Pepperfry shows what it takes to sell an idea; Deaf social entrepreneur creates a big bang

When Ashish Shah and Ambareesh Murthy went for their first investment pitch at Norwest Venture Partners in mid-2011, all they had was a plan. The idea of an online furniture marketplace was unheard of at the time. Ashish and Ambareesh did not even have a website or proof of concept for their idea, which was to become Pepperfry, now India’s market leader in the online furniture segment.

As founder of Global Reach Out Initiative (GRO), Alim Chandani is empowering deaf individuals in India by creating awareness of their deaf identity and providing resources for them to reach higher. Alim set up GRO in the US in 2007 and decided to move to India in 2016 by collaborating with Centum Foundation, a CSR initiative funded by Airtel’s Sunil Bharti Mittal. CentumGRO provides a comprehensive two-month skilling programme. The Deaf Empowerment Courses teach leadership skills, deaf studies, accountability, and how to prevent discrimination.

With increased focus on health and wellness, veganism is making its entry into the Indian market. Veganism means avoiding eating meat and meat products, seafood, poultry and eggs, as well as dairy. So far, however, its adoption in India is negligible, mainly because we are one of the top milk producers of the world, and dairy products like paneer, curd, and milk are an integral part of people’s lives. However, with the growing demand for vegan products and several entrepreneurs working in the vegan F&B space in India, the scenario seems to be changing.

IvyCamp, an initiative of IvyCap Ventures Advisors Private Ltd, has injected artificial intelligence into its startup-centric online networking platform that caters exclusively to startup founders, mentors, and investors (including companies) to connect and converse. IvyCamp’s networking platform, launched with basic features more than a year ago, has more than 4,500 registered members.

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