Category business

Bangalore, 08, February 2023: SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) Impact awards USD 200,000 (approx. 1.63 Cr) grant to a consortium including Varthana, Global Schools Forum (GSF), Kaizenvest, and IDP Foundation. This grant is supported by Convergence Blended Finance.

The grant is to improve access to quality education across selected geographies in South Asia and Africa through impact-linked financing. This initiative would be funded by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO, the Swiss Development Cooperation Agency SDC, the UBS Optimus Foundation, and the Credit Suisse Foundation.

The consortium of Varthana, Kaizenvest, IDP Foundation, and Global Schools Forum, proposes to set up a Global Finance for Education Fund to provide USD 35 million of catalytic and investment capital to financial institutions and intermediaries serving private ECD (Early Childhood Development), LCPS (Low-Cost Private Schools) and skill development providers, across 6 countries in South Asia, Africa, and potentially South America.

The consortium’s impact finance design idea was selected alongside six other winners from 76 applications for its potential to make a meaningful difference in the lives of underprivileged children aged between 0-18 years. The final winners were chosen by a team from Convergence and SDG Impact Finance after reviewing impact finance design ideas from the four UN Sustainable Goals: SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).

The consortium’s solution is designed to support Low-fee Private Schools to improve learning outcomes and equity in almost 520,000 low-middle-income learners enrolled in schools across the 6 identified countries (India, Pakistan, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, and Nigeria).

It also aims to accelerate progress toward learning recovery by facilitating access to more and better financial instruments through:

1.  Increasing the amount of debt capital and equity investments available for on-lending to LCPS;
2.  Scaling up and improving the pilot conducted by Varthana of tying financial loans for LCPS to clear rewards for improving access and learning outcomes for girls and marginalized groups, and for improving access to finance for women proprietors or LCPS

New Delhi, February 08, 2023: Eli Bitton, an Israel-origin fashion house, officially opened its first flagship store in Delhi, India, in December 2022. The showroom features one of the largest selections of ready-to-wear exquisitely embroidered evening gowns in the Delhi NCR.

Eli Bitton has stores and fashion houses in Haifa, Israel, and West Delhi, India. The brand, which has been present in Israel for over three decades, is now establishing its presence in India by offering unique designs and contemporary apparel selection with more size options for women. They believe that women need to feel at ease in whatever they want to wear. It is one of the first designer labels with a dedicated embroidery studio.

Yehuda Bitton, COO & Fashion Designer at Eli Bitton said, “2022 was indeed one of the best financial years in the past decade. We have received an amazing response from our customers since our launch in India. The majority of our clients are repeated customers who purchased online or those who follow us on social media and have been anticipating the store’s launch. The most satisfying aspect is that ninety percent of the women who tried our designs purchased them. We do not doubt that our brand has a place for new outlets in India, particularly in Delhi. As of now, our focus is to build a robust, professional, and skilled team in India.”

After facing a sudden slowdown during the pandemic, the fashion brand expanded its design departments to cater to a larger audience. Their casual-wear and leisure suit section saw considerable growth in sales. Eli Bitton intends to open its franchisee in the near future with a vision to preserve the quality and exclusivity of its designs.

08 FEBRUARY 2023, NEW DELHI: NFTICALLY, a Web3 e-commerce Martech platform, has raised $1 million in an equity funding round led by Spartan Group and Polygon Ventures. The company will use the funds to expand COMEARTH, the world’s first Gamified Social E-Commerce & Brand Engagement Metaverse ecosystem. Blockchain Founders Capital,  Mafatlal family office, and Bollywood producer Subhash Ghai also participated in the funding round.

The company plans to use the funds to double down on its technology stack as it builds COMEARTH, a Metaverse platform. NFTICALLY also plans to ramp up hiring and invest more in research and development as it works towards building a seamless infusion of NFTs in all major industries, such as e-commerce, manufacturing, healthcare, and more.

“We’re extremely glad for the continuous support and interest that our investors have shown in us. With this round, we welcome the teams of Spartan Group, Blockchain Founders Capital, Blockchain Founders Fund, Mafatlal Family Office, and Bollywood producer Subhash Ghai on COMEARTH as our key partners. With this, we will aim to utilize the funds to create awareness about NFTs. Currently, it has become crucial to spread the word about NFTs and help everyone understand their validation while taking on the negative rumors around the ecosystem,” said Toshendra Sharma, CEO of NFTICALLY.

“In June’22, we announced the world’s first Gamified Social E-Commerce & Brand Engagement Metaverse ecosystem COMEARTH. The private beta version of the platform has grown significantly since then, with brands such as Polygon, CEAT, Metro Brands, Zipmex, BollyCoin, and Zee Studios, among many others, jumping on the bandwagon. We are soon announcing the public version and are bullish on COMEARTH’s growth in the coming months,” he added.

“By investing in NFTICALLY, we are working to push the boundaries of metaverse engagement. We find ourselves increasingly impressed by COMEARTH’s unique position and its ease of use that make it well suited to bring brands, influencers, and masses into web3” stated Sagar Barvaliya, VC at Blockchain Founders Capital.

NFTICALLY, founded by Toshendra Sharma and Rohendra Singh, enables users and organizations with no technical knowledge to build their own white-label NFT marketplace. On these marketplaces, organizations can let their users create, exchange, and buy non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The platform also supports a ton of native integrations, including Shopify, Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Mailchimp, Zapier, etc.

The company also provides a free Web3 academy and organizes webinars with global Web3 experts, in addition to running informative newsletters, blogs, and Twitter Spaces to provide more information about the NFT ecosystem. The company’s clientele includes prominent platforms such as BollyCoin, Mafatlal Industries, THIZZ Entertainment, Merchit, Zixel by Zipmex, and SporteNFT Marketplace.

Prior to this round, NFTICALLY saw the backing of several angel investors, including Jaynti Kanani (Polygon Labs), Sandeep Nailwal (Polygon Labs), Surojit Chatterjee (Ex-Coinbase), Nitish Mittersain (Nazara Games), Gaurav Munjal (Unacademy), and Sujeet Kumar (Udaan) among others.

Mumbai, 8th February 2023: ONN, from the house of Lux Industries (BSE: 539542 | NSE: LUXIND), one of the country’s largest innerwear manufacturers, known for its innovative and customer-demand-driven product offerings, manufacturing more than 100 products across 14 major brands comprising a complete range of innerwear and outerwear for men, women, and children, has yet again created a buzz with its new TVC campaign film highlighting a premium collection of the brand. Targeted to every individual consumer across ages, the campaign has been created by Wunderman Thompson, Kolkata, and is directed by Hypno.

Speaking on the launch of the new campaign, Mr. Saket Todi, Executive Director, Lux industries said “We always wanted to project ONN as youthful and footloose. We have kept the brand aspirational and the pricing within reach. The primary objective was to get noticed, which is why, we went ahead with advertising themes, locations and cast which have the potential to grab eyeballs and help the brand to build a stronger connection with its target audience. To meet the expectations and aspirations of the young people of today, a wide variety of designs of the highest quality and most practical styling have been offered”.

The campaign projects ONN as a premium wear providing comfort to men in all in all situations, no matter how trying or testing it is. The TVC also highlights ONN as global wear while reinforcing the brand’s positioning of complete comfort. ONN is the Premium Innerwear/Athleisure brand under the umbrella of Lux Industries Limited. Specially crafted for the young, energetic, and suave generation, the ONN range of premium wear brings luxury into casual fashion and effectively touches the style nerve of the modern Indian male. ONN’s collection includes vest, briefs, polo & tees, boxers, shorts, hoodies, track, and sweatshirts. Over the years, ONN has experienced remarkable growth and has built a niche for itself in the hosiery industry and has a robust customer acquisition management which has resulted in a strong brand recall. The campaign will be promoted heavily across all digital platforms, television, and OOH and engage with the audience through multiple touchpoints.

Arjun Mukherjee, VP & Senior ECD, Wunderman Thompson, Kolkata, said, “The biggest challenge was to tell an interesting story with a twist in 20 seconds. That’s why we thought of scripts with minimum or zero dialogue which would establish the product positioning without impeding the pace of the storyline. Similar to our previous films for ONN, international settings, and actors have been used to amplify the aspiration levels”.

Lux Industries has always been proactive in adopting newer methods of production developing innovative products and targeting the right audience through first-of-its-kind branding and promotional activities. Its customer-centric approach has helped the brand to expand its visibility and created strong brand equity for the entire brand portfolio across 47 countries. A strong assortment of 15 brands offering mass, mid-premium, and premium products across demographics, has helped the brand outperform the market and generate a pricing premium.

Link to the film: (14) ONN Piggy Back TVC |ONN Polos & Tees | Total Comfort #Premiumwear – YouTube

Mumbai, February 8th, 2023: Digi2L, India’s first consumer tech startup that offers Instant Trade-In and Exchange services for Large Appliances across Retail stores and eCommerce sites have launched Assured Buyback Plans for select home appliances. This first-in-India program will let customers decide their appliance’s resale price on the day of purchase. The Smart Assured Buyback by Digi2L saves the hassles of bargaining when customers sell their appliances and gives customers great savings to upgrade to a new model. All this is within the comfort of the customer’s home with Digi2L’s free doorstep pick-up facility across the most prominent cities.

Available for purchase with the New Appliance, the buyback scheme will be starting at Rs.299 for a large home appliance like the washing machine and go up to Rs 9999 for a premium model of appliance like a Television whose invoice price would be 5 Lakhs. The Plan can be bought along with the new appliance purchase at several key brand stores and com sites and can be activated through an easy registration process with minimal documentation. The Smart Buy feature is also active for large home appliances on the website of Digi2L.

Alok Mathur, Co-Founder of Digi2L, shared, “In India, on average, users tend to change their Appliances every 4-5 years and the value of the appliance depreciates right after the purchase. Selling the old appliance is a big task for consumers. We identified the challenge around this and tailored our unique Smart Assured Buyback offering which not only offers an assured price but also saves the consumers to look out for buyers. As a brand, we have always focused on creating unique propositions for our consumers and have created yet another one to continue the momentum. We are confident that this plan will create more opportunities for technology lovers to experience innovation and also address the need of the hour by making upgrade options affordable, easy, and convenient for users.”

With Smart Assured Buyback powered by Digi2L, users can encash their appliance at any time after 6 months till 60 months of the purchase date. The exchange value will range from 70 to 20 percent of the Invoice price of the appliance. The customer will get the facility of a video quality check at the time of redeeming the plan. The doorstep picks up of the old appliance and instant payment add to the seamless experience of the product.

The plan offers up to 60 percent assured value within 6 to 12 months, 50 percent within 13 – 24 months, 40 percent between 25-36 months, and 30 percent between 37 – 48 months, and 20 percent between 49 – 60 months.

February 08, 2023, India: The Gera School (TGS), one of the most prestigious schools in Goa, recognized by the nationally and internationally accepted Cambridge Board, is sending up its first batch of students for the 2023 Cambridge IGCSE examination. 10 students have qualified and undergone rigorous academic training at the school for the examinations slated to be held in February – March 2023.

The Cambridge IGCSE examination has a syllabus that compares easily with any other curriculum offered in India. It has academic rigor, a diversity of content, and an evaluation procedure that ensures high standards along with consistency and reliability. Teachers have been trained in delivering the curriculum (through Introductory and Extension courses) and this has been invaluable in ensuring that there is no disparity in the school’s efforts and what is expected of the students in the examination.

The work done by TGS is an extension of the motto that the institute lives by, nurturing individuality. From commencement till date, the school has remained committed to ensuring that every student gets the opportunity to thrive amid a holistic environment that promotes productivity and encourages them to strive for personal growth and success.

With a broader intent of building self-esteem by fostering individuality and making students skilled, confident, and lifelong learners, the school has employed experienced and qualified staff, with experience and knowledge that remains unrivaled in the educational sector in Goa.

Speaking on the announcement, Mr. Rohit Gera, Managing Director of Gera Developments, and Chairman of the Advisory Committee of The Gera School said, “At Gera, we live by the dictum that education is the movement from darkness to light. In accordance with this belief, we commenced The Gera School. The idea was to revolutionize the education space, especially in Goa, and present young aspirants with opportunities that can help them explore their potential and climb ladders of professional success. Enabling training and access to information are some of our ways to reinforce their preparation process for the upcoming IGCSE exams. I want to personally extend my best wishes to all the students and good luck for their future endeavors.”

Mr. Carol Joseph, Principal of The Gera School, commented, “There is immensely hard work, dedication, and training that goes into the preparation for the Cambridge IGCSE exam. We are proud of this very first batch appearing for the Cambridge IGCSE Examination from The Gera School for continuing to put in the hours required to excel. We are equally proud of our faculty members who give of themselves and work diligently and thoughtfully to keep the students motivated to learn and face challenges head-on. On behalf of all our staff, I wish our students continued success in their academic year.”

TGS, which continually seeks to invest in the betterment of its students & faculty, and the institute as a whole, takes pride in its fully equipped infrastructure that features an auditorium; Physics, Chemistry, and Biology laboratories; a spacious library; and an open activity area among other things. Moreover, to make education accessible to all, the institute has facilitated scholarships to 10 deserving students for pursuing studies at The Gera School.

While the students appear for the IGCSE Examinations, The Gera School has opened admissions for the Academic year 2023 – 2024. The campus is situated in Kadamba Plateau and is spread impressively over four acres.

[Mumbai, February 08, 2023]: Control Print Limited announced a Joint Venture with V-Shapes S.r.l., an innovative supplier of sustainable single-dose sachets and manufacturer of packaging machinery based in Bologna, Italy, enabling Control Print for the first time to bring this cutting-edge technology to the Indian market. This joint venture combines Control Print’s expertise in coding and marking technology with V-Shapes’ innovative packaging machinery with “Snap then Squeeze” technology to produce Recyclable/Biodegradable single-use packets for a wide range of products including liquids, viscous and powdered content.

V-Shapes has developed patented unit-dose packaging machines in collaboration with Siemens, designed to create an easy-to-use system with “Snap then Squeeze” technology that requires only three fingers to open a sachet without cutting & tearing. This visionary packaging machine developed by V-Shapes is intended to reduce the environmental impact of packaging. The single-portion pouches are easy to open, hygienic, and safe to use, making them ideal for food, cosmetics, medicines, pharmaceuticals, and chemical products.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with V-Shapes,” said Shiva Kabra, Joint Managing Director of Control Print Limited. “Their ingenious packaging machinery and commitment to sustainability align perfectly with our values and mission. We are excited to offer our customers a complete solution for branding, coding, and packaging their products. We look forward to seeing this partnership’s positive impact on the packaging industry in India.”

“We are very excited to be partnering with Control Print,” said Christian Burattini, CEO of V-Shapes S.r.l. “Their coding and marking technology expertise will be a valuable asset to our company. We look forward to working together to provide customers with a complete solution for their packaging needs. Control Print and V-Shapes are committed to working together to provide the best possible eco-friendly packaging solutions to Indian companies.”This partnership will allow Control Print to offer manufacturers a complete solution for packaging and coding their products, from the initial design to the final product, and will also enable CPL to expand its reach in the Indian market and provide customers with a broader range of recyclable packaging, technologically advanced packaging machinery and a complete range of coding solutions.

V-Shapes has also created two new substrates, reNEW oX-100 and reNEW oX-500, equipped with high-barrier capabilities and certified by Interseroh as 100% recyclable. These substrates have received extremely high ratings for detection, sorting and recycling in the industrial waste system.

India, 8th February 2022: Biz2X (a subsidiary of Biz2Credit in India) a leading Digital Lending SaaS platform that enables financial institutions to provide a customized online lending experience for their small and midsize business customers, today announced that it has appointed Vijay Kumar Jamwal as Head, HR.

In his present role, Vijay will be responsible for heading the organisation’s HR function and leading the people and culture priorities at Biz2X. He would also be responsible for strengthening the policy and process framework to enable fast paced learning and leadership development within the organization. This strategic hiring is in line with the company’s aggressive expansion plans in the year ahead.

With over 18 years of rich and diverse experience in heading HR functions in various organisations, across sectors such as information technology, banking, finance, media, education, real estate, research & advisory, and consulting, Vijay is a seasoned HR professional with a humane first approach to building and scaling organizations.

Prior to joining Biz2X, Vijay has worked with organisations such as HT Media, Citigroup, GlobalLogic, Impetus, and Gartner. He has also been consulting start-ups, helping them build HR Infrastructure for growth and build leadership capabilities across the board.

Commenting on the appointment, Rohit Arora, CEO, and Co-founder, Biz2Credit, and Biz2X, said, “We are excited to bring on board Vijay Kumar Jamwal as Head, HR. As we embark on our next phase of growth, Vijay’s unparalleled experience and expertise in diverse domains such as organizational restructuring, talent acquisition and management, manpower optimization, job evaluation, change management, acquisitions & mergers, learning & development, succession planning, performance management system, employee engagement framework, among others, will help to drive massive impact across the organisation. Given his holistic experience in building HR functions across several high value organisations, I am certain that Vijay will play an instrumental role in fostering a future-forward and inclusive culture at Biz2X.”

Vijay Kumar Jamwal, Head, of HR, commented, “I am honored to be a part of such a dynamic and fast-growing organization committed to the cause of empowering indigenous businesses, helping them to grow and scale. I am passionate about giving back to the community we serve and I look forward to working with Bix2X towards this goal by inculcating a people-centric culture within, that is built around uninterrupted learning, unwavering compassion and astute leadership.”

Vijay is an MBA from Symbiosis International University and has completed his Master’s in Labour Law and Labour Welfare from Savitribai Phule Pune University. A trekking enthusiast, Vijay also loves contributing back to society whenever possible. He has been actively contributing to rural development initiatives and mentoring team members at Cord India, for the past 12 years.

On the most romantic day of the year, we all look for gifting options which will make our loved ones feel special. We have made it easy to find the right gift for your special someone. India’s leading self-care brand ‘Inatur’ brings you “The Art of Gifting” with its range of thoughtful gift sets and exclusive Valentine’s gifts to convey love & care for your partner. Products from Inatur are curated to suit people with all skin types and their formulations are gentle, vegan, and paraben and sulfate-free. Explore Inatur’s exquisite selection of creative and category-oriented Valentine’s gifts!

• Charcoal Men’s Gift Set – INR 820/-

This men’s hamper includes Charcoal Face Mask, Scrub, and Mask. Charcoals help in removing dirt from the pores and give your skin a thorough cleansing.

• Limited Edition Eau De Parfum Mini Gift Set: INR 337/-

Looking for a perfect gift to make your loved ones happy and excited? If yes, then you need to take a look at the Limited Edition Eau De Parfum Mini Gift Set, which is unique and can never disappoint you. This set is a decent budget perfume gift set that includes 4 perfume roller balls. The scents include Delicate Flora, White Musk, Premium Woods and Oudh Bahar which makes it an ideal set for almost everyone. Crafted to provide luxurious, extravagant perfumes, Inatur’s Perfume set is a super cool choice. These perfumes are free from parabens, sulfates, and dyes.

• Foundation Makeup – INR 522/-

Inatur Foundation is enriched with the lightest natural emollient jojoba oil along with Hibiscus flower extract, lotus extract, ylang-ylang oil, and natural protein from soy peptides. A good foundation should not look cakey as if makeup is slapped on the face. A foundation based on new technology that reflects light and makes it look three-dimensional. It is enriched with broad-spectrum UVA and UVB filters which is very essential for an everyday-use product. Comes under 7 skin tones; Skinkissed, Basking Glory, Nude Fame, Dusky Beauty, Crazy Bre, Honey, and Mocha.

• Lip & Cheek Tint – INR 215/-

Inatur Lip & Cheek Tint is a natural make-up blend in 3-in-1 usable for Lips, Cheeks, and Eyes. Beautifully enhance the Cheeks, Eyes, and Lips to give a natural flush look. A deep creamy texture of tint nourishes chapped and pigmented lips and enhances your overall look. It’s a lightweight product that can be kept handy. This non-sticky tint is available in eight delightful shades for all occasions. Enriched with 100% pure and natural ingredients like Castor Oil, Argan Oil, Candelilla Wax, Shea Butter, Mango Butter, and Cocoa Butter. Suitable for all skin types and Dermatologically Tested. It is Vegan, Cruelty-Free, Sulphate Free, and does not contain Chemicals.

• Lip Gloss Gift Box: INR 710/-

Looking for something classy to dress up your pout? We’ve got your back! This incredible Lip Gloss set includes 4 of our best-selling lip gloss colors that flatter all Indian complexions and are all-occasion approved all packed in an elegant floral-colored box. Drench your lips in luminous shine with this ultra-moisturizing formula that keeps lips soft and smooth. . This innovative pout-pleaser never feels sticky and can be worn alone for a sheer moisture-glazed pout, or over lipstick for a soft, glossy glow. Go ahead — stop traffic with your dazzling lips! INATUR Lip Gloss relieves dry, chapped lips in one simple step by making them smoothed, plumped, and hydrated.

Inatur’s entire gifting, skincare, wellness, bath & body range is now available for purchase at https://inatur.in/, Inatur retail stores, and online marketplaces (Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Nykaa). To learn more about Inatur skin care, please visit www.inatur.in and follow along on Instagram (@inatur.herbals).

Mumbai, 8th February 2023: Valentine’s Day, as the world knows it, is all about the expression of love. To celebrate this season of love, KISNA Diamond And Gold Jewellery launch its latest Valentine’s Day collection called ‘Sparkling Love’ which is all about minimalist expressions of love. From time immemorial, gifting is one of the most thoughtful ways of expression and there is nothing better than jewellery as a present, especially when it is exclusively designed for special occasions.

KISNA’s Sparkling Love collection embraces the bond of love with its oh-so-charming designs that reek of elegance, timelessness, and simplicity, creating the sparkle of a lifetime. It is a perfect blend of contemporary and minimalist pieces that will prove to be a great addition to one’s personal jewellery and act as a token of appreciation for your loved ones, making them shine bright like a heera.

Talking about the new Sparkling Love Collection launched in time for Valentine’s Day, Parag Shah, Director, KISNA Diamond & Gold Jewellery said, “KISNA being one of the biggest diamond jewellery brands in India is devoted to simplifying gifting for special occasions. There has been a consistent pattern where customers look out for curated pieces that are exquisite, themed, everyday wear and a memento. With the Valentine’s Day collection – Sparkling Love, we aim to cater to this growing demand and help customers choose the perfect gift for their loved ones that are trendy and minimalistic in design.”

KISNA’s Valentine’s Day collection – Sparkling Love comprises:

The Layers of Love Pendant Sets: The heart-shaped pendant sets are truly inspired by the growing bond in love and can complement your partner’s modern and traditional outfits!

Korean Heart: The beautifully jewelled Korean Heart set has a mini heart in a matte finish that flexibly rotates around when touched and this one is sure to be a hit for all K-Drama lovers.

Chain Pendant: For the first time ever at KISNA, the collection comprises of pendants with chains, giving a classic look. Every woman would want a fashion accessory so versatile yet so pretty!

Message Rings: Rings with special messages engraved on them – this is a way to express your feelings and emotions without words, with only love.

Watch Charms: The newest addition to KISNA’s overall collection is an eye-catcher – these charms for watches are good for modern-day gifting.

The full Valentine’s Day collection – Sparkling Love can be purchased online on the website and is now available in stores.