Tag: startup

Technology

Indian social apps that adhere to data security

Sep 1, 2020 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #chingari, #data security, #Mx Takatakm, #startup

Unlike topics that come and go, data privacy remains an ever-important issue for social media users. The Indian government banned 59 Chinese apps in late June, citing national security and data privacy concerns. The ban also includes the popular short video making app Tik Tok with 610 million lifetime downloads as of April. The Tiktok community thrived in the recent times of lockdown but supported the move and reiterated the worth of personal information. The void created by Tiktok was received favourably by Indian based start-ups like Chingari, Aii Social, Bolo Indya, etc to not only create a TikTok like the platform but also promise stronger privacy and reliability.

Here is the list of few such apps which emphasize not only on content creation but also data privacy

  • Aii Social 

Aii social is a first of its kind social media founded by Ankit Chaudhari which allows users to convert data, social engagement, and brand interactions into rewards & payment. Along with content creation and engagement with friends and family, Aii social emphasises on users’ safety and data privacy. The app is a KYC enabled platform in the social space addressing the issue of social bullying & trolling at the same time. The hybrid platform rewards users for their social interactions and data, tackling hidden user data monetisation as it occurs on other social media platforms where users have never been rewarded for their data. While the app is released for individual users, Aiisma is also running a beta program for business, brand, and influencer partners. The first platform to charge only for the real business to consumer interactions, Aii.Social already has over 50 brands working with it. By 2021, the platform aims to reach 5million+ users and plans to expand geographically to the Middle East with social commerce and games made available on the app.

  • Chingari 

Chingari, the Odisha based start-up founded by Biswatama Nayak is a desi alternative to Tiktok. The Chingari app is available in all major languages prevalent in India such as English, Hindiingari , Bangla, Gujarati, Marathi, Kannada, Punjabi, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu The short video app is not only restricted to user generated contents, rather users can also play quizzes and get informed from reliable sources.Chingari pays its content creator on the basis of how viral the video becomes. For every video that users upload, they get points per view which can be redeemed for money. The company has claimed that the app has been developed with a key focus on privacy, implementing the highest standards in terms of privacy and transparency. Chingari app has been made available across all app stores such as Google Play Store and iOS App Store. The app has seen around 2.5 lakhs download in July.

  • Bolo Indya 

Bolo Indya is an infotainment app developed by SynergyByte Media Pvt Ltd based in gurgaon. The app allows users to create and consume short videos of maximum duration 2 minutes across interest areas ranging from Lifestyle, Cooking, Entertainment, Talent, Technology, Storytelling, Motivation, Finance, Relationships to Sports and many more. With over 12 diverse language bases, the app is a perfect fit for its regional target audience. The app also pays royalty to its users if they create video. The app also stays committed to Indian government’s guidelines on UGC platforms, Data security, and promotes Indian ethos, values, culture, and heritage in the content that stays on the platform. According to the company, Bolo Indya currently enjoys 40 lakh monthly active users across play store and OEM Appstore with 15 lakh videos being created daily since jun 2020.

  • Mx Takatak 

Mx Takatak which belongs to India’s famous video sharing platform MX Player has emerged as the apt choice for content creators. MX Takatak community hosts the largest number of digital influencers, over 1 million. Every content creator on the platform gets access to mobile-first content creation tools – From an extensive background music library, advanced beautifications tools, new innovative filters, voice-over recording, and much more. We take the security of your data very seriously. MX TakaTak is very concerned about safeguarding the confidentiality of your information. We do not collect Personal Information, and we employ administrative, physical, and electronic measures designed to protect your Non-Personal Information from unauthorized access and use.

Business World

Top 5 incubators for startups gone virtual to fight the pandemic in India

Aug 14, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Catalyst by Societe Generale, #incubators, #startup, #Supreme incubator

It has been a difficult time for businesses of all sizes due to the uncertainty of this global pandemic, but the impact on startups with shorter cash runways has been severe. Until this pandemic runs its course, survival and sustainability is the key focus for entrepreneurs. In this global economic environment, and at a time when startup founders are forced to rethink the fundamentals of their ventures, a sophisticated support system like an incubator or startup accelerator can be a blessing.

There are a number of startup incubators operating in India. Some are government-funded, some institutional, while many others are privately held. But all such ecosystems are united with a vision to empower entrepreneurs and provide ample support to get startups to the best place possible. Some of the benefits offered by such ecosystems also include access to marquee business leaders and investors – who offer valuable early-stage business advice and connections. Some programs also coach the founders in fundamentals of product development, marketing strategies and fundraising.

The greatest benefit is being on a journey with a network of fellow founders to lean on, learn from and grow with.

Like many incubators around the world, there are a handful of incubators in India that have gone virtual for short and mid-term needs of startups arising amid the global pandemic situation. The primary function of such virtual incubators is now to cater to startups located across the country and maintain community engagement and enthusiasm to a level experienced in a physical centre.

1. Supreme Incubator
Supreme Incubator has been active in the entrepreneurial ecosystem for the past 2 years – organizing regular events and mentorship meetups. With their Summer cohort, the program has transitioned to a fully digital model where the 30 selected founders now get together on regular video calls to share progress, meet mentors or join workshops. With a virtual program, they have expanded the scope of support offered and startups incubated. The mission is to make India as the hub for entrepreneurial support, and for founders in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities to get the same level of networking and support opportunities as their counterparts in metro cities.

The program of SI has received great reach with over 100 applications in the first cohort (Winter 2020) and 350+ applications in the second cohort (Summer 2020), currently, more than 600 entrepreneurs have applied to the program.

2. Catalyst by Societe Generale

Offering global exposure and mentorship, Catalyst, a 12-week innovation programme from Societe Generale’s global solution centre in India (SG GSC), is calling all enterprise-relevant fintech startups to co-create solutions along with business leaders for the future-ready and customer-focused bank. The 12-week acceleration programme is a platform for technology startups, incubators, accelerators and academic institutions to deliver solutions for current banking challenges. Having successfully completed six editions, the seventh edition of the challenge has identified 396 challenges from across Societe Generale’s units in India, Europe and Africa.

3. NSRCEL by IIMB

With programs specifically catering to entrepreneurs with profit ventures and social ventures, also student and women entrepreneurs, NSRCEL offers its support to various players of the startup ecosystem.

NSRCEL brings together startups, industry mentors, eminent academicians from its parent institution Indian Institute of Management Bangalore and researchers who thrive on continuous interaction of theory and practice.

NSRCEL is also the first incubator with a program tailored for social entrepreneurs and their unique challenges.

4. INVENT

Innovative Ventures and Technologies for Development (INVENT) is a joint collaboration of the Technology Development Board (TDB), Government of India and the Department of International Development (DFID), Government of the United Kingdom. INVENT aims to make a positive social impact by providing incubation support to technology-oriented start-ups. Through the INVENT program, SIDBI Innovation and Incubation Centre (SIIC) Kanpur aims to incubate 40 start-ups working in social enterprise.

5. IAMAI

Industry body IAMAI has launched the country’s first virtual incubator for short and mid-term needs of technology-related startups arising amid the global pandemic situation. The primary function of the virtual incubator is to address the needs of the start-ups located outside the major cities of Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, and Kolkata, the Internet and Mobile Association of India stated. The industry further said that the programme will be virtually accessible that will provide state-of-the-art incubation services to every Indian startup and enable them to charter their success stories. It will entail close supervision by the dedicated mentors from the relevant industry for multiple cohorts that would be created based on the domain, sectors and the progress of the startups.

IAMAI also said that it would be providing an initial start-up kit worth 70 Lakhs to all those registered with the virtual incubator.