We checked out ClubHouse: Silicon Valley's latest hangout

Founded in April 2020, Clubhouse is an invite-only iOS-exclusive voice-based social platform, and the new hangout for all the who’s who of Silicon Valley, and more.

Friday January 15, 2021 , 4 min Read

Good morning!

Last week, Indian Twitter exploded when Silicon Valley’s highly sought-after VCs Naval Ravikant and Balaji Srinivasan held a ‘Startup Bharat’ session on an app called Clubhouse.

Soon, entrepreneurs and investors scrambled for invites, bragged when they got one, raved about the “incredible” platform, and live-tweeted and posted elaborate threads for the ones who missed out.

But, what is Clubhouse? Founded in April 2020, it is an invite-only iOS-exclusive voice-based social platform, and the new hangout for all the who’s who of Silicon Valley, and more.

In fact, in less than a year, the app has attracted over 6,00,000 users. And these include Twitter CEO Evan Williams, Y Combinator President Sam Altman, Oprah Winfrey, and Ashton Kutcher, among many others, making Clubhouse quite the talk of the town.

Needless to say, the exclusivity has also made the platform more appealing and aspirational. But is it really worth the hype? We checked out the latest disruptor in the global social media landscape.

The Interview

With the coronavirus pandemic accelerating digital adoption among companies, the need for a Made-in-India public cloud service has become even more imminent. Also, Google recently announced that it won't be offering unlimited free photo uploads. DigiBoxx steps in to fill the void with its digital asset management and storage platform that is in line with the country’s data localisation priorities.

Here are some key takeaways from the interview:

Solving for India’s storage needs
Data asset management in Indian languages
Why data should be localised
Working with NITI Aayog
Understanding the commerce of DigiBoxx

Startup Spotlight

Ecommerce platform Farmkart is developing tech for farmers, agripreneurs in India

With an agricultural background, Atul Patidar knew about the hardships and challenges farmers face while procuring farming inputs, tools, and services at lower costs. To solve these issues in his hometown Barwani, Madhya Pradesh, he launched Farmkart in 2017. The startup enables farmers to purchase modern agricultural equipment, including fertilisers, pesticides, and seeds at affordable prices. Read more.

Farmkart Snapshot — *Illustration: YS Design*

Editor’s Pick: Rise of home-run pet care startups

How home-run pet startups are giving big-chains a run for their money

Commercially available pet foods and products in India today are usually inundated with preservatives and chemicals to increase their shelf-lives. Even shampoos and skin products use chemicals, all of which have caused grave skin issues in pets, and have even led to instances of hospitalisation. Tired of waiting for big pet companies to mend their ways, Indian entrepreneurs have taken matters into their own hands and set up boutique businesses that focus on holistic pet healthcare. Read more.

Home-run pet businesses — Source: Pixabay

News & Updates

Mumbai-based drone startup IdeaForge has bagged a $20 million contract from the Indian Army for the delivery of its high-altitude variant product – Switch Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).

Bengaluru has emerged as the world's fastest-growing mature tech ecosystem in the world since 2016. According to Dealroom.co data analysed by London & Partners, investment in Karnataka’s capital grew 5.4 times from $1.3 billion in 2016 to $7.2 billion in 2020.

As India celebrated Makar Sankranti yesterday, YS Weekender decided to take its readers on a visual journey of the various delicacies that India consumes to mark the festival of harvest.

Beyond Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+Hotstar, there is a host of regional OTT platforms — some, in fact, launched amidst the pandemic. Discover new and regional content with our comprehensive list curated just for you.

In a proud moment for India, Padma Shri Awardee and particle physicist Rohini Godbole was recognised by the French government with Ordre National du Mérite for her role in collaborations between India and France, and her dedication to promoting women in science.