Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu talks about ‘ubiquitous intelligence’; Meet the speakers at TechSparks 2026
Zoho introduced Zia Chat, a conversational AI interface that unifies data across systems while optimising token efficiency to keep costs affordable.
Hello,
Alakh Pandey or "Alakh Sir" as he is popularly known is moving to South India. Outlining a two-year mission, Pandey said PhysicsWallah is setting its sights firmly on Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala to power its next growth phase.
Meanwhile, Gautam Adani has reclaimed the top spot as India’s richest, edging out Mukesh Ambani, on the M3M Hurun India Rich List 2026. Gautam Adani & family, with a wealth of Rs 9.23 lakh crore ($96 billion), have taken the top spot with a gain of 13%, followed by Mukesh Ambani & family at Rs 8.63 lakh crore ($90 billion), marking a 10% decline.
ICYMI: Nuvr, a Bengaluru-based bootstrapped startup founded by Pulkit Chhabra, has grown into a major e-commerce and quick-commerce “growth accelerator.”
In the world of AI, Zoho Co-founder Sridhar Vembu is sceptical about calls by global technology companies for a slowdown in AI development.
"These companies have the freedom to slow down... If I want to slow down, I can... but I cannot ask the entire industry to slow down... I see this a little more cynically," said Vembu on the sidelines of the Zoholics user conference in Chennai, adding that global AI companies want everybody else to slow down so they can grow faster and monopolise the market.
Elsewhere, the United States President Donald Trump also argued against international efforts to impose greater controls on the technology. During his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the US President also said that the country will refer to artificial intelligence as “Super Intelligence”, saying the word “artificial” makes the technology sound less real than it is.
In today’s newsletter, we will talk about
- Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu talks about ‘ubiquitous intelligence’
- Meet the speakers at TechSparks 2026
Here’s your trivia for today: What global music icon became a billionaire primarily through her 50% stake in the cosmetics brand Fenty Beauty alongside LVMH? (Scroll down for answer)
SaaS
Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu talks about ‘ubiquitous intelligence’
At Zoho's annual Zoholics event in Chennai, Chief Scientist and Co-founder Sridhar Vembu presented his vision for "ubiquitous intelligence." Rather than positioning AI purely as a standalone interface or "super intelligence," Vembu emphasized that “UI is the new AI”—meaning embedded intelligence should seamlessly connect disparate workflows, applications, and business contexts under strong privacy guardrails.
Zoho introduced Zia Chat, a conversational AI interface that unifies data across systems while optimising token efficiency to keep costs affordable. Additionally, Zoho announced its expansion into vertical SaaS with seven industry-specific solutions tailored to specialized regulatory and operational demands.
Into the future:
- Zia Chat is designed to offer business users a seamless experience across systems, with the chat interface providing contextual depth tailored to specific industries, according to the company.
- Zoho, which marks 30 years, says it has grown across geographies. Its India revenue increased 47% year-on-year in 2025.
- The company has a presence across 150+ countries, employs more than 19,000 people worldwide, and has 150 million users across 60 applications.
<Funding Alert>
Startup: Ultraviolette
Amount: $85M
Round: Series E
Startup: Hughes Precision
Amount: Rs 250 Cr
Round: Undisclosed
Startup: Brahma AI
Amount: $150M
Round: Undisclosed
TechSparks
Meet the speakers at TechSparks 2026
TechSparks 2026, YourStory’s flagship startup-tech summit, returns to Bengaluru from October 13–15 under the theme ‘The New Tech Order.’ The event focuses on how artificial intelligence, deeptech, and next-generation digital infrastructure are reshaping technology development, market speed, enterprise scaling, and public governance.
The conference brings together a multi-sector lineup of speakers across government, academia, technology, finance, space exploration, clean energy, and venture capital to explore the future of India's entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Key takeaways:
- Senior government figures including Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge, Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, and Bihar Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit will address state-level digital governance.
- Industry leaders from pioneering sectors will showcase emerging tech commercialisation, including space launch systems (AgniKul), urban air mobility (The ePlane Company), AI infrastructure (QpiAI), and clean energy (SolarSquare).
- Top academic figures like Prof. Ashok Jhunjhunwala (IIT Madras / IIIT Hyderabad) alongside venture capitalists (Oister Global, Seafund) will detail how research translates into market-ready, funded ventures.
News & updates
- India wins silver: Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu finally completed her medal collection, winning the elusive Asian Games silver in the women's 49kg event on Wednesday. The Tokyo Olympic silver medallist totalled 198kg, lifting 88kg in the snatch and 111kg in the clean and jerk to claim India's first Asian Games weightlifting medal since Karnam Malleswari won bronze in 1998.
- Human agents: Meta has been discreetly testing a "human concierge" backup for Muse, its new personal AI assistant. According to internal company communications obtained by Reuters, human contractors have been stepping in to handle select phone calls initiated through the digital agent.
- DMI’s lending growth: Delhi-headquartered NBFC DMI Finance has raised Rs 1,455 crore by issuing secured, listed non-convertible debentures (NCDs) on a private placement basis. The NCDs are rated AA by ICRA and have a tenure ranging up to 36 months. The proceeds will be used to support the growth of DMI Finance’s lending portfolio and meet the company’s funding requirements.
What global music icon became a billionaire primarily through her 50% stake in the cosmetics brand Fenty Beauty alongside LVMH?
Answer: Rihanna
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