Startup news and updates: daily roundup (September 20, 2022)

Re-commerce marketplace Cashify appoints Subodh Garg as CFO

Re-commerce marketplace Cashify has appointed Subodh Garg as its first Chief Financial Officer. The appointment of the new CFO would be a step toward preparing for the company’s continued focus on sustainable growth.

In his new role as CFO and Lead - Growth & Strategy, Subodh will lead the company's long-term profitable growth and strategy and ensure financial readiness. With Cashify working aggressively, the appointment of Subodh in the team will strengthen the growth story and further assist to expand into new, untouched territories.

With more than two decades of experience in the financial sector, Subodh joins Cashify as a veteran with strong business acumen. Prior to joining Cashify, he held the position of CFO at Pickrr and other leadership positions with startups such as BulBul and Healthkart. Before venturing into the world of startups, Subodh garnered a rich, diversified experience of 20 years in various industries such as Insurance, BPO, Service and Manufacturing.

Renon India launches Groot for Low-Medium Speed electric 2-wheelers

Renon India, energy storage companies, has launched its swappable smart batteries, Groot, for electric two-wheelers. The Li-ion battery pack for low and medium-speed EVs is built with NMC chemistry. The Surat-based company aims to meet the requirements of high energy density and peak power needs by using phase change material for thermal management with this pack.

The new pack has a nominal voltage of 57.6 V and rated energy of 2.04 kWh. It is also water and dust resistant, with an IP-67 rating. The thermally optimised battery packs have a clear advantage with their smart configurable battery management system and integrated display for SOC and SOH algorithms for reliable data collection and range estimation. Overall, Groot is extremely reliable, safe, and built to withstand Indian driving conditions.

The company expects to reach a 500+ MWh manufacturing line capacity milestone in the near future, with production technology that can manufacture 3000+ packs a month. It is currently focusing on clocking 40 crore INR in revenue by the end of this financial year.

eVolt India and Indian Oil partner to install EV charging stations in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh

EV charging Infrastructure startup eVolt India and Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) have entered into a strategic collaboration for the installation of 75+ EV charging stations in the states of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

The Delhi-based charging solutions provider will set up 3.3kW AC and 7.4kW AC charging stations for both two-wheelers (E2W) and four-wheelers (E4W) at the existing IOCL fuelling pumps in these key territories. The supporting charging standards are AC001 (IEC 60309) for 3.3kW and Type-2 (IEC 62196) for 7.4kW AC slow and fast chargers.

eVolt is also an empanelled vendor of three DISCOMs in Delhi, namely the BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL), BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL), and Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL). eVolt has helped leading institutions in healthcare and higher education domains in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, to go green by setting up AC and DC charging stations on their premises.

Recognize Appoints Muthu Kumaran as Operating Partner and Head of India Operations

Recognize, a technology investment platform that is singularly focused on the technology services industry, announced today that Muthu Kumaran will join the firm as Operating Partner and head of India operations.

Muthu expands Recognize’s ability to build delivery and operations, and attract world-class talent in support of Recognize portfolio companies. Recognize raised approximately $1.3 billion for its inaugural fund which closed in January.

Muthu joins Recognize from Cognizant, where he delivered innovative technology solutions to multinational clients across the U.S., Europe, India and APAC during his 25-year tenure. Having worked with clients across industries and service lines, Muthu brings a broad range of technology services and operational expertise spanning strategy, client relationship management, digital transformation, leadership development and employee engagement.

Bert Labs appoints Sameer Rajpal as Human Capital Leader

Bert Labs, a new age deep tech company, solving the world’s challenges by ensuring efficient use of available resources through its patented AI-IoT powered Bert Platform Solution, today announced that it has appointed, Sameer Rajpal as Bert Human Capital Leader.

Sameer will be responsible for building Bert Labs brand. He will work closely with Chief Executive Officer and Chief Growth Officer, and technology leaders to identify requirements of new talent, on their induction, training, empowering by laying the foundation of best people practices in place to become an employer of choice with the target to reach employee strength of 50 by end of December 2022, 150 by end of March 2023 and 250 by end of June 2023 with a health gender mix ratio.

[24]7.ai ramps up hiring across India; targeting 9000 hires over FY’23

Customer solutions and contact centre services provider [24]7.ai  announced that it is ramping up hiring across India. The company is hiring across voice and chat processes to serve its international client base, by adding 9000 new hires to its workforce, over FY’23.

[24]7.ai is looking at concerted efforts to tap into talent from Tier 2 and 3 cities. with ‘work from anywhere’ options. The company has in place initiatives like ‘Earn while you learn scheme’ that also provides undergraduates an experience of work life as they continue to study. To ease in freshers and hires from Tier2 and 3 towns, ‘Campus to corporate’, on-the-job learning initiatives, soft skills training and coaching initiatives are in place for smoother transitions.

[24]7.ai will also prioritize hiring from the LGBTQi and women communities through focused hiring drives, to create a more diverse and inclusive team. With close to a third of its India workforce being women,[24]7.ai aims to further increase its diversity ratios through initiatives that build a more conducive work environment for these communities.

These include flexitime, pink badges and special commute for expecting mothers, promotions given to the meritorious even during maternity leave, sensitisation sessions to build awareness, and fast track programmes to create a gender diverse pipeline for managerial roles.

Aarav Solutions acquires AI & ML enterprise Froot Research for $4M

Aarav Solutions, a product engineering and IT consulting services provider today announced the acquisition of Froot Research, a provider of Artificial Intelligence platform for its out-of-the-box and state-of-the-art algorithms and products, for $4 million. The acquisition will expand Aarav’s Solutions foray into the world of Artificial Intelligence and will enable the company to launch future-ready products and platforms.

As part of the acquisition, Aarav Solutions has boarded the entire Froot Research team and will make all necessary investments over the next few years to build a stronger AI R&D team, apart from setting up robust sales, marketing, design, and operations teams. 

Aarav Solutions along with the Froot Research team will enrich the platform with superlative experience through world-class deep research-based real intelligent algorithms, model architectures, self-serve features, automation platforms, and products with human-like capabilities along with other integration and support for new and emerging technologies to cater to the changing enterprise technology landscape.

With this acquisition, Froot Research will now be a sister concern of Aarav Solutions and will be operating under its own brand.

Total Gaming inks NFT partnership with STAN

Bengaluru-headquartered blockchain-based esports fan engagement platform STAN has announced entering into a strategic Non-Fungible Token (NFT) partnership with popular Garena Free Fire creator and Asia’s biggest gaming creator–Total Gaming aka Ajju Bhai. 

The objective behind this collaboration is to create an ecosystem for Total Gaming fans to engage with them optimally through the use of NFTs and other exciting perks. As a part of this collaboration, STAN has now secured the exclusive rights to create and sell NFTs of Total Gaming. Furthermore, the partnership enables STAN users to get access to multiple interactions with Total Gaming mainly through Instagram Shout-outs and Play-a-Match services curated by STAN.

Total Gaming officially started as a Youtube channel back in 2018 by Ajay (fondly known as Ajju Bhai), with the sole intent of entertaining and engaging with the gaming community on the Internet.

Ninjacart launches agri export-import platform ‘Ninja Global’ for UAE & GCC

Walmart and Tiger Global backed Ninjacart, has expanded its footprint globally by launching ‘Ninja Global’ platform for agri export-import businesses in the UAE and GCC countries.

The platform is curated to solve the global problem of finding and trading with authentic, trusted and credible exporters and importers of agri-commodities. The platform will assist users in developing a digital identity by easily registering their company on the platform and showcasing their business to potential customers and suppliers.

AgriBazaar launches Kisan Safalta Card  with Yes Bank and RuPay

Private sector electronic agri mandi AgriBazaar launched India’s first farmer-centric card, the Agribazaar Kisan Safalta Card. The Kisan Safalta card is a quick and hassle-free instrument that helps farmers meet their pre- and post-harvest farm requirements and allied expenses.

With the Kisan Safalta Card, farmers can avail of the financing facility, when required. The funding is restricted to buying farm inputs. The company has partnered with Yes Bank and RuPay for this initiative. 

Agribazaar Kisan Safalta Card comes with a 12-month repayment period, which offers adequate time to clear the outstanding amount. Each farmer’s crop yield determines the limit for the Agribazaar Kisan Safalta Card, the financing scale, and maintenance expenses. 

The card amount for marginal farmers is adjustable, ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000. The maximum limit of the Kisan Safalta Card can be increased every year after an annual review based on the most recent crop yield and repayment history of farmers. 

Currys collaborates with mindtree to deliver a connected omnichannel CX

Mindtree, a technology services and digital transformation company, today announced that it has enabled the UK’s leading retailer of technology products and services, Currys, to deliver a connected and highly personalised omnichannel shopping experience to its customers across multiple markets.

As part of the multi-year engagement, Mindtree has leveraged its extensive retail and digital expertise to design and implement a comprehensive omnichannel solution that provides a unified customer experience across rapidly converging online, mobile, and in-store shopping, while driving cross-channel fulfilment and inventory optimisation for Currys.

Through unified consoles, Mindtree has also empowered Currys’ more than 32,000 “colleagues” spread across the company’s retail stores, offices, contact centres, supply chain, and distribution centres to better support the omnichannel customer journey with enhanced speed and quality of service.

MapmyIndia unveils Mappls integrated with Government of India’s ULIP 

MapmyIndia has unveiled the Mappls swadeshi consumer app, logistics tech & APIs integrated with the Government of India’s ULIP during the launch event of the Government of India’s National Logistics Policy.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi was briefed on the unique and advanced features of the fully indigenous Mappls app and logistics solutions by MapmyIndia powered by space technologies including geospatial data and software, drones, GPS & NavIC IoT and navigation that make movement of goods and people across India better, faster, cheaper and safer.

Sunstone elevates Ankur Jain as Co-founder

Sunstone, a higher education startup has announced the elevation of Ankur Jain as its new co-founder. Earlier, he was appointed as the Chief Business Officer (CBO) at the company in February 2021.

Sunstone, with a presence across 35 plus cities in over 50 institutions, now has three founders: Ashish Munjal (Co-founder and CEO), Piyush Nangru (Co-founder and COO) and Ankur Jain

(Co-founder and CBO).

Sunstone plans to expand into more than 100 cities in the next two years offering in tech programs at an undergraduate level while continuing to drive the management programmes within their network institutions.

Founded by Ashish Munjal and Piyush Nangru in the year 2019, Sunstone has recently raised

$35 million in Series C round led by Westbridge Capital and the fresh capital will be used to expand into new programmes and new markets.