The star-studded night of the IIFA Awards 2022 had plenty of attractions. Maniesh Paul, the charming anchor, actor, and model who always wins hearts with his performances was spotted shining as bright as ever in a Bharat & Reshma Grover collection. His attire was widely recognized and he became one of the highlights at the ramp for the media persons.
New Delhi, 08th May 2022: We Founder Circle (WFC), an early-stage start-up investment platform led by a global community of successful founders & strategic angels, held its ‘We Founder Circle Investors meet’ in Gujarat. Over 220 HNIs and businessmen attended the three-day event in Surat, Baroda, and Ahmedabad respectively.
WFC facilitated the program to boost the overall growth of emerging startups by utilizing an extensive network of highly experienced mentors and exceptional entrepreneurs. Gaurav VK Singhvi, a Gujarat native and Co-founder of We Founder Circle played an instrumental role in bringing startups and investors together on the same platform.
The first investors event was held on June 1st at the Amore Banquet Hall in Surat, with over 70 plus ultra HNI’s in attendance. Three startups that presented their ideas and products include Oben- an electric two-wheeler company; Stage- a hyper-local OTT platform that produces content in dialects like Haryanvi, Rajasthani, etc; and Cusmat- a technological firm that provides high immersion skilling and training systems for enterprises. Oben, Stage, and Cusmat together secured a live funding commitment of around 6 crores which will take their business to next level.
The second investors meeting was held on June 2nd at Courtyard by Marriot in Vadodara with a massive presence of 70 plus HNIs and businessmen who invested around 5-6 crores in three companies including Oben, Stage, and Glamyo. Glamyo, which performed over one thousand online surgeries last month, is a multi-specialty healthcare solution that promises to deliver a hassle-free experience for all elective surgeries and cosmetic procedures. The third investors and Startup event was held on June 3rd in Gujarat’s largest city Ahmadabad at 079|Stories. Student ink, an online education startup, participated alongside Oben, Stage, and Glamyo. All five startups are expected to receive funding of around 15-20 crores from all three events.
“We Founder Circle is always dedicated to enable new avenues of mentorship and support to startups. We are glad to have hosted three crucial events in Gujarat and it will surely assist the startups in strengthening their entrepreneurial journey. Till date, we have set a mark in nine cities and our motive is to democratize early-stage startups across India. In the next 35weeks we plan to invest in 70 cities and raise business investment awareness as well” said, Gaurav VK Singhvi, Co-founder of We Founder Circle.
On the success of Vadodara Investor meet Mr. Kalpesh Shah – Vadodara Venture Partner for We Founder Circle affirmed “The Vadodara event was a boom. The arrival of more than 70 HNI’s was quiet overwhelming and has encouraged us to retain our firm belief in the cause of the community that we have formed.
The event at Ahmedabad was a success. All the five startups that participated in the event were able to attract investor interest and secured a good amount of funds. The idea behind the formation of this community seems to be working. we hope to be able to assist more young startups with some extraordinary ideas. Yash Vasant – Ahmedabad Venture Partner of We Founder Circle
To further strengthen its connection with the entrepreneurial world, WFC had a crucial dialogue with early-stage startups on July 4th at Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship, Indian Institure of Management, Ahmedabad. We Founder Circle has committed to invest 5 million in Gujarat-based startups over the next 12 months. Since the platform’s inception in 2020, it has attracted 2,000 founders and strategic investors from over 16 countries. The platform completed its first year with 33 investments worth a total $20 million. The angel network claims that with the right network of mentorship and guidance, the companies it has endorsed have experienced 25% month-on-month growth on average.
India, Bangalore, June 8, 2022 – Zoom Video Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZM) and Genesys®, a global cloud leader in customer experience orchestration, have expanded their partnership to help businesses deliver effortless customer experience by building upon their integration between Zoom Phone and Genesys Cloud CX™. Together, the offerings provide organizations with an easy-to-configure and feature-rich cloud contact center and unified communications solution that enables teams to better collaborate to solve customer needs.
The companies’ expanded partnership includes a go-to-market relationship where Genesys will enable its global direct and indirect channel to deliver the combined Zoom Phone plus Genesys Cloud CX solution.
InflowCX, a consulting and professional services provider for contact center, customer experience, and unified communications solutions, is seeing increased potential for organizations to deploy Zoom and Genesys as part of their UCaaS and CCaaS transformation. The company recently helped two organizations, a pediatric healthcare provider and auto insurance company, implement the integrated offerings from Zoom and Genesys. Both organizations aimed to make it easier for employees to pass information between the contact center users and other areas of the business so customers and patients could be served more seamlessly – whether they were calling, interacting with digital channels, or walking into an office.
InflowCX Chief Revenue Officer Mike Dolloff said, “Today, businesses don’t want to deal with clunky and frustrating workflows just to move customer interactions between technology stacks. By working together, Zoom and Genesys are solving a huge hurdle for many of our clients, bridging communications across entire organizations and improving employee and customer experience. Across industries and regardless of company size, we’re consistently hearing from businesses that presence and directory availability between Zoom Phone and Genesys Cloud is critical to empowering employees to get a customer to the right resource in real time.”
“By deepening the alignment from our partnership with Genesys, we will accelerate the introduction of Zoom Phone into Genesys Cloud CX’s robust customer base, bringing those businesses a modern cloud phone solution as part of a seamless, unified platform to improve employee collaboration and create stronger, more meaningful customer experiences,” said Ryan Azus, Chief Revenue Officer, Zoom. “Zoom’s innovative phone solution aligns perfectly with the experience orchestration capabilities of Genesys and goal of transforming how companies connect with their customers and employees. We are excited to incorporate this strengthened integration into our open partner ecosystem to provide businesses with the flexibility and ability to optimize their cloud contact center and communications solutions.”
“Increasing market demand for combined unified communications and contact center solutions is an acknowledgement from businesses that ultimately every employee serves the customer, whether customer-facing or not,” said ML Maco, Chief Revenue Officer, Genesys. “That’s why together with Zoom, we’re reducing barriers for businesses and enabling our ecosystem to help joint customers better connect the enterprise and exceed consumer expectations in a changing digital world.”
To learn more, join Genesys Xperience 2022 this week to hear Zoom Chief Product Officer Oded Gal and Genesys Strategy Officer Peter Graf discuss how the companies are working together to help businesses earn the trust of customers and employees in a session moderated by CX influencer Blair Pleasant, President & Principal Analyst, COMMfusion. The joint session with Zoom and Genesys is held on day two of Xperience from 5:30-6 am ET; 1:30-2 pm ET on June; and on-demand following the event. Register now.
“In view of the evolving growth-inflation dynamics, the MPC took the right call of hiking the Policy rate by a hefty 50 bps on top of the unscheduled off-policy cycle hike effected in May 2022. This strong measure will certainly help to control persistent inflation to some extent, but it may hurt fragile growth impulses.
The move to expand the lending scope of cooperative banks, which have a legacy and nationwide presence, is highly welcomed. This will not only help state and rural banks in boosting their loan book / enhance their working, but also give a thrust to affordable housing for all, as outlined by Hon’ble PM time and again. Contextually significant”
Quote by Apparo V V, Chief Human Resources Officer, HCL Technologies:
We feel proud to be present here on this historic day of the launch of the Maharashtra Young Leaders Aspiration Development Program (MYLAP) and MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) exchange between HCL Technologies and the Govt. of Maharashtra. Launched TechBee program in 2017, and over 7000+ students have benefitted from this program. We have endeavored to reach out to young talent looking forward to a career in IT. We will offer this program to 34 districts in Maharashtra. With this program, students from rural areas will get the opportunity to work with us and deliver projects for Fortune 500 companies.
We are thankful to the Government of Maharashtra for their patronage and cooperation in enabling the program’s outreach. This collaboration between the State Government and HCL Technologies will script a new chapter in creating an employable workforce in the region.
Minister’s Quote:
“Maharashtra Young Leaders Aspiration Development Program (MYLAP) is a great opportunity for Maharashtra class XII students having minimum 60% marks in Maths and Science. HCL Technologies is planning to induct 20,000 plus students into the MYLAP apprenticeship. This is in line with the philosophy of Learn, Earn and Live in dignity. I am convinced that with such initiatives, students from Maharashtra will be ready from an early age to tackle global challenges with industry know-hows and skill development. I congratulate all bureaucrats related to the Department of Education, Govt of Maharashtra and HCL Technologies on signing this Memorandum of Understanding, said Smt. Varsha Gaikwad, Minister of School Education, Government of Maharashtra.
Ushering in the summer season, Vogue Eyewear has unveiled their new campaign with the India brand face – Taapsee Pannu. The campaign portrays Taapsee donning the new eyewear collection that offers a mix of fresh, chic styles with a touch of retro-glam. The campaign inspires you to celebrate your individuality and express the best version yourself in the most fashionable way.
The campaign’s soundtrack is an ode to an iconic Kishore Kumar song from the 80s, delivering a key inspirational message – WHOEVER YOU ARE, LET THE WORLD SEE YOU! As you bounce your head to the classic tune, the song invokes nostalgia against a retro-vibe, with a twist. A clever yet fun wordplay of the original song is interspersed with a series of fashionable and thought-provoking scenes to inspire women to celebrate their strengths by make themselves more visible to the world.
“Our new summer campaign featuring Taapsee Pannu encourages women to celebrate themselves. The new collection from Vogue Eyewear is a perfect fit for every occasion and mood – be it a casual-cool look for brunch or sharp, power-dressing for work, our new range covers it all. Taapsee is the perfect embodiment of the essence of the campaign, embracing her authentic self effortlessly and inspiring women everywhere to let the world see them as they are – confident and powerful in their own skin.” said Gunjan Saigal, Brand Business Head, Vogue Eyewear.
Commenting on the new campaign, actor Taapsee Pannu shared, “I have always believed in embracing my true self and found utmost confidence in originality and authenticity. Vogue Eyewear’s new campaign resonates with my persona with its inspirational message – WHOEVER YOU ARE, LET THE WORLD SEE YOU! The campaign is personal and engaging, and I am delighted to be part of this, allowing me to Vogue effortlessly.“
Brandmovers India is the creative agency behind the campaign and the campaign film has been directed by celebrity photographer-turned-director Ishaan Nair. The integrated marketing campaign will be released across channels such as social, digital and print, for audiences across the country.
“Vogue Eyewear’s latest range for Summer ’22 is the key inspiration behind the campaign this year,” said Adrijaa Sanyal, Senior Creative Director at Brandmovers India. “We wanted to highlight the contemporary vintage-glam aesthetics of the new range while staying true to the core message of celebrating individual spirit and self expression that Vogue Eyewear has consistently strived to inspire their consumers with. We’ve crafted the film with an intention to convey the sense of unfaltering confidence and power that comes from self-assertion and making oneself visible, no matter who or where they are. The campaign aims to encourage consumers to embrace their uniqueness and show up to the world everyday armored with a high spirit and high fashion that the new range from Vogue Eyewear brings to their toolbox of self-expression.”
“The rate hike of 50 bps was in line with market expectations. With this hike, RBI is closer to bringing the repo rate back to the pre-covid levels of 5.15%. The RBI has clearly acknowledged the inflation risks primarily driven by food and commodity prices and revised its FY23 inflation projection upwards by 100 bps to 6.7% (from 5.7% in the April meeting). The 2% to 6% inflation band is now expected to be breached for three consecutive quarters. Given this context, RBI is expected to front-load its rate hike actions. However, the growth forecast for FY23 remains unchanged at 7.2%. Overall, the focus at the current juncture is clearly on controlling inflation and the government has also joined the RBI in an attempt to contain inflationary pressures in the economy. As bond yields have increased over the last few months (factoring in for a large part of future rate hikes), debt fund yields are becoming more attractive (especially in the 3-5Y duration segments).”
Jiraaf, a platform for new age high-yield fixed income investment opportunities has raised $7.5 million in a Series A round led by Accel Partners, Mankekar Family Office, Aspire Family Office (Dr. Bhaskar Shah) and other angel investors.
Founded in September 2021 by finance professionals Saurav Ghosh and Vineet Agrawal, Jiraaf offers high yield non-market linked investment opportunities with yields in the range of 8% – 20% and tenors between 30 days to 3 years.
Remarking on the journey, Saurav Ghosh, Co-founder, Jiraaf said, “We curate exclusive alternate fixed income products and through rigorous risk assessment & diligence ensure that the investors have access to high quality opportunities. Our vision is to build a convenient and credible platform for everything fixed income for investors.”
Sharing his thoughts, Barath Shankar Subramanian, Partner at Accel Partners, said, “There is a very strong demand for alternate fixed-income products among retail investors. India has nearly $2 trillion invested in fixed deposits and mutual fund industry is sized at $0.5 trillion which saw a 3x growth in last 5 years. Jiraaf is addressing a large market gap by offering diversified fixed income products which can form a meaningful part of every investor’s portfolio over the next decade especially in the current and forecasted macro-economic scenario. Saurav and Vineet have sound ability to understand nuances of financial products, have built a strong team and are transforming access to such new age products through a simple and transparent platform.”
Speaking about this Vineet Agrawal, Co-founder, Jiraaf, said, “Over the last 8 months, we have originated opportunities over INR 250cr and have more than 10,000 registered investors. The funds raised in this round are going to be used to further build our team for sourcing high-quality opportunities, robust credit assessment and strengthen our customer service. We are looking to achieve transaction volume of INR 1,000 crore by this year end and an investor base of 100,000.”
This round also saw participation from multiple angel investors including Capital A, the Founders of PharmEasy, Ramakant Sharma (Co-founder Livspace), Founders of Zetwerk, Anuj Jhaveri (Director at Barclays, Hong Kong) and Shantanu Garg (Managing Director & Partner, BCG).
The global pandemic has emphasised the importance of mental health and has altered the healthcare landscape. During the pandemic, demand for mental health services skyrocketed, resulting in significant growth. Recent trends in the healthcare community show that there has been a substantial increase in the online education sphere with increased access to healthcare.
In 2021, Olympic athletes, celebrities, and other public figures came forward about their mental health, helping to reduce stigma. As we enter the third year of the pandemic, mental health is expected to remain a top priority in 2022. Having said that, while mental health technologies exploded during COVID-19, the trend had already begun before the pandemic. In 2019, there were over 10,000 mental health-related smartphone apps available to assess the behavioural techniques of the patients.
With the rise of mental health technologies during COVID-19, the trend is gaining traction and becoming less stigmatised with increased health screenings.
According to recent trends in mental health, personal hygiene patterns have shifted as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and even sensory processing disorders have an impact on our personal hygiene. Furthermore, children and the elderly have been affected by the pandemic, resulting in the loss of relationships and social networks. Many children have been abused at home, leaving them psychologically vulnerable and traumatised. Many are now struggling academically as a result of increased exposure to pornography, violence, and video games, which has impacted young children.
Aside from that, people are looking for geographic flexibility and, in some cases, a return to in-person office work since work from home has been isolating and anxiety-inducing for many.
According to research, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is caused by a genetic-environmental interaction. The stress of Covid-19 is likely to trigger or worsen OCD in people who have a genetic predisposition to some forms of OCD (for example, contamination obsessions and cleaning compulsions). Unless they receive appropriate mental health treatment, some of these people will develop chronic germophobia.
People’s “money mindset” has shifted, and they now want to invest in “meaningful activities”, i.e., more spending and less hoarding. There is a trend toward reconnecting with friends and family. Some are even suffering from social anxiety as a result of being isolated and used to being alone.
It is critical for parents to learn about attachment parenting and work on their relationships with their children, providing them with opportunities and space to express their feelings on a daily basis. Buying books on emotions for young children and reading to them every few days, as well as discussing it with the child, is an activity highly recommended. Teens need a lot of help because many of them have struggled during the pandemic. Instead of pressuring children to become pandemic-ready, acknowledge the changes that have occurred and collaborate with the child to help them cope.
“It is critical to acknowledge that the pandemic had an impact on all of us in some way. We must stop striving for pre-pandemic states of being and instead focus on current challenges and strengths, as well as how we can shape our lives to accommodate the changes that have occurred”, says Mansi Poddar, certified Psychotherapist and founder of Mansi Therapy.
“People’s fear of death and loss is a major issue in the mental health field, in my opinion. This is what we are left with as a result of the trauma. It is necessary to work with such fears, but will we ever be completely free of them? No. As a result, therapy is critical. And it must be treated in the same manner as physical treatment. As a necessity”, she added.
Many times, before a sickness develops, a person ignores little warnings in the body, and these indicators subsequently manifest as a devastating condition. Brain tumor is another of these disorders whose term is familiar to virtually everyone, yet only a small percentage of the population is aware of it. The term “brain tumor” refers to the development of any form of mass in the brain. In addition to being normal, It might also be linked to cancer. When a tumor in the brain begins to grow, there are unmistakable indications throughout the body. The possible hazards can be avoided if we notice these indications, take them seriously, and seek competent medical advice from the right doctor at the right time. Dr. Rajneesh Kachhara, Director of the Institute of Neurosciences at Medanta Super specialty Hospital, one of Indore’s most prestigious institutions, says.
Brain tumor can also be deadly if not treated on time. Because the brain is responsible for the overall functioning of the body and every portion of it is necessary and helpful, any region of the brain, regardless of where the tumor is placed, would undoubtedly do significant injury to the patient.
Not all tumors are cancerous.
Tumors are frequently linked to cancer, yet not all tumors are malignant. The cells that make up our brain are called neurons. When the regulation of brain cells begins to deteriorate for whatever cause, the cells begin to die. Following it, the brain’s work becomes clogged. Simultaneously, when unregulated cells in the brain begin to spread fast, they become cancerous. If cancer is present in any organ, such as the breast or the lungs, the particles that reach the brain might cause cancer in the tumor.
According to a research from the Department of Neuro Surgery, nearly half of all brain tumor patients have a malignant tumor known as Malignant Brain Tumor. The rest of the tumor is a benign brain tumor (a common tumor or aggregation of nerves). The patient can be readily removed by surgery if the tumor is benign. A malignant brain tumor, on the other hand, might spread again after it has been removed.
According to a study published in the Asia Pacific Journal, more than 2,500 Indian children are diagnosed with medulloblastoma (brain cancer in youngsters) per year, with 40,000-50,000 individuals in India diagnosed each year. Tumors have been discovered, with 20% of them being youngsters.
The most frequent symptom is a headache.
One of the most common symptoms of a brain tumor is headache or, in some cases, vomiting. Epilepsy is one of the most common symptoms. If a young individual suffers their first epileptic seizure, they are more likely to have a brain issue or tumor. Sleeplessness, mood fluctuations, hearing issues, speech problems, cognitive decline, and a diminished capacity to learn are some of the other symptoms.
A tumor’s negative consequence is that the area of the brain where it develops ceases communicating with the rest of the brain. For example, if the tumor is located in the controlling section of the body, the patient will have paralysis; if the tumor is located near the nerve of the eye, the patient may experience visual issues, such as double vision or less visible things.
Examination of a tumor
If the signs of the tumor are visible after a closer examination of the disease symptoms, the patient’s CT scan test is performed. Following this form of enquiry, the tumor’s state is disclosed, followed by an MRI contrast study, which reveals the tumor’s exact location, as well as which section of the brain it is developing in. After that, the therapy can begin.
Surgical navigation of the nervous system
Because the tumor may not be apparent on the surface due to its deep placement, specific equipment is necessary to reach its depth. This is known as picture guided surgery or neuro navigation, which is well established at Medanta Super specialty Hospital, Indore.
The use of neuro navigation technology considerably aids in the excision of tumors in a safe manner.