Fusion of cricket and fitness; Alleviating stress via tech

Hello,

India’s shooting stars shine bright in the city of lights!

Swapnil Kusale joined Olympic medalists Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh on Thursday as he grabbed India’s third bronze at the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions—another notch in the country’s winning streak! 

ICYMI: How much do Olympic medal winners earn? The answer will surprise you!

Also making global headlines is a 51-year-old Olympic shooter who competed without any fancy gear or eyewear. 

At the mixed team 10-metre air pistol, Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec adorned a t-shirt, wore a standard pair of glasses, and shot his silver medal-winning shot with one hand in his pocket!

Pfft. It’s just a piece of cake!

Back home, exciting times are ahead as Ola Electric and Bhavish Aggarwal are ready to take the stock market floor today. Next in line is FirstCry with its nearly $3-billion IPO.

In other news, Zomato’s Blinkit bet paid off! The quick commerce arm, which accounts for 22% of Zomato’s total revenue, saw its revenue more than double to Rs 942 crore in Q1 FY25 from Rs 384 crore last year. 

The Deepinder Goyal-led company saw its Q1 FY25 profit surge to Rs 253 crore, while its operating revenue jumped 74% to Rs 4,206 crore.

Lastly, it’s Bling Nation on Mercury as scientists find a layer of diamonds up to 18 km thick neatly tucked below its surface.

PS: Don’t miss out on grabbing your tickets for TechSparks 2024!

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• Fusion of cricket and fitness
• Alleviating stress via tech
• Beauty through the (AI) of the beholder

Here’s your trivia for today: Where is the original London Bridge structure today?

Startup

Fusion of cricket and fitness

Cricket is more than just a sport in India; it’s a cultural phenomenon that resonates with many, accounting for 85% of India’s spending on sports in 2022, according to ISPO.

Seizing this avenue of opportunity, Australian businessmen Deke Smith and Mark Sellar recently announced their venture DRIVE FITT in the country, with Bollywood actress Preity G Zinta and Indian cricketer Shubman Gill as co-founders and founding shareholders.

Fitness and fun:

• Started with an initial investment of over $2 million by Sellar and Smith, DRIVE FITT is a 24/7 member-based gym facility that offers cricket training facilities integrated with gym amenities.
• The facility offers personal training, cricket coaching, and group classes—all using cricket-infused training methods developed by co-founder Shubman Gill, Australian cricketer Chris Lynn, and former Aussie fast-bowler Ryan Harris
• Going forward, it aims to establish franchises across India. It is eyeing 300 franchises in three years.

Funding Alert

Startup: Kinetic Green

Amount: Rs 168 Cr

Round: Series A + debt

Startup: GalaxEye Space

Amount: $6.5M

Round: Series A

Startup: Square Insurance

Amount: $3M

Round: Pre-Series A

Innovation

Alleviating stress via tech

As a student, Shankar Srinivasan had always been interested in neuroscience and being able to modulate or democratise access to certain control centres in the brain, such as the ones that control stress, for instance.

As a 24-year-old—at Together for Tomorrow-Enabling People, an innovation event powered by Samsung held on the sidelines of the Paris Olympics 2024—he showcased Sputnik Brain, a ground-breaking wearable device that aims to reduce stress by productising pleasure through safe brain modulation. 

Wearable solution:

• Once the device is worn, one needs to place two fingers on the temples of the head to switch on the simulation protocol, Srinivasan explains. A geometrically arranged array of emitters will gently transmit waves, safely enhancing brain activity and relieving stress.
• The device is being tested at NIMHANS, and Srinivasan plans to launch the product commercially in the next six months.
• Sputnik Brain plans to partner with clinics and healthcare professionals as a wellness device for mood relief on a pay-per-use model, and will also work on a revenue-sharing model with clinics.

Women Entrepreneurs

Beauty through the (AI) of the beholder

Karishma Rathaur’s introduction to entrepreneurship was unfavourable at best, after witnessing her uncles’ unsuccessful business ventures and her family’s general aversion to entrepreneurship.

But that didn’t stop her entrepreneurial spirit, eventually leading her to build Honestly, an AI-powered beauty platform that aims to simplify the process of finding the right beauty products.

Tailored beauty advice:

• Honestly provides comprehensive information on over 600 attributes of various beauty products, such as the skin types the product is for, its efficacy for specific issues like acne, and raw materials.
• One of the key insights that guided Honestly’s development was that consumers spend significant time researching beauty products before making a purchase despite online reviews, says Rathaur.
• The app integrates AI to fact-check recommendations and claims, ensuring users receive accurate, science-backed information. This feature also aims to counteract misinformation, including misleading beauty hacks.

News & updates

• Domination: Meta CFO Susan Li said that India is the largest market in terms of Meta AI usage, a notable milestone considering the product launched in India just a few months ago. WhatsApp’s massive 500 million users in India have supercharged Meta’s AI ambitions.
• Fraud: CrowdStrike is sued by its shareholders after a faulty software update by the cybersecurity firm crashed more than eight million computers and caused chaos around the world. The lawsuit accuses the company of making "false and misleading" statements about its software testing.
• Rate cut: The Bank of England delivered its first interest rate cut in more than four years, taking the key rate to 5%, with Governor Andrew Bailey saying that the committee would move ahead cautiously. The rate had been held at a 16-year high of 5.25% since August 2023.

Where is the original London Bridge structure today?

Answer: Lake Havasu City, Arizona.

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