Archive: January 31, 2022

INR 4 crore in rewards for NGOs in GiveIndia Fundraising Challenge

Bengaluru, January 31st, 2022: At a time in which many nonprofits have struggled to stay afloat, GiveIndia’s annual fundraising challenge – starting tomorrow, February 1 – comes as a boon with ₹4 crore to give away as rewards to NGOs who participate.

In the last seven years, Bengaluru-based GiveIndia has awarded more than ₹10 crore to participating Indian NGOs to support their impact interventions. About 60 nonprofit organisations – among the 450+ who join the challenge – raise anything between 30-80 percent of their yearly fundraising budget during GFC.

The event is held in the last two months of the financial year, giving donors the opportunity to benefit from tax savings for their monetary contributions. Tax-deductible 80(G) and 501(c)(3) receipts are issued for domestic and international donations. GFC gives NGOs a chance to hone their crowdfunding skills, an expertise that stands them in good stead in a technology-driven era where the emphasis is on online fundraising.

Sumit Tayal, COO, GiveIndia said: “GiveIndia Fundraising Challenge 2022 is an open invitation for all nonprofits and their supporters to raise money for their chosen philanthropic causes. As India’s most trusted giving platform – and in keeping with our founding mantra of promoting the giving culture- we encourage all NGOs to join the challenge. We are geared up to give every support required for their fundraising success.”

Every one of the 2,500+ NGOs registered with GiveIndia with an active fundraising page will be automatically entered into the eighth edition of GFC. Those not with GiveIndia but who wish to participate and have the chance to win matching rewards for upto 25% of the amount raised, can go through a simple registration and due diligence process to join.

Over 450 NGOs- including Team Everest, Deesha Education Foundation and Umeed Foundation – participated in GFC 2021 and raised ₹17 crore for causes like healthcare, COVID relief, children and education.

OPPO Reno7 Pro debuts customized 5G flagship MediaTek Density 1200 MAX with SuperVooc and ColorOS 12

New Delhi, January 31, 2022: Leading global smart device brand, OPPO, will launch the Reno7 series on February 4, 2022. For its flagship Reno7Pro, OPPO has collaborated with MediaTek to customize its Dimensity 1200 chipset. The upgraded SoC born out of this collaboration is called the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 MAX. The work put in by OPPO has resulted in an enhanced display, better imaging capabilities and clearer videos when compared to the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 in the Reno6 Pro.

The 5G MediaTek Dimensity 1200 MAX features one of the fastest smartphone CPUs. It comprises the 3GHz Arm Cortex-A78 and achieves up to 5100Mbps peak downlink and 700Mbps uplink speeds. Thanks to MediaTek’s Open Resource Architecture, OPPO has incorporated AI Deblur technology into the chipset. This proprietary deblurring algorithm sharpens faces in portraits affected by hand-held shaking.  Additionally, the AI-PQ (picture quality) feature baked into the SoC enhances colour and contrast in HDR videos. It uses artificial intelligence to distinguish the subject matter on the screen—whether people, food, grass, sky, buildings, etc—and then uses different colours, sharpness and other display effects for optimum output.

“MediaTek has been at the forefront of innovation for 5G smartphone SoCs. The Dimensity series of SoCs has been evolving constantly to deliver the best-in-class 5G experience to customers across demographics and impart the benefits of technology advancements to the cross-section of society. The latest MediaTek Dimensity 1200-MAX is an extension of this vision, and the collaboration with OPPO, our long-term associate, is a major step in extending the benefits of our advanced MediaTek Dimensity 5G Open Resource Architecture platform to the smartphone users who are in search of unique, incredible, all-around smartphone experiences,” said Anku Jain, Managing Director, MediaTek India. “This smartphone is the ideal companion, boasting amazing processor speeds, snappier app responses, longer battery life and incredible camera and videography features.”

The Reno7 Pro 5G also houses a top-of-the-line X-Axis Linear Motor that delivers varying levels of vibration feedback for an immersive gaming experience. The smartphone’s Ultra Touch Response intelligently identifies specific gaming situations and increases the touch sampling rate up to 1000Hz. Its AI Frame Rate Stabilizer monitors the system’s performance in real-time to manage frame rate stability during gaming.

The phone also incorporates an industry-leading 65W SUPERVOOC fast-charging feature that charges the phone to 100% in 31 minutes. The technology also prevents battery heating thus allowing users to play games while charging their devices.

The Reno7 series comes with 256GB storage and 12GB RAM. OPPO’s RAM Expansion technology allows users to borrow an additional 3GB/5GB/7GB from storage capacity to work as RAM in extremely demanding conditions. That said, the Reno7 Pro’s 12GB RAM is more than adequate to handle modern-day smartphone tasks.

The Reno7 series will run on OPPO’s new ColorOS 12, which is defined by a clean and uncluttered UI complete with new 3D Icons that are simple yet aesthetically pleasing. In a first, ColorOS 12 offers Omoji. This feature—boosted by OPPO’s proprietary Face Capture algorithm—allows users to express their unique style through a personalized emoji avatar. ColorOS 12’s PC Connect feature allows you to seamlessly connect your Reno7 Pro 5G to a PC via Bluetooth or by scanning a QR code.

Also, the operating system’s Anti-Peeping for Notifications protects your privacy in public areas. With this feature enabled, your notification content is hidden when the phone detects someone else looking at your screen when messages pop up.

Why Every Business Professional Should Learn A Second Language

Source: Pixabay

There has never been a more important time than now in business to learn a language. 2021 was a historic year for merger and acquisition (M&A) activity, with total global M&A volumes topping $5 trillion for the first time and JP Morgan alone advising on over 40 deals worth more than $70 billion in Q1.

In October 2021, reports suggested that global deal-making was en route to break records by the end of the year, as it had already surpassed $4.3 trillion at that point – well over 2020’s total of $3 trillion. Come December, records were smashed, and analysts don’t see any signs of M&A activities slowing down.

There are so many corporate benefits of learning a language, including being able to participate in overseas deals, which, as we can see, are going to continue to contribute to the global economy in 2022. In fact, learning a language for one’s career is a primary driver for studying one. For example, according to this 2021 language report, almost 50% of English learners on the Preply language-learning platform cite career as their primary motivation for learning English. Education is the next most common, followed by hobbies.

Of course, learning a foreign language can be a difficult activity. However, the benefits are well worth it. They include:

Better Decision Making

Psychology plays a role in language learning. Studies have shown that a second language can promote analytical thought and reduce emotional reactions. That is because when using a second language, bilinguals activate their brain’s inhibition centre, which inhibits their emotions and intuitions and allows them to make less emotional and more rational decisions.

When working on international business deals — and even local sales calls — rational thinking can make or break a deal. Controlling your emotions will also give you a competitive edge.

Source: Pixabay

Improved Memory

Like how some social media platforms can boost creativity, learning a second language can help improve your memory, which is crucial in the business landscape. No matter your experience level, you’re always learning new faces, names and statistics to pull out at the appropriate moments.

When you don’t actively conduct memory recall, this can make your job more difficult. However, learning a foreign language improves this mental process while also increasing your perception.

The benefits that learning a language can have on memory is something that’s tried and tested, with many of the world’s most successful business people bilingual. For example, Mark Zuckerberg speaks Mandarin, and Michael Bloomberg speaks Spanish.

Bloomberg is the CEO of Bloomberg L.P., a US-based financial and media company best known for its Bloomberg Businessweek magazine, which recently published its 2021 ‘Bloomberg Ones to Watch’ annual list and added Mumbai’s own Avani Singh. Bloomberg used his Spanish skills to his advantage as mayor of New York City and during superstorm Hurricane Sandy.

Fuller Networks

Lastly, speaking a foreign language can help expand your network. Often, speaking another language helps open up international markets and build better client relationships. For instance, learning a client’s language will show you have an interest in their culture.

For decades, business professionals have been warned of the corporate benefits of learning a second language. However, many individuals have ignored this advice and opted to invest their time elsewhere. However, now with global M&A activity breaking records, learning a foreign language has never been more important in the business landscape.

Budget 2022: Moneycontrol decodes crucial government exercise to put the economy on firmer footing

31st January 2022: As the country recovers from the devastating impact of the pandemic, the common man, investors, and businessmen have their attention riveted on the approaching Union Budget 2022. With every section of the society rooting for economic relief across the spectrum, Moneycontrol, India’s leading business and finance platform present a comprehensive content line-up themed, ‘The Booster Budget’ to unpack the expectations, simplify the policies, and decode the impact of the most-awaited annual financial event.

The expert-led, curated line-up includes Moneycontrol Manifesto, packed with a holistic overview of expert opinions and expectations from across industries; Pitch Report acquaints the audience with sector-wise breakup ahead of the budget; History of the Budget, an eight-part video series brushes up one’s knowledge about 75 different budget presentations with an interactive trivia.

Millennials and GenZ can take guidance from Gen Z Adda, a special show curated for the youth. Readers can step into the shoes of the finance minister, trying their hands on fund allocations and revenue calculations in the ‘Play the FM’ game. If you still have essential questions about the budget exercise, head directly to the FAQ section, or browse through the Ground Report for updates on different industries.

On the big day, Moneycontrol will bring an A-Z overview of the FM’s vital announcements. Readers can access the live Budget speech on Moneycontrol’s home page and on its social media handles and receive real-time analyses of the impact of the announcements from senior editors and economic experts. Be it highlights, summaries, in-depth analyses, the impact on the stock market, reactions from the who’s who of markets and business Moneycontrol will bring the pulse of the budget to its audience.

After the FM’s speech, Moneycontrol has readied a nearly 12-hour live video programming that will feature some of the biggest names from the markets, mutual fund industry and the corporate world who will decode the nuances of the announcements.

Binoy Prabhakar, Executive Editor, Moneycontrol, said the budget remains a critical macro exercise more so in a pandemic year, with sky-high expectations on reforms to put the economy on a strong footing, employment opportunities, and measures to improve India’s creaking infrastructure. On February 1, we are committed to bringing real-time updates along with expert analyses to our readers and viewers. Our coverage theme–aptly titled The Booster Budget—underscores the government’s plan to transform the economy as it recovers from the pains wrought by the pandemic.”

Moneycontrol has also lined up a comprehensive post-Budget coverage with an array of expert opinions and interviews with the big names in the business world to break down the budget. From regular updates on the buzzing stock market to periodic commentaries from veterans, expect a blockbuster budget coverage from the market and business news leader.

Vavo Digital to aid brand’s in formulating their marketing campaigns, thereby helping them grow in the competitive market space

January 31st, 2022, Mumbai: India is a HUB for startups but with the rapid competition, limited resources and marketing tools, the success rate for Indian startups is 10%, which means 90% of the startups fail within the first five years of their inception. Therefore, to empower the startup ecosystem in the country, VAVO Digital launches its Vavo RedCarpet concept campaign to revamp the startup marketing campaigns by offering one-time end to end influencer marketing assistance without any commission. In other words, the brand will offer the first campaign for free, to help startups unfold the potential of influencer marketing for their growth. Through this campaign, the brand wants to make influencer marketing more accessible to startups by providing them with an opportunity to explore the field of Influencer marketing and harnessing its true potential through expert team guidance.

With the recent announcement by PM Narendra Modi, regarding National Startup Day, which will now be celebrated every year on 16 January, it has become even more evident that the startup space is ever-growing and it needs constant support from the community. Entrepreneurs that run these startups are visionaries who often face a shortage of resources. Hence, different businesses must come together to contribute to the growth of the startup community in the country.

Over the past few months, the brand has been instrumental in ideating and executing successful influencer marketing campaigns for startups and MNCs. Through constant engagement with bigger brands and startups, the team at VAVO Digital realized the resource crux that the smaller startups face. Hence, this initiative was formulated as a way of offering bigger and better opportunities to the startups. This will also aid the startups in analyzing the pros and cons of investing in influencer marketing campaigns that offer higher ROI at affordable budgets.

VAVO Digital being an influencer marketing brand understands the immense power that optimistic and constructive engagement activities hold and the long-term effect these can create on the minds of the people. These engagements can help the brands to create an everlasting impact on the audiences and thereby result in a better brand presence amongst the highly competitive market.

Speaking on the idea and source of inspiration behind this campaign, Neha Puri, CEO & Founder, VAVO Digital said, “I have worked with multiple startups during my tenure with a VC fund and I have had a previous startup of my own as well. I always wanted to work with the best of agencies, who could provide their expertise from their field, but being a startup, we came with our own budget restrictions and agency commissions would skyrocket. We at Vavo Digital collaborate with smaller content creators who have higher engagement rates, thereby helping startups to gain an extremely cost-effective way of leveraging influencer marketing.”

This is the time to support our country’s economy by helping the startups grow. Hence, Vavo RedCarpet concept campaign will enable the startups to create campaigns that will be budget-friendly and will help them gain momentum and growth in terms of sales and ROI.

The campaign will help the startups with a limited budget, to team up with dozens, if not hundreds, of micro and nano influencers. Given the depth of their audience size, it enables wider reach, increases traffic and pushes sales to an extent few other tactics can. By adapting to such models, at Vavo the general commissions become lower than the market thereby increasing accessibility for all. It is a one-time campaign that will benefit startups in the longer run.

4 Startups Fighting the Pandemic to Solve Alarming Issues in the Country

The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of e-commerce and online payments among consumers. They are now exposed to the risk of counterfeit products being sold in the market as a result of the adoption of these technological improvements. From creating innovative solutions to combat counterfeit products to introducing cost-effective ventilator designs and helping in the delivery of essentials through drones, India has witnessed a number of startups deploying cutting-edge technology to solve the alarming problems posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are the top four startups that are continuing their fight against the pandemic with novel technologies:

Ennoventure

Ennoventure Inc, based out of the United States and India, is a unique SAAS platform for tracking and authenticating brands across diverse industries like FMCG, Pharmaceuticals, Agro-Chemicals, Luxury Goods. Using proprietary technology patented in the US, Ennoventure encrypts information to be invisible to the naked eye and stakeholders can scan on their phones to check the authenticity of the product. The company was founded by Shalini V Nair and Padmakumar Nair and was incorporated in Delaware in 2018. Its subsidiary, Ennoventure Technologies, was incorporated in March 2020 to spearhead research and development. The company has its R&D centre located in Bengaluru.

Over the years the company has been striving to leverage technologies such as AI, Cryptography, and Blockchain to develop digital solutions that work towards solving day-to-day counterfeiting problems faced by humankind. The company’s technology Enncrypto was conceived as a software tool that can verify the authenticity of product packages in a non-disruptive manner without changing the company’s package design and printing process. Its encryption technology employs AI, cryptography and blockchain to add an invisible cryptographic code to the packaging that counterfeiters would not be able to access. As an authentication solution, it is more reliable than overt track-and-trace methods which could leave tracking numbers vulnerable to counterfeiters. The cryptographic code is secured by the biometric reference of a company official, making it impossible to copy. It is also cost-efficient and can be deployed within 48 hours across multiple product package designs without risk of counterfeiting. Everyone in the distribution chain, from the manufacturer to the distributor to the consumer, can scan the product with their smartphone to verify that they are handling a genuine piece. The technology also seeks to inform the customer about the product, such as its composition, date of manufacture, side effects and so on.

Ethereal Machines

Ethereal Machine is a Bengaluru-based startup that manufactures simultaneous 5-Axis CNC Machines to meet the current demand for ventilators or similar products as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Founded by Kaushik Mudda and Navin Jain in 2014, Ethereal Machines develops 3D printing ventilators that are uniquely designed to manage the ventilatory needs of two patients with the concept of differential pressure splitting.

Kaushik Mudda and Navin Jain collaborated with a specialised team of doctors led by Dr. Sonal Asthana of Bangalore based Aster Hospitals to develop their CNC Machines that are also equipped to prevent cross-contamination between paired patients. Ethereal won a grant of INR 50 Lakh from the Action Covid-19 Team (ACT), compromising startup investors and VCs.

NeuroTags

NeuroTag was founded in 2017 by Nitin Gupta, Abhishek Agarwal and Yogesh Miharia to provide foolproof anti-counterfeiting solutions. By leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI), NeuroTags is helping brands fight the menace of fake products.

Responding to consumer needs, NeuroTags have incorporated a host of technical solutions, such as the collection of offline customer data using incentivisation, paperless warranty processes. NeuroTags is the world’s first embedded QR code-oriented, AI-driven serialisation technology to solve various market problems. NeuroTags’s AI-driven Anti-Counterfeiting Solution prevents goods from being Counterfeited or duplicated. Before buying, customers can verify the authenticity of goods by using their smartphones. Apart from the solution, NeuroTags is offering various solutions like Incentive Programs for consumers/ influencers/ retailers, Paperless Warranty solutions for electronics/ electrical brands.

Dozee

Dozee is created by Turtle Shell Technologies, a Bengaluru-based startup. With an aim to change the entire healthcare paradigm, Dozee monitors and tracks the early signs of numerous diseases before a visit to the hospital. It provides contactless patient monitoring and an early warning system for step down ICU and HDU units.

It is a smart health monitoring device that can be easily slipped below one’s mattress to silently track the health condition while they are in deep sleep. It can assess the user’s heart health, sleep condition and stress and notifies a comprehensive analysis on the Dozee app on their phones. With the use of an AI-powered system, the application tracks the user’s heartbeat, stress levels, respiration among other things to provide a 360° view of their health.