Startups take to ousting plastic from your kitchen; Paytm heads to Japan

India digital payments major Paytm is set to start its digital payments service in Japan by the end of this year in collaboration with Softbank. According to a report in Bloomberg, the new payment service will leverage Artificial Intelligence along with other financial services (insurance, lending among others). Further, the report also stated that a couple of Paytm employees are already working in Tokyo to set up operations and get the service running.

Mauritius-based, Asia-focused technology, media, and entertainment fund FildelisWorld announced it will make an undisclosed investment in Bengaluru-based adventure equipment and outdoor gear company Wildcraft. A statement from FidelisWorld said the fund will leverage its global network to help Wildcraft grow its business in India and internationally.

That plastic is hurting the planet is not new. Plastic is everywhere – in shopping bags, kitchen jars, cutlery, containers, plates, bottles… the list is endless. The theme for World Environment Day 2018 - Beat Plastic Pollution - was a call to action to join hands and kick out plastic from our lives. According to FICCI, India produces 15 mmtpa of plastic at present, and this is seen rising to 20 mmtpa by 2020. A bunch of startups are set to replace plastic from our lives – starting with our kitchens.

Techjockey was incepted in February 2016 and the Gurugram-based startup defines itself as a software discovery, consulting and selling portal. The online platform has a vertical-focused approach that provides software solutions to various small and big enterprises, startups, small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs), corporates, and individuals all over the country.

Urban Ladder is a household name today, having raised $106 million thus far. Founders Ashish Goel and Rajiv Srivatsa started off in 2012, and what began as a simple startup idea has now flourished into a successful entity. In 2012, the ecommerce boom had well and truly arrived in India. What is interesting is that in 2012, both founders were renting houses in Bengaluru and that's when they realised there was no standardised furniture buying experience.

European IT services company Atos will acquire Syntel, the Nasdaq listed IT services firm founded by Bharat Desai, in a deal valued at $3.4 billion. The transaction will have a bearing on India as both companies have sizeable headcounts in the country. The acquisition will leverage Syntel's India talent pool, which is 18,000 strong, while Atos has been in the present in the country since 1991.

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