Category business

New Delhi, March 2023: PURE EV has commenced deliveries of its latest commute electric motorcycle, the ecoDryft, much ahead of schedule. The initial set of vehicles were delivered at their dealership outlets across Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh. Company has made stocks available across Pan India outlets and deliveries will happen on the auspicious day of Ugadi/Padwa, 22nd March 2023.

The first owner of a brand new ecoDryft, Mr. Nagendra Rao said, “As an existing petrol motorcycle owner, I have been eagerly waiting for an electric motorcycle that fits my budget for a long time and delivers 100 KM range. When I heard about ecoDryft launch in February, I went to the nearest dealership (eDrive Motors, Hyderabad), took a test drive and booked the vehicle in February and am taking it home in March”.

PURE launched ecoDryft at an inaugural price of Rs 99,999/-* last month. As per PURE, ecoDryft has a top speed of 75 KMPH and range up to 130 KM with three driving modes. The drive-train has AIS 156 certified 3.0 KWH battery with smart BMS and bluetooth connectivity, powered by 3 KW Motor, CAN based Charger, Controller and Instrument Cluster enabling the platform for any future firmware upgrades.

Highlighting on deliveries commencement milestone of ecoDryft, Mr. Rohit Vadera, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, PURE EV, said, “We got tremendous response and very positive feedback for the all new ecoDryft from individuals, Institutions, Delivery agencies and even governmental bodies. We have received 10,000+ bookings so far and we aim to deliver 50% of these by the end of May and the remaining 50% by July.

We have received enquiries from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Middle East, South Africa and Brazil. This bodes well for the aggressive expansion plans that the company has envisaged across Pan India and the globe”.

PURE EV has been expanding its product portfolio which are available via their 130+ exclusive dealerships across Pan India. The company plans to further expand its footprint across 300 cities by the end of 2023.

Apexon, a digital-first technology services company, is celebrating International Women’s Day, 2023 with a series of webinars and panel discussions across its offices in India, the U.S., and the U.K., as well as a hackathon where employees can ideate, code and build innovative digital technology solutions to help bridge the equity gap. Drawing upon its digital expertise, Apexon is hosting the events under the banner “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.”

“We all have a role to play in creating a world that celebrates diversity and values inclusion,” says Leila Modarres, Chief Marketing Officer, Apexon. “And at Apexon, with our philosophy of human-centric digital both in our business and in our purpose, we believe that a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce that celebrates unique perspectives is essential to solving business problems while placing humans at the heart of it.”

The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) is #EmbraceEquity. IWD is held each year on March 8th, and is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.

Out in the communities it supports, Apexon Ignite, the company’s CSR program, is also hosting several STEM-themed contests, quizzes and educational sessions for girls from underprivileged communities. Special events for the children include trips to the Apexon offices for an immersive digital technology experience at our digital labs. And in Ahmedabad, Ignite volunteers have planned an all-day educational trip to Science City.

Two causes that the Ignite CSR program champions are vocational training for livelihood and financial independence; and menstrual health in underserved communities. Ignite has partnered with Karma, an NGO, to work with women inmates of Sabarmati prison and teach them skills that will enable them to be financially stable after their release. These women have been given tailoring lessons and have made over 50,000 biodegradable sanitary pads.

Throughout March of this year, these ‘Sabarmati Saheli’ pads will be distributed to women and girls from disadvantaged communities across 100 locations in India as part of the Apexon Happy Periods Drive. The Sabarmati Saheli pads will also be given to all our partner schools. Furthermore, Apexers can also distribute these pads in their local communities.

“Every day, I am motivated by the extraordinary women around me – colleagues, clients and mentors. It’s truly inspiring to see the great work done by Apexers globally to champion the cause of gender equity,” says Modarres.

March 7th, 2023, New Delhi: Varthana was awarded USD 250,000 by UBS Optimus Foundation for its student financing solutions aimed at the lower and lower-middle income students in India, to gain better access to tertiary education. UBS Optimus Foundation awarded the Tertiary Education Financing Prize in partnership with Convergence to four winners globally, two of which are based in India, for a total of USD 1 million.

The winners were asked to identify successful existing solutions that provide inclusive, fair, and affordable financing to students in tertiary education in low and lower-middle-income countries as access to cost-effective tertiary education remains out of reach for most people from these countries

They were selected after participating in a thorough and highly competitive process, including a virtual pitch day which had applicants participating from developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The shortlisted applicants presented their solutions to a panel of expert judges and the four winners were then selected by Convergence and UBS Optimus Foundation based on the feedback of the judges. The financing solutions were evaluated based on their scalability and ability to contribute towards greatly increasing funding for tertiary education, so that more young people in emerging markets have access to high-quality education in areas that will have good employment opportunities in the future.

“We are delighted to award the Tertiary Education Prize recognizing the best solutions available today that enable students to access higher education through inclusive, fair, and affordable financing. Education is key to transforming employment opportunities and life chances and we want to develop investible, innovative, and scalable financing solutions that help more young people on this journey,” said Maya Ziswiler, CEO of UBS Optimus Foundation, on congratulating the winners.

On being awarded the prize, Steve Hardgrave, Co-Founder and CEO, Varthana, said:“I am delighted that Varthana’s solution was selected as one of the best student financing solutions from those offered by institutions across the world. Varthana, since its inception, has worked tirelessly towards making education accessible to the lower and lower-middle income segments by providing easy access to credit. This affirmation by UBS Optimus and Convergence towards our mission of providing access to quality education is heartening.”

Varthana, through its student financing solution, has disbursed over 5,000 loans to students, many of whom do not have a credit history and have limited access to financing. This is made possible through partnerships with domestic tertiary institutions whose students frequently seek financial assistance once they are admitted to colleges, universities or vocational training institutions or any other post-secondary educational programs. With the help of the prize money, Varthana will work towards scaling its student financing solution and making it more accessible to the underserved students in India.

Mumbai, March 7th, 2023: Vastu Housing Finance Corporation Limited, a digital-first housing finance company, has introduced a menstruation leave policy effective March 2023. The women employees can avail one full-day wellness leave, or two half-day wellness leaves every month, to prioritise their well-being.

The company focuses on a slew of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies to foster productivity, and innovation to empower women employees across the organisation.

Vastu Housing Finance has partnered with Global Women Connect to enable the participation of their female team members in a global mentorship program. This will provide women at Vastu with a platform to enhance and develop their leadership skills. The program facilitates year-long one-on-one mentorship for career progression with global business leaders.

The firm also offers dedicated training, upskilling, and development opportunities for women employees to build competencies in different business areas, as well as, acquire managerial skills to grow within the organisation.

In line with their commitment to advancing diversity in their workforce, Vastu will soon be launching a ‘Career Returnship’ Program for women. This program is specifically designed for women who have been on a career break for two or more years and is industry and function agnostic. Through this program, the company is committed to providing a mix of on-the-job and classroom training to selected program attendees. Those who successfully complete the training will be offered full-time positions at various corporate functions at Vastu.

Speaking on the DEI policies, Shefali Pathak, Head – of People, Diversity and Change, Vastu Housing Finance said, “Since day one of the operations, we have been very intentional about being engaging and inclusive towards all our stakeholders, especially our team members. We strongly believe that having a diverse workforce enables deeper perspectives and fosters innovation. Diversity facilitates better decision-making, increased profitability, and an engaged work climate. It enables a culture of collaboration, empathy, and agility at work, which is crucial for organisational growth. We are committed to DEI being an integral part of our business strategy.”

India 7th March 2022 – The recent catastrophic disaster in Turkey has left tens of thousands of people dead and thousands more injured. While the rescue phase is complete, the recovery and rehabilitation phase is just beginning. Many hospitals have been demolished and are not functional, and doctors, nurses, and staff have been stretched thin.

To support the country during this critical time, Apollo Hospitals and LifeSigns have partnered to donate 1000 remote patient monitoring patches. These patches can be used in settings where patients need close vital signs monitoring, including cardiac rhythm. They allow doctors to reliably monitor a patient’s heart rate, ECG rhythm, respiratory rate, temperature, and position, and can also be used to connect to oxygen saturation monitoring devices. This will free up critical care beds for the sickest patients, and those who need care outside of hospitals or in the field can use the patches.

Timely monitoring of vital signs is essential to avoid further loss of life, especially when patients may not have access to their usual care and medications, and are dealing with immense stress from their losses. Dr Sai Praveen Haranath from Apollo Hospitals stated, “Apollo Hospitals stands ready to assist Turkey in this hour of need to help with medical assistance and guidance from our entire critical care and sub-specialist teams, who can help with monitoring these patients.”

The Founder & Director of LifeSigns, Mr Hari Subramaniam, who donated the patches, understands the critical need for such a device, stating, “As a company, we have always believed that vital signs need to be monitored anywhere, anytime, and our devices allow doctors to make important decisions for their patients to prevent harm and encourage healing.”

The Turkish Medical Association Central Council General Secretary Prof. Vedat Bulut

Said, “We are thankful for humanitarian health aid and the solidarity of Apollo Hospital Group on behalf of the Turkish Medical Association. All efforts to help the earthquake victims are invaluable. Adana Medical Chamber is now the logistic centre in the disaster zone, and all medical supplies are distributed from Adana to other cities. In particular, four cities were damaged badly, and even the buildings of medical chambers collapsed in these cities.”

Dr Selahattin Menteş, Radiation Oncology Specialist, and President of Adana Medical Chamber said “We thank you for the international solidarity shown in the earthquake that affected a total of 11 provinces, including 15 million people.”

This whole endeavour was made possible through an international network of volunteers spanning many countries and required extreme coordination and cooperation from busy doctors in Turkey who were already dealing with multiple issues related to the crisis.

We are hopeful that this donation of devices and expertise will help build a medical bridge between these two great countries and alleviate suffering.

Hyderabad, 7 March 2023: Shri Vishwanath Suresh assumed office of Director (Commercial) at NMDC on March 1, 2023. He has been appointed as a Functional Director on the board of NMDC, India’s largest iron ore producer.

Prior to this appointment, Shri Suresh held the post of Executive Director (Coal Import) shouldering the responsibility of procuring over 15 MTPA of imported coal and also held additional charge of ED (Corporate Materials Management) at SAIL.

With a long service spanning over three decades in the mining and manufacturing sector, his career is marked by versatile experience in fields like sales and marketing of Steel in domestic and international markets, procurements, strategic management and policy. By virtue of commercial acumen and leadership qualities, he took numerous initiatives for systems improvement, boosting sales and revenue. He is a frequent keynote speaker at
various industrial conclaves.

Shri V. Suresh is an alumnus of the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela (formerly REC Rourkela) from where he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering. He also holds a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing and a certificate in Advanced Strategic Management course from IIM Kozhikode.

Normet has acquired Remion Ltd, a specialist in innovative business- and process-enhancing industrial internet solutions and advisory services situated in Finland. Remion employs a team of 28 professionals.

“We see Remion as a critical enabler for our digitalization strategy going forward. Remion’s capabilities in analytics and software development provide a foundation for us to utilize related skillsets in developing the Normet offering. We value Remion’s existing customer base and its significant growth opportunities. We look forward to working together with Remion to tap into these growth opportunities while ensuring that development and support continues with Remion’s existing customers”, comments Riku Helander, Senior Vice President, Services Business Line, at Normet.

“The change of ownership doesn’t change the focus for Remion. We look forward to developing IoT and analytics solutions for our customers and to further expand our customer base. Remion will continue to develop its offering and grow under new ownership”, comments Jukka Kivimäki, CEO at Remion.

Remion, founded in 2001, offers innovative IoT solutions and services for various industries, machine and equipment manufacturers, service companies and development organizations that are fundamental to efficient, forward-thinking operations. Remion is based in Tampere, Finland.

The acquisition was closed in February 2023. The parties have agreed not to disclose any financial details related to the transaction. After the acquisition, Remion continues to operate as an independent company as part of the Normet Group.

Tempe, Arizona (March 6, 2023) – BWH Hotel Group is partnering with industry-leading hotel management company, Midas Hospitality, for the management of its urban, upscale boutique Vīb hotel in Tempe, Arizona. The Tempe hotel joined BWH Hotel Group’s global Vīb portfolio in 2022 as a shining example of the brand with thoughtfully designed spaces that invite collaboration and socialization while still offering flexible function with a stylish flair.

“We conducted a thorough search process in finding the right management company for our Vīb hotel in Tempe and we are pleased to be partnering with Midas Hospitality,” said Michael Morton, Vice President of Brand Management, BWH Hotel Group. “This hotel appeals to today’s modern traveler with a truly unique and engaging stay experience, and we believe Midas Hospitality will play an important role in the future success of this property.”

This hotel features a modern lobby designed for collaborating with peers, using as a place to work for the day, or socializing after a local sporting event. The versatile public space can also flex to provide an extended lobby with contemporary furnishings suitable for large events and functions. Its Food & Beverage offerings include being home to Arizona’s first Cousins Maine Lobster restaurant bringing Maine lobster to the heart of downtown Tempe. The lobby bar provides the perfect hangout spot to indulge in crafted cocktails, light dining and espresso beverages. The hotel also features a signature rooftop lounge offering guests breathtaking views of the valley.

“We’re excited to have been selected to manage the Vīb hotel in Tempe, Arizona. With continued expansion of third-party managed hotels across the nation, Midas Hospitality is honored to welcome this upscale, vibrant hotel to its portfolio,” said Linda Eigelberger, Senior Vice President. “Midas Hospitality specializes in delivering premium performance in revenue, market share, guest experience and profitability, and we look forward to continued partnerships together.”

Home to one of the country’s largest universities, Arizona State University, Tempe is the ideal location for this urban boutique hotel. Located adjacent to Tempe’s Valley Metro Light Rail, hotel guests will have easy access to local attractions in Tempe, Phoenix and Mesa. Tempe Vīb celebrates Arizona’s rich local culture and heritage with a unique art installation on the adjacent walking path to bridge the community to the hotel.

For more information on the Vīb brand, please visit BestWesternDevelopers.com and Vib.BestWestern.com.

Gurugram, 6th March, 2023: Delhivery, India’s largest fully integrated logistics provider, is enabling several D2C brands to rapidly scale their business with its seamless onboarding platform and integrated supply chain solutions.

The Healthy Binge, JhaJi Store, Namhya Foods, and Urban Monkey to name a few, have scaled using Delhivery’s services.

Delhivery’s D2C-specific offering is designed to support the accelerated growth of many such brands. Through Delhivery’s web-based, digital, unified customer portal (UCP), companies can easily register, self-onboard, and manage all fulfilment and shipping accounts. They can perform all essential tasks through a single interface, such as order creation, pickup slot booking, order tracking, escalation management, billing, cash remittance, and claims management. Coupled with Delhivery’s extensive reach to over 18,500 pin codes, D2C brands can start shipping to customers across India in 3-simple steps.

Karan Korke, Co-founder, The Healthy Binge, said, “Post our recent appearance on Shark Tank India, our orders went up 10×, and we have started receiving demand from the remotest corners of India. Delhivery has enabled scale for us seamlessly with on-time deliveries to the new markets.” Commenting on their association with Delhivery, Kalpana Jha, Co-founder, JhaJi Store, said, “When we started our business at JhaJi Store, finding a logistics partner who delivered pan-India was one of our biggest concerns. With a technology-enabled player like Delhivery, which has simplified its onboarding process and digitized every stage of the funnel, we have scaled our business across India, all from the comfort of our hometown, Darbhanga.”

Talking about their experience with Delhivery, Ridhima Arora, Co-founder Namhya Foods, said, “Along with pan-India transportation, we also use Delhivery’s WhatsApp NDR for better customer experience and a reduced RTO.”
Yash Gangwal, Co-founder, Urban Monkey, said, “After the Shark Tank pitch, our orders went up exponentially by over 200%. Being a pre-paid only website our ops team is very light and thanks to Delhivery’s stringent doorstep quality check we were able to fulfil orders and return requests with little to no friction felt by our team.” Speaking on the partnerships, Ajith Pai, Chief Operating Officer, Delhivery, said, “First, I would like to congratulate The Healthy Binge, JhaJi Store, Namhya Foods, and Urban Monkey for their rapid growth. Since their appearance on Shark Tank India, their innovative products have become immensely popular across the country and we at Delhivery are thrilled to enable reach for them with our integrated solutions.

Along with Pan-India transportation, Delhivery’s integrated supply chain solutions enable warehousing for brands to stock closer to their customers in different geographies to reach them faster. With system integration, brands can get the flexibility to optimize inventory placement as they gather sales intelligence. Additionally, Delhivery provides value-added services such as WhatsApp-enabled communication, and doorstep quality control through QC-RVP for an enhanced customer experience.

Mumbai, 6th March, 2023: DOMS Industries Pvt Ltd announces the acquisition of a 30% equity stake in toy manufacturing company ClapJoy Innovations Private Limited. This move is part of DIPL’s strategy to expand into newer and allied product categories to capitalise on its vast global distribution reach. This move is a step towards this strategy as it will mark its presence in the growing toy industry.

ClapJoy, a Delhi NCR-based, toy manufacturing and marketing firm, was established in 2021 with the goal of delivering joy and happiness to millions of children and parents. ClapJoy produces environmentally friendly children games and toys for ages 0 to 99. ClapJoy’s portfolio of products includes wooden toys, flash cards, board games, activity kits, crochet toys and educational and creative toys manufactured using natural material and non-toxic colors. In a short span of less than two years the ClapJoy team has scaled to selling more than 5,000 units monthly catering to educational segment as well as family and party segments.

The funds raised will also enable ClapJoy to expand its product portfolio and manufacturing capabilities. While DOMS shall get access to ClapJoy’s portfolio of products, ClapJoy shall benefit from DIPL’s extensive distribution network, consumer understanding and product engineering which shall help the company increase its market share and grow its revenue through pan India presence.

With this acquisition, DOMS believes that it will replicate it’s success in the stationery industry and become a leading player in the toy industry and establish itself as a partner during the growth years of a child. Commenting on this, Mr. Santosh Raveshia, MD, DOMS said, “As one of the leading player in the stationery segment, we are elated to announce the acquisition of minority stake in ClapJoy, which will help us expand into the toy segment. Fostering our growth, customer base, and diversified product portfolio, this milestone will enable us to further propel our future projects forward. ClapJoy’s range of toys will bring an added element of fun and joy to our existing portfolio, furthering our commitment to providing quality products to our consumers. With the alignment of synergies of our two companies, we look forward to unlocking the potential of the toy segment and becoming a leading player in this segment.”

Adding further to this, Neha Agarwal, Director, ClapJoy said, “We are delighted to announce our partnership with DOMS. We share a passion and enthusiasm for catering to young age groups and believe that our combined resources and expertise will bring great value to our business. We are confident that both parties will benefit from this strategic partnership, as we bring together our shared visions and ambitions. Our aim is to work towards developing indigenously designed and manufactured, environmentally safe products and cementing strong relationships with each other. We look forward to a productive partnership.”

“Children learn through play; learning should never be forced on them. We at Clapjoy have over dozen of toys and games which are engaging kids in meaningful ways without taking away the simple joy of play” added Sudeep Mangla, CEO, ClapJoy.

Thacker & Associates, a transaction advisory firm based in Mumbai has been the exclusive advisor for the deal.