Startup news and updates: daily roundup (February 6, 2023)

Three Wheels United, Eqaro collaborate with Log9 Materials

Three Wheels United (TWU) has collaborated with Log9 Materials, an advanced battery technology company, to offer financing solutions for batteries and EV vehicles deployed through its OEM partners.

Eqaro Guarantees will provide guarantees for the financing. As part of the tri-party collaboration, over 500 three-wheeler electric vehicles will be deployed across Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, and Delhi NCR over the next six months.

TWU will not only assist with financing but also provide support for the seamless operation of EVs and access to relevant EV-related information through its mobile app for drivers. Log9 Materials will offer maintenance and servicing of the batteries and vehicles, ensuring minimal downtime for operations.

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Vivek Das joins Zoo Media’s FoxyMoron as CEO

Zoo Media’s flagship full-funnel creative and performance digital agency FoxyMoron has appointed Vivek Das as its CEO. Vivek brings with him two decades of experience building digital businesses at scale.

In this role, Vivek will report to Pratik Gupta and Suveer Bajaj, founding partners of Zoo Media and FoxyMoron. His role will be to build an inclusive and world-class digital team capable of delivering outcome-focused digital solutions to clients.

Vivek was earlier a Vice President at the media agency Mindshare where he was responsible for driving digital transformation across network clients. Vivek has worn both business and strategy hats leading large clusters of clients across geographical markets and marquee brands such as Disney Star, PepsiCo, Ford India, Airtel, Hindustan Unilever, AMEX, Lufthansa, YUM Brands, The Muthoot Group, and Apollo Tyres, to name a few.

Samosa Singh crosses 50 cloud kitchens with QSR outlet in Bengaluru;

Indian snack brand Samosa Singh has launched a QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) outlet in Bengaluru at Garuda Mall, MG Road.

Samosa Singh said the snacking company is backed by a scientific core team that ensures its products are light on oil. The company said it has conducted over 100,000 hours of research.

With the latest opening, the brand has over 50 cloud kitchens in 8 cities including Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, and Hyderabad. It serves a range of samosas along with other snack options like Kachori, Dahi Bhalla, Samosa Chole Chaat, Aloo Tikki, and more.

Khiladi Adda's revenue grows 7X in 2 years, projected to earn Rs 21 Cr in FY23

E-sports platform Khiladi Adda has recorded 7X growth in revenue in FY22. The company’s revenue jumped to Rs 11.50 crore in FY22 from Rs 1.58 crore in the previous fiscal. The figures are further projected to reach Rs 21 crore in FY23.

To accelerate business growth, the online gaming platform is in the process of raising $6 million - $7 million. It will allocate a substantial share of the funds to add more games through internal development, partnerships with third-party game development companies, and acquisitions. Adding new markets in the immediate neighbourhood is being actively pursued.

Recently, the company partnered with Freak-X Games to launch Droid-O. It also teamed up with Rein Games to launch RummyAdda for its users.

PwC to expand India team, to hire 30,000 more people across next five years

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) plans on expanding its India team by onboarding up to 30,000 more people in the next five years. The domestic branch of the tax advisory firm is also entering into a joint venture with the PwC US to expand clientele and accelerate growth, according to a release shared by the company.

“India is a strategically important geography for the PwC Network. We will continue to focus on enhancing our local capabilities and capacities," said Sanjeev Krishan, Chairperson, PwC India.

Last year, PwC India opened offices across Jaipur, Noida, and Bhubaneswar. Currently, the advisory firm employs 50,000 people across India.

10 startups get selected for the Telegana-state led drone-tech accelerator programme

Out of over 300 applications, 10 startups got selected for a drone-tech accelerator programme designed by headed by Telangana State Innovation Cell (TSIC) and T-Hub. The name of the selected startups are as follows: 10 Infinite, Akin Analytics, Daybest Research, Drogo Drones, Indrones, Oplus Innovation, Senseacre Labs, Vecros Technologies, Vyomik Drones, and Yaralava Technologies.

The programme was also supported by Amazon Web Services (AWS) and chip manufacturer Intel.

Applications came from across Mumbai, Patna, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru. Started in July 2022, the accelerator programme addresses live recording feed, geospatial analysis, and national security, among other use cases.

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