All posts by Rabindra

Bengaluru, India, September 24, 2024 – Star Union Dai-ichi Life Insurance Co. Ltd. (SUD Life), a leading life insurance company in India, and QuantumStreet AI, a global leader in the field of AI-powered investment solutions, today announced their plans to collaborate to incorporate cutting edge generative AI powered by IBM watsonx into the investment offerings of SUD Life. The announcement was made at IBM Think Mumbai 2024, where QuantumStreet AI also formally launched their India service offerings.

As part of the collaboration, SUD Life and QuantumStreet AI will design an investment product aimed at providing superior performance in the large market capitalization (large cap) space. Similar to the trend seen in western capital markets, it is becoming increasingly harder to generate outperformance in Indian large cap portfolios, as well. To address this scenario, the two firms plan to leverage the advanced capabilities of the IBM watsonx platform for generating insights that will form the core of the investment product and differentiate the offering. Ultimately, the investment solution is projected to benefit retail clients by taking advantage of AI in a trustworthy and responsible manner.

Commenting on the partnership, Arindam Ghosh, Chief Technology Officer and Prashant Sharma, Chief Investment Officer of Star Union Dai-ichi Life Insurance, said, “We are excited to partner with a world leading fintech to bring innovative products to our clients. In today’s data-driven world, it is nearly impossible for individuals to process the vast amounts of information available, and AI has become an indispensable tool for fund managers, helping derive meaningful insights from growing data volumes. It is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’ but a ‘must-have.’”

Subhra Tripathy and Chris Natividad, Principals at QuantumStreet AI, stated, “This partnership is a reflection of SUD Life’s innovative culture. We would look to deliver our capabilities to them as we have done for leading banks, wealth managers and pension funds around the world.”

Sandip Patel, Managing Director, IBM India & South Asia said, “As India’s capital markets undergo a pivotal transformation, the role of AI in enhancing investment solutions has never been more important. The collaboration between IBM and QuantumStreet AI sets a new standard for the Indian insurance industry with IBM watsonx at its core. With powerful AI-driven insights that are governed with the highest levels of trust and transparency, this will usher in a new era of responsible investment practices.”

As part of the future plans of the collaboration, QuantumStreet AI and Dai-ichi Life will also explore joint product development in Japan. In addition to India’s life insurance industry, QuantumStreet AI will offer its services to the asset management and wealth management sectors where generative AI can be leveraged for research, as alpha generation platform, and risk management.

With QuantumStreet AI utilizing IBM watsonx as the foundation for the solution, institutional investors will get an opportunity to benefit from its generative AI-powered data insights. watsonx is IBM’s next-generation AI and data platform, which enables businesses to build and refine both new, generative AI foundation models as well as traditional machine learning systems. IBM watsonx makes effective adoption of responsible AI possible by training, validating, tuning and deploying AI syst

September 24th, 2024: Auréa, the growth capital firm co-founded by Mike Jatania and Paul Raphaël announced the completion of its acquisition of The Body Shop.

This investment demonstrates Auréa’s focus on backing purpose-led and differentiated brands in the Beauty, Wellness and Longevity sector and represents its largest transaction to date.

The Body Shop was founded in 1976 and has been a pioneer of ethical beauty, offering high-quality, innovation-led skincare, body care, haircare and make-up made with natural, fairly traded ingredients from around the world.

Mike Jatania and Charles Denton will serve as Executive Chairman and CEO respectively and will jointly steer The Body Shop’s revival and reclaim its global leadership in the ethical beauty sector it pioneered.

Both Mike and Charles have significant experience and a proven track record in successfully transforming heritage brands into sustainable growing businesses. Auréa will apply its investment acumen, deep industry knowledge and operational expertise to rebuild the business while honouring the heritage and values that connect the brand with its customers.

Mike Jatania, Co-Founder of Auréa said: “With The Body Shop, we have acquired a truly iconic brand with highly engaged consumers in over 70 markets around the world. We plan to focus relentlessly on exceeding their expectations by investing in product innovation and seamless experiences across all of the channels where customers shop while paying homage to the brand’s ethical and activist positioning.”

Charles Denton, CEO of The Body Shop, said: ” I am truly excited to lead this brand which I have admired for many years. We recognise that revitalising the business will require bold action and a consumer-centric, commercially agile mindset. We believe there’s a sustainable future ahead and working closely with the management team we aim to restore The Body Shop’s unique, values-driven, independent spirit.”

Sony Entertainment Television’s acclaimed singing reality show, Indian Idol, goes live on the first day of its shoot, with the arrival of the one and only Badshah as a new judge. Known for his electrifying presence and chart-topping hits, Badshah’s addition ensures that fans are in for double the fun and double the entertainment. His energy will bring a fresh vibe to the judging panel, keeping the contestants on their toes.

This season is all about breaking boundaries and setting new standards— in Badshah’s own words“Scene bangea tagde wala, level upar abki baar.” With his finger on the pulse of emerging talent, Badshah will be on the lookout for vibrant performances and genuine emotions in the contestants.

During the live, a fresh aesthetic was revealed for the auditions which are taking place in a sprawling, old mill, that perfectly matches the high-stakes nature of the competition. As the contestants pour in with dreams of making it big, the backdrop sets the tone for an unforgettable season.

Let your little ones unleash their creativity at our exciting Ceramic Painting Workshop hosted at BLVD Club by Embassy, Bangalore’s premier luxury club. In collaboration with Raj Himavad from Dry Brushstroke Art Studio, this hands-on workshop will guide children through the entire process of ceramic painting, helping them create their own artistic masterpieces.

Price: INR 700 (all inclusive)

Date & Time: 29^th September 2024 (11am onwards)

Location: Embassy Boulevard Club, Hunasamaranahalli Post, Bengaluru

RSVP: +91 9731101414

Give your child the opportunity to unleash their imagination in an inspiring environment and take home a unique creation. Don’t miss this special event!

India, 24^th September 2024: Swiggy, India’s pioneering on-demand convenience delivery platform, today announced the addition of “Privileges” to its Swiggy One and Swiggy One Lite membership programs. With millions of subscribers nationwide, Swiggy One is the country’s only membership program offering benefits across food, quick commerce, dining out and pick-up and drop services. By going beyond the app through strategic partnerships with Yatra, Cinepolis, Amazon Prime, Disney+ Hotstar, and more, Swiggy One enhances its offerings with exclusive privileges.

Extending Swiggy One privileges beyond the Swiggy app

Swiggy One Privileges brings exclusive offers and perks that extend beyond Swiggy’s multiple offerings, bringing users the best from Swiggy’s partners across travel, entertainment, OTT, shopping and beauty categories to elevate the Swiggy One member’s experience by focusing on every aspect of their lives.

In travel, Yatra offers exclusive value-added services such as free cancellation, free seat, or free meal selection on flights to Swiggy One members. In entertainment, Cinepolis offers an exclusive Flat 30% discount on movies and food & beverages on their website and app bookings. Additionally, members can also enjoy a flat 25% discount on food and beverages at the Cinepolis F&B counter.

Swiggy One members also have exclusive offers from popular OTT platforms such as INR 150 discount on Amazon Prime, 50% discount on the Disney+Hotstar 3M Super plan, and Buy 1 Get 1 month or Buy 12 Get 3 months offers on SonyLiv Premium plans.

Croma is offering an exclusive 7.5% discount on purchases of INR 30,000 and above at any of its stores. Hamleys is offering free entry to the play arena across their major outlets. On beauty and fashion, Swiggy One Privileges extend to brands like Ajio with a flat 20% off on select merchandise and Lakme with a complimentary waxing on facial service.

Commenting on the added Privileges to the Swiggy One membership program, Anurag P, VP of Growth at Swiggy said, “With millions of users across India, Swiggy One and Swiggy One Lite stand apart for the benefits they provide across fast-growing categories like food delivery, quick commerce, and dining out. We are now making Swiggy One bigger and better through Swiggy One Privileges which has offers spanning high-usage categories such as OTT, travel, fashion, beauty, and more. With these added privileges, Swiggy One will further enhance its standing as the most exciting and rewarding membership program in the country, bringing to life Swiggy’s mission of elevating the quality of life for urban consumers by offering unparalleled convenience.”

How to avail Swiggy One “Privileges”

Members are regularly notified of the latest privileges through homepage notifications, post-order updates, and the newly added ‘Privileges’ section within the Swiggy One and One Lite membership pages. Redeeming offers is simple: members can unlock unique codes via the ‘One Membership Privileges’ section and redeem them directly on partner apps to enjoy offers and benefits. This one-step process keeps members informed and engaged throughout their membership, with multiple touchpoints guiding them to avail these time-bound exclusive offers.

About Swiggy One and One Lite Membership

Swiggy One and One Lite memberships already provide core benefits such as free delivery and attractive offers on Swiggy Food, Swiggy Instamart, Swiggy Dineout, and Swiggy Genie. Now, with the addition of membership privileges, members can access third-party ephemeral offers like free trials, subscription discounts, and exclusive promotions that add further value to the Swiggy One membership.

Mumbai, 24 September 2024: EPACK Prefab, one of India’s fastest-growing pre-engineered buildings and prefabricated structures producers, announced that it is steadfast towards momentous 48% growth in order book for FY24 in comparison to FY23, standing at INR 1,233 cr. In FY25, EPACK Prefab expects to add 35% more orders from sectors like industrial, institutional, multistory building, warehousing and airports, etc.

EPACK Prefab has experienced growth surpassing that of the 11% CAGR of the Prefabricated Industry in FY 24.

Nikhel Bothra, Executive Director at EPACK Prefab said, “Epack Prefab is among the top three pre-engineered buildings and prefabricated structures producers, with presence across all 28 states.  Steered by the post-COVID capex cycle and encouraging ecosystem around manufacturing and industrial development, Epack Prefab is at the cusp of unprecedented growth.  At present, we are observing impressive demand for PEB from industries like aviation, warehouses, automobiles, cold-storage, data centers and other manufacturing industries.  We are also contributing to significant projects in sectors like commercial spaces, hospitals, hotels, stadiums and schools as well”.

Emphasizing the key benefits of the new-age construction technology, Nikhel added, “The PEB and Prefabricated construction has vast benefits over conventional construction with zero-water consumption, 50% savings on time of construction, lesser carbon footprint among many other environmental and financial benefits.  A pertinent aspect in favor of the new-age technologies is that unlike the construction involving conventional technologies, the industries can recover the cost of construction at the end-of-use of the building, thus making them net-zero construction”.

Showcasing Epack Prefab’s facility at Ghiloth in Rajasthan, one of India’s largest PEB manufacturing facilities, Nikhel detailed the sustainable practices being used at the facility and their benefits towards a net-zero circular economy.  The facility has been constructed using PEB technology and encouraged the adoption of PEB among about a dozen facilities in the industrial town.

Key projects delivered by EPACK Prefab include India’s largest float glass manufacturing plant, the longest integrated wood panel manufacturing plant, logistics parks, multi-storey commercial buildings, and rapid projects for the Amarnath Yatri Multi-storey Camp under CPWD. Additionally, EPACK Prefab has constructed terminal buildings for six regional airports under the UDAN scheme for the Airport Authority of India.

The company was established in Greater Noida in the year 1999, and has spread across all 28 states with over 1400-strong workforce at present.  EPACK Prefab is a market leader in engineering, fabrication, and project management across diverse industries, providing comprehensive PEB solutions.

Bengaluru, September, 24, 2024: Tata Motors, India’s leading manufacturer of cars and SUVs, today announced the launch of the Nexon iCNG, and additions to the Nexon.ev range with a new 45 kWh battery pack and the flagship Red Hot #DARK edition. These additions make India’s bestselling SUV, the Tata Nexon, India’s first and only vehicle to be available in 4 distinct powertrains – petrol, diesel, CNG and electric.

Consistently ranked amongst India’s bestselling SUVs, the Nexon, since its launch in 2017, has always offered customers a unique value proposition combining its stylish SUV design with a strong emphasis on safety and best-in-class features, to deliver superior performance.

Launching the new Nexon offerings, Mr. Vivek Srivatsa, Chief Commercial Officer, Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd., said, “With more than seven lakh vehicles sold in just seven years, the Nexon has created a distinct mark for itself amongst customers in India’s growing SUV market. Nexon’s popularity has steadily increased, driven by well-timed and innovative technological upgrades, and today’s new launches further enhances its appeal. These additions take forward Tata Motor’s successful multi powertrain strategy and ensure that there is indeed a Nexon for every need.

 The launch of the Nexon iCNG as India’s first turbocharged CNG vehicle will attract customers who seek value, are green conscious and do not wish to compromise their drive quality and experience. The introduction of the 45 kWh battery pack in the Nexon.ev will enable customers to enjoy hassle-free intercity travel and longer C75 near-real world range of 350–370 KM while enjoying familiar comforts and conveniences. Discerning customers seeking to make a statement or accustomed to preferring premium will find the Red #DARK edition experience more interesting.”

Nexon iCNG, India’s first Turbocharged CNG vehicle

The Nexon iCNG brings to the roads, India’s first turbocharged CNG powertrain. Powered by a 1.2L turbocharged engine, it delivers an impressive 100PS of power and 170NM of torque, ensuring no-compromise on performance. True to its promise of maximizing practicality, the Nexon iCNG offers a segment-leading boot space of 321 litre, achieved through Tata Motor’s ingeniously developed innovative and proven twin-cylinder technology.

In addition to its no-compromise performance and practicality, the Nexon iCNG is also packed with premium and comfortable features like Panoramic Sunroof, Leatherette Ventilated Seats, and the 10.25” Infotainment Screen by Harman™, coupled with a 10.25” fully-digital instrument cluster. Features like these make the Nexon iCNG the most luxurious CNG SUV in the Indian market. Engineered with cutting-edge technology, it also offers direct start in CNG mode and a single ECU that enables automatic switching between petrol and CNG.

 Tata Motors’ safety DNA is carried forward by the Nexon iCNG, which is built on a proven 5-star G-NCAP rated architecture. It offers the most advanced safety features in its segment, including industry-leading technologies such as Leak Detection, a Fire Protection Device, Thermal Incident Protection, Rear Impact Protection, and several others – ensuring unparalleled safety for drivers and their occupants.

India – September 24, 2024 – Avtr Meta Labs, a leader in AI-driven virtual influencer technology, is excited to announce its partnership with the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) for the introduction of India’s First AI Avatar Creator Contest. This unique contest will be a key feature of the upcoming World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025, scheduled to take place from February 5th to 9th, 2025 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.

Abhishek Razdan, Co-founder & CEO, Avtr Meta Labs says, ” “We are incredibly excited to launch India’s First AI Avatar Creator Contest in association with the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, a unique initiative that blends the power of artificial intelligence with creative expression. This contest not only showcases the potential of AI in digital artistry but also provides a platform for creators, innovators, and tech enthusiasts to explore new horizons. At Avtr Meta Labs, we believe in the transformative power of AI, and we’re thrilled to see how participants will push the boundaries of technology and imagination.”

Screenshot

WAVES, a globally recognized platform for the Media and Entertainment (M&E) industry, highlights India’s position as a rising hub for innovative content creation and storytelling. The 2025 edition of WAVES will bring together industry leaders, stakeholders, and creators from across the world to explore the future of the media industry, focusing on creativity, technology, and collaboration.

As part of this grand summit, the Minister of Information & Broadcasting, Ashwini Vaishnaw, has officially launched the “Create in India Challenge – Season 1”, a series of 25 distinctive contests across multiple domains. Among them is the highly anticipated AI Avatar Creator Contest, which offers creators, technologists, and marketers the opportunity to showcase their skills in developing AI-driven virtual avatars.

AI Avatar Creator Contest: Pioneering Digital Innovation

The AI Avatar Creator Contest is a landmark initiative aimed at driving innovation in the rapidly expanding field of AI influencers and digital content creation. Contest participants will have access to cutting-edge AI tools, both open-source and licensed, to build and design their own virtual avatars. The challenge will allow creators to push the limits of artificial intelligence, digital storytelling, and character design.

Participants will be evaluated on:

• Originality and Purpose of the virtual avatar
• Creativity and Technical Execution in design
• Innovative Application of AI Technology

Awards and Recognition

The contest offers attractive prizes and industry recognition:

• The top 10 finalists will receive certificates of participation.
• The top 3 creators will be invited to present their virtual avatars at the WAVES 2025 Summit.
• The grand prize winner will be awarded a ₹1 Lakh cash prize, offering a platform to launch their career in India’s emerging AI and digital content landscape.

Call for Entries

Registrations for the AI Avatar Creator Contest will open on September 17, 2024. Avtr Meta Labs and the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting invite AI enthusiasts, digital creators, and innovators from all over India to participate. This is an unparalleled opportunity for creators to demonstrate their talent, gain industry exposure, and contribute to shaping the future of AI-driven virtual influencers.

Mumbai,  September 24, 2024 –– Trend Micro Incorporated , a global cybersecurity leader, today published research revealing that global organizations lack sufficient resources and leadership buy-in to measure and mitigate risk across their digital attack surface.

Sharda Tickoo, Country Manager for India & SAARC at Trend Micro: “A lack of clear leadership on cybersecurity can have a paralyzing effect on an organization—leading to reactive, piecemeal and erratic decision making. Companies need CISOs to clearly communicate in terms of business risk to engage their boards. Ideally, they should have a single source of truth across the attack surface from which to share updates with the board, continually monitor risk, and automatically remediate issues for enhanced cyber-resilience.”

Trend polled 2,600 global IT leaders responsible for cybersecurity in small, medium and large organizations to better understand their attitudes toward attack surface risk management (ASRM).

The top three gaps in cyber-resilience revealed by respondents were:

• Sufficient staffing for 24x7x365 cybersecurity coverage – which just 36% have
• Attack surface management techniques to measure the risk of the attack surface (used by 35%)
• Using proven regulatory and other frameworks like the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (only 34%)

The failure of a majority of global companies to achieve these cybersecurity basics could be traced back to a lack of leadership and accountability at the top of the organization. Half (48%) of respondents claimed that their leadership doesn’t consider cybersecurity to be their responsibility. Just 17% disagreed strongly with that statement.

When asked who does or should hold responsibility for mitigating business risk, respondents returned a variety of answers, indicating a lack of clarity on reporting lines. Nearly a third (31%) said the buck stops with organizational IT teams.

This lack of clear direction on cybersecurity strategy may be why over half (54%) of global respondents complained that their organization’s attitude to cyber risk is inconsistent and varies from month to month.

The leadership required to remediate these issues is not present in many organizations. Nearly all (96%) of those surveyed have concerns about their attack surface. Over one third (36%) are worried about having a way of discovering, assessing and mitigating high-risk areas, and a fifth (19%) aren’t able to work from a single source of truth.

New Delhi, 24^th September 2024: Tata AIA Life Insurance Co. Ltd. (Tata AIA), one of India’s leading life insurers, has introduced Tata AIA NIFTY Alpha 50 Index Fund through its unit linked insurance products, which is an open-ended New Fund Offering (NFO) with an alpha investing strategy to benefit from potential growth while securing their loved ones with the protection of a life insurance cover. The NFO will remain open until September 30th, 2024, with units offered at an NAV of Rs. 10 per unit during the NFO period.

The fund will focus on high performing stocks i.e. the top 50 performing stocks that constitute the Nifty Alpha 50 index.

Why consumers should invest in the NIFTY Alpha Index Fund:

• It is a multi-cap market-linked investment fund, enabling policyholders to take exposure in high performing stocks that are part of different market cap segments.
• It will replicate the performance of stocks listed on NSE and generating high alpha. This will allow policyholders with the opportunity to earn higher returns given the focus on benchmark beating stocks.
• The fund will invest 80%-100% in Equity and Equity-related instruments, and 0%-20% in Cash and Money Market Securities. This will ensure a reasonable balance between returns and risk for the policyholders.

Commenting on the launch, Harshad Patil, Executive Vice President, and Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of Tata AIA said, “With India’s economy expanding multifold over the next few decades, the Indian equity market presents significant wealth creation opportunities. As a result, businesses will be able to grow their revenues, multiply their earnings, and provide policyholders with sustained returns. With Tata AIA NIFTY Alpha 50 Index Fund, our policyholders can capture market trends effectively by focusing on high performing stocks across market caps. We can thus provide consumers with long-term returns, apart from life cover and health benefits offered by our investment linked solutions. With Tata AIA Nifty Alpha 50 Index fund, our consumers can look forward to an exciting investment opportunity and a fikar-free life.“