Archive: February 28, 2022

Zen Digital Media sets afloat a pioneering interactive experiential platform at Juhu Beach, Mumbai

Mumbai, 28th February, 2022: Keeping up with the evolving needs and demands from brands to stay connected with their consumers in a fast-moving market, Zen Digital Media sets afloat a mobile Broadcoasters along the coast of Juhu Beach. Complementing the Broadcoasters, Zen Digital Media, also introduces a first-of-its-kind initiative, ‘Beach and You’, in an effort to not only empower and provide brands a platform to engage with their end consumers in a unique and new format, but also to leverage the medium as an engagement tool for community building. Beach and You will give people an opportunity to partake in physical and social activities on the beach to promote community building.

The dual-screen mobile Broadcoasters is the country’s only platform offering high definition videos, VFX and animation on outdoor landscapes along the shore. Covering a distance of 4.5 kilometers from SOHO House to Silver Beach, the ‘Beach and You’ initiative will provide budding creative artists an opportunity to showcase their talent and attract views from a swarm of visitors and on-lookers, thereby encouraging community participation. With the Broadcoasters as a catalyst, Zen Digital Media is collaborating with domain experts to host sessions that will kindle creativity, encourage fitness and bring about a positive change via social welfare activities.

Speaking on introducing an innovative platform, Payal Raval, Co-founder, Zen Digital Media LLP, said, “Our latest offering at Juhu Beach is at the intersection of engagement, interactivity and integration that bridges the gap between brands and consumers and also promotes community building. It’s unique proposition and appeal makes it Mumbai and India’s first multifaceted platform of its kind creating value for all stakeholders. With the launch of our experiential platform, we look forward to encourage storytelling in a creative way and create a holistic enriching experience for the community.” 

The Broadcoasters at Juhu was launched with immersive communication from leading digital native brands and will help brands leverage their CSR activities by providing them with an opportunity to engage in a unique way.

Royal Enfield concludes a thrilling inaugural season of the Continental GT Cup 2021

Jaipur, February 28, 2022: Royal Enfield, the world’s oldest motorcycle brand in continuous production, concluded an exhilarating inaugural season of India’s first retro-racing championship – JK Tyre presents Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup 2021 – at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore this weekend. The event witnessed phenomenal response from the 2-wheeler racing community and this inaugural season had participation of the top 18 riders from different parts of the country, who brought out their best racing skills on the circuit.

The Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup 2021, made its debut on the race track in September 2021, under the aegis of Federation of Motorsports Club of India (FMSCI). The championship racing event, conducted as part of the JK Tyre National Racing Championship 2021, was staged across four rounds that offered the young and aspiring riders a new platform to showcase and hone their racing skills with the Royal Enfield Continental GT-R650. Royal Enfield has retained everything under the skin of the Continental GT 650 stock motorcycle and minimally modified the vehicle with a retro fairing, stiffer suspension, a more committed riding posture and stainless steel exhausts suited for track racing.

Commenting on the successful inaugural season of the Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup 2021, Mr. B. Govindarajan, Executive Director, Eicher Motors Ltd. said, “The success of the first season of the Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup stands as a testimony of our efforts to bring accessible track-racing close to those budding and aspiring racers in the country. The championship aims to inculcate the competitive spirit of these riders and provide an opportunity to learn and improve their riding skills on track. The impressive performance of the close-to-stock Continental GT-R650 only goes to prove the potential of this brilliant cafe racer. In line with our efforts to nurture passion, skill and the spirit of competition, we shall also introduce track schools to provide professional training access to enthusiasts. Congratulations to the winners and I would also like to express my gratitude to every participant, crew member, and our partners who have contributed to the massive success of this season.”

After a nail biting final round this weekend, Anish Damodar Shetty from Hubli emerged as the National Cup Champion, with 64 points accumulated over four rounds, followed by Allwin Xavier with 61 points as the first runner up and Anfal Akdhar with 40 points as the second runner up.

The enrollment process to this inaugural season of the championship received entries from nearly 500 racing enthusiasts from all across the country. The selection process had participation from over 100 riders and the 18 fastest riders made it to the final grid. The track-ready Continental GT-R650, with its minimalistic, yet purpose-built modifications provided an un-intimidating, agile and spirited performance on the track that exceeded all expectations to offer a unique and engaging racing experience to these riders.

For the majority of the race, it was a three-way battle between Anish, Allwin and MekaViduraj where Allwin won the final round followed by MekaViduraj and Anish in second and third place respectively. However, Anish Damodar Shetty continued to dominate in the first 3 rounds and secured the top spot, securing maximum points to win the overall championship.

The champion, Anish Damodar Shetty from Hubli is a 27 year old professional motorcycle racer, software engineer and a fitness enthusiast. Both Allwin and Anfal are young racers from Thrissur, Kerala. Anish was closely followed throughout the season by Allwin, a 22-year old adrenaline junkie who loves to be around motorcycles all the time. Anfal, only 21 years old, has started practicing on tracks since 2019 and has already left a big mark in his debut year in racing competitions.

Anish Damodar Shetty from Hubli, winner of the first season of the Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup 2021, said “Holding the first ever Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup Championship trophy is an absolute honour, in fact, it is like a dream come true. Royal Enfield has done a commendable job with the championship and especially the Continental GT-R650, which has performed beyond expectations. It was quite an adrenaline rush to compete with the selected racers on the first ever race-ready motorcycle from Royal Enfield. This first season of the Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup has further enhanced my racing skills and I am really looking forward to the next season.“

Royal Enfield has further plans to launch track schools in the near future to encourage rider skill development in a safe and controlled environment. These schools shall also double up as a stepping stone for those wanting to participate in the racing championship in the forthcoming seasons, while filling up the off-season calendar.

With the resounding success of Season 1 of Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup, Royal Enfield has big plans for next year and aims at offering more exciting opportunities for aspiring racers and taking the retro championship experience a notch higher.

DaMENSCH raises 122.5 Crores in Series B funding

Bangalore, February 28, 2022: DaMENSCH, a premium men’s lifestyle brand, has raised $16.4mn (INR 122.5 crores) in a Series B fundraise led by A91 Partners. Existing investors Saama Capital, Matrix Partners and Whiteboard Capital also participated in the round.

“Our products are addressing a big white space in the wardrobe of the modern man. We have clocked 100Cr ARR in 2021 making us the fastest D2C apparel brand to reach this milestone, on the back of our strong consumer proposition”, said Anurag Saboo, Co-founder DaMENSCH. Talking about growth plans, he said, “We are targeting 3x growth in the coming financial year through meaningful product-market and channel expansion.”

Currently, the portfolio has more than 200 SKUs listed across more than 15 categories and has made more than 10mn shipments to over 10,000 pin codes across the country.

Speaking on portfolio expansion plans, Gaurav Pushkar, Co-founder DaMENSCH said, “Innovation is core to DaMENSCH. We started this journey by creating unique products like bamboo vests and deodorizing underwear. From the 500 day warranty on our Constant Loungewear collection to Mozzarella stretch chino shorts, we continue to leverage fabric engineering to redefine menswear. In 2022, we will deepen our presence in the innerwear, loungewear, sleepwear, and everyday-wear categories.”

“DaMENSCH has become the go-to brand for affluent men who are looking for new age, digital first clothing brands that can combine comfort and style and gives them a chance to upgrade their products and brands. With a meaningful (40%) set of consumers shopping multiple (2-3) times a year, DaMENSCH has managed to grow on the back of loyalty from existing customers and continuous addition of new customer segments”, said Prasun Agarwal, A91 Partners on choosing to partner with the brand.

“We are excited to continue partnering with DaMensch on their phenomenal growth journey. The brand’s combination of product quality and customer experience makes it one of the most exciting D2C plays in India. Gaurav and Anurag have put together a top-quality team and are poised to scale significantly over the next few years,” said Ash Lilani, Managing Partner, Saama Capital.

“As the first investors in the Company, we have been highly impressed by the strong product innovation and customer-centric business DNA. We are excited to partner with A91 as we continue on this journey of efficient and unit economics driven growth.” Said Anshu Prasher, General Partner, Whiteboard Capital.

“DaMENSCH has achieved tremendous growth over the last 12 months and is poised to be the leading mass-premium brand for the men’s apparel category in India. Anurag & Gaurav’s customer-obsessed approach & the superior quality of the product truly sets them apart, & we are thrilled to be doubling down on our investment! We welcome a91 Partners to the partnership & look forward to the next phase of growth.” – said Sudipto Sannigrahi, Principal, Matrix India.

Government to expand banking services in India; MJ Digital Services Private limited (Ezeepay) lends individual support

In the last decade, India has walked the digitalization lane, and many things have changed in the country – banking to begin with. The government is judicially trying to improve the banking sector by providing banking on the doorstep of all the citizens – rural and urban population.

Nirmala Sitharaman, Finance Minister, India, recently shared that the government aims to open 75 digital banking units in 75 districts.

According to the Minister, India has witnessed a growth in digital banking and payments. In the attempt to expand banking services in the country, the government will also connect all the 1.5 lakh post offices to the core banking system by 2023. This would help achieve financial inclusion and access to baking facilities like net banking, mobile banking, and ATMs.

Shaking hands with the government’s attempt to expand banking services in India, Ezeepay will develop many strategies soon.

“By announcing Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana as the National Mission on Financial Inclusion in 2014 to emphasizing the need for digital banking in the Budget 2022, the present government is making many efforts to make India a financially-abled nation. The measures are to create awareness, availability, and accessibility in digital banking nationwide,” Mr. Rashid Ali, Managing Director, MJ Digital Services Private limited (Ezeepay). 

Mr. Rashid Ali believes that the budget for 2022 favours all the government’s previous initiatives to strengthen the banking base.

Ezeepay started by setting up micro ATMs in rural areas to work on these lines. “To normalize the use of technology among the rural population, Micro ATMs were our best shot. It is a card swiping machine with which the user can swipe the card and get the money instantly.”

According to Mr. Rashid Ali, Micro-ATMs is easy to use and cost-effective. “As per a report shared by RBI, online transactions increased by 20% due to micro-ATMs,” he added. 

Around 4.94 lakh micro-ATMs were set up by the banks towards the end of August 2021, and it was reported to be 60.9% more than the previous year. Therefore, micro-ATMs have done an excellent job educating the rural population about banking services and online transaction facilities by reaching the rural population.

“Ezeepay will attempt to support the government in expanding banking services around the nation. We will be coming up with more plans like micro-ATMs and DDS to do so,” Mr. Ali concluded.

Crosscope Strikes Partnership with Mindpeak to Improve Cancer Diagnosis with Digital Pathology Image Analysis

Mountain View, California, February 28, 2022 – Crosscope Inc. a leading provider of AI-enabled digital pathology software and Mindpeak Gmbh, known for building sophisticated AI tools for clinical diagnosis, today announced their partnership to integrate MIndpeak’s image analysis tools into the Crosscope’s Digital Pathology platform. This partnership will enable Crosscope to expand its portfolio of AI applications and deliver end-to-end digital pathology solutions.

Mindpeak has developed tools that analyze immunohistochemically stained tissue samples by immediately detecting, classifying, and quantifying breast cancer cells.  Crosscope Dx, a workflow integrated vendor-agnostic digital pathology platform will use Mindpeak’s CE-marked BreastIHC and follow-on products each as a supplementary module within the workflow software which will enable pathologists with diagnostics support in the evaluation of histology images or image sections. With this strategic partnership, Crosscope will be the authorized partner of Mindpeak for India and Emerging Markets.

“This collaboration will be instrumental in leveraging the strengths of both the companies to provide end-to-end solutions for all kinds of Histopathology workflows thereby providing best-in-class AI tools seamlessly integrated into a single platform,” said Crosscope CEO – Dr. Jayendra Shinde. This partnership enables the integration of image analysis solutions for ER, PR, and Ki-67 IHC stainings into Crosscope that will immensely support pathologists to improve the efficiency of their pathology labs and provide a timely diagnosis for their patients ultimately impacting their treatment and outcomes.

“With our AI software BreastIHC now also available via the Crosscope platform in the USA, Europe, and e.g. India we are making a significant contribution to the AI-adoption of pathology”, explains Felix Faber, CEO of Mindpeak. Crosscope, as a leading AI software provider in digital pathology, wants to ensure that Mindpeak’s cutting-edge technology is available for the pathology community to enable digital transformation in the pathology laboratories in India & emerging markets, USA and Europe.

OnSpot Solutions at 4X growth trajectory, announces an aggressive roadmap in Pharma and FMCG Industries

Mumbai, 28th Feb 2022: OnSpot Solutions, one of the fastest-growing SupplyTech firms dealing in anti-counterfeit solutions and supply/distribution chain management, announced its one-year growth plan in India. As a part of its plan, OnSpot intends to place a strong emphasis on the FMCG and pharmaceutical sectors, expand its product portfolio & extend into newer geographies.

OnSpot Solutions has patents in the United States and India for its cloud-based technology, which allows the end-user to check the authenticity of a product in real-time. Employing advanced, real-time and user-friendly technologies, end consumers and the parent brand can verify the authenticity of the product at the point of purchase. The patented technology provides brands with protection against counterfeiting and allows the brand to get a bird’s eye view of the supply/distribution chain. Additionally, the technology creates a unique communication channel between brand and consumer by offering a host of value propositions, product educational material and tips, incentive and reward programs, as well as many other elements designed to engage the consumer per industry or product.

In India and the United States, OnSpot works with over 20 organisations and numerous significant clients. Since the pandemic, the brand has had a 4X growth trajectory by utilising the unique Onspot framework for businesses across industries. Next-generation technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), will push Onspot’s propositions and assist companies not just in minimising logistical challenges, but also in identifying and forecasting prospective sales situations based on market and customer behaviour. In other words, Track, Trust & Trend.

Speaking on the plans, Mr. Lokesh Harjani – CEO & Founder, OnSpot Solutions, said, “Since the outbreak of the pandemic, there has been a rapid rise in counterfeit products. Sectors like Pharma and FMCG have been highly prone and affected by counterfeiting. The most dangerous, of course, is counterfeiting in the pharmaceutical industry. As per the recent study, 25% of the medicines available in the Indian Market are fake or counterfeited. The government is making efforts to curb counterfeits, and this is where Technology like ours will help curtail this problem.”

As part of its next steps, OnSpot Solutions shall focus on aggressive core product expansion, research and development, and a comprehensive suite of products for all business segments with focus specifically for the Pharma, FMCG industries, electrical and automotive (lubricants and spares), segments.