Swiss Re is Working Towards Affordable and Accessible Water Treatment

The first edition of Swiss Re Bangalore’s Shine social entrepreneurship programme saw Pure Paani, a social enterprise dedicated to affordable drinking water, complete a successful run. Shine is an initiative that combines social innovation with entrepreneurial thinking to shape next-generation Swiss Re leaders and help early-stage entrepreneurs achieve wider social impact.

Co-created by Swiss Re Foundation and Swiss Re Bangalore, Shine represents the company’s strategic commitment to realizing Sustainable Development Goals. Through this programme, Swiss Re Bangalore shares expertise on business acumen and encourages out-of-the-box thinking to solve problems. The larger objective is to help maximize social impact by teaming up with the right experts, collaborating with diverse partners – from University research bodies to think tanks – through social enterprises to enable organizations and development-focused NGOs.

Amit Kalra, MD and Head of Swiss Re Global Business Solutions Centre Bangalore said, "As a young and growing office of the company, Swiss Re Bangalore focuses on nurturing socially aware leaders as part of its Talent Development strategy. We all have a collective responsibility towards the communities in which we operate, and I strongly believe the solutions to most of our pressing social challenges will come through innovative and entrepreneurial thinking.

Swiss Re globally is committed to making the world more resilient, and that includes empowering and enabling the less privileged in the society to be able to realise their potential."

Swiss Re Foundation, in association with BOOKBRIDGE, a social enterprise, and Ashoka, a leading NGO nurturing social entrepreneur, supports ideas and initiatives that address social and civic challenges pertaining to any region in India. This is in addition to the on-going focus on girls' education from Swiss Re Bangalore.

Stefan Huber Fux, Head of Swiss Re Foundation, said, "The Swiss Re Shine programme is modelled on our Global Entrepreneurs Program (GEP). We not only support an aspiring social entrepreneur to help boost socio-economic development but also empower Swiss Re employees to become socially conscious. It is a co-learning platform for them where they are encouraged to push their boundaries as professionals by supporting the social entrepreneur with its business plan.”

Swiss Re selects an aspiring/early-stage entrepreneur based on his/her holistic understanding of the social challenge and innovative approach to the solution, among other parameters. The innovator then undergoes a four-month immersive training programme during which it collaborates with experts, a business coach, and leaders in Swiss Re to develop a financially viable and as well as structurally feasible business model that can scale up.

The outcome of this intense training is then presented to a 'Shark Tank' panel who decides if the business case merits the final grant. Following this, the progress of this new social enterprise is monitored to analyze impact.

Pure Paani, the winner of the first edition of the Shine programme, is a Bangalore-based business whose mission is to make drinking water available to all by providing access to affordable filtration and treatment solutions. Through a collaboration of designers, technicians and engineers, Pure Paani is focused on developing a series of portable, high-flow water filters and pumps which resident entrepreneurs can use to provide water treatment services to their neighbors at a sustainable price.

Speaking on the partnership with Swiss Re, Kaylea Brase, Co-founder and Director of Pure Paani said, "The Shine programme came at a critical time in my entrepreneurial journey, when I was looking for encouragement and guidance on how to grow and scale the business. Collaborating with a talented team of Swiss Re employees helped me persevere through the challenges and celebrate the successes towards sustainability.

The team's focus on the business plan empowered me to communicate the vision, bring key stakeholders together, and increase both the product readiness and market readiness to enable long-term impact. We now plan to expand our product offerings, build our team, and increase our impact to other communities within India."

The Call to Action for the second edition of Swiss Re’s Shine programme will kickstart from June and the focus will be to Incubate resilience in India in any of the focus areas of Climate Risk Management, Smart Agriculture, Access to Healthcare, and Renewable Energy.

Bengaluru Deemed as the Creative Capital of India: Day 3 of Bengaluru GAFX 2019

The three-day Bengaluru GAFX 2019 saw a plethora of experts looking at Bengaluru as the Animation Capital of India. With labs of companies like Dreamworks, Technicolor, Zynga, MPC, Mr. X and many others investing in Bengaluru’s AVGC sector, the talents in the state and city are shown more pathways to make a mark in the industry.

Deputy Chief Minister and the Minister for ITBT Department Dr. G Parameshwara said that Karnataka is one of the first states to give prominence to animation and gaming. This is an encouraging step towards creating jobs in this emerging sector, he added.

He also expressed confidence that the Centre of Excellence for AVGC will nurture small, medium as well as independent studios to produce work of global standard. “The Government of Karnataka encourages students of creative arts and creators to come forward with their IPs. This is the way forward to lead the industry.”

The one-of-a-kind global event identified and provided a global platform to talents and also attracted industry veterans, professionals, students, academia, technology partners, animation, VFX and games studios and production houses and generate jobs. Experts from all over the world including Avrill Stark, Sheila de Courcy, Pete Draper, Axel Bonami, Avneet Kaur, Munjal Shroff showcased the work of AVGC industry both nationally and globally.

Bengaluru GAFX 2019 and Secretary, ABAI, B.S. Srinivas, said, “With GAFX event, we have successfully brought together greatest minds of the AVGC industry and provided an incredible platform to students and professionals alike. GAFX has been a bridge to connect B2B and students with mentors.”

Biren Ghose, President, ABAI, applauded the enthusiasm of participants and foresaw a brilliant future for AVGC industry in Bengaluru.

Gaurav Gupta, Karnataka Principal Secretary, Dept.of Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science & Technology said, “Previously we have introduced the AVGC policy under the ITBT department. This has paved the path for artist collaborations, B2B and  flourishing academia. We aim to provide support in every form to take the industry ahead.”

Valedictory Ceremony

The winners of ’GAFX Art Animathon 2019’, Asia’s biggest art and animation competition were announced at the valedictory ceremony. The premiere competition had eight categories to compete for, with a cash prize of INR 8 Lakhs+ as well as premium goodies. The winners of ‘Kalayodha-2019,’ a contest exclusively for all digital art centres across Karnataka, too were announced on the occasion.

The career expo and exhibition saw a footfall of students and professionals from all over the country and abroad. The three-day event included ‘The Sketchbook,’ attended by artists handpicked for their unique artistic personalities. On the lawns of The Lalit Ashok, visitors to Bengaluru GAFX 2019 saw these artists indulge in live sketching and clay sculpting. Artists Abhishek Kesarkar, Anand Radhakrishnan, Sanjana Desai and Saumin Suresh Patil were a few among those who filled canvases. The event also hosted talks and presentations, film screenings, panel discussions and competitions. 

Global Robotic Process Automation Software Market Up 63% in 2018

Robotic process automation (RPA) software revenue grew 63.1% in 2018 to $846 million, making it the fastest-growing segment of the global enterprise software market, according to Gartner, Inc. Gartner expects RPA software revenue to reach $1.3 billion in 2019.

“The RPA market has grown since our last forecast, driven by digital business demands as organizations look for ‘straight-through’ processing,” said Fabrizio Biscotti, research vice president at Gartner. “Competition is intense, with nine of the top 10 vendors changing market share position in 2018.”

The top-five RPA vendors controlled 47% of the market in 2018. The vendors ranked sixth and seventh achieved triple-digit revenue growth (see Table 1). “This makes the top-five ranking appear largely unsettled,” Mr. Biscotti added.

 North America continued to dominate the RPA software market, with a 51% share in 2018, but its share dropped by 2 percentage points year over year. Western Europe held the No. 2 position, with a 23% share. Japan came third, with adoption growth of 124% in 2018. “This shows that RPA software is appealing to organizations across the world, due to its quicker deployment cycle times, compared with other options such as business process management platforms and business process outsourcing,” said Mr. Biscotti.

Digital Transformation Efforts Drive RPA Adoption

Although RPA software can be found in all industries, the biggest adopters are banks, insurance companies, telcos and utility companies. These organizations traditionally have many legacy systems and choose RPA solutions to ensure integration functionality. “The ability to integrate legacy systems is the key driver for RPA projects. By using this technology, organizations can quickly accelerate their digital transformation initiatives, while unlocking the value associated with past technology investments,” said Mr. Biscotti.

Gartner expects the RPA software market to look very different three years from now. Large software companies, such as IBM, Microsoft and SAP, are partnering with or acquiring RPA software providers, which means they are increasing the awareness and traction of RPA software in their sizable customer bases. At the same time, new vendors are seizing the opportunity to adapt traditional RPA capabilities for digital business demands, such as event stream processing and real-time analytics.

“This is an exciting time for RPA vendors,” said Mr. Biscotti. “However, the current top players will face increasing competition, as new entrants will continue to enter a market whose fast evolution is blurring the lines distinguishing RPA from other automation technologies, such as optical character recognition and artificial intelligence.”

Gartner clients can read more in “Market Share Analysis: Robotic Process Automation, Worldwide, 2018”.

CoreNet Global Emphasizes on Tech-Based Strategies to Meet Dynamic Corporate Real Estate Demands

CoreNet Global, the world’s largest professional association for the Corporate Real Estate (CRE) industry, concluded its 6th annual India conference today. Themed ‘Corporate Real Estate: Strategic Planning in A Dynamic World’, the conference discussed the factors that are currently shaping the CRE industry in 2019.

The conference brought together over 300 top industry professionals and business leaders to discuss industry trends. CoreNet Global – India chapter Co-Chairs Satish Rajendran (COO at Knight Frank (India) Pvt Ltd) & Arunabh Mukherjee- (Facilities Head, Synopsis India) presided over the overall conference as industry leaders discussed the various factors that have emerged as catalysts in the contemporary world for the growth of the CRE ecosystem and the factors to consider as the purview of the industry expands.

Discussions at the event were first contextualized by the changing geopolitical scenario, referencing contemporary events and the effect they have had on the way companies look at corporate real estate in the world today. One of the major takeaways from these discussions was the advantageous position that India now finds itself in as a result of global events, primarily on the front of the utilization of technology for greater CRE growth. This was further supported by the insights shared by various panelists who reiterated the potential the country held for growth, given the gradual but progressive adoption of strategies that were geared towards cross-industry knowledge sharing.

Participants at the event dealt with two distinct areas where CRE trends could be observed: the development of inclusive, technology-driven workplaces and the dynamic demands placed on workplaces as a result of talent evolution. Panelists cited their industry experience to elucidate the evolution of the workplace from its traditional avatar to one that is constantly changing basis the demands raised by succeeding generations of the talent pool. The pace of these changes calls upon greater collaboration between various stakeholders both within and outside the CRE ecosystem to devise incisive solutions to existing problems. They also call upon firms to invest in measures that utilize predictive analytics to circumvent impending problems and help add to the existing set of strategies for the greater good of the industry as a whole.   

“The expansion of the corporate real estate industry has seen factors beyond infrastructure become crucial elements to consider. The CRE ecosystem today has shifted towards the adoption of an employee-centric perspective, both while creating office policies and while choosing office spaces. The scenario in India has changed drastically in the recent past and companies must look to integrate the advantages that technology provides to deal with both present and future concerns”, said Sathish Rajendran, COO at Knight Frank (India) Pvt Ltd and Co-Chair of the India chapter of CoreNet Global

“Digital transformation has brought in many changes across industries and the CRE space has not been exempt from this disruption. The ability to adapt to a dynamic corporate real estate environment has led to India being considered as a potential global business and financial hub. CRE professionals are at the core of achieving this potential and it is imperative that this space be integrated with and supported by Infrastructure functions to power a more human experience at the workplace. In time, the adoption of strategies are sure to make a telling impact on how we look at corporate real estate today”, stated Arunabh Mukherjee, Facilities Head at Synopsys (India) and Co-Chair of the India chapter of CoreNet Global.

Microsoft Underscores its Commitment to the Indian Startup Ecosystem

India is advancing steadily towards digital transformation. Businesses in India today are rapidly transforming to adopt digital solutions creating a huge market opportunity for startups. The startup ecosystem plays a critical role, bringing in innovation and disruption in much-needed areas, creating jobs, and offering technical solutions, thereby improving the lives of people. Microsoft is uniquely positioned to support Indian startups to achieve scale and evolve from market ready to enterprise ready. With a cutting-edge technology platform, a well-established partner organization, expansion of M12 to India and a focus on Microsoft for Startups, Microsoft is well poised to help startups embrace the next phase of growth.

Talking about Microsoft’s offerings for the startup ecosystem, Anant Maheshwari, President, Microsoft India said, “Microsoft has been playing a vital role in shaping and nurturing the startup community in India and across the world. With our intelligent tech expertise, deep focus on trust and unique global go to market partnering, we empower unicorns and startups to scale sustainably at a global level. We remain excited about India’s entrepreneurial startup potential and will continue to accelerate it as a growth engine for the economy.”

The introduction of M12, Microsoft’s venture fund, in India is creating new value for startups, VCs and the company itself to maintain the pace and direction of innovation. M12 is looking at investing in innovators who have aligned their focus on cutting-edge technologies that better enable digital transformation. Comprised of experienced VCs and Microsoft veterans who have access to, and knowledge of Microsoft’s strategic assets, add value beyond the capital invested. In fact, the Portfolio Development team at M12 is specifically built to help support and scale companies by leveraging the expansive resources of Microsoft.

Further to this, Microsoft for Startups is helping startups become enterprise ready. Microsoft for Startups opens doors for startups across the globe by leveraging Microsoft’s cloud marketplace, enterprise sales team, and rapidly growing partner ecosystem to reach customers globally. Under this initiative, the Microsoft ScaleUp program supports Seed or Series A funded B2B (and select B2C) tech-enabled startups to scale and be competitive. Through this program, startups can co-sell with Microsoft sales teams, get access to top tech VCs in the global arena and mentorship from industry veterans. In less than 18 months, Microsoft for Startups has closed more than 120 co-sell deals with more than $126 million in active pipeline for startups.

Microsoft’s partner organization plays a critical role in making startups enterprise ready and has evolved its approach from ‘partnering to partnership’, where partners build solutions on top of Microsoft’s technology platform, adding value for customers, and creating new revenue opportunities. Microsoft is focused as much on selling third party solutions as their own, and this co-sell motion has helped generate $8 billion in revenue for partners within 18 months.

Working in tandem, these three different Microsoft entities with well-defined objectives, are collaborating closely to help startups achieve significant success in the market. The importance of Microsoft’s role as the technology partner is to support and enable startups – Prepare, Market and Sell. ‘Prepare’ for any market condition to align with customer needs, ‘market’ themselves to drive awareness of their solutions and ‘sell’ their solutions to end-users in association with the Microsoft sales team.

Shanthi Sagar Grand Opens Doors to Serve Customers at Malleshwram

New Shanthi Sagar, Bengaluru’s iconic restaurant chain with a heritage of 20 years has now re-launched their Malleshwaram outlet as ‘ Shanthi Sagar Grand’.  The renovated restaurant was inaugurated by Dr.Ashwathnarayan CN, The MLA of Malleshwaram constituency, in the presence of other dignitaries and guests.  The age old brand has revamped its Malleshwaram outlet and increased its gamut of offerings to cater to a wider spectrum of audience.

“New Shanthi Sagar is a very well-known name for healthy, nutritious and traditional food in Bangalore. The restaurant in Malleshwaram has been catering to the needs of residents of this area for many decades now. I am happy to inaugurate the renovated outlet of ‘Shanthi Sagar Grand’, I hope they carry forward the longstanding legacy with a pinch of twist. I wish the team good luck’ said, Dr.Ashwathnarayan CN addressing the gathering present at the launch

 “With the inauguration of ‘Shanthi Sagar Grand’ we step foot into a new chapter in the history of ‘New Shanthi Sagar’. At our Malleshwaram outlet, we will take your dining experience one notch higher. While we retain the taste and standard we have always been providing, with the new setup we are also looking at introducing some fusion food, combo’s and a unique mock tail bar. We have revamped the interiors and the seating arrangement to make it more comfortable and appealing to the younger audiences. We look forward to the continued support and cooperation from our customers” said Indudhara Thyagaraj, Partner of ‘Shanthi Sagar Grand’

‘Shanthi Sagar Grand’ is a pure vegetarian restaurant which specializes in authentic south Indian cuisine. The restaurant also serves other popular cuisines including North Indian, Bombay Street food and Chinese. The newly inaugurated outlet at Malleshwaram is spread across three floors and has both AC/ Non AC sections where customers can enjoy some mouthwatering food.  The new facility also houses an air conditioned party hall that can accommodate 250 people. The restaurant will soon launch a mocktail bar which will serve some signature mocktails along with other crowd pleasers and fresh juices.

Other dignitaries at the event included A Manjunath, Corporator of Malleshwaram; Mallikarjun Chukki, Asst Commissioner of Police, North Sub Division, Traffic, Malleshwaram; K R Prasad, Circle inspector, Law & Order, Malleshwaram; Dr. Guruprasad Udupi, ‘Dialife’, Vidyaranyapura

Please visit ‘Shanthi Sagar Grand’ at #324, JP Point, Sampige Road, Next to Sai Baba Mandir, Malleshwaram, Bengaluru – 560 003

Cinépolis Honoured As 'Top 50 Innovators' Of The Year By Big Cio Show & Awards

Cinépolis, India's 1st international and the world's 2nd largest movie theatre circuit by attendance has been awarded as one of the 'Top 50 Innovators' of the year, by Big CIO Show & Awards. The 8th edition of the first-of-its-kind, Trescon CIO is widely labelled as India's most elite gathering of CIO's that recognize the technological innovations which make way for a better tomorrow. Given that Cinépolis is a technologically driven cinema circuit, this award stands as a milestone recognition to its popular association of pioneering revolutionary technologies.Big CIO Show & Awards invited CIOs from across industries to share disruptive technologies introduced by them, which have led to a significant upgrade or transformation in the enterprise, both regional and international. Tapping into the challenging technological climate in the cinema exhibition business, Cinépolis India's IT & Projection Head - Bipin Chaudhary's 'Courier and NOC' project captured him the position of 'Top 50 Innovators' of the year. The disruptive project 'Courier and NOC' is an online digital content transfer solution, developed and implemented by Cinepolis in-house. This introduction has helped the brand with substantial pilferage and revenue leakage stoppage, significant rise in B2B consumer satisfaction and massive upgrade on operational efficiency.

Bipin Chaudhary- Head IT & Projection, Cinépolis India said, 'Representing Cinepolis's technological excellence at the BIG CIO Show & Awards has been an absolute pleasure. We are pleased to present the revolutionary 'Courier and NOC 'project that has been developed in-house and has given phenomenal results. The implementation of this solution has resulted in as much as 40% saving on bandwidth and an improved uptime of as much as 99.99%, registering it as a significant technology introduction. We will continue to innovate to set new benchmarks in the cinema exhibition industry' Cinépolis is poised to introduce innovations and offer unparalleled cinematic experience as it continues to create great moments for moviegoers. Cinépolis cinemas are armed with the latest technology and digital projection systems such as RealD 3D and 4DX, set to offer consumers the best in-cinema experience.