Startup news and updates: daily roundup (September 2, 2024)

Funding

35North India Discovery Fund-II invests $3M in Global Care

Non-hospital medical tourism company, “Global Care” – Lavanya Medicare Solutions Pvt Ltd, has announced a subscription/funding of $3 million as a strategic investment by 35North India Discovery Fund-II (IDF-II) and its affiliates.

With this investment, 35North IDF-II will support Global Care’s aim to bridge healthcare divides worldwide, building clinical excellence through strategic consulting and facilitating convenient access to world-class patient care.

Global Care was founded by Rajeev Taneja with a strategic vision to become a multi-country company catering to medical patients from multiple countries. 

Other news

Mana Yatri app gains traction in Hyderabad

Hyderabad-based cab and auto booking app Mana Yatri has onboarded over 35,000 autos and 25,000 cabs in the city.

Mana Yatri offers fast booking with an average time of 30 seconds for autos and 40 seconds for cabs, said the company in a statement.

Operating on a zero-commission model, the app allows drivers to retain 100% of their earnings, which not only benefits them financially but also motivates them to provide better service like low cancellations, it added.

Part of the government-backed T-Hub and ONDC, Mana Yatri belongs to the Namma Yatri family of apps, which have enabled drivers to earn Rs 800 crore without any commission and helped passengers save nearly Rs 100 crore on their commute expenses, the statement said.

VFX firm Identical Brains Studios files DRHP with NSE Emerge

Visual effects company Identical Brains Studios has filed its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) with NSE Emerge.

The company’s initial public offering comprises a fresh issuance of up to 36,94,000 equity shares, with a face value of Rs 10, through the book-building route. Socradamus Capital Private Limited is the sole book running lead manager to the offer, while Bigshare Services Private Limited is the registrar.

The Mumbai-headquartered company offers a comprehensive suite of VFX services for films, web series, TV series, documentaries, and commercials. Its customers include leading film and content producers and Bollywood studios.

The company's project portfolio includes Khel Khel Mein, Murder in Mahim, Bad Cop, Article 370, Dream Girl 2, Indian 2, Rocket Boys, Kutch Express, Night Manager, Phone Bhoot, Angrezi Medium, Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story, and Good Newwz. Its upcoming project is Criminal Justice 4.

Suryoday Small Finance Bank ties up with Tarrakki to offer digital fixed deposits

Fintech platform Tarrakki has partnered with new-age digital bank Suryoday Small Finance Bank to develop and offer digital fixed deposits.

Through this partnership, Tarrakki will help develop tech products that outperform legacy systems enabling Suryoday Small Finance Bank to efficiently onboard new customers and offer digital fixed deposit products

The collaboration will be in the form of software development kits and white-labelled offerings.

Aurionpro Payments goes live as an online payment aggregator

Aurionpro Payments, a subsidiary of Aurionpro, has gone live as an online payment aggregatorvfollowing the recent authorisation from the Reserve Bank of India.

The launch was officially announced at Global Fintech Fest 2024 in Mumbai, India, one of the largest fintech gatherings in the world.

AuroPay is a technology-driven payment receivable platform that empowers businesses to seamlessly receive payments through a variety of features, including payment request links, digital invoices, payment plans, and an intuitive dashboard.

Munish Seth is group MD of Data Link Investment Manager

Data Infrastructure Trust, an infrastructure investment trust sponsored by an affiliate of Brookfield Asset Management, has appointed Munish Seth as the group managing director of its investment manager, Data Link Investment Manager Private Limited.

Seth will lead the development and execution of the company’s long-term growth strategy to meet India’s evolving infrastructure and connectivity needs, across Data Infrastructure Trust and its subsidiaries (Summit Digitel and Crest Digitel) and any subsequent acquisition, said the company in a statement.

Seth has over 34 years of experience in the telecommunications space. Prior to this new role, he served as the country director at Google, where he led the platforms and devices ecosystem business, contributing to the growth of the Android ecosystem in India. He was also the executive sponsor representing Google with telecom operators in India. He has also held leadership positions at Meta and Alcatel Lucent.

Zomato organises EV Bazaar to drive electric vehicle adoption among delivery partners

As part of Zomato’s commitment to facilitate 100% deliveries through Electric Vehicles (EVs) by 2030, Zomato, today, organised its EV Bazaar 2024 at Talkatora Stadium, New Delhi.

The event highlighted the advantages of EVs for delivery partners and facilitated guidance to help them choose the right vehicle, with insights from leading industry players such as EV two-wheeler vehicle manufacturers, fleet operators, charge point providers, and financing experts such as Quantum Energy, Kinetic Green, Bounce Infinity, Lectrix, Hero, TVS, Ola, Ampere, Battfit, Alt Mobility, Battfit, Yulu, Zypp, Kadam Mobility and Moeving Urban Technologies.

Zomato’s EV Bazaar aligns with the Delhi government's goal of making the city the EV Capital, supporting initiatives like the Delhi EV Policy and the 2023 Motor Vehicle Aggregator and Delivery Service Provider Scheme.

Infibeam Avenues introduces CCAvenue SoundBox Max

Infibeam Avenues Ltd. introduces the CCAvenue SoundBox Max, a versatile and cost-effective all-in-one Point of Sale (POS) device tailored for merchants and retailers across India.

"Our CCAvenue SoundBox Max is designed to reshape the payment landscape for retailers and merchants, offering them the flexibility to accept payments from multiple sources—UPI, debit cards, and credit cards," said Vishwas Patel, Joint Managing Director of Infibeam Avenues Ltd.

Digital QR ticketing for DTC buses now live on the ONDC Network

The Delhi Transport Corporation's (DTC) city bus digital QR ticketing system is now live on the ONDC Network, making it the first public bus transportation service to onboard the Open Network. This is a significant integration as India's most popular means of transit — public buses — will become more accessible and convenient for commuters' daily travels.

As part of this, both DTC and Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS) bus services are now integrated into the ONDC Network. This integration will enhance passengers' overall commuting experience in Delhi. The digital QR ticketing system simplifies the ticketing process, allowing passengers to purchase bus tickets easily using their preferred customer-facing applications.

MB India Appoints Dr Shyam Sunder as Head of External Affairs and Corporate Citizenship

Mercedes-Benz India has appointed Dr Shyam Sunder as the Head of External Affairs and Corporate Citizenship, effective from August 26, 2024. Dr. Shyam will report to Santosh Iyer, Managing Director and CEO.

In his new role, Dr. Shyam will lead Mercedes-Benz India’s government relations, public policy advocacy, and policy initiatives. He will foster close collaboration with policymakers and industry leaders, and work to build communities through Mercedes-Benz’s diverse corporate citizenship programmes.

Easebuzz partners with NPCI, launches B2B Payments Platform

Easebuzz, a verticalised SaaS payments platform, in partnership with NPCI has launched its Business-to-Business (B2B) invoice management and payments platform, at Global Fintech Festival 2024, in the presence of honourable RBI Governor Shri. Shaktikanta Das, in Mumbai last week.

This platform enables interoperability to the ecosystem, simplifying business payments. NPCI demonstrated interoperability of the platform during the mainstage launch event at Global Fintech Festival, by successfully processing the cross-platform invoice payment on Easebuzz platform and payment gateway.

Live demonstration of BBPS B2B invoice payment transaction by NPCI in the presence of honourable RBI Governor Shri Shaktikanta Das.

LivGuard witnesses 66% Growth in Customer Engagement Automation through Rezo.ai

LivGuard, a player in energy storage and solutions, has reported a 66% increase in automation and a 50% reduction in human agent involvement, driving significant cost savings and improved customer satisfaction.

This impact is the result of a strategic partnership with Rezo.ai, a leading provider of AI-driven customer interaction and engagement solutions. The collaboration has successfully optimized LivGuard’s contact center operations, highlighting a major industry shift towards AI-driven automation that enhances both efficiency and customer experience.

Key components of this engagement include the deployment of multi-lingual AI agents capable of handling diverse customer queries, dynamic workflows tailored to specific business needs, and a sophisticated contact strategy designed to maximize efficiency and customer retention.

Spire.AI expands its leadership by naming Vinod Padmanabhan as Head of Growth for India, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia 

Spire.AI, a leading innovator in Domain AI powered Co-pilot for Talent, today announced the appointment of industry veteran and former CEO of Subex, Vinod Padmanabhan, as its Head of Growth for India, Middle East, and Southeast Asia. This strategic addition to the leadership team reflects Spire.AI’s commitment to accelerating its growth trajectory and expanding its footprint in the rapidly evolving talent technology industry.

With a distinguished career spanning over 3 decades, Mr. Vinod brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of leading transformational growth at Subex. Under his leadership Subex achieved record revenue growth and expansion in global markets solidifying its position as a market leader.

(The copy will be updated with the latest news throughout the day.)