Tag: Founder & Managing Director

Business

Storia® Food & Beverages gets backed by Sixth Sense Ventures

Oct 20, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Founder & Managing Director, #Founder and CEO of Sixth Sense Ventures, #Nikhil Vora, #Storia® Foods & Beverages Pvt. Ltd, #Vishal Shah

Hyderabad/Mumbai: Storia® Foods & Beverages Pvt. Ltd., a young and disruptive F&B brand in India has raised $6 million in series A round from Sixth Sense Ventures (SSIO-III). The capital received will be utilized to expand the business, release new products, and build a powerful distribution network across the country.

Storia’s core focus is a range of healthy beverages which comprise of India’s Highest fruit content Shakes, 100%- no added sugar juices and 100% natural Tender Coconut water. Storia® is set to be the new-age, on the go food and beverage brand of choice for the next generation of health conscious consumers. As consumer habits transition to those that promote a healthy lifestyle, Storia is well positioned to harness these tailwinds and scale rapidly.

Commenting on the announcement, Vishal Shah, Founder & Managing Director, Storia® Foods & Beverages Pvt. Ltd said, “Sixth Sense and Storia®, both, believe in a similar value system of investing in a consumer of tomorrow, today, which makes us a great fit. We, at Storia®, feel great responsibility towards what our consumers eat, and being a brand that has been R&D driven, we’ve been able to remain true to serving products that are delicious, convenient, sustainable to the environment and inspire a healthier lifestyle. With Sixth Sense’s expertise on scaling and creating consumer brands, we couldn’t be more excited to partner with them in this journey of building a nutritionally stronger India and creating an ecosystem of exciting, innovative products that offer functional benefits over high sugar and empty calories.”

Founder and CEO of Sixth Sense Ventures, Nikhil Vora said, “The Storia® story is one that we, the Sixth Sense team, believe is in-line with the evolution of the Indian consumer. Even though beverages as a category is one of the toughest consumer categories to crack, we do believe that the right strategy of distribution (offline focused) and a well-rounded product portfolio (targeting niche segments and expanding into related categories), can be a strong combination to crack the space. The secular trend towards habits that promote a healthy wellbeing, and a packaged beverage industry that is dominated by high-sugar and carbonated drinks, lays the perfect foundation for a new-age player to cater to the accelerating demand growth for healthier beverages. Storia, with their focus on shakes, is in a sweet spot to create strong brand salience as none of the incumbents (Mother Dairy, Amul, Cavin, etc.) focus on milkshakes as a core category, thus the category has seen limited to no product/brand innovation. We are excited to join Vishal and the rest of the Storia team in their journey!”

Launched in April 2017, Storia® finds its roots in celebrating togetherness that brings joy through food and stories. Considering beverages is an offline dominated category, the company has employed a pan-India omni-channel distribution strategy; Storia sells through General Trade, Modern Trade, Institutions, HoReCa, online marketplaces, and through their own website (https://shop.storiafoods.com/). In spite of the pandemic’s detrimental impact on the offline realm, Storia has managed to maintain a positive growth rate in FY21.

Business

ZingHR now enters aggressively into the Indian SMB HRMS market with their new vertical ZingNeo

Aug 23, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Customer Experience and Outcomation, #Director, #Founder & Managing Director, #Head-Marketing, #Online Sales and Growth ZingHR, #Prasad Rajappan, #Rajat Luthra, #Ravi Kikan, #Sanjay Kamath, #Vice President, #ZingHR, #ZingHRm

ZingHR is all set to present the latest innovation for the SMB market. The product is packaged with super intelligence of HRMS making it just right for SMB. ZingNeo by ZingHR is all set to enter the revolution of small businesses to help them soar to great heights.

With the ever-expanding SMB market space in India and across the globe, ZingHR’s foray into the SMB market is a very strategic move to tap the growing HRTech Market in India and Globally. While ZingHR has been servicing enterprise clients through the parent brand “ZingHR”, now with ZingNeo coming in the focus will be well taken care of with the respective brands under the ZingHR umbrella.

Join the human resources revolution, whether you have a team of two or 300. ZingNeo streamlines the way you manage Time and Attendance, Leave Management, Learning Management, Hiring & Onboarding, Recruitment Software, Digital Onboarding, Payroll Management. ZingNeo is easy for HR administrators to stay on top.

Functionality aimed at streamlining key aspects of HR, such as absence, employee records, updates and warnings, and recruitment process management. HR is all in one location with ZingNeo, and it’s available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from wherever it’s most convenient. The regular updates and alerts given by ZingNeo help you retain full control over the HR feature. You may consciously prepare how to incorporate HR tasks into your daily plan thanks to daily reminders. Real-time notifications allow you to respond rapidly when the situation calls for it.

Prasad Rajappan, Founder & Managing Director, ZingHR said, “ZingNeo is a part of our commitment to serving a diverse clientele across sectors in the SMB market. We are eyeing to diversify our offerings in our endeavour to deliver HR Tech solutions and directly impact business outcomes for SMB businesses.”

Ravi Kikan, Director, Head Marketing, Online Sales and Growth ZingHR said, “HR departments use technology to monitor their employees, store and organize employee data, and analyze employee results. HR procedures and systems become more successful and efficient as a result of technological advances. HR activities, when correctly applied with advanced methods, maximize benefits and eliminate challenges for the company.”

He adds, “Here are some top reasons why an SMB business like yours should switch ease HR with ZingNeo – Shifting the center of human resources, Incorporating data into HR systems, Analyzing large volumes of HR data to make contact simpler, Integration that is adaptable and Security fit for a company

Sanjay Kamath, Vice President, ZingHR said, “80% small and medium-sized businesses comprise major chunk approximately 80% of our country’s economy. We are focussed on building innovative HR Tech products which will help SMB’s to look beyond just HR as a process but HR as a contributor to the top line and bottom-line growth through various HR software products and services. We are eyeing to target 10x growth in the coming year.”

Rajat Luthra, Director, Customer Experience and Outcomation, ZingHR said, “We have created an innovative and the standard implementation process for a 3.5-day standard global product delivery. We will be focusing on quick implementation for the SMB’s to drive profitability and scalability.”

Business, News

This Independence Day, Boys and Machines #MakeAWish come true

Aug 16, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #a motorsport catalyst, #and superbike consultant, #Boys and Machines, #Daler Mehndi, #Founder & Managing Director, #Ikjot Singh Bhasin, #Mr. Siddharth Chaturvedi, #Times award jury member

New Delhi: Boys and Machines, a premier dealership specializing in pre-owned luxury cars in association with Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group launched their #MakeAWish video campaign across social media to celebrate the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence, with a difference. Watch the brand film here.

The Boys and Machines team decided to make the dreams of some of India’s young kids come alive. On the eve of Independence Day, they invited 10 teenagers from Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group, to enjoy a special Ferrari joyride at the Buddh Circuit, Delhi-NCR. The NGO supports livelihoods and fights poverty, as a tool that empowers women and children.

To add an element of surprise, Boys and Machines also invited the King of Pop, Daler Mehndi as the guest of honour at the event and the youngsters were excited to meet him. The singer, along with Siddharth Chaturvedi, founder and MD of Boys and Machines, took the teens for a fun drive in the Ferrari. They also interacted with the kids on all things cars, their future aspirations and more.

Talking about the thought behind this initiative, Mr. Siddharth Chaturvedi, Founder & Managing Director, Boys and Machines shared, “We wanted to commemorate Independence Day by fulfilling a simple wish these kids had. I believe even the smallest of gestures can bring a smile to someone’s face. Through this activity, we wanted to encourage people to take the pledge of making someone else’s wish come true, in whatever way they can. The occasion was also energized by the presence of Daler Paaji, who is an inspiration to all young people. His presence has been extremely encouraging.”

Daler Mehndi said, “I am delighted to be part of this campaign by Boys and Machines. Just the very thought of spending a day with these kids and bringing a smile to their faces was what made me associate with it. This is indeed a noble gesture on the part of Siddharth and the team to spend this Independence Day with them. And, I wish these kids all the success and luck and may their aspirations come true.”

Ikjot Singh Bhasin, a motorsport catalyst, Times award jury member, and superbike consultant was a key part of the event. He also actively engaged with the children and encouraged them to participate in motorsports from an early age.

Boys and Machines was founded in 2020. It currently has a presence in Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad and Kolkata. The company exclusively buys and retails luxury cars. Its portfolio includes cars from some of the most sought-after automotive brands like Ferrari, Bentley, Porsche, Mercedes, Audi, Lamborghini and BMW.

With demand for pre-owned sports cars only growing, the company is focused on growing its presence across India and beyond the traditional sports car markets of Mumbai and New Delhi. Its aim is to expand its network to eight cities by the end of 2021.

Business, News

Capri Global Capital Limited (CGCL), a diversified Non-Banking Financial Company has announced its Q1 FY22 results

Aug 3, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Founder & Managing Director, #Mr. Rajesh Sharma

Consolidated Key Performance Highlights for Q1FY22

CONSOLIDATED FINANCIALS

Q1FY22

Q4FY21

QOQ

Q1FY21

YOY

AUM

49,477

48,479

2.1%

40,478

22.2%

Disbursement

    3,083

   9,287

     -66.8%

      439

       7.0 x

Total Income

1,227

1,114

10.1%

1,003

22.3%

PAT

      459

       271

      69.4%

      396

     15.9%

Spread

6.2%

6.4%

-20 bps

6.0%

20 bps

Cost-to-Income

   35.9%

  47.3%

-1140 bps

   27.2%

  868 bps

ROA

3.4%

2.0%

140 bps

3.5%

-10 bps

Gross Stage

    3.4%

    3.3%

     10 bps

    2.3%

  111 bps

Assets Under Management

AUM registered a 22% YoY and 2% QoQ growth.
Disbursals resumed in Jun’21 after being suspended in Apr-May’21 due to severe Covid-19 second wave.
The subdued disbursal trend muted incremental growth across portfolios on a QoQ basis.

Liability Management

Borrowings increased 26% YoY / -4% QoQ to Rs36bn.
Bank borrowings constituted 76% of total borrowings, balance contributed by NCDs.
CGCL has Rs 6,910mn of un-drawn limits and another Rs 2,000mn of sanctioned limits.
ALM is well balanced with inflows exceeding outflows across all buckets.

Earnings Trend

Net interest income increased 19% YoY / 20% QoQ to Rs 1,104mn.
Operating profit increased 8% YoY / 34% QoQ to Rs 787mn.
Profit after tax increased 16% YoY / 69% QoQ to Rs 459mn.
Average yield on advances 14.6%, Average cost of funds 8.4%, and spreads 6.2%.
Cost-income ratio was noted at 35.9%.

Asset Quality

Gross Stage 3 increased 111bps YoY / 10bps QoQ to 3.4%.
Provision Coverage Ratio further improved to 76.4% from 73.1% in Q4 FY21.
Restructured assets increased to Rs 2,040mn from Rs 1,840mn in Q4 FY21. Further pipeline for restructuring requests is thin.
Collection Efficiency (on POS) exhibited improving trend; MSME collection efficiency improved to 87% (84% in Q4 FY21) while Housing Finance collection efficiency improved to 95% (93% in Q4 FY21).

Strong Capital Adequacy

CGCL remains well capitalized with a Tier I capital adequacy at 37.5%.
The capitalization levels are robust to support strong growth over medium term.

Return Ratios

Annualized RoE / RoA of 11.1% / 3.4% respectively.
BVPS and annualized EPS was Rs100.6 / Rs10.4 respectively.

Commenting on the performance, Founder & Managing Director, Mr. Rajesh Sharma said:

“Q1 FY22 was a particularly challenging quarter due to the severe second Covid wave which affected a number of CGCL employees and customers. We ensured all timely help to our employees to keep their morale strong. We were quick on our heels with the waning of Covid wave and resumed operations at all levels in June’21. Going forward, we remain optimistic about the growth opportunities over medium-term while being aware and cautious of the still delicate normalization post-second Covid wave.

At CGCL, we have set ourselves an ambitious target of delivering a +20% YoY growth in AUM in FY22 and a medium-term CAGR of 22-27% between FY22E-FY27E. We believe this is an achievable target based on the organic growth opportunities we see in our product segments.”

Business World

BlinC Invest announces InsurTech Report 2021

May 25, 2021 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #Amit Ratanpal, #BLinC, #Founder & Managing Director

Mumbai, 25th May 2021: BLinC Invest, one of India’s leading venture capital firms released its InsurTech Report 2021 today. The report summarizes the global insurance landscape with a focus on global Insurtech followed by Indian Insurtech. The cornerstone of the report lies in its analysis of key emerging trends and well the fund’s view on what it takes to be successful in InsurTech across different parts of the value chain thereby giving readers a glimpse into what will create sustainable value in InsurTech.

The Indian insurance industry has a market size of $106 billion and Life Insurance accounts for 75% of that after private players entered the industry in 1999 and contributed to its exponential 13x growth.

The report also takes a close look at the impact of IRDAI’s strict ULIP norms on the Indian insurance industry after 2009, which triggered people to opt for term plans as compared to other forms of investment plans. This also pushed insurance providers to diversify the product portfolio of the general insurance segment.

Amit Ratanpal, Founder & Managing Director, BLinC Invest, had this to say on the release, “Our InsurTech Report highlights the significant gaps in the Indian insurance market and discovers a huge market opportunity in the non-insured and the under-insured segments. For instance, only 35% of the Indian population is covered by health insurance compared to about 92% of the population in the US market. Bridging this gap will require providing access to better quality insurance literature, lowering the cost of premiums, and creating a more cost-effective distribution system. Technology will be the key enabler and we will be looking at investing in companies that understand that penetration across all segments is key to scale and that data and product innovation are critical to attracting the right customers”.

The report details all the key emerging trends starting with the power shift from underwriting to distribution and data and also how industry players are exploring various D2C digital channels while leveraging the online footprints of their customers across various functions like pricing, claim prediction, etc. Customisation and value addition are driving product design as new products like event insurance, pay-as-you-go insurance, and insurance as a gifting option take off. Finally, the industry is leveraging new-age technologies like blockchain, AI, ML, NLP, etc. to disrupt business models across the value chain by introducing solutions for AI-based underwriting, virtual claim processing, etc. The industry is also supported by IRDAI’s Regulatory Sandbox which is actively pushing for innovation in the sector.

The report predictsInsurTechs are the future of the insurance market. Globally, the industry has been attracting a lot of interest from the investor community. Their funding has grown at a CAGR of 40% over the last 3 years. Indian InsurTechs have raised more than $1 billion over the last 5 years and the Indian market has already produced 2 unicorns in the InsurTech space (PolicyBazaar and GoDigit) and this is just the beginning.

About BlinC Invest

BLinC is one of India’s leading venture capital companies. It is committed to funding the country’s emerging EdTech and FinTech start-ups focused on building a better tomorrow by harnessing the power of technology and innovation. Headquartered out of Mumbai, BLinC is the brainchild of Amit Ratanpal and RK Rangan, who have 60+ years of collective global experience in mastering investment management. With eight successful business establishments, investments over 300 Crores in 25 companies, and eight successful exits in their portfolio, they provide unwavering support to platforms and an influential global network to create remarkable value in a business.

Business World

Storia® brings to you the tastiest and thickest shakes in town leaving you wishing it never gets over

Apr 22, 2021 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #Founder & Managing Director, #Storia® Foods & Beverages Pvt. Ltd, #Vishal Shah

Hyderabad | April 22, 2021: Storia® Foods & Beverages Pvt. Ltd., a young and disruptive F&B brand in India has announced the launch of its new, exciting ad film led integrated marketing campaign “Wish it never gets over” for their range of Storia® Shakes. The campaign includes the roll out of three ad films in association with a man of many crafts- an­ actor, comedian, show anchor and a doctor Sanket Bhosale, with an interesting, humorous parody on current affairs.

The ad campaign has been conceptualized and executed by Prime Focus Technologies while the media campaign was planned and executed by Publicis Beehive. The WINGO campaign will be supported by a 360-degree integrated marketing communication, which includes strong digital activities and engagement building influencer activity planned by Django Digital over a period of 3 months.

The ads will be further amplified with the help of ATL and social media platforms, TV during IPL, digital across OTT platforms and YouTube in key markets. Storia is looking to interact and engage with the millennial and Gen Zs in key cities to reinforce its brand building journey as India’s highest fruit content shake that gives you a complete drinking experience making them the perfect refreshment to go for this summers.

Storia Fruit Shakes are a part of the company’s portfolio of one of India’s largest range of natural, and India’s only trans-fat free shakes, having the highest fruit content (As per research done by MINTEL GNPD) in India and this campaign reinforces the company’s promise of fruitiest, tastiest and thickest shakes in town, which the consumer only wishes it never gets over. Storia Shakes are available in 9 lip-smacking flavours with no added preservatives. The Storia shakes are available across modern trades, e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Big Basket and company’s D2C website.

Speaking about the campaign Vishal Shah, Founder & Managing Director, Storia® Foods & Beverages Pvt. Ltd said, “We, at Storia, feel a great responsibility towards our consumers because what we serve affects their health and lives directly. Hence we find it imperative to deliver our value systems of wellness, convenience and sustainability with everything we do. We are excited to reach out to our consumers this summer through our first ever 360-degree campaign, in a fun yet a very impactful way. With the ongoing pandemic, we look to lighten the mood, in a category which is already very serious and usually only promotes health. This campaign is a great way to increase significant brand consideration with our millennials and Gen Z, in a format they relate to best, parodical yet impactful.

Commenting on the media campaign, Charles Victor, COO – Publicis Beehive said, “Summer is a key season for F&B brands to engage with their consumers and Storia® with its impressive range of offerings does a great job of communicating the same. Through the campaign, and a strong targeted media plan, we’re looking to turn the brand into the go-to refreshment this summer. We are confident this will have a big impact on the brand.”

Please follow the link for campaign video:

Link 1 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6OfEyINzEg

Link 2- https://youtu.be/dBj2zuK3hY0

Link 3- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtQH0SNsAfI

Credits

Client: Storia Foods & Beverages Pvt. Ltd
Films: Storia Gym | Storia Office | Storia Conference
Creative Agency & Production: Prime Focus Technologies
Ad Director: Gabriel Ghoderao
Creative Director / Copy Writer : Aatish Chawla
Account Management: Meera Ghare
Media Agency: Publicis Beehive – Tejal Shashtri/ Mayur Shetty

News

Storia® Foods & Beverages launches Turmeric Latte in 3 flavours

Jan 5, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Founder & Managing Director, #Storia® Foods & Beverages Pvt. Ltd, #Vishal Shah

Hyderabad: With the onset of winters and COVID-19 in full swing, our immune system has taken a toll. Keeping this in mind, Storia® Foods & Beverages Pvt. Ltd., a young and disruptive F&B brand in India, has launched a ready to drink Turmeric Latte for consumers to boost immunity. With the launch of Turmeric Latte, Storia is sending a warm hug to its consumers, keeping consumer’s preferences in mind and helping them combat the hectic and stressful days.

As the winter approaches, our body falls prey to illnesses and infections. This is because the harsh environment and dry air can take a toll on our immune system.

A healthy lifestyle not only helps prevent illness but also enables one to perform their best. First step to stay fit and healthy is by eating right. Storia Turmeric Latte contains natural curcumin, active ingredient in turmeric. It is trans fat free and has no preservatives, which makes it one of the most sought after beverage in functional nutrition.

Sharing the thought behind launching Turmeric Latte, Vishal Shah, Founder & Managing Director, Storia® Foods & Beverages Pvt. Ltd said, “Turmeric (Haldi) is every Indian household’s go-to fix for various health problems. Its usage has been long embedded in the ancient Ayurvedic practice and has been cited to promote the holistic health of the body. Consumer has always been the centre for us and we are happy to launch the new product-Turmeric Latte, an immunity booster beverage for them during COVID times. The beverage is safe for consumption, both in warm and cold conditions. We believe our Turmeric Latte would soon emerge as a popular drink among consumers, who are now looking for alternative ways to stay healthy and boost their immunity.”

Besides being healthy, Storia Turmeric Latte is available in three tasty flavours of Classic Turmeric, Aromatic Saffron and Tasty Nutmeg. This drink is available in 180ml ready-to-drink bottle and can be consumed regularly by any age group at any hour of the day. The drink is available at Storia’s recently launched D2C website, which is active in Delhi and Mumbai. Customers in other cities can avail the drink by ordering online from Amazon.

Storia® was incorporated in April 2017 and is currently present across 50,000+ retail outlets in 33 cities. Storia®’s product portfolio comprises of Shakes, 100% Natural Tender Coconut Water, Beverage Whitener and Street Style juices. Storia® shakes are the highest fruit content shakes in India and all their products are free of preservatives and additives making them 100% natural with superior health benefits.