Category business

According to a report by Cushman & Wakefield, in Q4 2022, Pune’s residential sector witnessed a rise of 68% on a q-o-q basis and a 56% growth on an annual basis. With 15,328 unit launches this quarter, Pune records a growth of 56% from 2021, a high for the quarter and the year.

Commenting about the performance, Mr. Ram Naik, Director, of The Guardians Real Estate Advisory said, “Pune has witnessed a decent performance in the fourth quarter in terms of residential sales. The city has seen a considerable number of new launches in the quarter with a reasonable decline in the unsold inventory. These are encouraging developments, which also give an insight into the constant demand for housing in the city. The festive season that falls in Q4, along with the reopening of the offices after the pandemic, has acted as a catalyst to boost property sales & launches in Pune. The affordability factor and the interest rates, which were lower than the pre-pandemic levels, too have provided the much-needed fillip to the home-buying activity in the region.”

Pune had seen a record number of launches with realtors racing ahead to cash in the growth spurt. In the past few years, the city has been witnessing a gradually rising supply of project launches from developers of national repute too.

“With its proximity to the financial capital Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, Pune has flourished as an ideal destination with a pleasant climate and sylvan surroundings. These factors have led the developers of national repute to invest in Pune with their new developments”, added Mr. Naik.

Mumbai, 28 February 2023: Cordelia Cruises, India’s only largest premium cruise line, today announced that they have entered into a strategic partnership with SanKash, the new age travel SAAS platform that aggregates BNPL service providers to offer flexible pay-over-time payment choices. Cordelia Cruises will now be offering sailing options that will allow the guests to sail first and pay later with zero percent interest spread over a period of six months (and upto thirty-six months with interest) and no down payment required, making the overall travel experience a lot easier and fulfilling for many guests to come.

In accordance with this one-of-a-kind partnership, travelers will be able to spread the cost of their travel at the time of booking. This gives customers the option to choose to split the amount over a period of maximum of thirty-six months (with six months of zero percent interest) with the flexibility to choose how and when they wish to pay for their trip. Catering to the dreams of many Indians, this partnership between SanKash and Cordelia Cruises will allow them to explore the beauty that India is and simplify the financial requirements when it comes to exploring wonderful destinations like Sri Lanka, Lakshadweep, Goa, and more.

Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Oneel Verma, COO, of Cordelia Cruises said, “Cruising, despite being a fairly new travel option in India, has created a positive imprint in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry in the past one year. Cordelia Cruises has witnessed an encouraging response and continues to grow. However, it is still considered an aspiration for several from varied socio-economic backgrounds. Having associated with SanKash makes cruising significantly more accessible and approachable for all. Having to pay in 6 easy installments with no interest is a step closer to going on your dream vacation without having to worry about spending a large part of your savings. We are pleased to collaborate with SanKash to make cruising a viable option for many.”

Akash Dahiya, Co-Founder, SanKash added, “We are delighted to partner with Cordelia Cruises, to introduce the concept of ‘Sail Now and Pay Later’ in India. Cruises are seeing a surge in demand of late and India is a major contributor to this growth, globally. Driven by the rise in demand and high disposable incomes, the market has the potential to grow by 10X over the next decade.” In the leisure industry, ‘Cruise Tourism’ is one of the fastest growing and vibrant components worldwide and given India’s beautiful and vast coastline with undisturbed idyllic islands and a great cultural heritage, there is tremendous potential for India, a major cruise destination. The Government’s vision is to make India a significant player in the global cruise market, for both river

and ocean cruises.

Interview with Piyush Kulshreshtha, Founder & CEO, KhulKe

1. Why the name KhulKe? What was the idea behind starting the KhulKe app?

KhulKe, simply means Openly. In India, this phrase is often used in a conversation when people want others to speak freely, clearly, and in detail so that others in conversation can make sense.Social media has one of the biggest influences on human society today, so much content is getting generated and consumed and yet, nobody visits social media to make sense of things.Information (sometimes unverified), fleeting remarks from all & sundry, targeted trends, and a lot of such unpleasant behaviour is very much an integral part of the social media experience. Even the best of the minds slips into such behaviour from time to time.

We identified that the structure and approach of social media platforms have a lot to contribute to such mass behaviour and if a conversational platform where culturally users are encouraged to engage in meaningful, powerful conversations with each other’s, where the conversations are moderated by users themselves, then there is certainly a large no of users and communities who would be interested in coming together on KhulKe.We do have other features like microblogging, private messaging, and a short video timeline. We will shortly introduce India’s first Video-based meeting software, which will be embedded within KhulKe in the early days.

2. How do you compare KhulKe with apps like Twitter, Instagram, Koo, etc.?

KhulKe as a platform integrates far more products than any of these platforms. We are proud that all of it has been developed by Indian Developers sitting in India, with funding from Indian Investors in a venture founded by an Indian.

Some key products on our platform are:

• RoundTable: Where users can have topical, time-bound, moderated conversations along with a set of audience and use it for podcasting live, interactive sessions with the audience, uploading recorded videos of any length
• TownHall: This is our microblogging feature that all social media users are familiar with. The only additional aspect here is that users can upload documents along with images, audio, or video.
• Yapp: This is our private messaging feature where one-to-one chats and audio, or video calls are possible. In a few weeks, group chats along with audio or video calls will also be available. Initially, users will be able to use this product only with KhulKe users and in a few months, they will be able to connect with their Mobile or Email Contacts as well
• Snip-It: This is our short video timeline where users can upload up to 2:30 mins videos, we hope a lot of informative and DIY videos will be seen in this segment
• Meeting: Our in-built video-based meeting service, which is as yet unreleased, and unnamed, will be out in the coming weeks or a month

From the range of products integrated on KhulKe, you will find that our entire approach to social media business is very different. This is beyond just status sharing, this is about conversations amongst communities in public and private, casually, or formally but always meaningfully. And that’s why the microfeature on these products will also appear to be well thought out

We are new, and we hope users will find value in such participation

3. How does KhulKe strategize to continue to differentiate?

The key differentiator for us will be the management & product development approach. We consider ourselves custodians of Free Speech. We are not here to project our ideologies and outlooks. The platform is meant for people, it is meant for communities and apart from the Laws of the Land, KhulKe as a platform will prefer to refrain from complicated Community Guidelines. Instead, we will continue to encourage users to moderate conversations themselves.

4. Tell us something about the revenue model of KhulKe

Advertising, Sponsored Conversations, CRM, Advisory Services, User Collaborations for Work, and a few other such revenue ideas are being worked upon by our team, but first steps first, at this point we are focusing on establishing our user base.

5. Any capital raise you are looking at?

We are looking at raising our second round very soon. Our product has to reach the gully-mohallas of India and that will require a considerable investment.

6. What are the challenges you have been facing in making KhulKe popular in India?

We have spent the last many months testing the platform technically as well as for User Experience, Content, and Marketing. We have gained immensely from these experiments and all the learnings are being implemented in various areas. The product is available in public, anybody can check the content on the platform without the necessity to sign-up. A strong rollout plan is being put in place and you will see our advertising campaign very soon.We are confident that millions of users will want to be part of such an evolved concept.

7. What are your plans ahead?

We are working on our launch campaign as we speak and thereafter gearing up for the second round of fundraising. We are looking forward to adding a million users on the platform in the first 3-5 months.We are also looking at rolling out a campaign for inviting a large number of content creators who can match our vision for good quality & meaningful content with simple language and interactive formats. An exciting early-stage monetization plan is underway.

New Delhi, 28th Feb 2023: Ashiana Housing Ltd, pioneer in senior living category, hosted its 9th Annual three-day sports and cultural event titled “Jashn” on February 24th – 26th, 2023 at Bhiwadi. Approx 16 events witnessed the participation of 173 active senior citizens from Ashiana’s senior living communities in Bhiwadi, Lavasa-Pune, Chennai, and Jaipur.

Contrary to the notion that senior citizens lead sedentary lives, the seniors at Ashiana Housing lived life to the fullest during the event. They participated in exciting sports activities such as cycling, walking, table tennis, badminton, Sudoku and chess tournaments, in addition to creative and cultural activities such as poster making, singing, dancing, and ramp walks.

The event showcased the theme of “My Glamorous Life Amkita”. It was brought to life by the inspiring individuals who walked the ramp with boundless enthusiasm, showcasing no matter what stage of life one is at, they can live their dreams with passion and determination.

Mr. Ankur Gupta, Joint Managing Director of Ashiana Housing, expressed his happiness at the dedication and excitement of the senior residents for the Jashn event. “Jashn is an event which I eagerly wait for every year. It gives me an opportunity to interact with our residents and witness their exceptional performances, which is always overwhelming,” he shared. He further revealed that high-level participation was seen during the qualifying competitions held in various locations, which prompted the organization to include them in regular events. “Our team puts in a lot of effort to bring it all together and make it successful, and I am incredibly proud of them,” he added.

The senior residents were thrilled to participate in such an event and reminisce about their post-retirement lives. They shared their experiences, memorable moments, and skills, exhibiting their sense of competitiveness and enthusiasm. The event brought together seniors from different senior living communities to celebrate their golden years and cherish life’s precious moments.

One of the participants shared her appreciation for the Jashn event, highlighting the importance of providing senior citizens with a platform to enjoy life to the fullest. She emphasized that “Events like Jashn remind us that we are never too old to have fun and make new memories.”

But Jashn isn’t just about the competitions and awards. It’s about celebrating the golden years of our seniors and providing them with a platform to unite, share their experiences, and create remembrance. It’s about giving them a chance to revive their sense of competitiveness and experience an adrenaline rush even during their retirement years.

Another participant expressed his gratitude for Jashn, saying, “Senior citizens have spent a lifetime working hard, caring for their loved ones, and nurturing the next generation. Ashiana Housing Ltd recognizes the invaluable contributions of these inspiring individuals and honors them with a two-day extravaganza, Jashn, providing them with a platform to celebrate the golden years of their lives.”

Pacific D21 Mall, Dwarka, had recently partnered with Radisson Blu Hotel New Delhi Dwarka to host “Pacific Super Chef,” known as Dwarka’s biggest culinary talent hunt. The brand partners of the event were Smart Bazar, Licious Kitchen, and Barbeque Nation.

The “Pacific Super Chef” auditions were held on 24th February. Mr Kheem Singh Adhikari, Territory Chef, Barbeque Nation, was the judge of Pacific Super Chef Day 1. He has over ten years of experience as a Culinary Chef. The audition rounds saw a participation of 60 people, out of which 10 were selected for the Grand Finale. The Pacific Super Chef Grand Finale took place on 25th February. Event Parks put the event together.

Radisson Blu Hotel New Delhi Dwarka’s famous banquet chef, Sunil Kumar, was the judge at the “Pacific Super Chef” grand finale on Saturday, held on 25th February. Having vast culinary experience, Sunil Kumar won the Bronze Medal at the Aahar competition in March 2018. He also shared his experiences with the contestants.

The contestants cooked a diverse range of wholesome Indian and continental dishes within a stipulated time. The “Pacific Super Chef” saw a fount of talent from various corners of Delhi, which impressed the judge, Sunil Kumar. The show enjoyed an excellent audience turnout.

The winners were announced at the end of the show. Mrs Charu Mathur secured the first position. Chef Prince Pradhan and Mrs Subhra Mandal were declared first and second runners-up, respectively.

The winner received vouchers worth Rs 10,000. The runners-up, on the other hand, got vouchers worth Rs 5,000. They also received certificates and exciting vouchers from Raddison Blu Hotel New Delhi Dwarka, Barbeque Nation, and other brands.

Commenting on the event’s success, Abhishek Bansal, Executive Director, Pacific Group, said, “Pacific D21 Mall, Dwarka conducted a spectacular event, Pacific Super Chef. The show successfully gave a platform to culinary experts and cooking gems with a pioneering future ahead. We saw equal participation from men and women at the competition, reflecting a notable social change. I wish each contestant and winner of the show the best for their future.”

Bengaluru, February 28, 2023: Jana Small Finance Bank, a leading small finance bank in India, has achieved a significant milestone by opening 751 branches across 185 cities in India and expand its affordable housing business. This move aims to cater to the increasing demand for affordable housing solutions in the country.

The total branch count of Jana Small Finance Bank now stands at 751, spread across 24 states and Union territories. The bank has prioritized expanding its footprint in unbanked rural centres, with 272 branches located in these areas, accounting for 36% of the total branch count. Moreover, 396 branches of the bank offer housing loans, representing 53% of the total number of branches.

Jana Small Finance Bank has also taken the lead in digital banking solutions by launching three Digital Banking Units (DBUs), which are 100% digital branches. One of these branches, located in Bihta, is an all-women branch. These DBUs have helped the bank provide innovative and convenient banking solutions to its customers.

Jana Small Finance Bank’s expansion is a significant step towards providing affordable housing solutions to the people of India. By launching 15 new branches that offers housing loans, Jana Small Finance Bank has further strengthened its presence in the affordable housing market.

Mumbai, February 28, 2023: Ecom Express Limited, a new-age technology-driven full stack logistics solutions provider to the e-commerce industry, today announced the expansion of its fulfilment network by setting up its fulfillment centre in Chandigarh. This will be the Company’s first grocery fulfilment center in Punjab and 60th fulfilment centre in India.

The new grocery centre in Chandigarh sprawls across the area of approximately 90,000 Sq. ft. The site has been selected for its strategic location-based network centricity. It is designed to support over 30 dark stores to supply grocery items on demand, speed to market and customers. With this growth, the grocery chain will be able to serve a wider range of customers and transport their orders to towns in neighboring states and the region more quickly.

The facility has a value creation area that provides labelling, packaging, and dispatch services, with an average inventory of close to 2.8 million items and processing capacity to handle up to 270,000 units throughput per day at full capacity. Modern Vertical Reciprocal Conveyors (VRCs) lifts, and spiral conveyers with long-span multi-tier shelving will optimise the operations to give high mobility and speed in the movement of items. Furthermore, with temperature-controlled system, up to -20 degrees, the facility can handle fruits and vegetables operations with less chances of wastage.

K. Satyanarayana, Co-founder & Director, Ecom Express, said, “We are investing heavily in technology, design, solutions, logistics, and infrastructure, as well as in seller enablement. We are also focused on developing a strong and resilient fulfilment network in Punjab. Our commitment to work with the state in accelerating fantastic growth and generating job opportunities for local youth is demonstrated by our continuous efforts to grow. Not only will this centre expand our client’s reach but will also help extend our business capabilities.’’

More than 500 people will work at the new fulfilment centre to manage the growing volume of grocery orders. The company will make sure that 30% of workers in the Chandigarh facility are women in order to have a gender-balanced workforce. The company has 10% women representation in its top-management and runs 6 all-women delivery centers as well.

The company’s fulfilment network facilities are created with energy-saving solutions. The new centre incorporates several sustainability features, including a sewage treatment facility, rainwater harvesting, and safety features including fire detection, suppression, and suppression system, as well as employee evacuation procedures.

The Company’s Fulfilment Service vertical caters to B2B and B2C models and serves various industries, including fashion, apparel, accessories, cosmetics, consumer electronics and many more.

Bengaluru, February 28, 2023: Cashfree Payments, India’s leading payments and API banking company, announced its strategic acquisition of Zecpe, a one-click checkout company. Zecpe enables e-commerce businesses to improve checkout conversion by making the process quick and seamless for customers. Zecpe will now operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cashfree Payments.

With this acquisition, Cashfree Payments will further enhance its Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) checkout capabilities and give its merchants an elevated end-to-end checkout and payment experience. Zecpe helps merchants increase conversion rates, supporting incremental monetisation and scaling. This will provide a seamless flow to Cashfree Payments’ existing merchant base. This acquisition will also enable Cashfree Payments to offer additional value-added services like Return to Origin (RTO) reduction, fraud detection, and address pre-filling, among others. The solution provided by Zecpe is in line with Cashfree Payments’ product strategy which focuses on the benefits to end customers of their merchants.

Akash Sinha, CEO and Co-Founder, Cashfree Payments said, “It gives us immense pleasure to announce our strategic acquisition of Zecpe. We see immense synergies between our existing products and the solutions offered by Zecpe, making it an excellent addition to our D2C Payments Suite enabled for e-commerce businesses. We are certain that this acquisition will strengthen our D2C one-click checkout capabilities and further elevate our leadership position in the SMB space. At Cashfree Payments, we are focused on offering the widest range of payments solutions and thereby constantly evolving our product suite to cater to the changing needs of our merchants.”

Hriday Agarwal, Founder of Zecpe, will join the Cashfree Payments’ team as Head, E-commerce – Checkout. The employees of Zecpe will also join Cashfree Payments along with him, to help scale the product further.

Talking about the acquisition Hriday Agarwal said, “We are very excited to become part of one of the leading payments companies in India and will work together to grow our business further. D2C space is exploding in India and presents a fantastic opportunity to help e-commerce players increase their conversion rates and reduce COD fraud and returns. Since we have one of the largest networks of prominent brands working with us, we know this space very well. Businesses across different industries use our solutions today. We see a natural fitment with Cashfree Payments’ payments stack. We believe that integrating Zecpe’s solution with the company’s offerings will enable end-to-end checkout and payment solutions to clients. The products that we have developed will benefit from the scale that Cashfree Payments has built over the years.”

Cashfree Payments currently powers over 3,00,000 merchants to collect payments and make payouts via all available methods with simple integration. The company has direct integrations with banks, card networks and third-party players for the highest success rates. It strives for continuous innovation to anticipate merchant needs and develop industry-leading products. Cashfree Payments has been a preferred payments platform for e-Commerce and D2C companies such as Nykaa, FirstCry, Nature’s Basket, BigBasket, Zomato, Noise, Bella Vita Organic, MyFitness among others. The company provides solutions such as Payment Gateway, Buy Now Pay Later, Cashgram, Easy split, Payment links, Instant refunds, and Instant Settlements, which are well suited for e-commerce and D2C businesses.

Cashfree Payments had previously acquired Telr, a leading Payment Service Provider (PSP) in UAE and Saudi Arabia, as a part of its strategy to expand its footprint in the MENA region.

With over 50% market share among payment processors, Cashfree Payments today leads the way in bulk disbursals in India with Cashfree Payments Payouts. India’s largest lender, SBI has invested in Cashfree Payments, underscoring the company’s role in building a robust payments ecosystem. Cashfree Payments works closely with all leading banks to build the core payments and banking infrastructure that powers the company’s products and is also integrated with major platforms such as Shopify, Wix, Paypal, Amazon Pay, Paytm and Google Pay. Apart from India, Cashfree Payments products are used in eight other countries including the USA, Canada and UAE.

Citroën India launched the much-awaited New Citroën Ë-C3 All-Electric at a special introductory price of ₹ 11,50,000 (ex-showroom Delhi). This full BEV B-hatch is from the C-Cubed family of vehicles and is built at its manufacturing facility in Thiruvallur, Tamil Nadu. The New Citroën Ë-C3 All-Electric deliveries to the B2B and B2C segment will start from February end through the La Maison Citroën phygital showrooms across the country.

The New Citroën Ë-C3 All-Electric: Introductory prices (ex-showroom Delhi)

The New Citroën Ë-C3 All-Electric is now available for retail at La Maison Citroën phygital showrooms in 25 cities, namely, New Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kochi, Chennai, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Lucknow, Bhubaneswar, Surat, Nagpur, Vizag, Calicut, Guwahati, Bhopal, Karnal, Dehradun, Rajkot, Mangalore and Coimbatore. All showrooms will be equipped with DC Fast Charging facility provided by Jio-bp and will cater to all EV vehicle owners.

Citroën will also extend its 100% direct online buying – BUY ONLINE – for the New Citroën Ë-C3 All-Electric. Customers in major Indian cities will be covered through this direct online initiative and can order directly from the factory and get doorstep delivery of their Electric Vehicle.

Citroën will also launch connectivity apps like MY CITROËN CONNECT and C-BUDDY on the New Ë-C3 All-Electric. Available on both iOS & Android, My Citroën Connect hosts 35 smart features including Driving behaviour analysis, Vehicle tracking, Emergency services call, auto crash notification, over-the-air software updates, Usage-based insurance parameters and first in segment 7-year subscription.

For the aftersales network named the L’Atelier Citroën, the company will offer unique services like remote diagnostics and 100% parts availability to assure New Citroën Ë-C3 All-Electric customers of a stress-fee ownership experience. Citroën Service on Wheels will enhance reach and availability for customers covering most common repairs at customer’s doorstep. This represents the Citroën Service Promise that extends “Comfort at Your Fingertips” for customers.

Extended Warranty options for New Citroën Ë-C3 All-Electric available:

B2B – Upto 5Y / 200k km (5 products available within this range)

B2C – Upto 5Y / 140k Km (4 products available within this range)

Extended Warranty Add-on Products

B2B (Only eMotor & Battery) – Upto 7Y / 200k km (3 products available within this range)

B2C (Only eMotor) – Upto 7Y / 140k Km (2 products available within this range)

Roland Bouchara, CEO & Managing Director, Stellantis India, said, “The launch of the New Citroën Ë-C3 All-Electric is a key milestone for  Stellantis in India. With this launch, Citroën moves from being a newcomer in the ICE passenger vehicle segment to a key player in the Electric vehicle segment. Thanks to the engineering and development by our teams and local suppliers on the Smart Car Platform, we have been able to bring this affordable full BEV within 6 months of the launch of the ICE variant of the New C3 and that is a commendable achievement.”

Saurabh Vatsa, Brand Head, Citroën India, remarked, “We are excited to launch the New Citroën Ë-C3 All-Electric

for the young and progressive customers who will  enjoy the CLEVER, COMFORT & COOL product propositions. The vehicle was developed keeping in mind the Indian audience and their unique needs and preferences. Ë-C3 delivers a certified driving range of 320 km per charge (MIDC cycle), 100% DC fast charging capability, and a plethora of intuitive technology-driven features. With the famed Citroën Advanced Comfort on board combined with an efficient e-powertrain, we are certain that the New Citroën Ë-C3 All-Electric will meet the expectations of both private customers’ and fleet operators.”

Customers can now test-drive and experience the New Citroën Ë-C3 All-Electric by visiting a La Maison

Citroën phygital showroom near them and/or book/buy the car online at www.citroen.in.

Rabin Patra, Co-Founder and Head of Tarana India

Pune, India – February 28, 2023 – Tarana Wireless, Inc., the industry’s performance leader and new category creator in ngFWA, today announced the opening of its new office building in the central business district of Baner in Pune, Maharashtra. Serving as the company’s upgraded hub for R&D, the Tarana team has made a strategic move to establish itself in India for the long-term.

The primary objective of the facility is the development of Tarana’s revolutionary solutions to meet the evolving needs of the wireless broadband industry. With a sharp focus on leveraging India’s top technology talent, the Pune hub will house a team of experienced professionals committed to providing high-quality wireless broadband to bridge the digital divide in India. Tarana intends to have 200 software engineers across multiple experiences and domains, including embedded software, cloud native software, machine learning, product management, and technical support in the next two years.

Speaking of the launch, Sud Verma, Tarana’s VP of Engineering, said, “It is an exciting time for us to be making our presence felt in India. The key components of our platform and innovation are being driven by our team of world class experts in Pune, including our massively scalable cloud-based network management system and key technologies on our current and next generation products.”

Rabin Patra, Co-Founder and Head of Tarana India, added, “We are poised to support the next phase of the internet revolution in India, especially in underserved areas where many still use broadband service that is 5 Mbps or slower. Tarana’s ngFWA technology will significantly reduce the time it takes to deploy high-speed internet to rural and urban communities, and with lower capital and operational costs, as it requires far less infrastructure than fibre solutions. We look forward to seeing internet service providers in India embrace our platform with as much enthusiasm as we have experienced in our current markets.”

Tarana’s employee base currently spans across the United States, India, Mexico, Malaysia, and South Africa with active customer deployments across 10 countries including the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil, Chile, Australia, Puerto Rico, and Ghana. More than 200 global internet service providers have embraced Tarana’s G1 platform since its launch in late 2021.

The upgraded Pune office will drive more growth in India for years to come. Visit https://taranawireless.com/careers to view all open positions.