Who will win the quick commerce crown; Solving India’s hospital shortage

Hello,

India is gearing up for a high-profile presence at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, as global leaders convene for five days from today. Several IT majors from India have decked up their pavilions and lounges, and the common theme is AI.

Wipro is pitching for AI and beyond, while TCS says it is embedding AI in every service it delivers.

Meanwhile, as the world turns increasingly to AI, some people seem to be taking a break from technology. Enter the analog lifestyle where the focus seems to be on slowing down and finding ways to complete daily tasks and finding entertainment without relying entirely on AI or latest technology. 

Speaking of AI, new research has shown that AI poses profound risks to children’s social and intellectual development, Futurism reports. One of the dangers of the tech, the study found, is that it reduces students’ ability to think critically. 

While not quite the same, Australia’s social media ban for children under the age of 16 shows that policymakers are thinking about the long term effects of technology. Are AI models next on the radar? 

Lastly, dark and hungry–black holes are often portrayed as the ultimate cosmic villains. Now, researchers are aiming to capture a movie of these space objects in action.

Cue the iconic BGM of Interstellar.

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• Q-com giants vie for the crown
• Solving India’s hospital shortage

Here’s your trivia for today: In mathematics which prefix refers to 10 to the power of minus 21?

Insight

Q-com giants vie for the crown

Swiggy Instamart, Blinkit and Zepto have found unique approaches to win customers in the highly-competitive quick commerce segment, according to a recent outlook report by investment management firm Bernstein.

Eternal's Blinkit has emerged as a last minute store, relying on the promise of a wider range, quality and delivery timelines. Analysts are looking at it as a replacement for the neighbourhood mom & pop stores as well as local markets for seasonal general merchandise.

Key takeaways:

• Sriharsha Majety-led Swiggy is banking on a larger assortment as it looks to challenge for market leader position in the game.
• According to the company's latest quarterly update, about 50% of its dark store net additions in the September quarter were megapods or large format dark stores.
• The only remaining private company out of the three, Zepto, is primarily focusing on product price discounting to acquire and retain consumers.

ICYMI

Solving India’s hospital shortage

For years, India’s healthcare debate has revolved around a familiar shortage: very few hospital beds for a growing population. But new data released recently by Bengaluru-based managed-care provider Even Healthcare suggests a different pain point driving costs, crowding, and poor outcomes: what happens after patients leave the hospital.

Challenges:

• Even Healthcare said it recorded zero unplanned readmissions within 30 days across more than 350 surgeries, spanning specialties such as orthopaedics, general surgery, urology, and ENT. Nationally, readmission rates for comparable procedures typically range between 8% and 12%.
• The company’s data points to a gap that Indian healthcare has long struggled to address: continuity of care.
• Rather than expanding hospital capacity, Even’s model focuses on structured follow-up. Patients are assigned care managers after discharge, receive scheduled check-ins, medication adherence support, and symptom monitoring, with rapid escalation to doctors when early warning signs appear.

News & updates

• Funding: Venture capital firm Sequoia is joining ​Singapore's GIC and US investor Coatue in ‌a funding round for Anthropic which aims to raise $25 billion at a $350 billion valuation, the Financial Times reported.
• Greenland: Global markets face a fresh bout of volatility this week after US President Donald Trump vowed to slap tariffs on eight European nations until the US is allowed to buy Greenland. Trump said he would impose an additional 10% import tariffs from February 1 on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and Britain.

What you should watch out for

• The markets will closely watch logistics company Shadowfax’s IPO. The offering, which will open for subscription on January 20, will have a total offer size of Rs 1,907.2 crore.
• Eternal Limited has scheduled its board meeting for January 21, 2026, to approve Q3FY26 unaudited financial results for the quarter and nine months ended December 31, 2025. Apart from Eternal, Bluestone will report its results on January 22 and Urban Company on January 23. 

In mathematics which prefix refers to 10 to the power of minus 21?

Answer: Zepto

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