Avaya Executes On Dubai’s Metaverse Vision With ‘Meta Experience’ Technology Showcase

* Avaya today demonstrated how it is executing on Dubai’s metaverse vision at Gitex.

Developed in by Avaya’s Dubai-based team in collaboration with Avanza, the ‘Metaverse Experience’ solution will support Dubai's ambition to be one of the top 10 global cities for the metaverse economy, aims to create 40,000 virtual jobs by 2030 and contribute to the economic prosperity of the emirate.

Avaya is the customer experience vendor of choice for a majority of government organizations and large enterprises in the UAE. This makes the company uniquely suited to propel the experiences that UAE organizations offer into the metaverse – as shown in the in Metaverse Experience solution being demonstrated at GITEX Global.

“The solution illustrates how organizations can extend their contact centers into the metaverse, leveraging advanced innovations without impacting their existing contact center investments. It demonstrates a use case for opening a business in the UAE within the metaverse, and receiving seamless customer support from a contact center agent at every step of the journey. This kind of innovation without disruption will help businesses of any size become a part of Dubai’s Metaverse vision,” said Nidal Abou-Ltaif, President, Avaya International.

About Avaya

Businesses are built by the experiences they provide, and everyday millions of those experiences are delivered by Avaya Holdings Corp. (NYSE: AVYA). Avaya is shaping what's next for the future of work, with innovation and partnerships that deliver game-changing business benefits. Our cloud communications solutions and multi-cloud application ecosystem power personalized, intelligent, and effortless customer and employee experiences to help achieve strategic ambitions and desired outcomes. Together, we are committed to help grow your business by delivering Experiences that Matter. Learn more at http://www.avaya.com

DaMENSCH's Unique, Innovative Fabric From Plastic PET Bottles, Thermoregulation, 4-Way Stretch Now Available At First Exclusive Store

*  DaMENSCH Kicks Off Offline Expansion With Exclusive Experience Store In Bengaluru

* New retail store sets ball rolling for the company’s pan-India retail expansion

India’s fastest growing D2C men’s apparel brand opens doors to its first ever exclusive store offline. The experience store at Mantri Square Mall, Bengaluru allows customers to touch, feel and learn about the fabric innovations the Made in India brand has created in its innerwear and outerwear collections.

Designed to be modern, minimal and conscious, the store features a unique design identity - called the line of comfort - an orange rectangular block upholding a tree in the middle of the store.

With exclusive experience touch points, customers can understand better the innovative and conscious practices that go into creating fabric from plastic PET bottles, thermoregulation, 4-way stretch and more.

In line with its commitment to expanding omnichannel presence, DaMENSCH's first in-mall 1200 sq. ft. store is thematically designed with set-ups and fixtures in the brands’ signature colours. The store offers comfortable fitting zones, spacious changing rooms, an uncluttered shopping experience and an extensive range of premium intimate clothing across various categories. The brand also aims to be available at 10,000 points of sale avenues across various formats, in the next 2 years.

DaMENSCH recently raised $16.4MN in Series-B funding and launched its first exclusive brand outlet at Mantri Square Mall, Bangalore. To provide a seamless experience to its new-age customers, DaMENSCH will soon expand to 100 retail stores in metropolitan cities by next year. The company also expects offline business to contribute 500CR by 2027, to the overall revenue.

Elaborating on DaMENSCH’s brand ethos of ‘Fashion that thinks’ and its compelling omni-channel go-to-market strategy, Mr Gaurav Pushkar, Co-founder DaMENSCH, said, “ In a highly dynamic industry like fashion - it’s critical we adapt and redefine strategies from time to time. This foray into offline stores is a part of our omnichannel-channel strategy. We think that our whole phygital approach is strictly consumer-centric and will soon synchronise with more processes to create a unified consumer journey. Our sole aim to go offline is to serve the larger fashion-conscious men in the country. We will continue to offer premium, earth-friendly fashion at affordable prices”

DaMENSCH has comprehensive strategies to leverage its offline presence and serve customers better. In India, the offline fashion market is very significant as over 80% of the products are sold offline. The company aims to cater to this offline market by offering customers comfortable, and sustainable innovative products.

Mr Ashmeer Sayyed, Chief Retail Officer at DaMENSCH, said “We are excited to bring a truly comfortable fashion experience to the intricately diverse and discerning customers of Bangalore. We as a team work collectively in bringing innovation into the innerwear industry for Indian consumers. Our conscious products show how our brand consistently innovates and designs adaptable and comfort-centric products. At the offline stores, we have well-trained staff who will assist customers in facilitating convenient shopping and ensure that our offerings align with our consumers’ needs and wants. ”

DaMENSCH is on a journey to create products for modern men that are distinct in features and most desirable in their feel. Currently, the company’s portfolio has more than 200 SKUs listed across more than 15 categories and has made more than 10 million shipments to over 10,000 pin codes across the country.

About DaMENSCH

DaMENSCH is constantly in pursuit of innovating men essential wear. In the pursuit of a world where everyone’s potential is unlocked to do more every day. Starting in 2018, DaMENSCH is a D2C brand that caters to India's men’s premium essential wear fashion segment. DaMENSCH envisions becoming a lifestyle brand that will become an integral part of every global Indian’s wardrobe. Every product designed by DaMENSCH Product lab, from innerwear to loungewear is infused with innovation never seen before. A purpose drives the brand to make the world a better place, by doing more every day, for the customers and nature.

Website- https://www.damensch.com/

Brigade REAP Invests Rs 1.6 Crore In 2 Promising Start-ups Strawcture Eco And Snaptrude

* Brigade REAP to Boost Investment in PropTech Start-ups

* Onboards 5 new start-ups for is 12th Cohort

Brigade REAP, India’s first PropTech focused real estate accelerator program onboarded 5 new start-ups from 150 applications for its 12th Cohort. The domains covered include Sales Tech, Smart Facilities Management, Project Management, Smart Toilets and Construction Machinery for Road Repair. As part of its efforts to support and grow the PropTech start-up community, Brigade REAP through its syndicate fund: PropTech@REAP has committed to invest in a minimum of 5 start-ups a year both from within the REAP accelerator portfolio and outside. Early stage PropTech start-ups looking to raise Rs 50 lakhs to Rs 4 Crores and having demonstrated product market fit and traction, can apply through the REAP website for funding.

The platform invested Rs 80 Lakh in Strawcture Eco which harnesses the potential of agricultural residue to build structures which are durable, affordable, and sustainable and added to its initial funding led by Brigade Innovations in Snaptrude a cloud-based collaborative building design powered by automation and Intelligent BIM with an investment of Rs 80 lakh.

“The PropTech sector in India is undergoing a transformation, with the rise of several disruptive deep tech start-ups in the sector. These start-ups have applied technology to a brick-and-mortar industry to make it sustainable, commercially viable, attractive, and ecologically friendly. The Indian real estate sector is one of the largest employers in the country and key drivers of the nation’s economy. The sector is pegged to reach $US 1 trillion by 2030 and an influx of technology involving artificial intelligence and machine learning, robotics, imaging technologies and analytics can further augment the growth and viability of the sector.” Nirupa Shankar, Joint Managing Director, Brigade Enterprises Ltd and Director, Brigade REAP

“Despite having demonstrated business potential several Prop Tech start-ups find it challenging to raise funds at an early stage due to the nascency of the sector. Our start-ups have taken anywhere between 1-2 years to raise seed money. Our aim is to bridge this gap for promising start-ups.” she added.

Brigade REAP’s 12th Cohort was chosen from 150 applications and reflects the diversity that is emerging in the PropTech sector. The domains covered include Sales Tech, Smart Facilities Management, Project Management, Smart Toilets and Construction Machinery for Road Repair. For the first time since the inception of Brigade REAP, three start-ups from North India were taken on board, making it one of the most diverse cohorts for Brigade REAP. With Cohort 12, the total number of companies that have benefitted from Brigade REAP's program has gone up to 60.

The start-ups that were chosen are BlueprintCo, a company that focusses on project management solutions for the construction industry, FacTech a tech enabled facility management company, Frisson a smart toilet solutions company, Pykke a pavement construction & maintenance company, and Repp Tech, a Sales Management Platform.

Italian Screen Fest By David Di Donatello From October 12-15, 2022 Across India

ITALIAN SCREENS, the festival that will present the best of Italian cinema abroad, in the name of a programme of high artistic and cultural value, was born on the initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), Cinecittà for the Directorate General for Cinema and Audiovisual of the Ministry of Culture (DGCA-MiC) and the Academy of Italian Cinema - David di Donatello Awards.

After the first dates scheduled in Miami and Atlanta (7-9 October 2022), the initiative will arrive in India from 12 to 15 October 2022: the spotlight will be on six films nominated for the David di Donatello, an award instituted by the Academy of Italian Cinema in 1955 with the aim of honoring the best Italian and foreign films released each year. The showcase will be inaugurated on 12 October in New Delhi by the special screening, in the gardens of the Italian Embassy, of Ennio by Giuseppe Tornatore, about the legendary film composer Ennio Morricone. 

All screenings will take place simultaneously, until 15 October, at PVR cinemas in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi and at the historic New Empire cinema in Kolkata, in the presence of the institutions and some of the most famous names in Indian cinema. The filmspresented, in Italian with English subtitles, are Il Buco by Michelangelo Frammartino, Sulla giostra by Giorgia Cecere, Qui rido io by Mario Martone, L'Arminuta by Giuseppe Bonito and Ariaferma by Leonardo di Costanzo. 

The initiative is part of a wider project of deepening cultural relations between Italy and India, organised by Cinecittà for the DGCA of the MiC in order to ensure a rapprochement with Bollywood and to stimulate meeting opportunities between producers, distributors and creatives of both countries.

Ambassador Lorenzo Angeloni, Director General for the Promotion of the Country System (MAECI) said: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has always considered the strategic value of audiovisuals as one of the best ways to portray Made in Italy abroad and promote Italian excellence. We have therefore decided to enhance Italian Screens in India as a celebration of the extraordinary 'Nation branding be IT' campaign, with special promotional events relating to screenings in the four Indian cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru. The ‘be IT’ campaign, launched in November last year, promotes with digital and social tools a new way of representing Italian excellence and Made in Italy, and this occasion with Cinecittà and our diplomatic consular network is an important showcase of visibility towards the Indian public”.

“It is a project, explains Roberto Stabile, Head of Special Projects of the DGCA of the MiC at Cinecittà, strongly desired by the DGCA of the MiC and entrusted to Cinecittà, which finally makes the sometimes abused concept of 'working as a system' effective and the oft-quoted 'cultural diplomacy' a reality. In the framework of the support activities for the internationalisation of the Italian audiovisual industry, the aim of this action is to implement the collaboration between the capillary diplomatic and consular network, the prestige of the Academy of Italian Cinema - David di Donatello Awards, and the excellences of the national audiovisual industry, to promote our cinema, at gala occasions created ad hoc in some of the most important and iconic cities in the world. At the same time, we will hold 'business-oriented' events during which we will present all the benefits that Italy offers to foreign operators to co-produce, shoot with us, or distribute our films in cinemas abroad, thereby combining cultural promotion with a more commercial one. The project, which takes off in numerous locations, will see a tenfold increase in appointments on all continents over the next two years”.

“The Academy of Italian Cinema - David di Donatello Awards, says President and Artistic Director Piera Detassis, "is honoured to be a partner of the Italian Screens initiative, which emphasises and enhances the work of research, support and selection of the best Italian cinema composed throughout the year and culminating in the night of the David Awards. It is crucial today to support our talents and to spread our film culture and its cultural specificity abroad. Italian Screens appears to best interpret one of the Academy's important missions: the education of new audiences, in the name of the widest inclusion”.

Italian Screens is a crucial opportunity to introduce the protagonists of Italian cinema abroad, to build up an audience that appreciates the great productions of the moment, but also to present to local operators the best of what the Italian audiovisual system has to offer in order to encourage co-productions, the growth of the professional quality of our industry and the internationalisation of our cinema. The event also represents an important networking opportunity to enable industry operators to get in touch with those who can best illustrate the incentive programme at national and regional level, to support the production for those filming in Italy. 

After India, the busy calendar of appointments of Italian Screens will stop in Los Angeles from 31 October to 2 November, in Sao Paulo from 4 November and in Berlin from 8 to 13 November. Afterwards, the festival will continue around the world until 2023, from Buenos Aires to Washington, New York, Seoul, Tel Aviv and Bogotà.

Signify Partners With Pro Sport Development And ITTF To Illuminate 4 Table Tennis Courts In Bhubaneswar

Enabling a brighter future for India’s young sports talent, Signify (Euronext: LIGHT), the world leader in lighting, recently illuminated table tennis courts in 4 schools in Bhubaneswar under its Khel Jyoti CSR Program. The company partnered with Pro Sport Development (PSD) and International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Foundation for their community table tennis program focused on school students.

This project will benefit more than 250 students across 4 schools in Bhubaneswar, by providing them an ideal playing experience with certified illumination levels, designed and executed as per the national sports guidelines. The high-quality LED lighting in the courts is powered by solar energy to ensure an uninterrupted power supply, that is also sustainable in the long run. The company has also installed high mast LED outdoor lights around the school, to make the approach to the courts safer for all young players, including girls, after sunset.

Commenting on the initiative, Sumit Joshi, CEO & MD of Signify, South Asia said, “With more than half of our country’s population being under the age of 25, there is a lot of potential for India to leverage its demographic advantage and create its mark at an international level in various sports. Through this partnership with Pro Sport Development, we aim to support the young and upcoming table tennis players by providing them the basic tools and equipment in terms of lighting and giving them a fair opportunity to excel. We look forward to creating a brighter future for India’s young sports talent.”

Commenting on the initiative, Suheil Farrell Tandon, Director-Founder of Pro Sport Development said, “Pro Sport Development works towards the development of sports and empowerment of youth at the grassroots in India. We are committed to providing a high-performance training environment to all young athletes and students. Through this partnership with Signify, schools and students will greatly benefit from the installation of the lights, which will allow them to train in different environments and times of the day.”

About Signify 

Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) is the world leader in lighting for professionals and consumers and lighting for the Internet of Things. Our Philips products, Interact connected lighting systems and data-enabled services, deliver business value and transform life in homes, buildings and public spaces. With 2021 sales of EUR 6.9 billion, we have approximately 37,000 employees and are present in over 70 countries. We unlock the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world. We achieved carbon neutrality in 2020, have been in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index since our IPO for five consecutive years and were named Industry Leader in 2017, 2018 and 2019. News from Signify is located at the Newsroom, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. Information for investors can be found on the Investor Relations page. 

AEEE Launches Initiative To Rally Cross-Sectoral Action Against Climate Change

·         AEEE’s Call for Action supports the Prime Minister’s Panchamrit Declaration

·         Urges government, industry players and non-profit organisations to promote and embrace energy-efficient, low-carbon, and net-zero enabling technologies to achieve 100 GW of non-fossil 500 GW target through energy efficiency by 2030

The Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE), one of India’s leading think tanks creating awareness about energy efficiency as a ‘first fuel’, today launched its Call for Action (CFA) initiative along with its member organisations in the fight against climate change. This initiative calls for the collaboration of the government, industry, and non-profit organisations to work in tandem to achieve the net zero target by 2070, set by our Hon’ble Prime Minister.

The CFA recommends a four-pronged approach that organisations should incorporate into their operations-

·         Reuse, Reduce and Recycle- It suggests encouraging consumers to opt for green and energy-efficient solutions, buying 5-star rated appliances, switching to e-vehicles, etc.

·         Lifestyle for the Environment (LIFE)- It proposes establishing carbon analytics and market insight to support corporates on their internal carbon pricing structures

·         Digitalisation and data-driven approach- It recommends opting for IoT-enabled energy management, building and process cloud-based controls and data analytics in buildings, industries and power grid

·         Engage, engage, engage- As the name suggests, there is a need to connect with a diverse workforce to find representation from all communities to promote sustainability through education and partnerships

With a broader focus on bringing down the energy intensity, businesses, industrial utilities, and large consumption centres like hospitals and hotels will play a critical role and are required to shift to energy-efficient technologies and appliances while offering support to data-driven, evidence-based policies.

Commenting on the CFA’s introduction, Mr Chirag Baijal, Chairman, AEEE and Managing Director, Carrier Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Ltd, stated, “At the outset, we are pleased to launch this much-needed initiative that will ramp up our actions and strengthen the innovation of cooling appliances, cold-chain, e-vehicles, and sustainable buildings. While we have made remarkable progress in recent years, we still need the support of Indian government, other industry players, non-profits, and academia to accelerate India’s mission to clean energy.”

AEEE, along with its members such as ABB, BSES, Carrier, DENSO, Danfoss, Tabreed, and Saint Gobain, amongst others are working relentlessly towards combating climate change. In their united and concerted efforts for energy efficient practices and innovative technologies like IoT, data analytics, and cloud-based data controls, an impact on reducing carbon footprint and fostering a greener economy can be achieved.

Dr Satish Kumar, President & Executive Director, AEEE, said, “Looking forward to COP27, we at AEEE strive to unite our industry partners and walk towards a sustainable future to fulfil the country’s goals of delivering 100 GW of energy savings and becoming carbon neutral by 2070. Achieving this goal will help Indians adopt the latest green technology while increasing millions of jobs and boosting our annual GDP. There is a need to build a culture of energy efficiency to start reducing the country’s energy requirements from the demand side without compromising on our aspirations and creating an Energy efficient and resilient economy.”

Energy efficiency offers the cleanest, cheapest, and fastest policy, technological and behavioural options to start decarbonising the Indian economy. AEEE, in its endeavours, enables scalable environment-friendly solutions towards achieving sustainability through energy efficiency, and, optimising energy consumption.  Energy Efficiency and Renewables will work in tandem towards decarbonising our energy supplies for a healthy and clean future.

About AEEE

Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE) is one of the leading organisations in India that works on creating awareness about energy efficiency as a resource. It is a policy support and energy efficiency market enabler with a not-for-profit motive. We enable and support data-driven and evidence-based energy efficiency policies and research. AEEE is a convening platform bringing key energy stakeholders – industry, government, civil society, and professionals together to engage in a constructive dialogue to influence effective and impactful policies and build a robust ecosystem for effective implementation. At AEEE, we undertake cutting edge, research-based projects for global bilateral, multilateral, foundations, and government agencies specialising in the areas of Sustainable Cold Chain, Advance Technologies, Sustainable Building Designs, State and Local Action, Power Utility and eMobility, and Energy Data Services & Sustainable Aviation.

MS Dhoni Picks Up Equity In The Plant Protein Startup Shaka Harry

Indian cricketer, MS Dhoni, has joined global      investors in backing India’s fastest growing plant protein startup, Shaka Harry and picks up equity in the company. This is a huge development on the backdrop of the company having recently received USD2M in a seed funding round led by Better Bite Ventures, Blue Horizon and Panthera Peak Ventures. Other investors include; Dexler Holdings, celebrity Chef Manu Chandra and a group of domestic family     offices and angel investors.

MS Dhoni, India’s most loved cricketer, is known to back sector-leading startups across the consumer segment. The plant protein segment has seen a lot of      celebrity backing globally. Plant protein diets are inherently more sustainable and it’s health benefits are driving more customer adoption.

Speaking about the partnership, MS Dhoni said, “I love everything chicken, but increasingly, I am looking at a more balanced diet. It is much easier with products from Shaka Harry, which has a wide range that delivers a healthier experience to that of traditional meat dishes. For a growing population, current protein sources aren’t sustainably as scalable. We now have a choice to shift to smarter protein alternatives without compromising on taste and texture. The plant protein       segment is an exciting consumer space. The team at Shaka Harry has all the        ingredients to build a great company.”

Anand Nagarajan, co-founder and CEO of Liberate Foods said, “We are very excited to have Dhoni partner with us in growing Shaka Harry. This is a validation of what we are building. Shaka Harry has the unique combination of the worlds best players.” On customer traction and plans going ahead, Anand added, “We are  serving over 30,000 customers across 10 cities monthly, and expect to triple this number in the next few months. Shaka Harry will also be available on global shelves by the end of this year.” 

Varun Deshpande, Managing Director, at expert alternative protein nonprofit Good Food Institute India, said “Remaking our protein supply is our best bet at building sustainable economic prosperity for the 21st century - we’re still in the very early stages of the global smart protein transformation. Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s partnership with Shaka Harry is exactly the kind of leadership we need, bringing plant-based meats to his legions of adoring fans, breaking into the true multi-billion dollar mass market. We’re delighted that Mahi and Shaka Harry are forming this dream duo!”

GFI research with Deloitte indicates that the right investments in talent, R&D, manufacturing, and distribution could drive the Indian smart protein sector to a market size of nearly INR 19,000 Cr by 2030, including a sizeable export market.

Shaka Harry, India’s fastest growing plant based company, has strong food        technology bearings that provide an advantage in terms of superior product development capabilities.

“Shaka Harry is at the cutting edge of innovation. Our R&D team is constantly adding new products to our everyday essentials, celebrations, grab & go and world-cuisine ranges. We currently have an on-going consumer trial of our plant based diary line. With this investment, and our partnership with Dhoni, our        customer reach and new product launches will increase multifold” added Sandeep Devgan, co-founder of Shaka Harry.

Shaka Harry has been on the shelves for less than a year and already are category leaders in this fast growing sector. Celebrity investors, like MS Dhoni, only further validate both consumer and investor sentiments in a plant first future.

About Shaka Harry

Liberate Foods Pvt. Ltd., a plant protein company with a meat alternate line,     Shaka Harry, is founded by proven founders with prior experience and success in scaling businesses in India and globally. The co-founders include Anand Nagarajan, Sandeep Devgan, Hemalatha Srinivasan, Ruth Renita and Anoop Haridasan. The cofounders and leadership team consists of specialist, functional leaders with extensive experience in the food sector.

Shaka Harry, one of the fastest growing plant-based meat brand offers a range of meal and snacking products which are designed around the Indian cuisine and palate. The range includes; snackables and meal accompaniments. The product has a distinct advantage with access to proprietary taste and flavour solutions coupled with the brand’s partnership with Chef Manu Chandra, one of India's top chefs.

Shaka Harry aims at reaching every Indian household for their choice for plant based protein. The company’s products have zero trans-fat and are cholesterol free.