Startup news and updates: daily roundup (September 21, 2022)

Salesforce announces Carbon Credit Marketplace

Salesforce today introduced net zero marketplace, a platform to make carbon credit purchases simple and transparent, allowing organisations to accelerate climate positive impact at scale.

Net Zero Marketplace is built on Salesforce’s Commerce Cloud, connects buyers and ecopreneurs — environmentally-focused entrepreneurs who lead and drive climate action worldwide—offering a catalog of third-party rated carbon credits and a seamless ecommerce experience for purchasing them. Net Zero Marketplace also features a climate action hub where anyone—businesses or individuals—can learn about climate issues.

Suzanne DiBianca, EVP and Chief Impact Officer, Salesforce, said: “The uptick in extreme weather events shows that no one is spared from climate change—we need smart climate solutions now. Businesses aiming to achieve long-term emission reductions can complement their efforts with high-quality carbon credits. Net Zero Marketplace brings together Salesforce’s values, tech values, technology, and commitment to ecopreneurs to accelerate climate action.”

Instamojo sees more than 8,000 D2C businesses

Ecommerce platform for independent businesses and D2C brands, Instamojo, recorded more than 8,000 D2C businesses on the platform who integrated logistics applications over the past six months, to support last mile delivery.

The platform also on-boarded more than 2,25,000 sellers who set up their independent online stores. With the upcoming festive season approaching, and given the consumer demand during this time, the platform is expecting a growth of 80%. The portal also witnessed around 4,000 new businesses get tech-enabled, to promote their product on Google shopping and Facebook shops. 

Sampad Swain, CEO & Co-founder, Instamojo, said, “We can expect that the online DTC model will fuel business growth in the new normal as more small business owners and entrepreneurs become aware of the advantages of selling independently online. With the festive season around the corner, small businesses owners have started preparing for the busiest time of the year. This is the most lucrative time for SMBs to drive sales, and the role of last mile delivery is a key contributor. On-time and efficient delivery are crucial in achieving customer delight and building brand loyalty. That said, this festive season we expect to see more merchants use the logistics services offered on the platform, with an expected 80% increase in merchant on-boarding during this time.”

AI-enabled network intelligence startup Aprecomm signs a deal to go global

Aprecomm has announced its partnership with Singapore-based organisation Technology Distribution Specialists (TDS) for distribution of its Network Intelligence technology. As a part of the deal, TDS will be empanelled as one of Aprecomm official distributor partners. TDS will now be authorised to circulate Aprecomm network intelligence solutions for the communication industry across Asia Pacific region.

With this engagement, Aprecomm will be tapping the user base across South-East Asia and Australia-New Zealand regions. Aprecomm AI-enabled products will be revolutionizing network delivery by network service providers including fiber networks, home WiFi and enterprise WiFi networks.

Pramod Babu, CEO of Aprecomm, said, "Looking to rapidly increase our global presence and assist service providers in providing Quality Internet services to end customers. We are thrilled to partner with TDS to aggressively expand in South East Asia and Australia New Zealand (ANZ) regions.”

Farmers Fresh Zone acquires AMNeeds to enter country milk supply chain

D2C brand Farmers Fresh Zone has acquired milk subscription delivery platform AMNeeds for $2 million in a cash and stock deal.

With this acquisition, Farmers Fresh Zone adds country milk and value-added products to its product category and moves one step closer towards a good food culture brand, which will provide adulteration-free country milk to its huge quality-conscious consumer base.

AM Needs was founded in 2019 by Sujith Sudhakaran and Ranjith Balan. The delivery platform is present in four cities in Kerala.

Pradeep PS, Founder and CEO of Farmers Fresh Zone, said, “Farm to fork, traceability, healthy diets are the clear trends in the food sector. With this acquisition, we add locally sourced pure country milk offerings to our portfolio. The companies together are set to serve one of the largest consumer markets in India. The move puts us ahead of the market by offering its customers subscription-based milk, vegetables, and other fresh products. Using the AI-based demand-driven production planning module - Captain Farm - we can ensure food safety and traceability for the ‘fresh’ category. With this, we will be further expanding our portfolio.”

(This article will be updated with the latest news throughout the day.)