDC will not only be able to build a highly skilled technical workforce, with greater career prospects in the automotive service industry, but also enable youngsters earn a decent livelihood by providing them with employment opportunities. This partnership will also encourage other automotive players to step forward in making India a Skill Capital of the World”

Talking about this partnership, Mr. Arindam Lahiri, CEO, ASDC said, “With advancements in technology in the auto industry and unprecedent growth in motorization, we need to ensure that the consumers receive the best-in-class services, especially in rural areas. To align with it we will be needing highly skilled technicians, making it imperative that students at technical training centres have access to advanced technologies and gain hands-on training experience. With this collaboration, training partners will get an opportunity to understand Toyota’s values, best practices, and advanced technologies which will benefit not only the students but also the entire industry, thereby contribute toward the Skill India Mission.”

Expressing his views, Mr.  Vikram Gulati, Executive Vice President, Toyota Kirloskar Motor said, “Toyota is known for its exceptional quality products and services, which stems from developing world-class people, processes, and infrastructure. We are continuously growing and adapting to the changing needs and dynamics of auto industry. Through the T-TEP initiative we are striving to provide talented youths, training, and access to advanced technologies hence this new collaboration with NSDC and ASDC will strengthen the talent available at the grass root level and help them upskill as per the market requirements.”

As a part of this initiative, ASDC will identify the institute as per the requirements and Toyota will support the institute with latest curriculum covering automobile fundamentals, safety, Toyota values and basic soft skills. In addition, the company will provide e-learning content, engines, transmissions, practice kits and train the institute’s faculty through Train The Trainer approach. Further Toyota dealer partner will support skill development centers in sustenance and extend On-Job-Training to all the students. ASDC would support in infrastructure enhancement and ensure student training. TKM, dealer partners and ASDC will also conduct quarterly audits to ensure the training quality. Post successful completion of T-TEP course the student will be certified by Toyota, NSDC & ASDC.

Greenply Industries Launches Its New Product “Green Platinum”

~The CARB certified products also come with 2x fire resistant, waterproof and money back warranty features~ 

Greenply Industries Limited, one of India’s largest interior infrastructure brands with over 30 years of experience in manufacturing a comprehensive range of plywood, block boards, decorative veneers, flush doors, and other allied products announced the launch of its new product “Green Platinum”. The exquisite product portfolio will fall under Greenply’s E-0 range of products. 

Greenply Industries Limited has been at the forefront of driving innovation across its products and processes keeping the consumer health, safety, and well-being in mind. With the accelerated transformation in the interior sector post pandemic, the company introduced its fire-resistant plywood with E-0 compliance “Green Platinum” which is two times as effective in fire-resistant and waterproof properties as compared to other available plywood in its range. The product comes with PEN Tech technology which adds a protective mesh between the layers as well as on the surface of plywood, rendering it two times more fire resistant. The technology helps the product to function as a barrier to restrict the rapid spread of fire and helps to emit less smoke. Green Platinum is also enriched with an un-extended BWP resin rendering it two times as boiling waterproof as compared to regular fire-resistant plywood. 

Remarking on the launch of the new collection range, Mr. Sanidhya Mittal, Joint Managing Director & CEO, Greenply Industries Ltd said “With innovation and technology at our core, we strive to create products that are made to fit the evolving needs of consumers. Through our extensive research on consumer behaviours, we found that there was a need for a product which combines fire resistant, waterproof and emission proof features, thus we came up with the product Green Platinum with an added feature of money back warranty. Through our continuous R&D process, we will be coming up with more such eco-friendly product which will promote aesthetic living among the consumer base. 

Green Platinum Plywood combines the strength and health safety and is also certified by California Air Resource Board (CARB) for conforming to E-0 grade formaldehyde emission and also comes with an anti-bacterial and anti-viral coating to ensure the health and safety of every home. The product comes with 30 years warranty with 2x money back warranty. Greenply has also taken a leadership position in communicating the need to choose the right building material for health safe interiors through their E-0 innovation. The E-0 innovation has reached over 1 million households, however, Greenply continues to build on the awareness amongst end consumers through relevant and multiple touchpoints. 

About Greenply Industries Limited: 

Greenply Industries Limited (GIL), is India’s leading interior infrastructure company into the manufacturing and marketing of Plywoods, Block board, Flush doors, Decorative Veneers, PVC and other allied products.  The company has widespread presence in over 900 cities, towns, and villages across 28 states and 6 union territories, serviced through a well-entrenched distribution network. 

Greenply is the first in the wood & panel industry to have successfully acquired the FSC® – FM (Forest Management) Certification from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®) for its plantations in Tizit, Nagaland. This certification addresses our aim to maintain ecological harmony and provides an assurance to consumers that the products they purchase is sourced sustainably. Keeping the consumer health & well-being in mind, Greenply became India’s first to introduce Zero Emission (E-0) products to ensure the plywoods meet the international emission standards set by CARB & EPA keeping the indoor air quality safe for the occupants and the craftsmen of interiors. The company has always been actively driving product innovations, from introducing the 4 Press Technology and Penta 5 Tech to offer defect free products to launching Virashield to address the need to fight virus and bacteria for safe health and now the latest information to offer health safe products through the E0 innovation.  

Jennifer Rumsey Promoted To President & CEO of Cummins Tom Linebarger To Serve As Chairman of The Board & Executive Chairman

Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI) announced that, effective August 1, 2022, Tom Linebarger will end his term as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Jennifer Rumsey, President and Chief Operating Officer (COO), will assume the role of President and CEO. 

Rumsey will be the seventh CEO and first woman to lead the company since it was founded in 1919. Linebarger will continue to serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors and in an Executive Chairman role, working directly with Rumsey on specific initiatives that position the company for continued success, including completing the pending acquisition of Meritor. 

“Jen is a once in a generation talent and the right leader for Cummins at this important time in our history,” said Linebarger. “She has been my partner in developing the Destination Zero strategy, which sets forth how the decarbonization of our industry will be a significant growth opportunity for Cummins. Her background as an engineer and technology expertise provides her a deep understanding of the major technical changes taking place and how to capitalize on them. Jen uniquely understands our customers and business, having worked in many different parts of the business during her more than 20-year career, and in every role, she has consistently delivered results. Most recently, she led our global operations as COO during one of the most challenging periods in our history, delivering record revenues and dramatically improving product quality and our market position while addressing unprecedented supply chain constraints. Most importantly, Jen is a principled leader who cares deeply about our stakeholders. We share a common vision for Cummins, and I am confident that Jen will lead Cummins into an even more prosperous future.” 

Tom Lynch, Cummins Lead Director, said, “On behalf of the Cummins board, I want to thank Tom for his three decades at the company, including the last 15 years where he served first in the COO role and then asCEO. His leadership has grown Cummins’ global business, positioned the company to lead in zero- and low-carbon solutions, and developed a highly capable and diverse management team to lead us through the technology transition. We look forward to his continued contributions as Executive Chairman. During our long-term strategic planning, the Board had the opportunity to see Jen lead on key business initiatives and co- author the Destination Zero strategy with Tom. Jen is the ideal choice to lead Cummins into its next chapter, and we are confident that Jen will drive continued success for our business and customers.” 

Since taking on the role of COO in March 2021, Rumsey has overseen Cummins’ global operations. In February 2022, she was elected to the Cummins Board of Directors, and she will maintain her seat on the board. 

“I am honored and proud to be appointed the next CEO of Cummins and excited about what the future holds for the company,” said Rumsey. “Growing up in Columbus, Indiana, where Cummins was founded, and spending most of my career here makes this announcement incredibly meaningful. I am grateful to Tom for his support and mentorship over the years and to the Board for their confidence in my leadership. My technical background, business experience and focus on people, purpose, and impact have prepared me for this moment. At Cummins, we build solutions that serve our customers’ needs and better our planet both now and in the future. At a time when technology is evolving more rapidly than at any point in our history, we must emphasize the critical role people play in our collective success. By putting people at the center of everything we do, we will power the path to de carbonization and advance our mission of powering a more prosperous world.” 

Rumsey began her Cummins career working in Research and Technology, primarily focused on advancing technology to reduce criteria pollutants from diesel engines. Since then, she has held numerous positions of increasing responsibility and impact, including bringing new platforms and technologies to the market, driving improvements in product quality, and developing the capability of global teams. She has also been deeply engaged with some of the company’s most important original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners. The leadership roles Rumsey has held include President of Components, where she oversaw a global portfolio of business units that delivered profitable growth while ensuring power solutions met performance and emissions goals, and Chief Technical Officer, where she led strategic investments in key technologies and applications to transition to lower carbon emissions products, laying the foundation years ago for the company’s New Power Business and Destination Zero strategy. Prior to Cummins, Rumsey worked for a fuel cell technology company. 

Rumsey is a member of the Society of Women Engineers, Society of Automotive Engineers, the Purdue Engineering Advisory Council and Women in Trucking Association. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Throughout her career, she has been an advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion and women in STEM fields. She resides in Columbus with her husband and has two college age daughters who are both pursuing engineering degrees. 

About Cummins Inc. 

Cummins Inc., a global power leader, is a corporation of complementary business segments that design, manufacture, distribute and servicea broad portfolio of power solutions. The company’s products range 

from diesel, natural gas, electric and hybrid powertrains and powertrain-related components including filtration, after treatment, turbochargers, fuel systems, controls systems, air handling systems, automated transmissions, electric power generation systems, batteries, electrified power systems, hydrogen generation and fuel cell products. Headquartered in Columbus, Indiana (U.S.), since its founding in 1919, Cummins employs approximately 59,900 people committed to powering a more prosperous world through three global corporate responsibility priorities critical to healthy communities: education, environment and equality of opportunity. Cummins serves its customers online, through a network of company-owned and independent distributor locations, and through thousands of dealer locations world wide and earned about 

$2.1 billion on sales of $24.0 billion in 2021. See how Cummins is powering a world that’s always on by accessing news releases and more information at https://www.cummins.com/always-on. 

NIINE Foundation Wins The ‘Right’ Hygiene CSR Award In India

Niine Foundation, a CSR trust managed by Niine Private Limited, has won the ‘Right’ Hygiene CSR award for playing a vital role in supporting hospitals, NGOs, and local bodies during the Covid-19 pandemic in India. Gaurav Bathwal, Co-Founder, Niine Personal Hygiene received the winner’s trophy at the 5th edition of ‘Right’ Hygiene Conference 2022 held in New Delhi with 155 companies from 20 countries in attendance.

33 nominations were received from 18 global and Indian companies and two finalists were selected by a selection committee comprising of worthy and experienced industry stakeholders. The final winners were selected by voting from the two nominees for each category by the audience during the conference after each nominee spoke about their submissions.

Amar Tulsiyan, CEO & Founder, Niine Private Limited said on receiving the award, “During the Covid-19 pandemic, Niine Foundation played a vital role in supporting hospitals, NGOs, and local bodies.  Even more importantly, the foundation conducted menstrual hygiene awareness drives and distributed sanitary napkins to girls in schools and villages across India. Niine’s mission is to empower women of the world with greater confidence and happiness through awareness and education on practices of health and hygiene, and this award is recognition of this mission”.

Tulsiyan further added, “During Covid, our CSR drives were focused on saving lives. We were fortunate that we could garner resources to donate 230 oxygen concentrators and 352 oxygen cylinders, which were in extreme shortage at that time. Also 2 oxygen plants were set up at Fatima Hospital and Shree Vinayak Hospital. Other critical equipments were donated, including 10-bi-pap machines, 2 ventilators and important medicines were also distributed.”

“The use of sanitary napkins is essential for menstrual hygiene and good health. Women’s personal hygiene products must be accessible to all, and we have focused on creating a premium product at an affordable price with this in mind,” Tulsiyan averred.

About Niine:

Incepted on World Menstrual Hygiene Day on 28th May 2018, Niine Private Limited was started with an aim of contributing towards the betterment of female personal hygiene in India.Niine Private Limited is crafted through rigorous testing and innovations, making their products extremely skin friendly and highly absorbent. In a market dominated by two global giants, Niine has become one of the top 5 selling brands of female hygiene products in a short period of 4 years. The company has further expanded into baby care& hand hygiene products under the same brand name.

Niine continuously creates menstrual hygiene awareness drives for young women across the country, and in May 2022 concluded an awareness drive for 2.5 lakh women, completing 7.5 lakh in number.