Harmony Organics raises Rs 225 Cr from Piramal Alternatives

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August 7, 2023

Harmony Organics, a specialty chemicals company, announced on Monday that it had raised Rs 225 crore from Piramal Alternatives, the Piramal Group’s fund management business, to tap into growing global opportunities in the fragrance and flavour industry.

According to the company, the funds raised from Piramal Alternatives are in the form of convertible securities.

Harmony Organics’ Managing Director and CEO, Sandeep Mehta, stated that the company plans to make strategic investments to build and expand facilities at existing and new locations in the coming quarters.

“The current funding is against the issuance of convertibles for the purpose to expand capacities and explore inorganic opportunities. This expansion will result in Harmony becoming one of the leading aroma chemical players in the country,” he said.

He added that the plan is to take the company public in the coming years based on its strong growth trajectory and ability to expand its product portfolio.

“Through Piramal Alternatives, we aim to aid mid-market companies by providing flexible, bespoke, and value accretive capital,” Kalpesh Kikani, CEO of Piramal Alternatives, said.

The Pune-based firm produces phenyl ethyl alcohol (PEA), and its aroma chemicals are used in the fragrance and flavour industries. The company’s flagship products are PEA and Cinnamic Aldehyde, and it has a factory in Pune with an installed production capacity of 20,000 tonnes per year.

Skilling platform Disprz raises $30mn from Lumos and others

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August 7, 2023

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Disprz, a corporate learning and skilling platform, has raised $30 million in its Series C funding round led by Lumos Capital.

360 ONE Asset (IIFL Wealth) and returning investors Kae Capital, KOIS, and Dallas Venture Capital also participated.

The funds raised through primary and secondary share sales will be used for global market expansion and product development, including the integration of generative artificial intelligence across the learning and skilling cycle.

Disprz is now looking to expand its market presence in the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia. Furthermore, it wants to enter the US market.

Subbu Viswanathan, co-founder and CEO of Disprz, stated that the latest funding round would assist the company in reaching profitability within the next four to five quarters. According to him, the company has experienced 80-110% growth and expects to maintain this momentum over the next two years.

With clients such as ICICI Bank, Amazon, Starbucks, and HDFC Life, Disprz is seeing the strongest traction in three industries: BFSI, ecommerce, and retail. The startup sees an increase in corporate preference for a skills-based workforce, and its technology platform enables mapping the entire process, including learning and upskilling systems.

Disprz plans to form strategic partnerships and acquisitions in addition to market expansion and product development. The company aims to collaborate with other players in the learning and people-tech ecosystem, such as HCM players, people reward platforms, learning content players, assessment players, and global HR consulting firms.

Disprz aims to be a people intelligence suite that goes beyond employee skilling to support all stages of an employee’s lifecycle.

Boon collaborates with Oberoi Hotels to reduce plastic wastage and provide sustainable water solutions

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August 4, 2023

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Boon, the IoT-enabled global water-tech startup, is delighted to announce a strategic collaboration with the world-renowned Oberoi Hotels, which will help drive sustainable water practices and environmental conservation. Through Boon’s advanced ZeroMileWater™ technology, the partnership aims to deliver safe and clean drinking water by eliminating plastic and water waste.

The Zero Mile Initiative provides a safe and cost-effective circular system for purifying and packaging drinking water in environmentally friendly glass bottles, actively combating the plastic bottle pollution crisis. Hotels and other businesses can use this to implement a zero-mile delivery approach, eliminating the need to transport plastic bottled water over long distances and resulting in significant reductions in harmful fossil fuel emissions.

The new partnership between Boon and Oberoi will support those efforts by setting ambitious environmental conservation goals. The collaboration aims to reduce more than 1500 kg of carbon emissions, which will be a significant step towards a greener future and a more sustainable world.

Sharing her views on the partnership, Dr. Vibha Tripathi, MD of Boon, said, “We, at Boon, are always exploring newer ways to work towards sustainable water management, and our collaboration with Oberoi Hotels is another example of just that. Our revolutionary NetZeroWater™ technology aligns perfectly with Oberoi’s commitment to sustainable tourism and the fight against plastic wastage.”

“We truly feel that the new partnership has all the potential in the world to create a ripple effect and inspire other hospitality establishments to follow suit towards sustainability.”

Oberoi Hotels has taken significant steps to support sustainable tourism and reduce carbon footprints to promote a positive environmental impact globally. The hotel group uses cloth bags for newspapers, laundry, recycled paper business kits, and greeting cards to replace plastic. Furthermore, their cleaning agents and laundry detergents are biodegradable, and their bathroom amenities are made from natural botanical extracts and Indian herbs. A rainwater harvesting system and a sophisticated Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) also help the hotels save water.

Boon uses artificial intelligence and IoT to monitor water quality and hydration delivery in sustainable glass bottles, reducing plastic waste in hotel rooms and premises.

Dunzo seller app joins ONDC; aims to onboard 20,000 merchants in 45 days

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August 4, 2023

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Quick commerce and logistics app Dunzo‘s seller arm has joined the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) and is looking to onboard over 20,000 merchants across verticals in the next 45 days, the company said on Thursday.

According to a senior executive, the seller app, which joined the ONDC less than two weeks ago, is already seeing high volumes.

The seller app will onboard 1,500 local merchants in the next week, in addition to being a logistics partner on the network.

It hopes to have 20,000 local merchants in the food, grocery, and pharmaceutical sectors within the next 45 days.

According to Dunzo Co-Founder Dalvir Suri, the number of daily orders for merchants has increased by three times since their onboarding on the ONDC.

“It’s been less than two weeks since we’ve been live on the network, and have already hit peak order volumes of more than 3,000 a day for groceries and other essential items through our local merchants,” he said.

Dunzo joined the ONDC about a year ago and has since expanded his business as a logistics aggregator.

Gupshup unveils an end-to-end platform for Ads that click to WhatsApp with full-funnel attribution and AI-powered optimization

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August 4, 2023

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Gupshup, the world’s leading conversational engagement platform, launched Click-To-WhatsApp Ads Manager, a full-funnel tool that enables brands to harness the power of CTWA. The primary goal of this launch is to enable brands to gain actionable performance insights through precise attribution while managing every aspect of the process with a single, comprehensive, and easy-to-use tool. This is the first announcement of its kind, representing a huge step forward in cutting-edge conversational advertising.

The tool allows precise attribution at multiple granularity levels, including campaign, ad group, and individual ads. It provides an in-depth analysis of campaign performance and returns on ad spend (ROAS). It aggregates data from Meta Ads Manager and Gupshup’s conversational platform to provide deep, actionable insights.

The optimization module uses these insights to improve performance through A/B testing of ad allocations, ad content, bot journeys, remarketing campaign rules, and more. It makes use of Generative AI to recommend or even change ad creatives. Last-click data can also be sent back to Meta via its conversions API to improve ad targeting.

Brands can quickly and easily set up conversational journeys and link them to campaigns, ad groups, or individual ads through the built-in end-to-end automation of conversational advertising. Qualified leads are automatically routed into a customer data platform, along with their conversation history and related meta-data, allowing brands to collect first-party data.

Advertisers can create and link remarketing campaigns triggered by time, event, or manually. Qualified leads can be presented with the option of transacting and paying immediately or being redirected to a chatbot or human agent to drive conversion immediately or later.

This tool has multiple benefits for brands. It increases the overall conversion rate by remarketing to users who do not convert immediately. This is because every user who clicks on a Click to Whatsapp ad has their data captured and added to their first-party database with zero drop-offs. Along with the rest of Gupshup’s engagement platform, the new tool provides brands with a single, unified, and comprehensive platform to drive all aspects of conversational engagement.

“Click-to-Whatsapp is the next big frontier in digital advertising. Gupshup is excited to lead the way in helping brands to harness the awesome power of Ads that Click to WhatsApp to drive substantially higher Return On Ad Spend while also building a first-party database. We’ve received exceptional feedback from our beta customers and partners and are now making it available to all brands, agencies, and partners worldwide,” said Beerud Sheth, co-founder and CEO of Gupshup.

Gupshup is making this tool available to ad agencies, ISVs, resellers, other distribution partners, and the brands themselves. Gupshup works with thousands of Whatsapp partners and plans to offer them this latest tool.

Acclaimed Actress Claudia Ciesla Launches “Weight & Watch”: A Refreshingly Real Approach to Weight Management and Wellness

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August 3, 2023

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Prepare to be inspired by the launch of “Weight & Watch,” a captivating show by renowned actress and nutritionist Claudia Ciesla. This groundbreaking series debunks traditional dieting myths, offering a fresh perspective on achieving a balanced lifestyle without compromising your favorite foods. Get ready to embark on a journey of mindful eating and sustainable wellness, where inches are shed and confidence soars, all while indulging in a healthy relationship with food.

The eagerly awaited “Weight & Watch by Claudia Ciesla” is set to release on multiple platforms, starting with Tata Play Fitness 110 on 6th August 2023, followed by D2H Fitness Active and Dish TV Fitness Active 132 in September 2023, and culminating on the ‘Watch by Brilliant Wellness’ App in October 2023.

The show unfolds in four engaging episodes, each running for 25 minutes, delivering practical insights into achieving a balanced and healthy life:

Episode 1: “Mindful Eating & Sustainable Weight Loss”

Claudia Ciesla shatters the notion of quick fixes and temporary diets, emphasizing the power of a sustainable approach to weight loss. Discover how developing a positive relationship with food and adopting a wholesome lifestyle can lead to permanent results. The episode also sheds light on the urgency of addressing lifestyle-related health issues, such as diabetes and chronic diseases, through practical changes in diet and exercise.

Episode 2: “Fueling Your Success with a Healthy Lifestyle”

Learn the secrets of thriving in life by treating food as your body’s fuel. Claudia reveals how the right nutrition can boost energy levels, fuel success, and enable you to seize every opportunity. Find out how a well-balanced lifestyle, encompassing nutrition, exercise, proper sleep, and emotional well-being, paves the way to sustainable weight loss and overall wellness.

Episode 3: “Gut Health: Your Digestive Champion”

Discover the vital link between gut health and your overall well-being. Claudia highlights the role of good bacteria in supporting and protecting the body while guiding viewers on ways to nurture a healthy digestive system. Gain insights into the transformative impact of a holistic diet and exercise regimen.

Episode 4: “Intermittent Fasting: Your Path to Rejuvenation”

Uncover the age-old practice of intermittent fasting and its rejuvenating benefits. Claudia unveils how fasting aids in healing, detoxification, enhanced immunity, and reduced inflammation. This episode demystifies intermittent fasting as a simple and effective anti-aging treatment for the entire body.

Claudia Ciesla’s journey from acclaimed model and actress to passionate nutritionist fuels her desire to promote balanced living. Her new book, “Keep Eating Keep Losing,” dispels dieting misconceptions, encouraging a positive and enjoyable path to healthy living.

“As an actress and nutritionist, I cannot stress enough the significance of a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. They are the cornerstones of well-being and lasting transformation. Through ‘Weight & Watch,’ I aspire to share the empowering message that weight management shouldn’t be about deprivation or quick fixes. Instead, it’s about fostering a positive relationship with food, embracing mindful eating, and nurturing ourselves with wholesome choices,” – Claudia Ciesla, Actress & Nutritionist.

Join Claudia Ciesla on a mission to empower individuals with knowledge and practical tools for embracing a nutritious and balanced lifestyle. Experience lasting transformation, unleash boundless energy, and find true happiness in a sustainable approach to weight management.

About Claudia Ciesla

Claudia Ciesla, the celebrated actress, and nutritionist, brings her global experience and expertise to inspire a healthier society. Her dedication to promoting sustainable living has earned her recognition and respect worldwide. Claudia’s mission is to empower individuals to make positive, lasting changes, leading to a more fulfilling and confident life.

Pinnacle Infotech to expand workforce four-fold to 12,000 in six years

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August 3, 2023

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Pinnacle Infotech Solutions, an Architectural Engineering and Construction (AEC) IT solutions industry player, said it would expand its workforce four-fold to 12,000 in six years, driven by the growing demand amid the threat of a slowdown in the developed markets.

The Durgapur-based building information modelling (BIM) solutions company, which is also involved in constructing the new temple in Ayodhya, currently employs 3,000 people.

The company has 12 advanced global delivery centres across the world. Its global delivery centres are in the USA, Japan, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, and Canada. The international delivery centres in India are in Durgapur, Kolkata, Madurai, and Jaipur.

“The AEC industry is undergoing a digital transformation, and BIM is at the forefront of this transformation. We are seeing strong demand for our BIM solutions from clients around the world and we don’t foresee any slowdown threat. The expansion of our global workforce will help us meet this demand and continue to be a leader in the BIM space,” said Pinnacle Infotech chief executive Bimal Patwari.

“Driven by the growing demand for BIM solutions in the AEC industry, we are expanding as per our growth roadmap. We expect our employee strength to be 12,000 across the markets in six years,” he said.

Patwari stated that the company’s workforce expansion would primarily focus on India, as the company’s business model revolves around providing BIM solutions to projects worldwide with its engineers and architects based in India.

He spoke about Pinnacle Infotech’s largest global engineering Centre of Excellence in Madurai. He said it is spread over 35 acres.

“The world-class complex in Madurai currently has over 900 employees and is actively working to hire 6,000+ engineers and architects by 2025, becoming one of the world’s largest engineering and BIM services centres globally,” he said.

Pinnacle Infotech’s Durgapur campus will add 1 lakh sq ft of space to its existing centre by 2024, accommodating another 1,000 new hires.

Patwari claimed the recently introduced virtual design and construction software PiVDC had seen great success and adaptability among BIM engineers worldwide.

Pinnacle is currently working on most of the world’s international airports, including Cambodia, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Goa, Noida, and the new Mumbai airport.

The company claims to have completed over 10,000 projects for over 1,800 clients worldwide and counting.

Pi Ventures raises Rs 702-Cr in second fund

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August 3, 2023

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Pi Ventures, an early-stage venture firm that invests in AI and deeptech startups, has announced the final close of its second fund with a total commitment of Rs 702 crore ($85 million), above the target of Rs 565 crore.

The fund is backed by multiple institutional players, including BII, Nippon India Digital Innovation AIF (NIDIA), Accel, Colruyt, and Premji Invest, as well as entrepreneurs and family offices.

SIDBI has also returned as a key investor in Pi Ventures’ second fund, with a Rs 100 crore commitment from the Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS), which is about 2.5 times what the FFS invested in the first fund.

FFS’ investment was announced in April, two weeks after the Bengaluru-based firm raised Rs 22 crore from Belgium’s Colruyt Group for its second fund.

Pi Ventures announced the first close of its second round in January 2022, with Rs 303.5 crore ($40 million) raised from venture capital firm Accel, entrepreneurs, high-net-worth individuals, and family offices.

With its latest fund, Pi Ventures will continue to focus on seed, pre-Series A, and Series A investments. The fund will continue to focus on AI and other forms of deeptech across sectors such as blockchain, space technology, biotech, and material sciences.

The fund has invested in seven startups, including ImmunitoAI, Ottonomy.IO, Silence Laboratories, Preimage and Zero Cow Factory. It plans to invest in 20-25 such startups over the next two to three years.

“India is a great place to build deeptech companies. We are privileged to have a role to play in the journey to put India on the deeptech map of the world,” said Manish Singhal, founding partner, Pi Ventures.

Pi Ventures, founded in 2016 by Singhal, completed its $30 million Fund I in 2018. The first fund backed 15 deeptech startups, including Niramai, Pixis, Wysa, Agnikul, and Locus.

The Indian government floated a draft national deep-tech startup policy on July 31, proposing changes across nine themes, including access to funding, strengthening the intellectual property regime, sustaining deeptech startups, and enabling shared infrastructure and resource sharing.

Emids launches ‘EPulseAI’ – A generative AI platform for the healthcare industry

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August 2, 2023

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Emids, a global leader in technology-led transformation and digital engineering solutions for the healthcare and life sciences industry, has announced the launch of its Generative AI platform for the Healthcare industry, ‘EPulseAI’ by Emids.

The platform is targeted at all participants in the healthcare ecosystem in the US—payers, providers, and tech companies, enabling them to drive better outcomes for patients. Emids’ EPulseAI accelerates product engineering and increases productivity across the entire product development lifecycle by up to 50%. This in-house-developed Generative AI platform kicks off Emids’ AI centres of excellence in Bangalore and Tennessee.

EPulseAI by Emids is a first-of-its-kind healthcare platform focused on revolutionizing and simplifying product development. The platform assists clients in streamlining activities ranging from product ideation to product rollout.

The integration of EPulseAI into the product development process will result in better products that can improve the quality of medical care, patient outcomes, and customer experience. For example, previously time-consuming tasks that would have required several hours of manual effort can now be completed in just a few minutes with the new user interface based on Generative AI, resulting in an impressive user experience with human-like interaction. This streamlined approach not only saves time and resources, but it also paves the way for remarkable advancements in healthcare operations, which will ultimately benefit all stakeholders.

“The implications of Generative AI in healthcare are truly remarkable. AI is redefining the way we process healthcare data to diagnose diseases, develop treatments and even prevent them altogether. We are thrilled to launch EPulseAI by Emids at a time when the healthcare industry is poised for this digital transformation journey with AI at its core. It is a purpose-built solution that empowers Healthcare enterprises to accelerate and expand their Generative AI capabilities,” said Sean Narayanan, Chief Executive Officer at Emids.

“Leveraging a robust and well-architected framework along with a combination of Generative AI tools and our proprietary solutions like Emids HealthConnect and CoreLAKETM, “EPulseAI helps enterprises design scalable new products with unprecedented efficiencies, build them with a faster speed time to market while ensuring seamless systems connectivity”, he said.

Speaking on the launch, Ram Singampalli, Chief Delivery Officer at Emids said, “With the launch of EPulseAI by Emids we are geared up to develop Centres of Excellence in Bangalore, India and in Tennessee, USA. At the same time, we will focus on training and upskilling our engineers worldwide. EPulseAI, built upon Emids’ deep-rooted healthcare domain expertise, is our strategic, ethical, and secure approach to reshaping product creation with the power of Generative AI.”

“Through EPulseAI we are helping our clients uncover the unique potential of Generative AI and adapt to its ways of working specifically for healthcare. Our solutions ensure their readiness for Generative AI adoption, supercharge their product development journey, bridge the gap between data availability and actionable insights”, he added.

Cashfree Payments rebrands Zecpe as Ecom360

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August 2, 2023

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Cashfree Payments, India’s leading payments and API banking company has announced the rebranding of its subsidiary, Zecpe, to ‘Ecom360’. Ecom360 addresses the end-to-end growth challenges D2C businesses face across their customer and product lifecycles. Businesses that use Ecom360 gain access to a comprehensive set of solutions built to optimize customer shopping experiences, minimize returns, streamline operations, and provide exceptional post-order support.

Cashfree Payments acquired Zecpe in early 2023, a one-click checkout solution that addressed the checkout conversion challenge, a key concern for D2C businesses. Ecom360 will continue to address a broader set of core problems, unlocking value and facilitating exponential growth. Ecom360 will operate as a distinct brand within Cashfree Payments, offering customized D2C solutions.

As large marketplaces have optimized their online shopping experience, Indian customers are now used to a refined ecommerce journey. D2C businesses, on the other hand, lack this capability due to various growth challenges, such as complex checkout, a lack of order tracking, inventory management challenges, and returns on COD orders. Ecom360 will fill this void by providing solutions that address these barriers directly on the brands’ websites, allowing Indian ecommerce retailers to deliver enterprise-grade experiences and build customer trust.

Hriday Agarwal, General Manager, Ecom360, said, “We are thrilled on the launch of the all-in-one e-commerce suite, Ecom360. The D2C and e-commerce sector in India has grown and expanded to remarkable heights, and we anticipate that it will continue to do so. At the same time, we are aware of the numerous issues these D2C companies face as they expand. With Ecom360 by Cashfree Payments, we hope to address the growth difficulties faced by D2C and e-commerce enterprises, including improving checkout and payment processes and enabling them to provide seamless pre- and post-order experiences for customers.”

Akash Sinha, CEO and Co-Founder, Cashfree Payments, said, “We are excited to introduce Ecom360 to D2C merchants in India, providing a comprehensive solution to address all their end-to-end growth challenges. This is a significant step in our mission to empower businesses with enhanced payments capabilities, allowing them to scale up rapidly. It is also a testament to our commitment to the nation’s Make in India initiative by helping businesses to grow sustainably. We have always focussed towards innovating and introducing effective payments products for our merchants. Ecom360 aligns with this notion, as we aim to revolutionize e-commerce for businesses.”

Cashfree Payments now leads the way in bulk disbursals in India with its Payouts. It is also one of the leading online payment aggregators, with over 50% market share among payment processors. SBI, India’s largest lender, invested in Cashfree Payments, highlighting the company’s role in building a robust payments ecosystem.

Cashfree Payments works closely with all leading banks to build the core payments and banking infrastructure that powers the company’s products. Cashfree Payments is compatible with popular platforms like Shopify, Wix, Paypal, Amazon Pay, Paytm, and Google Pay. Aside from India, Cashfree Payments products are used in eight other countries, including the USA, Canada, and the UAE.

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