A Made in India contender for WhatsApp

Good morning

Ever since Facebook-owned WhatsApp released a privacy update to its users a month ago, the move has drawn the ire of many users across the world, including India.

On the back of growing concerns about WhatsApp’s privacy policy, rival messaging apps such as Telegram and Signal saw an uptick in the number of downloads on both Apple and Google's app stores. 

Closer home, India’s very own Made in India instant messaging app — a new B2C app by Zoho called Arratai, meaning chit-chat in Tamil — has picked up significant buzz, crossing 50,000 downloads on Google Play Store even before its formal launch. 

On Jan 10,Zoho Founder Sridhar Vembu had tweeted that his team is working on a Made in India instant messaging app.

We explored the app and its various features to see whether it is a promising contender. Read our App Review here. 

Spoiler alert: Even though Zoho has announced that Arattai will be more than a messaging app, only time will tell if it can emulate the mass reach that WhatsApp enjoys.

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News & Updates

• PhonePe has launched a $200 million stock option plan for its 2,200 full-time employees and said  it will use the ESOPs to create incentives for its employees to stay invested in the organisation's long-term growth.

• The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has amended rules for One Person Companies (OPCs) to bring more unincorporated businesses into the organised corporate sector, and has extended fast track merger process to startups and other small companies.

• AI-based travel app ixigo has entered into a definitive share purchase agreement to acquire 100 percent shareholding of Confirmtkt, a Bengaluru-based online train discovery and booking platform.

• Flipkart Wholesale, the digital B2B marketplace of Flipkart Group, will now offer grocery on its app to allow kiranas and small retailers access to a wide selection of products and enable them to reap digital dividends.

• Gurugram-based retail-tech startup NutriTap Technologies, which is building a data-driven and asset-light D2C retail channel, has acquired digital vending machine startup Pikobox that provides smart retailing B2B solutions in Bengaluru.

Before you go, stay inspired with… 

"I firmly believe that we have to build from the ground up — rather than bringing people to the cities to build tech, we have to take tech to their doorsteps to help them build.”

— Sridhar Vembu, Founder and CEO of Zoho

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