Archive: December 30, 2020

News, Technology

Rapid Innovation leading to Disruption: How Fintechs have deployed technology post COVID-19

Dec 30, 2020 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Ankit Gera, #co-founder and CEO of Simpl, #Co-Founder and CEO of Smartcoin, #Co-founder of Junio, #Crediwatch, #Founder and CEO, #Founder and CEO of RevFin, #Meghna Suryakumar, #Nityanand Sharma, #Rohit Garg, #Sameer Aggarwal

The economic crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic impacted many small businesses and low-income households. While there is emerging evidence about how COVID-19 has impacted individuals and MSMEs, the financial technology providers that serve these customer segments consequently disrupted their business models by deploying services quickly and efficiently. To mitigate the economic impacts, Fintech companies have well equipped themselves to reorient in times of crisis given their agile nature. The below-mentioned curated list of top fintech companies talk about their preparedness and agility to find solutions:

Meghna Suryakumar, Founder and CEO of Crediwatch – “Unlike most businesses, we’ve grown during 2020, especially after the lockdown. But that is the nature of our business – we enable financial inclusion through digital channels. So our business case has became stronger during the Covid19 pandemic.

With that as context, we’re excited about carrying our momentum into 2021. We are rolling out new products and upgrades. We are also growing as an organisation, so as a business leader I’m looking to build robust processes to enable our scaling up.

2020 has taught us that we need to be prepared for uncertainties that could hit us at any time. Resilience is key to surviving in the volatile world that we’ve come to inhibit, in life and in business.”

Nityanand Sharma, co-founder and CEO of Simpl – “I think one important thing we witnessed in this year’s events is the role agility played. Be it our business, our team or the consumers, what worked in our favour is being able to adapt. We have a world-class team that delivered despite the challenges we faced; we were also one of the first organizations to go remote and thus adapted to the new normal quite early on. Also, open channels of communication with our team and our stakeholders ensured we collectively delivered on our promise. We put the consumer, that is our merchants, at the core of our business to ensure that they were able to extend the best payment experience to their customers. Our team was collectively responsible and owned up their roles.”

“Leadership, agility and communication in our team is what held us through 2020 and are also elements we will be carrying forward to 2021.”

Sameer Aggarwal, Founder and CEO of RevFin – “Covid-19 pandemic has been the biggest disruptor in known living history, having uprooted several businesses. The one big benefit of the pandemic has been that most people have had the opportunity to step back and rethink their plans. Hyperlocal deliveries will be the theme of 2021 as Tier 2 and 3 towns started adopting the concept. Retail and commerce will drive this, but it will also help revive the automobile industry and electric vehicles will become a large industry. There will be a change in budget allocation for enterprises. Every investment will go through a lot of scrutinies from a sustainability perspective. We will see a big shift towards technology investments and digitisation of businesses. Physical features of businesses like office space will see a reduction as teams will adopt flexible working timing and locations.”

“Finally, I would say that organisations will also start taking physical work environment and health and safety of employees seriously, making investments in the space”.

Ankit Gera, Co-founder of Junio – “The pandemic indeed gave us a lot of learnings in the way we do business. It reinforced the fact that in fact Digital is the king and will continue to rule the market going forward from the way we do businesses externally as well as internally. We will focus on amplifying our digital capabilities for operations and also reinforce work from anywhere for our employees.  With customer sourcing and payments moving to online models, it is essential that businesses bring in out-of-the box thinking and innovative approach for sustenance. As a founder, I am now focusing more to develop social capital among our employees, since it is missing at the moment due to working remotely.”

Rohit Garg, Co-Founder and CEO of Smartcoin – 2020 has been a roller coaster ride for startups because of the Covid-19 pandemic. On one hand, the situation hiked a huge demand in the Edtech sector and the burgeoning of new startups has not stopped till now, on the other hand, many companies from travel and tourism sector have laid-off hundreds of their employees because of huge losses in their businesses and many companies even suffered the worst impact of the pandemic resulting in to close their businesses. As for the Microlending sector, it is slowly bouncing back. Since the RBI announced for the companies in the microfinance sector to give moratorium to the borrowers, the repayment rate has been low initially. However, the government’s boost first through TLTR (1 &2) and through AatmNirbhar package has helped bring liquidity to the banking and NBFC sector.

The digitization wave – started by cheap internet/smartphones and accelerated by social distancing- will lead to further adoption of digital BFSI products such as micro-credit,micro-insurance and micro-investments in 2021.

News, Technology

The year in a wrap: AI-driven Startups that shined bright in 2020

Dec 30, 2020 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #and Srikanth Muralidhara, #Byjus, #co-Founder, #Data Sutram, #Derick Jose, #Flutura Decision Sciences and Analytics, #Intello Labs, #Krishnan Raman, #NIRAMAI Health Analytix, #Staqu

2020 will go down in the history as a baseline for innumerable market developments. Thankfully, one of them includes a sharp uptick in digital adoption as well as tech-driven processes on a global level. This year, when the entire world stood still, they were the tech startups and their innovative use cases that kept the wheel of the market spinning. It barely comes as a surprise then that the growth trajectory of these startups and the markets that they cater to has been truly incredible.

So, let us have a look at some of these approaches and top-6 emerging AI startups of the year:

Data Sutram

As they say, data has now become the new oil and gold. What they don’t say is that both oil and gold have to be extracted and refined to realize their true value.

In a way, it is precisely what IAN backed Data Sutram does. The AI-based Location Intelligence platform offers deep insights to BFSI, Retail, and Healthcare/Pharmaceutical players. The platform delves into more than 200 attributes to help companies identify factors that positively and negatively affect their business. Its Spatial AI models the end-to-end data to re-evaluate their existing locations and identify new areas of growth. The Kolkata-based startup was founded in 2018 and has secured a funding of INR 2 crores from IAN this year. It now aims to add AgriTech and Media & Entertainment to its list of serviced segments.

These were some of the startups that saw the challenge of 2020 and turned it into their advantage with their innovative approach. It will be fascinating to see how things pan out for them and the startup segment at large in 2021. Interesting times are ahead of us!

NIRAMAI Health Analytix

The only Indian startup to be listed in CBInsights’ ‘100 Most Promising AI Startups’, Niramai Health Analytix is a FemTech startup that has addressed a critical pain point leveraging AI technology. The startup helps in a non-intrusive screening of breast cancer using a thermal sensor and an infrared camera. NIRAMAI’s solution backed by AI technology has eliminated the need for X-rays in mammography. It also aptly detects every single active and inactive tissue in even women aged above 45 years. All tissues tend to appear white in the X-rays of women aged more than 45 years (due to the presence of more fibroglandular tissues). A key takeaway of this approach is that breast cancer can be detected even before lumps can be felt using NIRAMAI’s proprietary technology.

During the pandemic, NIRAMAI was quick to use its proprietary AI solution ‘Thermalytix’ to automatically detect fever and other symptoms across workplaces. It can instantly inform the relevant stakeholders if any person is symptomatic and prevent the spread.

Intello Labs

Founded in 2016, Intello Labs automatically analyzes the quality of fresh produce and grades it using AI/ML technology. Its solution is tapped by supermarket chains, ecommerce platforms, aggregators, and agricultural players alike. The AI-driven approach directly reduces the value risk and augments revenues by increasing customer satisfaction. Intello Labs experienced a significant surge in demand this year as more businesses switched to lean and tech-driven models. In May, the Gurugram-based startup raised $5.9 million as a part of its Series A funding and has accelerated its global expansion plans, especially across the U.S. and the Asia Pacific.

Flutura Decision Sciences and Analytics

Co-founded by Krishnan Raman, Derick Jose, and Srikanth Muralidhara in 2012, Flutura is an AI startup that enhances Asset Uptime and Operational Efficiency. Its clients are spread across Oil & Gas, Production, and Heavy Machinery Manufacturing Industries. With its IIOT-based approach, the startup is actively driving the global transformation towards Industry 4.0, wherein connected infrastructure is becoming a part of across-the-board processes. The business is booming for Flutura as it has tripled its clients in the last 3 years with deployments across more than 120 manufacturing lines in 15 countries. Now, as more industries move towards operational efficiency, 2021 can prove to be a tipping point for Flutura Decision.

Staqu

Catering to Fortune 500 businesses, startups, police departments, and small retailers alike, Staqu has today established global benchmarks in the video and audio analytics domain. Given its sheer use cases, research-driven approach, and the value they add across Business Intelligence and security operations, the business has experienced solid traction during the yesteryears. The pandemic only catalyzed it. The AI-driven startup was quick to integrate several features including thermal-sensing fever identification, face mask identification, equipment sanitization, coughing identification, suspect face recognition, contact tracing, automatic tracing, and more. The startup also actively partnered with F&B players and helped them resume their operations.

Overall, there was a 1,000% growth in terms of deployment in a matter of months for business, driven primarily because of COVID-19-related features. Given its dynamic range of use cases for Business Intelligence and analytics, the growth prospects for Staqu are significant going forward.

BYJU’s

The EdTech segment was one of the key highlights of the year. It not only empowered thousands of stranded students, but also ensured that schools, educational institutes, and teachers do not lose the digital race. Perhaps, 2020 couldn’t have been any better for BYJU’s as it added another $200 million to its kitty in November after $500 million just a few months before. The fundraiser has increased BYJU’s valuation to $12 billion, thereby joining the list of Indian decacons. Last year, the EdTech startup had acquired Palo-Alto-based Osmo, which has increased the platform’s potential vis-à-vis Artificial

News

Zareen Khan dons her Santa costume to spread smiles this holiday season

Dec 30, 2020 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Zareen Khan

Zareen Khan is truly a beloved star from the Bollywood industry, and the actress just gave us one more reason to adore her this festive season. The pretty and talented Zareen decided to spread some joy to the underprivileged by playing Santa.

The festive season is all about being grateful, and giving back to society and your near and dear ones. Zareen Khan led by example as she donned a Santa costume and handed presents to the needy.

The actress is well known for having a huge heart and her generosity shone once more, with the smiles on the faces of the little children a priceless gift for Zareen. It warms our heart to see our on screen heroes inspire us with their good deeds in real life as well.

Zareen has shown how big her heart is on numerous occasions this year, by speaking up for what she believes in and giving a voice to the unheard sections of society. And as the year draws to a close, Zareen’s kind spirit is shown once again, what a wonderful end to this tumultuous year!

News

After NCLAT, NCLT now rightfully dismisses appeal of Hindustan Oil Exploration Company

Dec 30, 2020 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments

New Delhi: A listed oil company, Hindustan Oil Exploration Company (HOEC)’s attempt to jeopardize implementation of the Resolution Plan completed on Sept 2020 was struck down for the third time by NCLT’s Allahabad Bench on Dec 21, 2020. This comes at the backfoot of HOEC’s repeated appeal dismissals previously by the NCLAT, starting from 2018. While the Company has not paid dividends for years and the share price has been anything but speculative, the Management of HOE conniving attempts are costing the shareholders dearly.

HOEC’s guileful steps of repeatedly approaching the judiciary system is to seek a result that aligns with its malicious plan of forcing JEKPL into liquidation and then gaining control of its participating interest in Kharsang Field at nil value through one of its offshore subsidiaries. This motive was foreseen by NCLAT in March 2020 when it dismissed HOEC’s petition for the second time against NCLT, Allahabad Bench’s order on Feb 2020, declaring Invenire Energy as the successful resolution applicant in the second bidding round which was concluded in June 2019. The bench dismissed HOEC’s appeal for lacking any legal standing. During the recent and third turn down of its appeal, the Hon’ble NCLT admonished the behavior of HOEC during the court proceedings, which were held virtually. The second round of bidding itself was conducted as HOEC had disputed the NCLT Allahabad Bench awarding Invenire Energy as the successful resolution applicant on Dec 2017.

The malevolent steps of HOEC dates to 2017 when JEKPL an oil and gas holding interest in prolific Kharsang Oil Field, located in North East, was referred to the Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP) under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC). Its Committee of Creditors (CoC) included State Bank of India, EXIM, and Central Bank of India and it had no operational creditors. Two companies, one a listed oil company, Hindustan Oil Exploration Company (HOEC) and a private equity SPV, Invenire Energy, emerged as interested parties. Final bids were invited for JEKPL in December 2017 with Invenire Energy emerging as the successful resolution applicant, with endorsement by the CoC for more than qualifying the majority. Hon’ble NCLAT, Allahabad Bench, passed the award on Dec 2017 declaring Invenire Energy as the successful resolution applicant.

So far, the financial creditors comprising of State Bank of India, EXIM and Central Bank of India have received entire consideration of INR 123 crores and 100% shareholding of JEKPL have been transferred to Invenire Energy on Sept 30, 2020 and its nominees have also been appointed as Directors on the Board of JEKPL.

Health, News

SATTVIK IS NEW SKILL !

Dec 30, 2020 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Assistant Deputy Director Ganesh Dutt, #Assistant Deputy Director Graphics Dr. Nikhilesh Sharma, #Associate Professor Dr. Ravinder Kumar, #Co -Founder Mrs. Renu Kadayan, #Coo. Mr.Tarun Khanna, #Dean Academic Dr. As Sarkar, #Dean Prof. Rishipal, #Mr Raj Nehru, #Network Administrator Praveen Kumar, #Prof. Jyoti Rana, #Project Head Mr. Monu Gupta, #Sattvik Council of India, #Senior Analyst Ms. Pratishtha Awasthi and Senior Analyst Ms. Purva Sharma, #Shri Abhishek Biswas (Founder ), #Shri Vishwakarma skill University, #Vice Chancellor of the University

Gurugram: Shri Vishwakarma skill University signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sattvik Council of India on Monday at 2:30 PM. The main objective of this “MOU” sign in ceremony is to bring food safety management and quality management awareness to the youth of India, so that people can embrace these changes into their daily lifestyle by understanding the importance of nutritious & vegetarian food into their life. Some of the highlights of this “MOU” were not only meritorious but also captivating new self-reliant India, by generating a basic “dispensable income” through these courses for the youth.

Through this Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), courses will assist the youth to become skilled and sovereign, which has always been the main objective of the Shri Vishwakarma Skill University. The Sign-in Ceremony was inaugurated by the Vice Chancellor of the University Mr Raj Nehru, in which he has discussed the importance of pure vegetarian food with the founder of Sattvik Council India, Mr. Abhishek Biswas and his team members and how the importance of basic food safety management can be accustomed to the youth of India so that further on they can acquire this skill & become autarchic which will help in laying a new foundation of self-radiant India.

Sattvik Council of India is the world’s first vegetarian food safety and regulatory compliance to vegetarian and allied adherents. It always visualizes the potential and importance of quality certifications and processes specialized for the societies of the world. Not only in the FMCG sector but it also talks about sattvik tourism, hospitality & sattvic environment. At the end of the sign-in ceremony, Shri Abhishek Biswas (Founder ) put forward his thoughts by stating that

“The basic foundation of a new self-reliant country always comes from the youth of that country which nowadays neither have basic dispensable income today to bear their small expenses of daily lifestyle nor there is any institution which provides them basic knowledge to acquire those skills”

The presence of Prof. Jyoti Rana, Associate Professor Dr. Ravinder Kumar, Dean Academic Dr. As Sarkar, Dean Prof. Rishipal, Assistant Deputy Director Ganesh Dutt, Network Administrator Praveen Kumar, Assistant Deputy Director Graphics Dr. Nikhilesh Sharma from the University Role played an effective role in bringing this Memorandum of understanding on floor. Apart from that along with Mr. Abhishek Biswas (Founder) his team members were also present in the ceremony which included Co -Founder Mrs. Renu Kadayan, Coo. Mr.Tarun Khanna, Project Head Mr. Monu Gupta, Senior Analyst Ms. Pratishtha Awasthi and Senior Analyst Ms. Purva Sharma.

Business World

Give your house an elegant touch with Window Magic’s Conservatory

Dec 30, 2020 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Victorian Conservatories, #Window Magic

Nothing can surpass the beautiful innovation and charm of a classic Conservatory. With their elegant lines and exquisite detail, these structures are the ultimate extension between living space and the beautiful natural environment. Window Magic, one of the leading brands in windows and doors has come up with the Victorian Conservatories which offers a truly beautiful space to relax and enjoy the surroundings.

Contemporary conservatories use a number of technologies to ensure glass is as energy efficient as possible & lets in the maximum light possible while maintaining a steady temperature throughout summer and winter.

Window Magic understands that every home is different and, as such, it is of paramount importance that Conservatory is tailor made to suit the living space. While designing a Conservatory, they consider all of the factors that are important to you. From the size, shape and style of your Conservatory, to external factors unique to your home, such as the quality of the soil, local weather conditions and the number of trees in the surrounding area. If you intend to use the extra space for work, relaxation, entertaining guests or family time, our expert consultants are available to discuss the options and recommend you best conservatory designs based on unique taste and requirements.

Their conservatories withstand even in the most brutal outdoor environments while retaining an unmatched level of craftsmanship, detail and beauty.

Health

Gastrointestinal Problems Continued To Haunt People Amid Coronavirus Lockdown

Dec 30, 2020 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #and GI Oncosurgery, #consultant Surgical Gastro, #Dr Imran Shaikh, #Wockhardt Hospital

Mumbai: Though Coronavirus is a matter of concern all over the world, even non-Covid ailments need an equal amount of attention. Many patients with gastrointestinal issues severe pain, perforation, obstruction, infection, jaundice, bleeding. neglected them, and landed at the hospital with complications such as infection, peritonitis, sepsis and multiorgan failure Around 122 patients had to undergo surgeries from March 22 to September 30, to get back on track and improve their quality of life. Do not take your health for granted and avoid delaying treatment, if you have any ailment.

During lockdown in India due to highly contagious Covid 19 infection, there was the immediate reaction of healthcare scarcity. People were scared, panicked, and hesitated to get timely treatment due to the fear of contracting the infection. Amid lockdown, Wockhardt Hospital continued to carry out gastrointestinal surgeries by performing all kinds of’ cancer, benign and laparoscopic surgeries. According to a study named gastrointestinal surgery in Tertiary care center during a pandemic: Single surgeon, a single-center experience that was published in the Indian Journal of Surgery, along with Covid, even non-Covid ailments were bothersome during the lockdown.

Dr. Imran Shaikh, consultant Surgical Gastro, and GI Oncosurgery, Wockhardt Hospital, Mira Road, said, “From March 22 To September 30, 122 patients operated with most patients were between 50 to 70 years ( 52 patients ) and 25 patients were in the 30-40 years age group. Most common symptom – severe abdominal pain. Most patients were female (69 patients), amounting to 56.5 % of the study population. Amongst all 65 were open surgeries and 57 were laparoscopic surgeries. A significant amount of emergency surgeries (57 surgeries- 46.7%) was performed. Thirty-five GI cancer cases were also operated who could not wait further.”

Dr. Shaikh added, “The Hospital adhered to the Covid-19 protocol while operating on patients with gastrointestinal problems. Everyone entering the hospital premises was screened by handheld thermal guns. Only one attendant was allowed with each patient to prevent overcrowding. Hand sanitizers were placed at easily accessible spots all across the hospital. Dedicated audio/visual notices were put out at regular intervals promoting frequent hand washing, mask usage, and social distancing measures. The number of persons entering crowded places (like elevators) was limited and standing spaces marked. Sitting areas were adequately spaced to maintain social distancing. All public areas and regular contact surfaces were sanitized every hour. Outpatient departments (OPD’s) were operated only on a strict appointment basis to prevent overcrowding.”

Delaying surgeries or neglecting various health issues will increase morbidity and mortality leading to poor outcomes as patients visit the hospitals when the condition is unmanageable. People are jeopardizing their own lives. Emergencies causing serious consequences can be avoided if people avail treatment.

News

LVPEI rated ‘Best Institution’ for Vision Rehabilitation Services by the National Association for the Blind

Dec 30, 2020 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Dr Beula Christy, #Head, #L V Prasad Eye Institute’s Institute for Vision Rehabilitation, #LVPEI - Institute for Vision Rehabilitation

Hyderabad: L V Prasad Eye Institute’s Institute for Vision Rehabilitation received the prestigious National Association for the Blind’s Sarojini Triloknath National Award in the Best Institution category for its services towards people with vision loss. The award was presented to Dr Beula Christy, Head, LVPEI – Institute for Vision Rehabilitation in a virtual award ceremony.

“LVPEI is one of the few eye care Institutes in the world to offer vision rehabilitation as an integral part of its services. Over the last 30 years, LVPEI has successfully rehabilitated 200,000 plus people with low vision and blindness. Through our various centre-based and community-based approaches, we aim to empower people with incurable vision loss to help them lead an independent and dignified life. The institute offers a wide range of services that cover every aspect of care for every age group, starting from early intervention services for children to prescribing low vision devices to mobility, technology and employment training for adults. We are also privileged to have dedicated volunteers who have immensely contributed to our work in terms of their Time, Talent and Treasure. Our volunteers are from different age groups and various walks of life.

Livelihood Skill Development Program is an important program that provides training in specific or multiple trades to people with vision loss and to their family members. The institute also offers them the needed support in upscaling their trade ventures.  The range of products developed under these programs are utility-based and include cloth and jute bags, conference files, pouches, fruit baskets, laptop bags, paper bags, candles, jewellery and home decors. Marketed and sold under the tag name ‘A Meaningful Gift’, these products provide means of livelihood, and help persons with vision impairment live a quality life.

To support the Livelihood Skill Development Program, the institute is organizing a virtual live event ‘Artists United’ on 2 January 2021 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. The cause-related fundraising event presents ten incredibly talented artists who did not let their disabilities be a roadblock for them on their way to achieving their dreams. It is open for all and will be organized live on Facebook. We request people to support this event with their time – by watching the artists perform and encouraging them; and with their generous contributions – by donating for the program,” shares Dr Beula Christy.

Business World

Manohar Reddy is the new President for TiE Hyderabad for the year 2021

Dec 30, 2020 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #Manohar Reddy, #TiE Hyderabad

Hyderabad: TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs) Hyderabad, the global entrepreneurial network, announced that Manohar Reddy will take over the reins as Chapter President for the year 2020. He succeeds Sridhar Pinnapureddy, who will demit his office on 31st December.

TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs) is a go-to network of over 15,000 global entrepreneurs across 63 cities in 14 countries, and TiE, Hyderabad is one of the most vibrant, award winning and renowned chapters worldwide.

TiE Hyderabad shot into fame across the globe for its recent TiE Global Summit 2020 (TGS 2020), the biggest entrepreneurial summit ever held on the planet which attracted 50,000 plus entrepreneurs, including Bill Gates from across the globe. The event not only put Hyderabad on a global map but earned it a rightful place for its entrepreneurial spirit.

Manohar Reddy is the Founder and CEO of Feuji Inc., which is a global technology, a services company that provides right-shoring, low-code application development and proposal writing solutions.

Manohar Reddy is associated with TiE for a long time and is currently serving it as Vice President. He played a pivotal role in just concluded TiE Global Summit—TGS-2020.

Welcoming Manohar Reddy as the new President of TiE Hyderabad, Sridhar Reddy Pinnapureddy, Founder and CEO, CtrlS Datacenters, Cloud4C and the outgoing President said, the Chapter looks forward to Manohar’s knowledge, and entrepreneurial experience to further TiE’s mission in fostering entrepreneurship.” He further added, “I am confident that Manohar will play a key role in engaging the entrepreneurial ecosystem through innovation, funding, mentoring and create value for stakeholders.”

Setting the agenda for TiE Hyderabad in 2021, Manohar Reddy said, “The new leadership will continue the momentum with a focus on outcome-based initiatives, cross-chapter collaboration and building global partnerships that matter.” Commenting on how Tie Hyderabad plans to impact startups in the coming years, he said, “TiE programs will continue to focus on helping startup entrepreneurs connect local investors, grow and scale businesses, providing timely advice and able mentorship, and enabling businesses to access new markets.”

Together with him, a new board will also take over reins of the Chapter from January 1, 2021. The new board besides Manohar Reddy, CEO as the President comprises of Suresh Raju, Managing Director, Golden Hills Capital as Vice President; Sridhar Pinnapureddy, Founder and CEO, CtrlS Datacenters and Cloud4C as Immediate Past President. The other board members for 2021include Bhat Dittakavi, Founder, CEO, Data Scientist, Variance Ai; JT Rao, Chairman & MD, win AMR Systems Pvt Ltd; Murali Kakarla, CEO, Innobox Systems; Narasimhan Venkatesh, Sr. Director-Engineering, Silicon Labs; Ranvijay Lamba, MD & Country Head, Arcesium India; Rashida Adenwala, Founder Partner, R&A Associates; Sanjay Jesrani, Founder and CEO, Go North Ventures; Srinivasu Satti, Founder and MD, Finvista Advisors; Venkat Kamalakar Bundla, Angel Investor and MD, Garphi Biosciences Pvt Ltd and Viiveck Verma, Founder & CEO, Upsurge Enterprise Solutions.

TiE Hyderabad has played a key role in supporting entire startup ecosystems during the pandemic year through different initiatives. The Chapter is the proud recipient of the Best Global Chapter award this year. Each year, TiE Hyderabad impacts over 1,100 start-ups and 6,400+ students, conducts around 130 events and activities to encourage and nurture next-generation entrepreneurs.

Some of the well-known programs include TiE Grad, TiE Young Entrepreneurs, TYE Summer, Open Mic, Mentor Advisor, Deeptech SIG, Investor Connect, Knowledge Series, Leadership Series & My Story, among others.

News

Raho Safe distributes over 864 free sanitary pads to 60 Neemka District Jail inmates

Dec 30, 2020 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #Raho Safe

New Delhi: Raho Safe, the sister concern of India’s leading hygiene and wellness brand, Pee Safe, recently distributed free sanitary pads to over 60 female inmates of Neemka, District Jail Faridabad. The drive was undertaken as a part of the brand’s #HaqSePERIOD campaign which emphasizes on every girl and woman’s right to safe and hygienic periods. Over 144 packets containing around 864 Raho Safe sanitary pads and educational booklets on menstrual hygiene were given to all inmates.

There are nearly 336 million menstruating women in India but only 121 million (roughly 42%) use sanitary napkins. Despite the progress in addressing the taboo against menstruation and access to pads, there is still room for improvement. Pee Safe and its sister concern Raho Safe have been actively campaigning to focus on this aspect through various initiatives such as #HaqSePERIOD.

Speaking about this, Vikas Bagaria, Founder, Pee Safe and Raho Safe, said, “It was while I was reading an article that I understood that even female inmates across India lack access to sanitary pads. They are also deprived of the amount of water required during menstruation. We have been spreading awareness on removing the stigma against periods. It was time to go a step further and ensure that women and girls have access to menstrual products irrespective of their socio-economic status. We want to be an enabler in removing period poverty from the country. We have started with Neemka District Jail in Faridabad, covering 2 months of their menstrual cycle and a small interactive session on menstruation.”

Raho Safe aims to reach out to as many prisons in Rajasthan and Haryana in the coming months. The brand will be tying up with more prisons going forward. Raho Safe, launched in March 2020, brings in affordable products such as sanitary pads, disinfectants, and hand sanitizers. Raho Safe recently brought on board actor, influencer and entrepreneur Jacqueline Fernandez as its brand ambassador for two years. Raho Safe has been undertaking various campaigns to advocate the cause of personal hygiene and developed goodwill and trust amongst its consumer base.

Apart from retail stores, Pee Safe and Raho Safe products are also available online at www.peesafe.com and across leading e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Nykaa, and Flipkart. Pee Safe started with its bestselling Toilet Seat Sanitizer Spray followed by other products addressing personal hygiene for both men and women. Raho Safe offers hand sanitizers, multi surface protectants and other products. While both brands have registered good growth, it has increased further given the heightened focus on personal hygiene and sanitation post COVID-19.