Reliance Jio rolls out freebies for startups; Why Indian startups are taking to venture debt funding

According to YourStory Research, the quantum of venture debt in India was $1.2 billion in 2017 with 47 deals and rose to $1.4 billion in 2018 with 62 deals. In the first seven months of the current year, it stands at $547 million with 35 deals. So, why is venture debt funding in India growing and why are startups taking to it? Read more to find out.

MHRD CIO is making innovation the ‘epicentre of India’s education system’

Dr Abhay Jere was appointed the first CIO of MHRD last year. He is fostering entrepreneurship among students through initiatives like hackathons, collaborations with other countries, and an innovation-focussed MBA programme.

Reliance Jio rolls out freebies for budding startups, SMBs

Starting January 1, 2020, Reliance Jio will provide free cloud services and connectivity infrastructure to India's budding startups. This will also include Azure cloud services that Jio is bringing as part of a long-term alliance with Microsoft. Chairman Mukesh Ambani urged "all startups to register for their custom-designed package on Jio.com."

Bengaluru-based Epic.One will supercharge B2B loyalty programmes

Shalini Prakash, Amit Chawla and Ralph Browning founded Epic.One, which is an “app’’ to supercharge rewards. The idea was simple - to get multiple entities to plug in their loyalty programmes on to the platform so that companies can access the world of rewards.

Amazon India launches Marketplace Appstore exclusively for sellers

Amazon launched the Amazon Marketplace Appstore in India, exclusively created for sellers, to help them automate, grow, and manage their businesses. Accessible through Amazon Seller Central, it will enable sellers to browse and filter applications across 13 categories including Accounting and Tax Remittance, Inventory and Order Management, etc.

Entrepreneur Lakshmi Menon is helping Kerala thank its fisherfolk

Social entrepreneur Lakshmi Menon has initiated a slew of schemes under the FriendShip campaign to help the fisherfolk of Kerala, the heroes of the 2018 floods, to stand on their own feet and be self-reliant.

We are now among top 3 players in music consumption: Spotify India MD

The world’s largest audio-streaming service with over 205 million users finally came to India this year. Spotify wants to make music more accessible and cater to Gen Z’s growing demand for different kinds of Indian and international music, says Amarjit Singh Batra, MD of Spotify India.

This 18-year-old turns industrial waste into a tool for women empowerment

Raena Ambani is leading the cause of women empowerment and industrial waste management through her BigPA Initiative. The social enterprise currently employs three women, who take care of the finance, marketing, and manufacturing of products.

Reliance Industries to digitise kirana stores with "New Commerce"

Reliance Industries’ retail subsidiary Reliance Retail, which pegs the number of kirana stores in India at more than seven million, is readying a technology platform to bring small retailers into its fold as part of its "new commerce" plan. At present, Reliance Retail's revenue is Rs 130,000 crore - the largest retailer in India so far.

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