Startup news and updates: daily roundup (July 25, 2022)

Atlassian appoints Meta’s former Head of Engineering Rajeev Rajan as CTO

Atlassian Corporation Plc, a provider of team collaboration and productivity software, has appointed Rajeev Rajan as its new Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

In his new role as CTO at Atlassian, Rajeev will lead and support all the Engineering, IT, Trust and Security teams across the globe. This key leadership hire is set to play an important role in setting strategy and steering Atlassian on its path of accelerated growth. 

Rajeev joins Atlassian with close to three decades of experience building and leading teams at pioneering global technology companies, including Meta and Microsoft. He has spent nearly five years at Meta, most recently as VP and Head of Engineering for Facebook and Head of Meta for the Pacific Northwest region.

eBikeGo to set up EV manufacturing facility through its subsidiary Vajram Electric

eBikeGo, an electric two-wheeler mobility platform, is setting up a manufacturing facility through its subsidiary, Vajram Electric' for EV Vehicle portfolio manufacturing Muvi and Velocipedo. Vajram Electric is a special business unit established in order to fulfill the manufacturing requirements of eBikeGo.

Vajram Electric will share the vision of its parent company i.e. eBikeGo. It will strengthen and expand the fragmented EV supply chain of the country with its in-house manufactured vehicles.

Currently, the total number of running fleets in eBikeGo is more than 2500 in EV rental space and gathered around 1 petabyte of data from vehicles.

Hashtag Orange onboards former FabIndia Head of Digital and Social Advocacy Gauri Awasthi as CDO

Hashtag Orange, a digital marketing solutions providers, has appointed Gauri Awasthi as Chief Digital Officer. Gauri will be responsible for managing client relationships, social media, SEO, and the generation of digital revenue.

Gauri has over 20 years of experience working with prestigious companies such as Fabindia, Amazon, Samsung, and HCL. She was crucial in driving digital transformation strategies and brand advocacy marketing with programmatic media for these companies. She is also honored with the "Women Influencer Of The Year Award (2021)" and the "Excellence in the Field of Social Media Award (2021)" by Adgully.

KnowledgeHut upGrad partnered with Apis Training to India

Bengaluru-based technology skilling provider KnowledgeHut upGrad, part of Edtech major upGrad, has partnered with Sweden-based Apis Training, a global major in telecom mobile technology training.

Through this alliance, Apis will function as an authorised training partner, creating niche solutions to upskill engineers as per industry 4.0 requirements and in turn addressing the demand-supply gap in the telecom industry.

As a part of this integration, training modules devised by Apis Training will empower candidates with the right domain skills sets focusing on 5G System overview, IoT in 4G and 5G, ETSI-Multi-access Edge computing among other key functions. The training programs will be structured with the objective to make telecom engineers more employable and address the expectations of telecom employers in India.

ChrysCapital Appoints Sanjay Jalona as an Operating Partner

ChrysCapital Funds, a leading private equity investor, has appointed Sanjay Jalona as an Operating Partner for investments in the Business Services sector. He will be based out of the US and will work closely with the advisory team, led by Akshat Babbar, in the sourcing, identifying, evaluation, management and exit-related activities in relation to investments made in this sector.

Sanjay brings over three decades of rich experience in the IT services industry. Most recently, he was the CEO and Managing Director at Larsen & Toubro Infotech (LTI) where he led a rapid and comprehensive transformation of LTI into a leading technology consulting and digital solutions company, building deep digital capabilities and an enviable culture of client-centric innovation.

iCubesWire expands Influencer Marketing with Flipkart and 6 other wins

iCubesWire, a Gurugram-based integrated digital marketing agency, has won several influencer marketing accounts in the last three months. A few of the major accounts bagged are Flipkart, Adani, Cleartrip, and Healthkart.

iCubesWire has been heavily investing into influencer marketing and has secured engagements with Blue Heaven, Mudrex, Vega, Healthkart to manager their advocacy programs. With more than 50,000 influencers signed up with iCubesWire across mainstream categories such as lifestyle, technology, fashion, and travel to niche categories such as luxury, healthcare, architecture and more.

Flipkart collaborates with Handicrafts and Carpet Sector Skill Council (HCSSC)

Flipkart, India's homegrown ecommerce marketplace, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Handicrafts and Carpet Sector Skill Council (HCSSC) to continue its nationwide efforts to empower Indian artisans, weavers, and handicraft makers by providing them with market access, training and incubation support.

The MoU was exchanged between Mr Krishan Kumar, CEO, Handicrafts and Carpet Sector Skill Council and Mr Rajneesh Kumar, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Flipkart Group.

Handicrafts and Carpet Sector Skill Council (HCSSC) was established in 2014 with the objective to provide skilled resources to the Handicrafts and Carpet Sector by enabling competency-based training.

Moove partners with Uber to launch mega fleet

Moove, the mobility fintech and Uber’s vehicle supply partner in EMEA, is announcing its launch in India as a part of its global expansion. Moove, which provides revenue-based financing to mobility entrepreneurs, has expanded from its African roots to Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bangalore. The startup offers accessible vehicle financing exclusively to drivers on Uber’s platform.

In what is envisaged to be one of Uber’s mega fleet partnerships in India, Moove aims to launch 5,000 CNG and electric vehicles within the first year. The company plans to scale to 30,000 vehicles over the next five years, creating sustainable work opportunities in a rapidly developing economy. 

Dow India announces startup accelerator programme on sustainable innovation

Dow India, a material science company, announced its first-ever startup accelerator programme, aimed at finding solutions for our planet’s challenges across three key areas – Climate Protection, Circular Economy and Safer Materials.

Inviting entrepreneurs to share their concepts and ideas at the Dow India Innovation Day on August 30, 2022, the initiative supports India’s entrepreneurial ecosystem which is adept in both material science and technological prowess.

Top three winners will receive business mentorship from the company’s leaders and other resources to support them in their endeavour. Entries are open till August 5, 2022. The applications will be evaluated by Dow India Technology Centre – a hub of collaboration and application development for all material science needs of the future.

UOLO ropes in former Paytm Founding Member Mohit Gupta

Uolo, an edtech platform that brings high-quality, affordable products to K-12 students via their schools, has announced the appointment of Mohit Gupta as Head of Monetisation.

In his capacity, Mohit will be responsible for leading business operations to make edtech simple, easy, and accessible to millions of Indian students with UOLO. 

Gupta has over 15 years of leadership experience in setting up and growing businesses at scale and has a strong track record in strategy consulting and business management. He was a founding member of Paytm Money and democratised wealth management for the masses. Gupta has also been associated with  Hindustan Times, Microsoft Corporation, Yahoo, and Deloitte Consulting, among others. At Uolo, he will play an important role in the company’s growth by strengthening its revenues without any sales force. 

WayCool joins the ISO league; receives ‘ISO 22000:2018’ certification

Waycool, a food and agritech company, announced that it has received ISO 22000:2018 (FSMS) certification from TUV SUD South Asia Private Limited. 

WayCool procures fresh produce from farmers through its network of collection centres and delivers quality products to industries such as ecommerce platforms, food services and big retail chains. 

Ecom Express to on-board over 50,000 Delivery Partners across India

Ecom Express, one of India’s leading technology-driven integrated logistics solutions providers to the ecommerce industry, today announced that it will be onboarding more than 50,000 delivery partners by the end of September 2022 under its flagship program ‘Ecom Sanjeev’. The company is expecting a spike in e-commerce order deliveries during the festival season and seeks to further strengthen its last-mile capabilities.

By joining Ecom Express network, delivery partners can opt to work in flexible timeslots.

Great Learning launches PG Program in Electric Vehicle Design 

Great Learning, a part of the BYJU'S group and one of the edtech companies for higher education and professional training, today announced the launch of a new PG programme in Electric Vehicle Design. in association with Great Lakes Executive Learning. 

This eight-month programme designed by industry experts from top EV companies will enable fresh engineering graduates and early career professionals to obtain in-demand electric vehicle design skills. Dedicated interview preparation & career assistance will offer them an opportunity to kickstart a high-growth career in the EV industry with the top EV companies in India.

The programme helps learners develop proficiency in relevant EV design frameworks, tools, and technologies via an intensive 250+ hour learning experience - a combination of learning content, hands-on projects, multiple case studies, regular online mentorship and masterclasses delivered by industry experts, and learning support. 

Nazara Technologies appoints Anupriya Sinha Das as Head of Corporate Development

Nazara Technologies recently appointed Anupriya Sinha Das as their new Head of Corporate Development. Her role encompasses investor relations, fundraising as well as working on various strategic initiatives for the company.

Prior to this, she spent around seven years in private equity across General Atlantic and Everstone Capital, where she has managed more than $300 million across consumer and technology sectors among others. Anupriya has completed her Engineering in Computer Science from Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad, and MBA in Finance from XLRI, Jamshedpur.

XtraCover appoints Anirudh Singhania as its new Chief Technology Officer

XtraCover, a new-age ecommerce platform catering to the lifecycle management services of smartphones and other electronic devices, has recently announced the appointment of its new Chief Technology Officer (CTO)- Anirudh Singhania, to strengthen the company’s technological prowess. 

In the new CTO role, Anirudh will be responsible for integrating and advancing XtraCover’s technology platform. He will drive forward the technical vision for the business in delivering a range of after-sales services to buyers of refurbished electronic gadgets. His expertise in application development, artificial intelligence, machine learning and digital marketing and strategy will help XtraCover accelerate technological and business growth.

Skye Air Mobility ties up with Curefoods  

Drone delivery platform Skye Air Mobility on Monday said it has partnered with Curefoodsto deliver frozen food to cloud kitchens in temperature-controlled boxes, using drones.

The week-long BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) trials under the collaboration have already commenced from July 25 from Curefoods warehouse in Jhund Sarai in Gurugram to its kitchen outlet at Golf Course Road (Gurugram), Skye Air Mobility said.

The trials witnessed up to six flights per day, each carrying a payload of 5kg in temperature-controlled boxes that maintained a negative 20-degree temperature to keep the frozen food fresh, it said.

The drone travelled an aerial distance of 20 kilometres in less than 30 minutes, according to the company.