Pearson’s roadmap to Indian market; Fighting homophobic trolls

Hello,

Ka-ching! Looks like it's big bucks on the horizon for Elon Musk.

Tesla shares spiked after the billionaire shared on social media that shareholders were voting in favour of his $56 billion pay package and to move the electric carmaker's legal home to Texas. 

Meanwhile, closer to home, things are looking up for Paytm, as the sector regulator IRDAI accepted Paytm General Insurance's registration withdrawal application. 

Samsung users are also in luck after the company partnered with Paytm to launch a ticket booking feature using Samsung Wallet.

On the other hand, BYJU'S’ woes have worsened after the NCLT restrained the company from going ahead with a second rights issue between allegations of oppression and mismanagement by its shareholders.

ICYMI: Japan’s cats are living in the future with AI-powered healthcare.

In other news, her performance wasn’t the only earthshaking thing about Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in the UK.

Three nights of sold-out concerts by the singer-songwriter in Edinburgh triggered earthquake readings up to four miles from the show’s venue.

It seems Swifties really can “Shake It Off”!

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• Pearson’s roadmap to Indian market
• Fighting homophobic trolls
• Gender roles in steel industry

Here’s your trivia for today: What can be a font, architectural style, or novel type?

Edtech

Pearson’s roadmap to Indian market

Founded in 1844, the UK-headquartered Pearson, a multinational corporation focused on educational publishing and services, has had a complex journey—from being a traditional educational publisher to a digital-first organisation. 

Pearson’s transformation journey continues to date, as it leverages cutting-edge technologies to personalise education and forge partnerships to expand its offerings and global reach. The company is keen to drive the shift and keep the momentum going across all key markets, including India.

Learnings:

• Pearson ventured into India over 25 years ago, offering textbooks and printed course materials. It also offers test preparation content for competitive exams like JEE, NEET, and UPSC. 
• Earlier in 2024, Pearson partnered with Hyderabad-based Solitaire Business School to offer its BTEC Higher Nationals programmes in business management and courses in sports, fitness instructing and personal training, marketing, and business. 
• It recently joined hands with Chennai-based Veranda Learning, part of Kalpathi AGS Group, to enhance its competitive test preparation and IT education content and resources.

Funding Alert

Startup: Ethereal Machines

Amount: $13M

Round: Series A

Startup: Renee Cosmetics

Amount: ~$12M

Round: Series B

Startup: Trampoline

Amount: $5M

Round: Seed

Innovation

Fighting homophobic trolls

Aindriya Barua’s (they/them) identity as a queer, neurodivergent artist was as central to them as it set them apart. Armed with a notebook and pen, they did illustrating, writing code, and journaling, about the challenges of navigating these identities in an intolerant environment. 

Countless such musings have positioned Barua at an important social and cultural juncture today as the founder of ShhorAI, an AI-powered bot built to combat hate speech on social media, with a special focus on marginalised community safety.

Reclaiming it all:

• As a young adult, Barua put their skills to the test by building an IoT device for their parents’ farm, which could sense the moisture in the soil; and an incubator that maintained the temperature for eggs.
• Even as their daily challenges pulled them deeper into their fight for equality through art and activism online, their experience of being relentlessly trolled showed them how pervasive and dangerous it could get. 
• By 2022 end, ShhorAI’s current version was built and demonstrated at the United Nations Population Fund’s Hackathon on solving technology-facilitated gender-based violence, where Barua was the second runner-up. 

Women entrepreneur

Gender roles in steel industry

Despite spending close to a decade in the steel distribution space, Kairavi Mehta, Executive Director of VK Industrial Corporation Ltd, often finds herself back at square one when people doubt or question her presence for being a part of the male-dominated industry.

Today, she is championing women's empowerment with a 50% women workforce, offering work flexibility and support to women.

Taking lead:

• When Mehta and her sister went to meet one of their clients, she recalls being stopped at the office reception and asked whom they were there to see. “People in this segment are not used to women walking into offices for meetings,” she adds.
• “As a second-generation entrepreneur, my vision is to create a benchmark in the steel distribution industry by using innovation and out-of-the-box thinking. I am a budding women entrepreneur who seeks to create a lasting impact in the world,” she says.
• Mehta believes that until society achieves greater gender balance at home, workplaces should offer flexibility and support to women.

News & updates

• Internet: A joint venture between Jio Platforms and Luxembourg-based SES to provide gigabit fibre internet has won approval from the IN-SPACe to operate satellites. The approvals issued to Orbit Connect India aim to provide satellite-based high-speed internet access in the world's most populous nation.
• Sports EV: French automaker Renault presented an electric sports car on Thursday, the first in a planned range of premium EVs, which could help it fight off looming competition from China and grab share in a category outperforming the rest of the market.
• Payments: Digital wallets are the fastest-growing payment method in the world, and Asia is leading the charge, according to the payment processing firm Worldpay. Globally, digital wallets accounted for 50% of ecommerce purchases and 30% of in-store purchases in 2023, accounting for $14 trillion in transaction value.

What can be a font, architectural style, or novel type?

Answer: Gothic.

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