Zoho For Startups Completes 5 Years Since Launch, Goes Global

* The programme has impacted 9k startups in India, partnered with over 150 collaborators

Zoho, the Chennai-headquartered global technology company, announced today that it will be launching its Zoho for Startups programme globally, starting with the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. The programme, which turns five this year, was launched in 2017 with the goal of removing access barriers to enterprise technology for early-stage startups. It has impacted more than 9,000 startups in India through partnerships with over 150 collaborators that include incubators (70+), accelerators, government bodies, and co-working spaces across 19 states.

Zoho provides collaborator-associated startups with Zoho Wallet credits, training, consultation, and support. The Wallet credits can be used to purchase any of Zoho’s 55+ applications. This includes Zoho One, the operating system for business that provides a unified platform of over 45 applications. Zoho, in collaboration with the ecosystem partners, also engages with the startups through periodic and exclusive workshops, in addition to community-building activities.

"Since the time we launched the Zoho for Startups programme, India has seen a 12 to 15% growth YoY in number of startups, making it the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world," said Kuppulakshmi Krishnamoorthy, Global Head of Zoho for Startups. "Government initiatives like Digital India and Startup India have been critical in creating a conducive environment for entrepreneurs, and we are happy to have been one of the first to have partnered with them. In its fifth year, we are taking the programme global, starting with the MEA region. We will be partnering with collaborators in countries where we have presence to help develop the startup ecosystem in those economies."

The Zoho for Startups programme offers the most diverse range of SaaS applications for startups to choose from. The apps, all built on the same technology stack, integrate seamlessly and scale easily. As Zoho has data centers in India, startups can be assured that their data stays within the country. The company's privacy commitment extends to all users that come through the programme.

Through Zoho for Startups, the company has observed the following trends emerge among Indian startups over the past couple of years:

App adoption: The highest demand is seen for the Zoho Books (accounting) and Zoho Invoice (invoicing) apps, followed by Zoho CRM and Cliq (team collaboration). Accounting and invoicing software have become a basic necessity for every startup. The apps help them keep track of finances, provide online payment options for customers that improve cash flow, and also run detailed reports enabling them to make smart business decisions. Founders looking to raise funds use the apps to share up-to-date financial data during pitches. Zoho Invoice is a completely free invoicing app, and Zoho Books is one of the top GST-compliant accounting solutions in India, making these apps preferred choices.

Geographical distribution: Most of the startups participating in the programme are from Bengaluru, followed by NCR, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Pune. However, over the past two years, there has been an uptick in startups from tier 2 towns like Ahmedabad, Jaipur, and Coimbatore, and even tier 3 cities like Indore and Bhubaneshwar.

Sector adoption: The education sector is the most popular for Zoho for Startups, followed by IT services, e-commerce and IT hardware. The education sector went through a massive upheaval during the height of the pandemic, and it continues to transform even now. Edtech startups require digital communication tools like a team collaboration platform (Zoho Cliq), web conferencing and webinar solution (Zoho Meeting), and office suite (Zoho Office Suite) in order to expand their reach. State governments have also been promoting access to education, especially during the pandemic, which had further led to an increase in demand from the sector for these tools.

“One of the most common mistakes that founders make is not investing time in researching SaaS tools,” said Krishnamoorthy. “They need to look at it as a long-term investment. Decision needs to be made based on whether they can scale using the tools, and how these apps would work with each other. They also need to carefully evaluate which function needs to be handled through a SaaS tool at what time, and keep in mind that buying software applications and implementing them are two separate processes. Through Zoho for Startups, we help the founders plan their SaaS journey, ensuring they have a holistic view of their SaaS architecture.”

Epson Retains No.1 Position In The Indian Projector Market In Q1 Of FY2022

Epson, the world leader in digital imaging and printing solutions announced that it has retained its No. 1 position in the Indian Projector market for FY22 Q1 (April 2022 ~ June 2022). As per the latest report by Futuresource Consulting, Epson has captured a market share of 40.52%, selling 16,231 projectors in the country during the quarter. Epson clocked a strong growth of 54.61% over the previous quarter.

Epson was also India’s No.1 projector brand in FY2021-22 with a market share of 25.46% and has been the market leader for the last seven years. After witnessing a slowdown in the last financial year, the market is witnessing a strong rebound with demand from education & corporate segments as students return to classrooms and offices return to a level of normalcy. The home projector space is also witnessing strong growth as more consumers look to elevate their viewing and entertainment experience at home.

Commenting on the announcement, Mr. Harish A K, Senior General Manager - Visual Products, Epson India, said “Demand for projectors has gone up exponentially in the last few months. Education institutions and corporates are rushing to invest in classroom and meeting room technology after a lull caused by Covid. At Epson, we are thrilled to retain our no.1 position in the first quarter of FY21 and expect our growth momentum to continue. We are recognized the world over for our ability to provide an unmatched visual experience and our customers appreciate this.”

Epson attributes its success to its proprietary 3LCD technology which delivers vibrant and true-to-life images with up to 3 times higher colour brightness and a higher colour gamut. Coupled with high-quality performance, innovative features and technology advancements, Epson's most recent projectors elevate the user experience with 3LCD Reflective Laser technology and 4K for state-of-the-art home theatre projectors.

About Epson

Epson is a global technology leader dedicated to co-creating sustainability and enriching communities by leveraging its efficient, compact, and precision technologies and digital technologies to connect people, things, and information. The company is focused on solving societal issues through innovations in home and office printing, commercial and industrial printing, manufacturing, visual and lifestyle. Epson will become carbon negative and eliminate the use of exhaustible underground resources such as oil and metal by 2050.

Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the worldwide Epson Group generates annual sales of around JPY 1 trillion. https://global.epson.com/

About Epson India

Epson India Pvt. Ltd. was incorporated in the year 2000. Epson products address the needs of homes, businesses and commercial enterprises as those of consumers with specialized needs in India. With a commitment to providing products and services that surpass people’s expectations, Epson India today has an enviable reputation for quality and value. Headquartered in Bangalore, the company markets and supports Epson Inkjet Printers, Inkjet All-in-Ones, Point of Sale Printers, 3LCD Projectors, Scanners, Large Format Printers, Robots and Dot-Matrix Printers. In all of these categories, Epson is either the No. 1 or No. 2 brand in India and growing fast. https://www.epson.co.in/

MIVI’s Latest Duopods F50 Is Set To Revolutionise The Hearables Industry

* The F50 Duopods are made in India and come equipped with features like noise cancellation and Bluetooth 5.1

Music is often regarded as food for the soul. There is no better way to unwind after a stressful day than to listen to your favourite numbers. MIVI, India’s leading homegrown electronics company, understands this and is ready to enhance your experience of listening to music with its ‘truly Made in India’ wireless Duopods F50.

The new Duopods come with 13mm drivers offering the best-in-field sound quality. Equipped with Bluetooth 5.1, the device has a range of 10m for ultimate convenience and comes with a USB Type-C charging cable that provides super-fast charging with full charge in just 1 hour. The Duopods are available in four colors: Black, Beige, Coral, and Blue.

Further, MIVI’s Duopods provide 50 hours of playtime and help one through the most tiresome of activities. The product helps keep unwanted noises at bay with the PNC noise cancellation feature and allows one to talk to loved ones with its dual mic. All in all, the device from the leading homegrown brand is sure to offer you an immersive audio experience.

Speaking on this occasion, Midhula Devabhaktuni, Co-founder and CMO, Mivi, said,   ‘Creativity, Innovation, and Make in India - these are the core philosophies that are MIVI’s anchors. Our research and development team is constantly looking for ways in which we can better our products and meet the needs of the customer. The Duopods F50 is another step in this direction. It is equipped with the best features and is sure to provide the customer with a seamless experience. We will be launching more such devices soon.”

Priced at INR 999 for a limited period, the MIVI Duopods F50 are available at Flipkart.

About Mivi

Founded in 2016, Mivi, the brainchild of Viswanadh Kandula and Midhula Devabhaktuni, strives to take the Indian electronic gadgets industry to the next level by fulfilling the need for high-quality electronic gadgets at affordable prices in the Indian market. Mivi is a one-of-a-kind company specializing in the audio category, from TWS to sound bars, which have gone from a luxury to a necessity for everybody with a smartphone. The brand aspires to create a difference in the Indian electronics market by introducing high-quality ‘Made in India’ products coming from its Hyderabad manufacturing factory. Mivi currently has a 1500+ strong team and is looking to expand its presence PAN India – from tier 1 to tier 4 cities.

Ecom Express Launches One Of The Largest Outsourced “Grocery Fulfilment Centers” In Karnataka

~ The facility spreads across 2 lac square feet with storage capacity of 6 lac Cubic feet~ 

~The Company is in the process of setting up 5 large fulfilment centres by the end of September 2022~ 

Ecom Express Limited, a new-age technology-driven end-to-end logistics solutions provider to the e-commerce industry announced the setup of its largest fulfilment center in Karnataka which is also one of the largest outsourced single-brand e-grocery fulfilment centers in India. 

Situated in Hoskote, Bengaluru on an area of 2 lac square feet, the new fulfilment center is the second grocery facility set up by the Company in Karnataka. The new center will aid and support one of the leading e-grocery brands to deliver a wide selection of grocery products to consumers in and around Bengaluru city through its 100 hyper-local stores. With over 8 lac processing throughput per day, the newly built facility has the capacity of over 6 lac Cubic feet. It can store up to 10 million product units across categories, including daily household supplies, staples, tea, snacks and beverages, confectionery, personal care and more.  

The Indian Online Grocery Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 33.00% to reach USD26.63 billion by FY2027. The fast-changing consumer preferences, rising disposable income, new market entrants, and increased focus on expanding e-grocery business operations and adoption of attractive marketing strategies are the primary driving factors influencing the growth of the Indian online grocery market.1 Relatedly, the market expansion is fueling demand for new fulfilment/warehousing space.  

The new center is a testament to the Company’s capabilities and solutions driven approach to support and stay relevant in the growing e-grocery market and bolsters its capacity to scale and invest in infrastructure equivalent to captive establishments.  

K. Satyanarayana, Co-founder & Director, Ecom Express said, ‘’Today’s consumers are served with varied options thus placing heavy demand on e-grocery players to provide speedy fulfilment of their orders at value. This is a challenging proposition as it requires ability to manage complexities to match the demand at scale and size. The Company has built a network of fulfilment centers to cater to the growing and complex needs of customers and to be a solid partner in driving their fulfilment requirements in a much more efficient and flexible manner. We will continue to invest and expand our fulfilment centers in response to customer needs and are in the process of launching five more centers by the end of September 2022 to enable online grocery players to tap into this fast-growing market and benefit from the e-grocery boom.” 

The new center in Hoskote will create close to 1000 direct and indirect jobs with roles ranging from data entry operators, associates for pick, pack and ship, inventory managers, loaders, unloaders, QC, security, housekeeping and management staff. 

The facility operations are optimized by four state-of-the-art conveyors through a multi-level inventory structure and have various racking systems to accommodate fluctuations in demand. The center also has a vertical storage system for optimal space utilization.  

The Company’s fulfilment network facilities are designed with efficient building systems that minimize energy usage. The new center integrates multiple dimensions of sustainability such as rainwater harvesting, sewage treatment plant, and safety measures, including fire detection, prevention, and supressing system, with employee evacuation plans. 

Ecom Express’s Fulfilment Service vertical caters to B2B, B2C and e-grocery players to directly sell their products and be closer to buyers, without having to make large investments in infrastructure while providing end-to-end visibility of the operations. It caters to various sectors, including fashion, apparel, accessories, cosmetics, consumer electronics and more.  

With 54 existing fulfilment centers spread across 38 cities and total operational area of 44 lacs square feet, Ecom Express already covers major markets with its presence. Most of the Company’s fulfilment centres are strategically located sites in proximity to urban centers and 20 per cent are in Tier III and Tier IV areas. 

About Ecom Express:  

Ecom Express Limited is one of India’s leading end-to-end technologies enabled logistics solutions providers to the Indian e-commerce industry. Headquartered in Gurugram, Ecom Express was incorporated in 2012 by T. A. Krishnan, Manju Dhawan, K. Satyanarayana and Late Sanjeev Saxena with their 100+ years of cumulative experience in the Indian logistics and distribution industry. Ecom Express has its presence in all 28 states of the country and operates across 27,000+ PIN codes in India. Through its deep reach strategy, the company has the capability to deliver to 95%+ of India’s population. 

SIDBI Launches 5th Phase Of Setting Up 300 Swavalamban Silai Schools To Promote Women Entrepreneurship In villages

~Gives 10X power to entrepreneurial pursuit on the occasion of 76th Independence Day~

Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), the Principal Financial Institution engaged in the promotion, financing and development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)  under its flagship initiative Mission Swavalamban, Atma Nirbhar Bharat and Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav in partnership with Usha International Limited (UIL) has launched, on independence day,  the fifth phase of setting up of 300 Swavalamban Silai Schools across 10 districts of 6 States / Union Territory viz. Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Goa, Puducherry, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh with an objective to empower women making them independent while pursuing entrepreneurship culture (Udyam Se Azadi) and evolve as Homepreneurs. The virtual launch of the program was flagged off virtually from Puducherry by CMD, SIDBI, in the attendance of around 25 aspirational homepreneurs. 

On this occasion Shri Sivasubramanian Ramann, CMD, SIDBI said, “As we celebrate 76th year of independence with the theme of  ‘Udyam Se Aazadi” by promoting women entrepreneurship, artisans and large-scale livelihood promotion, SIDBI is glad to announce that through this joint initiative, till now,  2700 Swavalamban Silai Schools have been set-up covering 2618 villages, 198 blocks, 48 districts across 17 states (viz. UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh & North-East (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Tripura & Mizoram) of country. It’s a matter of proud that they contributed to the national mission “Har Ghar Tiranga” by making 75000 flags which were distributed among 750 villages. “ 

Earlier these homepreneurs supported covid fight by making around 1.5 lakh masks in 7 states. 160 silai women entrepreneurs have since onboarded the GEMS portal and few of them also stepped up to a level of participating in exhibitions with their products. Taking the momentum ahead, SIDBI aims towards reaching 5,000 such schools across India and further stepping up them to take up bigger roles in readymade garment sector. 

Under this program, aspiring women entrepreneurs are multi skilled in stitching, maintenance & repairing of sewing machine along with life skills & tenets of entrepreneurship. These are done by expert trainers of UIL. The selection, capacity building & setting up by homepreneurs is well laid down process. The participants start their journey by unpacking the sewing machine box, assembling it, again dismantling & assembling. The women successfully completing the training program are provided sewing machine, training kit, machine manual, design book, certificate and a Swavalamban Silai School signage board. This initiative is not only making them independent and role models for their family but infuse entrepreneurship culture as also in turn they become master trainer and then teach on an average ten more women which would create a multiplier/ripple effect.

In the first four phases of the initiative, 2700 homepreneurs are functional and have enrolled over 27000+ learners under them leading to deepening of theme of entrepreneurship.  Each homepreneur acts as trainers for aspirants, designs & sells stitched garments as also provide repair services. The initiative has touched the bottom of the pyramid women and deprived section of the society. Out of these 2700 Homepreneurs, around 40% women fall under Other Backward Class category while around 39% women belong to Scheduled Cast/Scheduled Tribe category. Overall, 60% of these women who have set up Silai Schools hail from Below the Poverty Line category. Cumulative income of these 2700 women has been recorded at Rs.12.47 Cr during the period of 3 years through stitching job-work, learners’ fee & sewing machine repair. Around 40-45% of these homepreneurs are earning around Rs. 3000-3500/month on an average.  The next level of their aspiration to assimilate embroidery & fashion designing is being worked upon jointly by SIDBI & Usha. 

About SIDBI

SIDBI is the principal financial institution set up under an Act of Parliament for promotion, financing and development of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector and for coordination of functions of institutions engaged in similar activities. Over the years, SIDBI has been instrumental in taking up various initiatives for the development of the MSME sector through credit and more importantly, credit plus activities.

Zolve Bolsters Leadership Team With Talent Acquisition Across India And US; Appoints Douglas T Hamilton As Chief Compliance Officer

* The startup is looking for multiple professionals to join its Customer Support, Product, Credit, and Marketing teams

* New appointments will be made in India and the US

As part of its strategic expansion plan, Zolve, India’s first neobank providing cross-border financial services, is on a hiring spree, seeking talent for multiple positions across teams in India and the United States.

The startup is currently looking for innovative and dynamic professionals to fill up the roles of Customer Support Head; Customer Support Agents; Senior Product Analyst; Product Manager, Fraud & Risk; Head, Credit & Risk; and Collections Lead. Zolve is also seeking candidates to take up Marketing and Credit Risk Data Science roles.

The startup has recently appointed Douglas T Hamilton as its Chief Compliance Officer. With more than two decades of professional experience, Hamilton will play a key role in strengthening compliance and contributing to Zolve’s business growth and expansion. He was previously employed with Gemini Constellation (sister concern of Gemini Trust, New York) as Director, Consumer Lending Compliance, and has also worked and led teams at BlockRize, Petal Card, and American Express. A management graduate from SC Johnson School of Management, Cornell University, New York, Hamilton specializes in consumer lending laws and compliance, risk management, and credit analysis.

“I am excited to be joining a highly dynamic and vibrant team at Zolve, which is at the cusp of a new chapter in its journey of growth and innovation. Compliance is an integral part of the financial ecosystem and I look forward to applying my expertise and learning in this area to contribute to the company’s vision of providing hassle-free financial services to global citizens,” said Douglas T Hamilton, commenting on his appointment.

Throwing light on the company’s hiring plans and recent appointments, Mr. Raghunandan G, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Zolve, said, “Being a dynamic solutions and services provider in the FinTech space, Zolve is always on the lookout for talented and dynamic professionals. We are currently looking for candidates to join our teams in the US and India. Douglas T Hamilton’s recent appointment as Chief Compliance Officer has further strengthened our core team. We welcome him onboard and are looking forward to having more new colleagues in the coming days and months.” 

In another strategic appointment, Zolve had last month onboarded Anandapadmanabhan Ramabhadran from the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to drive business and growth.

A Friend Indeed: India's First Senior Companionship Start-Up For Intergenerational Friendships Launches Today

* The start-up, which is designed to pair senior citizens with young graduates to form meaningful friendships, has received a seed investment from Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons, Mr. Ratan Tata

Goodfellows, a young start-up that provides authentic meaningful companionship to seniors through young, educated graduates that are vetted intensely for empathy and emotional intelligence, was launched today in the presence of Mr. Ratan Tata as well as some noteworthy youth icons including Shriya Pilgaonkar, Artist, Viraj Ghelani, Content Creator who celebrated the launch of Goodfellows with their grandparents and with existing “Grandpals” who have subscribed to the service.

Commenting on the investment, Mr. Ratan N. Tata, Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons said “The bonds between the two generations created by Goodfellows are very meaningful and are helping to address an important social issue In India. I hope the investment helps the young team at Goodfellows grow.”

Over the past 6 months, “Goodfellows” has taken the time to complete a successful beta and will now be available in Mumbai with Pune, Chennai and Bangalore as the next target cities. During the beta testing phase, Goodfellows received a positive response with over 800 applications from young graduates looking to be employed at Goodfellows of which a shortlisted cohort of 20 provided companionship to the elderly in Mumbai. Senior citizens can avail the services by signing-up on thegoodfellows.in or can give a missed call at +91 8779524307 or check out their Instagram handle.

According to the team, it has been a challenging but rewarding task to ensure that the “Goodfellows” bond with their Grandpals in an authentic and meaningful way and not just cosmetically. This requires several rounds of vetting and some in-house psychometric tests to choose the best graduates.

In terms of services offered, a Goodfellow does whatever a grandkid would do. There are 15 million elderlies in India living alone, either due to loss of a partner, or families moving away for unavoidable work reasons. While many of them have caregivers or start-ups for utilitarian needs such as ecommerce, the issue of loneliness or lack of company has been the primary reason for deteriorating mental and physical health.

The founder, Mr. Shantanu Naidu, General Manager in the office of Mr. Tata said “The start-up emphasises that companionship means different things to different people. To some it may mean watching a movie, narrating stories from the past, going on a walk or quiet company sitting around doing nothing together, and we are here to accommodate it all. In its beta phase, we discovered how organically the Grandpals bonded with the Goodfellows. Mr. Tata’s investment in our venture further is a huge source of encouragement to our dedication to this concept.”

In addition to this, Goodfellows also hosts monthly events curated to the enjoyment and engagement of the Grandpals who participate with their Goodfellows, making the bond deeper and enjoyable in a different environment. This allows the Grandpals to meet each other as well as more young graduates, building a sense of community.

The business model of Goodfellows is a freemium subscription model. The first month is free with only the goal of having the Grandpal experience this service, since it’s hard to understand the concept without actually going through it. The second month onward is a small subscription fee that has been decided based on the limited affordability of pensioners. The fee is in place for two important reasons:

The Goodfellows have been vetted for empathy and have an affinity towards the elderlies, but like any other graduate, they would like to be secure about their finances and do their best for the seniors. To give them dignified, respectable salaries for choosing this profession, this is a paid service. This also ensures that chosen goodfellows are retained, groomed and have a career ladder while giving back to society.

A subscription model guarantees that when the seniors bond with the goodfellows, we do not keep rotating the graduate visiting them since that does not allow enough time or emotional attention to form an authentic and real bond. When we make a friend we want to see the same friend often. A new person every time will prevent this from happening.

Several non-profit models in this space have failed since volunteering happens as per the availability of volunteers and no one invests enough time with one senior to form an authentic bond. Once the desire is over, volunteers move away which impacts seniors gravely.

Goodfellows offers short term internships as well as employment to graduates looking to find a job that allows them to apply their educational background in this space while having a sense of purpose or fulfilment from the work that they do. These graduates are given the autonomy to ideate and create and make the company their own. For example Ketki from Sophia College has been instrumental in refining the psychometric testing in order to “mine” more numbers of empathetic graduates into the organisation based on psychological evidence.

The major percentage of funds from investors are currently geared towards scaling up the goodfellow human capital, which is a slow process since empathy cannot be vetted quickly or by the traditional recruiting process.

In the near future, Goodfellows will offer travel companions for seniors holding back from making trips due to lack of security or company, and also plans to extend its services to the handicap community facing similar or more challenges.