Karnataka mulls social media ban for under 16; Rozana secures Rs 290 Cr in Series B round

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AI companies are in a race to make their solutions a part of enterprise. Recently, Perplexity AI launched Computer, describing it as a fully autonomous digital worker that plans, delegates and executes multi-step projects end to end.

Moving on, while women in India are getting greater representation when it comes to job posting, they continue to face a wealth gap.

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In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• Karnataka mulls social media ban for under 16
• Rozana secures Rs 290 Cr in Series B round

Here’s your trivia for today: Which company created the first mass-produced portable computer?

News

Karnataka mulls social media ban for under 16

If the Karnataka government has its way then children under the age of 16 will soon find themselves locked out of social media platforms. 

Presenting the State’s Budget on Friday, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, "With the objective of preventing adverse effects of increasing mobile usage on children, usage of social media will be banned for children under the age of 16.”

Key takeaways: 

• India is home to over a billion internet users, according to a report by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.
• The country's Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act outlines the requirement of parental consent for use of children' s personal data.
• It also requires online platforms to implement age verification and parental consent mechanisms before a minor can open a social media account.

<Top Funding Deals of the Week>

Startup: Rozana

Amount: Rs 290 Cr

Round: Series B

Startup: Pronto

Amount: $25M

Round: Series B

Startup: Inamo

Amount: $8M

Round: Series A

Funding

Rozana secures Rs 290 Cr

Rural-focused omnichannel platform Rozana has raised Rs 290 crore in a Series B funding round led by Bertelsmann India Investments (BII).

Fireside Ventures, US-based Spark Growth Ventures, Bikaji Family Office, FE Securities, and other prominent family offices also participated in the round.

Capital:

• The company plans to use the capital to expand to more than 200 stores, up from the current network of 86 stores, and enter two to three new northern states across the Gangetic belt and more districts in Uttar Pradesh.
• The funds will also be used to strengthen technology infrastructure, expand product categories, develop private label offerings, and deepen brand partnerships.
• The retailer operates an omnichannel model that integrates an app and a digital commerce platform with modern retail stores.

News & updates

• Maritime insurance: The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has increased maritime insurance premiums, in some cases by more than 1000%. This has dramatically driven the cost of moving energy through a ​critical maritime corridor.
• Shipping woes: Maersk, the Denmark-based shipping giant, temporarily suspended two services on Friday linking the Middle East to Asia and Europe as the Iran war continues to disrupt global supply chains.

Which company created the first mass-produced portable computer?

Answer: Osborne Computer Corporation

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