IDFC FIRST Bank Joins The Open Network For Digital Commerce (ONDC)

IDFC FIRST Bank today signed up as participant in the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), an initiative of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, to enable early adoption of the network among its customers.

As an early mover in the ONDC network, the Bank has enabled a platform for buyers which will help them discover sellers in the ONDC Network as it develops over time.

The Bank has also started onboarding small merchants, who are its current account customers, onto a partner app registered with ONDC. The app is expected to help small merchants carry out transactions over ONDC’s electronic network and step up their digital footprint.

B. Madhivanan, Chief Operating Officer, IDFC FIRST Bank, said, “As a technology-first bank and an early adopter of digital initiatives, we are pleased to be part of a techno-social innovation that will trigger a dramatic shift in the way buyers and sellers interact online. By leveraging ONDC, we can enable merchants to mobilize the network effect and unlock value at scale. ONDC is a fully digitally- driven modeland aligns with the Bank’s digital and social-good ethos.”

Shireesh Joshi, Chief Business Officer, ONDC, said, “IDFC FIRST Bank joining the network is poised to expand the network on both sides – buyers and sellers. This is a great development and we look forward to IDFC FIRST Bank offering more options on the network on both sides. Each participant brings their unique insights and knowledge to the design they implement, and this diversity of approach will add richness to user experience on ONDC.”

ONDC, a section 8 company, has been set up to democratise e-commerce and will transition e- commerce from a platform centric model to an open network model, similar to the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) for payments. A revolutionary network, it is expected to bring inclusivity and interoperability into supply chains, buyer universes, logistics and technology services. It will put equal access of the marketplace in the hands of small business owners who can access buyers at scale and provide best-in-class quality of experiences combining with other participants and combining with their strengths.

IDFC FIRST Bank has leveraged technology extensively to empower small businesses and entrepreneurs. The Bank has developed deep specialization in retail lending and capabilities to leverage the country’s digital ecosystems. Its retail business is diversified over 25 lines of businesses and across millions of customers. Customers and partners are supported through retail apps and assisted-digital services.

Aurionpro Launches Aurobees, A Digital Transformation Platform For SMEs

Aurionpro Solutions Ltd (Aurionpro), a Mumbai-based global technology solutions provider, has launched Aurobees, an innovative and integrated digitization, fulfilment and financing platform, focused on helping the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) transform their businesses for the digital economy.

This platform, developed in partnership with Trejhara Solutions Ltd, enables SMEs to move their businesses online seamlessly by facilitating digital presence, webstore and enabling them to run their businesses efficiently to seize growth opportunities in the new digital economy.

Aurobees is a subscription based, cloud-native platform that provides a highly scalable solution for the digitization and fulfilment across industries ranging from manufacturing, trading, distribution, freight forwarding, warehousing, transportation, and e-commerce fulfilment.

The platform is designed to reduce complexity for SMEs to effectively manage their working capital through Aurobees Business Payments Platform, through the multiple partners, will facilitate invoice financing and commercial card payments to address credit challenges and help manage the credit risk for the seller and buyer, improving their cash flow and helping to grow the businesses sustainably. Aurionpro’s payment gateway is also tightly integrated with this platform to enable SMEs to offer digital payment options to their customers.

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Ashish Rai, Vice Chairman and President, Aurionpro, noted, “We are excited to launch Aurobees which is a global, best-in-class cloud-native platform for the SME sector, offering wide range of services and enabling them to expand their reach through efficient supply chain management, enhanced visibility and connectivity to the marketplace. SMEs are the heart of any economy and digitization is crucial for SMEs to stay relevant and thrive in the new digital economy. Aurobees is designed to remove the complexity and cost barriers and truly empower today’s enterprise to embrace the digital economy. Aurobees’ long term vision is closely aligned to government initiatives in its key global markets to put greater impetus on the SME sector as well as the digital economy and will go a long way towards enabling the sector to realise its digital potential.”

About Aurionpro Solutions Limited:

Aurionpro Solutions Limited (NSE: AURIONPRO) (BSE: 532668) is an advanced technology solutions company catering to the needs of the Banking, Mobility, Payments, and Government sectors. It converges multiple technology solutions under a single umbrella - Advanced and Accelerated Platform-led Transformation (ADAPT) to the ‘New Digital World’. Headquartered in Mumbai, India, the company serves globally with the expertise and commitment of 1700+ passionate people supporting its journey.

For more information, visit www.aurionpro.com

3i Infotech To Incubate Campus Labs, Building India’s Best Education Management System ‘NuRe Campus’

* To offer cloud-based campus automation & management solutions for educational institutions in India and overseas 

3i Infotech Limited (BSE: 532628, NSE: 3IINFOLTD), a global Information Technology company, committed to accelerating business transformation, to incubate Campus Labs, a leading India-based global education ERP player with the objective of digitizing the education sector, where there is a huge lacuna felt presently. This initiative comes under 3i Infotech’s unique ‘entrepreneur-in-residence’ program, where the entrepreneur like Ashish Srivastava – founder Campus Labs get to leverage the benefits from 3i Infotech’s global reach, resources, investments, synergy of cloud and SaaS solutions to scale the product for global outreach and delivery. It serves as an ideal proposition to bootstrap startups and young entrepreneurs.  

The program allows technology entrepreneurs to join hands with 3i Infotech to invent new value creating intellectual property in the fields of 5G, Edge Services, cognitive computing services and education technology. It is part of 3i Infotech’s plan to incubate and accelerate startups, to fuel new services lines and build new IPs. 

Through the incubation of Campus Labs under the resident entrepreneur program, the company would aim to strengthen its foothold in the education space, both in India and internationally. The new entity ‘NuRe Campus’, will offer cloud-based enterprise automation solutions for higher educational institutions and universities, helping them seamlessly manage their entire administrative and management processes through its unique data-driven approach. It would be a one-of-a-kind turnkey offering, that will manage the complete student lifecycle - from admission to learning and assessments of universities and colleges. 

NuRe Campus Automation encompasses a suite of solutions. Which includes - a 360-degree student management, eLearning and assessment, finance and operations, and HR and administration solutions. It offers over 50+ dedicated modules to build the best university management system in India, to be scaled in a phased manner globally as well. The solution would have data security and privacy built in it, which is of utmost priority to Campus Automation. With absolute real-time support from the dedicated enterprise automation experts, it will offer secure cloud, role-based access, password & OTP encryption, auto-alerts for data security, located in multiple locations ensuring disaster recovery. 

Speaking on the potential of the education market and the role 3i Infotech will play, Mr. Thompson P. Gnanam, Managing Director, and Global CEO, 3i Infotech Limited, said, “with the success of our entrepreneur that we are helping incubate, we call upon other young innovators and startups in emerging technologies such as RPA who have great ideas and potential and need mentorship and incubation, to reach out to us.  The education sector is undergoing a paradigm shift towards embracing digital, and we want to be at the forefront of it by being a change agent. Through our ‘Entrepreneur-in-Residence’ program we want to provide entrepreneurs like Ashish a conducive ecosystem where they can innovate, invent, and scale their offering globally through 3i Infotech’s best-in-breed cloud offerings and global network. Unlike some of the other sectors, the education sector has been seen as a laggard in adopting technology. However, the opportunity is immense with the global education ERP market size as per industry estimates is expected to grow from USD 12.7 billion in 2021 to USD 25.2 billion by 2026, and our offerings are aligned to meet the challenges of both domestic and international markets.”

NuRe Campus is currently serving over 1 million registered students in more than 25 academic institutions of repute, which include - Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, National Institute of Science Education and Research, Panjab University and ITM institutions, among others.  Irrespective of whether the institution is large or small, Campus Automation provides a solution that fits all, as it can be customized unlike the others in the industry. It can also serve the government & public sector. 

Speaking on the value that the ‘entrepreneur-in-residence’ program will help it unlock, Mr. Ashish Srivastava, Founder of Campus Labs, said, “Building a world-class offering at Campus Labs over the last decade has been an exhilarating journey for all of us. The challenges and difficulties faced by the education sector are unique across markets and geographies and needs an organization that understands it and is capable to offer a customized solution. Together with common synergies we share with 3i Infotech, which is deeply embedded in technology and holds digitalization and transformation of organizations at its core, I believe we are going to create an industry leading platform that is truly going to revolutionize the education sector.” 

About 3i Infotech Limited 

Headquartered in Mumbai, India, since inception in 1993, 3i Infotech has been committed to driving business value across multiple industry verticals. 3i Infotech, today, has emerged as a leading name in propelling the current wave of digital transformation initiatives, with deep domain expertise across BFSI, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Retail and Government sectors. The Company has over 5000 employees in 30 offices across 15 countries and over 1000+ clients in more than 50 countries across 4 continents. With a wide range of IT services, 3i Infotech has successfully transformed the business operations of customers globally. The Company has a very strong foothold and client base in geographies like North America, India, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and South Asia. 

Website: https://www.3i-infotech.com/ 

5ire Acquires Stake In Network Capital And Names Utkarsh Amitabh As Chief Marketing Officer

5ire, the 5th-generation blockchain network founded by two visionary entrepreneurs from India, Pratik Gauri and Prateek Dwivedi, and web3 financier Vilma Mattila, has recently acquired a stake in Network Capital (NC) and named Utkarsh Amitabh as Chief Marketing Officer. NC will now be rebranded as "NC powered by 5ire."

NC powered by 5ire is one of the world’s largest mentorship and career advancement platforms that empowers people to make a living doing what they love and teaching what they love. Network Capital has active local chapters in every major city around the world and serves as a partner to the Government of India’s Atal Innovation Mission, enabling mentorship for almost 1.6 million students. Acquiring NC gives 5ire access to human capital. NC being one of the best communities in the world will help 5ire build a talent pipeline and give access to best brains around the world.

Before starting Network Capital, Utkarsh worked at Microsoft for 7 years. He earned his MBA from INSEAD and was awarded the Chevening Fellowship at University of Oxford. Utkarsh writes for Harvard Business Review and is the author of two best-selling books published by Sage – “Passion Economy and the Side Hustle Revolution” and “The Seductive Illusion of Hard Work”. World Economic Forum founder Professor Klaus Schwab wrote the foreword for both his books. Utkarsh is also a Global Shaper from the Oxford Hub who represented the community in Davos.

Utkarsh Amitabh will now serve as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of 5ire and continue to be the CEO of Network Capital powered by 5ire. He will report into the 5ire CEO’s office.

On this occasion, 5ire's CEO and Co-founder Pratik Gauri said, "In Utkarsh we saw someone who reflected our core values. We found a partner who sees infinite possibilities and opportunities in growth and innovation, and it clicked. My congratulations to Utkarsh - I look forward to building a community together."

Prateek Dwivedi, Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of 5ire, will be Co-founder and Chief Product Officer at 5ire. He congratulated Utkarsh on his role and praised him for his contribution to the growing success of NC.

Dwivedi further stated, "I've always believed in constant improvement. That life is an infinite game with infinite possibilities. Network Capital has used that same strategy to mentor and guide its community. They've truly gone a brilliant way to guide young minds, similar to how we aim to create a million billionaires.  I’m pumped about discovering and working with NC powered by 5ire products, and take this mission further."

The newly minted CMO, Utkarsh Amitabh thanked co-founders Gauri and Dwivedi, and said, “I’m delighted that Network Capital is joining hands with a mission-driven company like 5ire that is integrating blockchain technology with sustainable development goals. Knowing the co-founders and the team at large has been energizing. I look forward to the adventure ahead.”

About 5ire

5ire is a blockchain ecosystem that focuses on the widespread adoption of blockchain technology by integrating sustainability, technology, and innovation to build the 5th industrial revolution (5IR). Founded by blockchain proponents Pratik Gauri, Prateek Dwivedi, and Vilma Mattila in August 2021, the mission of 5ire is to increase the adoption of blockchain for worldwide benefit by embedding a for-benefit paradigm at the heart of the blockchain, highly incentivizing practices that align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), facilitating the transition from 4IR to 5IR, and accelerating the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The company's primary offering is 5ireChain, a first-layer, sustainability-driven 5th-generation blockchain that ensures adherence to the philosophy of 5IR, creating a net positive impact on the planet and serving humanity.

Spinny’s Go Far Campaign Celebrates The Spirit To Dream Big And Make Things Happen

* 'Sachin’s  first car’ recreated by Spinny, Sachin talks about his big memories with the small car in a candid conversation with Gaurav Kapur

Spinny, a full-stack used car buying and selling platform in India, has released its next set of films for its newly announced campaign, "Go Far". The campaign is all about pushing beyond the usual boundaries, not stopping at the finish line, and exploring further. Don't wait for things to happen; make them happen.

A campaign inspired by ordinary people's unique journeys to reach their dreams, for love, and sometimes, to go back to basics.

Go Far | Spinny

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ielw8v5S4YQ&t=1s

Go Far manifesto speaks to the spirit of pursuing goals and dreams no matter how silly, illogical or seemingly unrealistic.

Go far for your dreams

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxehNHhAkGU

The big & the small ones. Whether it is learning to drive at the age of 70, or celebrating a new house with a new car or simply imagining something amazing greater than enormous.

Go far for love

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsAbzxNYpGw

Go far for love, fight the good fight for it. Even if it means doing things at an old age that were not done in younger life due to responsibilities. At this age health doesn’t really allow but you still go far for those little dreams and that big love.

Go Far, Buy, sell or upgrade your car

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlb_8fAE2-Y

A car is a special purchase and our endeavor is to make it extra special for each of our customers

Following up to  the new TVC, Sachin talks about his experience of meeting his first car again and more in a candid conversation with Gaurav Kapur(https://youtu.be/Y3F184IEOm4). He talks about how the first car, even though small, holds so many memories. He speaks about the inimitable feeling that your very first car gives you, his favorite driving experiences and more.

Speaking about his involvement in the campaign, Sachin Tendulkar said, “A car to me is more than just a mode of travel. It’s my second home, my co-passenger in the journey as one explores life and goes places. Our car reflects us, sometimes complements our personality. Go Far celebrates the spirit to dream big and to make things happen. It pushes us to go far for our dreams, both the big and the small ones”

Go far as a campaign is personal, relative, hence featuring different people and their stories to push beyond the comfort zone to get what they really, truly want. Whether it’s a family celebrating a new car and a new house or an elderly couple focusing on a dream they ignored for many years; the journeys represent a very individualistic take on pushing boundaries.

According to Spinny's Founder and CEO Niraj Singh,  “We believe in life and in your choices, go far. You should be able to buy a car that you actually, really want to buy, that you know would make you happy. With Spinny, we’d go that extra mile, go far at every step to make it happen for each of our customers, including Sachin Tendulkar. His first car would make him happy in a way that is rooted and real and we made it happen. A car is a special purchase for a home and our endeavor is to make it extra special for each of our customers.        

Upon going live, the ad received several positive reviews. People shared their own stories of going that extra mile that made them who they are today, the journeys they took to discover themselves and their dreams. It is also aired during Asia Cup 2022 on Disney+Hotstar, and on StarSports.

About Spinny-

Founded in 2015, Spinny is a used car retailing platform that aims to bring about transparency and convenience in the car buying and selling process in India. Spinny operates across the entire value chain of used cars, embedding superior technology and processes to deliver a premium experience to customers. As a testimony of Spinny’s commitment to transparency and quality, every car on the Spinny platform comes with a 200-point inspection checklist, 5-day no questions asked money-back guarantee and 1-year after-sales warranty. Spinny has 36 car hubs and is operational in 22 cities, including Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Jaipur, Chandigarh, and Indore, among others. Last year, Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar partnered with Spinny as a strategic investor and a lead brand ambassador. Sports icon, PV Sindhu, a believer and customer of Spinny, is also a part of the series of marketing initiatives focused on realizing the aspirations of a billion car dreams.

For more information visit: https://www.spinny.com/

WorldSkills Competition 2022 Begins In Switzerland: Likith Kumar YP From India Bags A Bronze In Prototype Modelling

* Mr. Likith Kumar YP won a bronze medal for India in prototype modelling at the WorldSkills Competition 2022

* The first phase of WSC2022 took place in Bern, Switzerland from 7th to 10th September 2022

* The sixty-two skill competitions are being held over 12 weeks in 15 countries and regions between 7th September and 26th November 2022

Displaying extraordinary skill and talent, Mr. Likith Kumar YP won a bronze medal for India in prototype modelling at the WorldSkills Competition 2022 (WSC2022), held in Bern, Switzerland from September 7 till 10, 2022.

Likith has completed his diploma in Mechatronics from Toyata technical training institute and was training for the competition since the beginning of this year. He has been trained by Mr. Bhaskar Singh, Toyota India Expert, who is also the Chief Expert for Prototype Modelling Skill at WorldSkills International Competition. Likith had won the national skill competition, IndiaSkills 2021 in this trade and has now become an inspiration for India’s youth after getting recognised by WorldSkills Competition, the gold standard of skills excellence.

A farmer’s son, Likith has made a name for himself and his family with this huge achievement. From getting selected by the training institute, winning IndiaSkills competition and now winning a bronze medal for the country at an international platform, Likith has left no stone unturned.

Ved Mani Tiwari, COO, NSDC stated, it is encouraging to see India’s youth participate and get recognised on this global platform. My congratulations to Likith Kumar and his family. Likith’s win is a testament that India’s youth is getting proficiently skilled in new-age trades and getting ready for the future of work. Our complete focus is on harnessing the potential of India’s young talent and raising their profile on global platforms like WorldSkills Competition. With this, we will continue to build robust skilling ecosystems for India and partner countries as a skilled workforce is the backbone of making us the Skill Capital of the World.

WorldSkills Competition is the biggest vocational education and skills excellence event in the world, reflecting the benchmarks of the global industry. WorldSkills Competition 2022 was scheduled to take place in Shanghai, China. Due to the current lockdowns in Shanghai and ongoing pandemic prevention and control restrictions in China, now the sixty-two skill competitions are being held over 12 weeks in 15 countries and regions between 7th September and 26th November 2022.

About WorldSkills

Founded in 1950, WorldSkills is the global hub for skills excellence and development. WorldSkills brings youth, industries, and educators together to give youth the chance to compete, experience, and learn how to become the best in their skill of choice. From the traditional trades to multi-skilled technology careers in the industry and service sectors, supported by partners, industries, governments, volunteers, and educational institutions, WorldSkills’ vision is to improve the world through the power of skills. It has 85 member countries and regions, all working with youth, educators, governments, and industries to help prepare the workforce and talent of today for the jobs of the future.

About WorldSkills India

WorldSkills India is an initiative of the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) under Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship which has been leading India’s participation at WorldSkills International competitions since 2011. Skill competitions have always been a force multiplier in India’s mission to train its youth in globally relevant skills. It plays a vital role in helping the youth become more employable by inculcating soft skills such as teamwork, communication, problem-solving and time management. These competitions also offer the youth a unique opportunity to see up close the best professionals in their field and raise their standards to a global level.

Mr Milkman By EverAg Unveils App Upgrade With Unique Functionality And More Secure Features For The Dairy Supply Chain

Mr Milkman, India’s leading SaaS platform empowering dairies and other industries to manage customer subscriptions and deliveries with unrivaled efficiency, has upgraded its app to offer a more dynamic user experience. Now the app is much easier to navigate and is packed with user-friendly features. The dairy tech platform has added multiple new features – Add to Bag, Vacation Mode, New Shop Page and many more;  revamped its Wallet and Help & Support sections for its customers to seamlessly manage their orders without any obstacle. 

The company has over 100,000+ subscribers to the app today, and they offer back-end support through a live chat option, easy navigation tools, and multiple in-app and web view options for ease of shopping. In the ‘add to bag’ feature, customers have an option to place one-time orders without a subscription plan and  even do bulk purchasing on the app. 

To make payments easier, the platform has integrated multiple payment gateways to  provide flexibility to its customers. Apart from the consumer application, Mr Milkman has also upgraded an easy to use field application for the delivery riders to manage customer data and deliveries. From having an easy-to-read analytics tool integrated to instantly sending wallet recharge links to customers, the app offers them seamless navigation facilities.

Mr Milkman also helps new customers (dairy and other food suppliers) to go live instantly with their app. Commenting on this feature Samarth Setia, Co-founder & CEO of Mr. Milkman by Ever.Ag says, “Earlier, the client onboarding time was close to four weeks for us, but with the latest tech upgrade, we are not only offering our clients the option to go live instantly but also offering a gamut of features and services to the end consumer to make their in-app experience enjoyable, hassle-free and quick. Our end goal is to provide a dynamic user experience to our clients and consumers.”

Adding on, Sumit Jain, VP Technology, Mr. Milkman by Ever.Ag says, “With this app upgrade, we have followed the proactive approach whereby we have worked on our backend systems and added observatory tools that will help our developers know of any inefficiencies, errors or incidents in the system even before the customer faces any issues. We want out customers to enjoy a seamless shopping experience on our app.”

Mr. Milkman services more than 120+ dairy farms across India today. From the farm all the way to the end consumer, the real-time analytics platform easily tracks all sales data, provides a complete performance overview, and enables informed business decisions.