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Sterling Holiday Resorts enters Chhattisgarh with 80th resort in Jagdalpur

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Sterling Holiday Resorts has entered Chhattisgarh with the launch of Sterling Naman Bastar, Jagdalpur, marking its 80th resort in India. The property also becomes the first hotel in Jagdalpur to operate under a national hospitality brand, strengthening the city’s hospitality infrastructure.

The launch provides travellers with a new base to explore Bastar, a region celebrated for its forests, waterfalls, caves, local markets, traditional crafts, and distinctive food culture. Furthermore, the property aims to make the region more accessible to travellers seeking nature, culture, and immersive experiences.

Bastar combines diverse natural landscapes with living cultural traditions. Travellers can visit Chitrakote and Tirathgarh Falls, explore the forests and limestone caves of Kanger Valley, experience local haats, and discover the region’s renowned Dhokra craft traditions.

Food also plays an important role in the Bastar experience. Local ingredients such as rice, bamboo shoots, and forest produce feature prominently in traditional dishes, including Baasta, Angakar Roti, Chaur Bhaja, Farra, and Tikhur.

Meanwhile, improved connectivity is making Bastar easier to access. Jagdalpur Airport offers direct air connections to Hyderabad and Raipur, connecting the destination with major urban centres.

Located on Chitrakote Road, Sterling Naman Bastar spans around 3.21 acres and offers 45 rooms across five categories. The accommodation options include garden-facing rooms, suites, and a private pool villa, catering to different traveller preferences.

The resort also features an indoor swimming pool, spa, and recreation facilities. In addition, its lawns and banquet spaces can accommodate family stays, celebrations, events, and group travel.

The property offers two dining options: Amravan, a multi-cuisine vegetarian restaurant, and Little Bites, a café serving regional specialities alongside other familiar dishes.

Vikram Lalvani, Managing Director and CEO, Sterling Holiday Resorts, said, “Some destinations are already on everyone’s travel list. Others are waiting to be discovered. We believe Bastar belongs in the second category. The combination here includes waterfalls, forests, caves, craft, cuisine, and a rich living culture. Yet Bastar remains relatively under-discovered by the mainstream Indian traveller. Our role as a Destination Architect is not simply to put a hotel in such a location but to help travellers understand why they should come here and then make the destination easier and richer to experience. With Jagdalpur providing the gateway and Sterling Naman Bastar providing a hospitality base, we have an opportunity to introduce more travellers to the region. Our 80th resort is therefore a milestone for Sterling and an opportunity to support Bastar’s place within India’s travel landscape.”

Jayesh Sangani and Rachit Sangani, owners of Sterling Naman Bastar Jagdalpur, a unit of Dishi Resort Pvt. Ltd., said, “Bastar has potential as a destination, with its natural landscapes and cultural heritage. Our association with Sterling combines our understanding of the region with the brand’s reach, distribution, and hospitality experience. Together, we aim to establish Sterling Naman Bastar as a base for travellers exploring Jagdalpur and the wider Bastar region.”

The Bastar opening supports the hotel group’s destination-led expansion strategy. In established markets, the company is developing connected travel circuits, while in emerging destinations, it is establishing hospitality bases that can contribute to local tourism growth.

With Sterling Naman Bastar, Sterling Holiday Resorts adds Jagdalpur to its growing network and creates another gateway for travellers exploring Chhattisgarh and the wider Bastar region.

CYSEC GLOBAL returns with its biggest event of the year, CYSEC QATAR 2026 to help Qatar devise its optimal cybersecurity strategy

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August 2026 : The stage is set for CYSEC QATAR 2026, the 22nd Global Edition of CYSEC GLOBAL, Qatar’s biggest cybersecurity summit, taking place on 8th and 9th September, 2026, at the Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel.

CYSEC QATAR 2026 brings together cyber governance leaders, CISOs, CIOs, VPs, and IT/OT security heads to discuss and shape the future of Qatar’s cybersecurity landscape.

The two-day closed-door cybersecurity summit spotlights themes such as cloud security, incident response and recovery, threat intelligence sharing, and AI and machine learning in cyber defense.

CYSEC QATAR 2026 is honored to feature the Arab Association for Cyber Security, CREST, and Women in Cyber Security Middle East as its supporting partners.

CYSEC GLOBAL is back with its CYSEC CTF challenge hosted by Cyber Talents. We’re excited to partner with OT Security Professionals, a community dedicated to strengthening the security of operational technology.

Fadaat Media, the strategic regional media partner, will play a critical role in amplifying the message of CYSEC QATAR 2026.

It gives us immense pleasure to welcome Mannai Technologies Networking & ELV as the official host partner for CYSEC QATAR 2026.

The flagship summit features eminent cybersecurity leaders from leading organizations like QInvest, Qatar Post, Qatar’s Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Interior, the Qatar Financial Centre Authority, Qatar University, the Qatar Red Crescent Society, Petrotec, Google Cloud, the UNODC Regional Centre for Combatting Cybercrime, HSBC, Vodafone, CREST, Qatar Airways, Milaha, RKH Qatar, and so on.

CYSEC QATAR 2026 is sponsored by leading global cybersecurity and technology companies like TXOne Networks, Google Cloud Security, Delinea, Exabeam, Censys, and so on, who are leading from the front in countering evolving cyber-attacks.

The entire registration process will be streamlined by MICEtribe, who are taking on the role of official registration partner.

We have an esteemed group of leading publications joining us as the official media partners, including Arab Times News, International Business Magazine, Security Middle East, The Times of UAE, Gazet International, Global Business Magazine, ZEX PRwire, World Business Outlook, Cyber Defense Magazine, DX Talks, Global Risk Community, My Security Marketplace, My Security Media, CIO Tech Outlook, Business Review Live, Tech Revolt, Capital Bay News, NEN Digital, and Security and Fire Africa.

For more information, visit our website: CYSEC Q

About CYSEC GLOBAL

CYSEC GLOBAL is a series of global cybersecurity summits that bring together cybersecurity leaders to discuss the most pressing regional cybersecurity issues. These conferences are carefully curated to help every attendee achieve their desired goals.

For more information contact:

Email:  media@cysecglobal.com

Blackstone plans $1.26 Billion Knowledge Realty Trust stake sale

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Blackstone has proposed selling up to a 25.03% stake in Indian real estate investment trust (REIT) Knowledge Realty Trust through an offer for sale (OFS). The proposed transaction includes a base offer of 16.69%, while Blackstone could sell an additional 8.34% if the issue receives excess demand.

The company has set the floor price at Rs 108 per unit. At that price, the maximum stake on offer would be worth approximately Rs 11,988 crore ($1.26 billion).

Knowledge Realty Trust, backed by Blackstone and Indian real estate developer Sattva Group, owns 29 assets across six cities. According to its website, the REIT has a gross asset value of Rs 67,400 crore, highlighting its significant presence in India’s commercial real estate market.

Following the proposed sale, Blackstone and its related entities currently hold a 46.51% stake in the REIT. The transaction could therefore substantially reduce Blackstone’s holding while unlocking significant value from its investment in the Indian real estate platform.

Knowledge Realty Trust made its stock market debut in August 2025. Since its listing, the REIT has gained approximately 10%, indicating positive market performance since its debut.

The proposed OFS comes as institutional investors continue to assess opportunities in India’s expanding REIT market. Moreover, Knowledge Realty Trust’s diversified portfolio across six cities and its sizeable asset base position it as a significant player in the country’s commercial real estate sector.

Healthtech startup Temple acquires Longevous to boost longevity science

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Deepinder Goyal, Founder, Temple

Healthtech startup Temple, founded by Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal, has acquired London-based Longevous, an evidence-based longevity medicine practice. The acquisition comes as Temple prepares to launch its wearable health technology platform and expand its longevity-focused healthcare ecosystem.

The acquisition is aimed at enhancing Temple’s scientific and clinical capabilities, with Longevous founders Dr Robert Mohr and Dr. Avi Roy joining the company in full-time leadership roles. Announcing the development, Goyal said the acquisition will bring both founders and their team into Temple as the company continues to build its longevity-focused health ecosystem.

As part of the transition, Dr. Robert Mohr will take on the role of Chief Medical Officer at Temple. Mohr is a board-certified physician with nearly two decades of clinical experience. Over the course of his career, he has worked across emergency medicine, preventive healthcare, precision medicine, and longevity-focused clinical practice. His experience will therefore strengthen Temple’s clinical capabilities as the company develops its health technology platform.

Meanwhile, Dr. Avi Roy will join as Head of Science. Roy, an Oxford-trained biomedical scientist, has developed expertise at the intersection of longevity research and healthcare innovation. He is also known for co-founding Founders Health and UDA and previously served as a research fellow at the University of Oxford’s Centre for the Advancement of Sustainable Medical Innovation. His research background will support Temple as it advances its scientific framework and longevity-focused technology.

According to Goyal, the relationship began following a meeting with Mohr and Roy at a dinner event in London a few months ago. The initial discussions focused on longevity science and eventually prompted Mohr and Roy to test Temple’s technology. Subsequently, the pair became more closely involved with the company’s research initiatives.

Over a two-month period, Mohr and Roy used Temple’s wearable device as part of their daily routines. During this period, they also collaborated with Temple’s science team to evaluate its proprietary ‘Entropy’ metric and the physiological data generated by the device. They also reviewed aspects of the company’s scientific framework, challenged existing assumptions, and provided feedback on research papers before submission.

The collaboration eventually led to the acquisition, bringing Longevous’ expertise into Temple while allowing the practice to retain its existing identity. While becoming part of Temple, Longevous will continue operating under its existing brand structure, with Mohr and Roy maintaining support for its current client base.

Temple is focused on developing wearable technology designed to track physiological signals and longevity-related health indicators. The startup has designed its wearable device to sit near the temple region and incorporated a proprietary measurement called Entropy. According to the company, the metric helps assess the body’s real-time energy expenditure.

Temple expects to launch its wearable product within the next year. Meanwhile, the company is placing greater emphasis on scientific validation as it prepares for the product launch. Earlier, Goyal indicated that the health-related claims associated with the device would receive support from peer-reviewed scientific studies.

The acquisition therefore gives Temple additional clinical and scientific expertise as it moves closer to launching its wearable technology. By bringing Mohr and Roy into leadership positions, the company can combine longevity medicine, biomedical research, and wearable technology within a broader health ecosystem. At the same time, Longevous will continue serving its existing clients under its current brand, creating continuity during the transition.

Temple’s move also highlights the growing interest in longevity medicine and technology-driven healthcare. As wearable devices generate increasingly detailed physiological data, companies are seeking stronger scientific frameworks to interpret that information. Consequently, Temple’s collaboration with longevity specialists could play an important role in shaping its approach to preventive healthcare, physiological monitoring, and evidence-based longevity.

Copper Chimney plans 100+ restaurants as India’s dining market booms

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Copper Chimney is targeting 100 restaurants by 2033 as the 50-year-old India brand enters a new era of expansion. The restaurant group has already grown from three outlets to more than 22, while travel, tourism, and domestic dining demand continue to reshape consumer choices.

Now, the brand is preparing for its next stage through lower construction costs, stronger unit economics, technology, and talent development. At the same time, Copper Chimney is looking beyond major metros towards Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets. This strategy could give India’s travel and tourism ecosystem another recognisable dining brand with national reach and stronger contemporary appeal.

Copper Chimney is preparing for a major expansion that could take the 50-year-old North Indian restaurant brand from more than 22 outlets today to over 100 restaurants by 2033, with technology, capital efficiency, talent, and new markets at the heart of the strategy.

Copper Chimney’s transformation has been driven under Reetesh Shukla, Vice President and Business Head of Copper Chimney at K Hospitality, who joined the group in 2018 and has helped reshape the business from a three-restaurant operation into a network of more than 22 outlets. The next phase is designed around opening roughly 10 to 12 restaurants annually, giving the brand a structured route towards national scale while responding to changing travel, tourism, and dining patterns across India.

The strategy comes as India’s restaurant industry faces higher real estate, construction, and operating costs, making expansion increasingly dependent on disciplined economics rather than outlet numbers alone. Copper Chimney has therefore reworked its capital expenditure model and reduced build costs by about 25%, while strengthening technology, backend systems, and operating processes that can support a larger restaurant network without compromising consistency.

The expansion plan combines new-market entry with deeper restaurant density in important metropolitan cities while also identifying opportunities in India’s rapidly developing Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets. These locations are becoming increasingly important to travel and tourism because rising consumer aspirations are creating demand for trusted brands, familiar cuisine, and dependable dining experiences beyond traditional urban centres.

Copper Chimney intends to use its long-established North Indian food proposition as a platform for this wider expansion, retaining the culinary identity that has helped the brand remain relevant for five decades. Its approach reflects wider tourism and hospitality trends, where consumers increasingly expect a combination of authenticity, quality, convenience, and value, while operators are placing greater emphasis on technology, productivity, and capital discipline.

Shukla’s strategy is not simply about preserving a historic restaurant name but about building the organisational infrastructure required to make that heritage commercially relevant for a new generation. His more than 26 years of experience across hospitality, food retail, consulting, and international markets has contributed to the brand’s expansion strategy, operating model, and organisational development.

The company is also investing in structured learning and development programmes to strengthen its talent pipeline, recognising that restaurant growth ultimately depends on people as much as locations and technology. For India’s travel and tourism economy, a scalable restaurant network can strengthen destination experiences by giving domestic and international visitors greater access to a recognisable dining proposition across multiple cities and regions.

Copper Chimney’s ambitions extend beyond established metropolitan markets, with the wider Charcoal Concepts portfolio already operating brands across India and international destinations, including London, Dubai, and Colombo. This provides the group with a broader platform for understanding international travel, tourism, and hospitality markets while exploring where Indian dining concepts can find new audiences.

The company’s next chapter therefore combines heritage with modern restaurant management, aiming to make a five-decade-old brand more efficient, accessible, and scalable. If the expansion remains disciplined, Copper Chimney’s planned 100-plus restaurants could mark a significant shift from heritage-led restaurant preservation towards a national growth model built for India’s evolving travel, tourism, and consumer landscape.

The cause is India’s rapidly changing restaurant, travel, and tourism landscape, where rising costs are forcing established brands to rethink expansion. The answer is Copper Chimney’s new operating model, combining lower build costs, technology, stronger unit economics, talent development, and carefully selected markets. The reason is straightforward: reaching 100-plus restaurants requires more than opening outlets; it demands consistency, capital discipline and scalable systems. Meanwhile, Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities are creating fresh opportunities as consumers seek trusted dining brands. Therefore, Copper Chimney’s strategy connects heritage with modern hospitality, giving the brand a practical route towards national growth while strengthening its relevance to travel and tourism.

Copper Chimney is entering its next chapter with an ambition to surpass 100 restaurants by 2033. The 50-year-old brand has already expanded from three outlets to more than 22, creating a strong platform for further growth. Its focus on reducing build costs, improving unit economics, and deploying technology shows that the strategy extends beyond simple expansion. At the same time, Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets could provide important new opportunities as Indian travel, tourism, and consumer spending evolve. Ultimately, Copper Chimney is attempting to turn decades of consumer trust into a scalable modern restaurant business built for India’s next generation of diners and travellers.

GobbleCube Launches Incubator Programme, Making Advanced Quick-Commerce Intelligence Free for Emerging D2C Brands

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● GobbleCube Incubator gives early-stage, founder-led D2C brands free access to dark-store-level intelligence across availability, pricing, and search visibility.

● The programme closes a well-documented visibility gap for sub-₹20 lakh brands, with automatic upgrades built in as they scale.

India, 25-08-2026: GobbleCube, the unified commerce operating system supporting 600+ enterprise and D2C brands, today announced the launch of GobbleCube Incubator, a free-access tier for early-stage, founder-led D2C brands operating on quick commerce platforms.

Lean teams will get free access to the same core intelligence GobbleCube provides its enterprise and D2C clients, helping them accelerate growth in quick commerce from day one.

India’s quick commerce sector is growing at a 142% CAGR and is projected to reach approximately ₹2 lakh crore by FY28, according to CareEdge Advisory, making it an increasingly important retail channel for D2C brands. However, deep insights into dark-store operations and platform performance have traditionally been accessible only to brands with enterprise-level budgets.

GobbleCube Incubator aims to remove that barrier by giving brands free access to core capabilities, including availability tracking, pricing intelligence, and search visibility, monitored down to the dark-store level.

“As a founder, you are often making decisions across growth, operations, key accounts, supply chain, and marketing at the same time. On quick commerce platforms, that means dealing with stockouts, pricing discrepancies, declining search visibility, or even ad-wallet deposits and listing costs ranging from ₹25,000 to ₹6 lakh. We’ve stood in that same spot ourselves, and building the GobbleCube Incubator is our way of giving back to the ecosystem and supporting the next generation of founders.”

-Manas Gupta, CEO & Co-founder, GobbleCube

Early-stage D2C founders often manage stockouts, pricing drift, and dips in search rank without the bandwidth to build a dedicated analytics function. Dark-store-level visibility has traditionally been accessible only to brands with larger budgets.

GobbleCube Incubator changes that by giving founders visibility into where a listing is out of stock, where prices have drifted, or where a product has slipped in search, allowing them to act immediately.

“We want to be a growth partner to these brands, which means they get the full platform from day one and only start paying once they have the scale to justify it. As the next generation of category-defining D2C brands scale their businesses, we will offer automatic upgrades and grow with them,” Gupta added.

GobbleCube Incubator: Key Benefits

The Incubator tier is free to join and free to use. Key benefits include:

Dark-store-level visibility: Access to granular intelligence rather than platform-level averages.

Live tracking: Monitor stockouts, listing status, pricing accuracy, and search rank across quick commerce platforms.

Real-time alerts: Identify and respond to problems as they happen, rather than discovering them at the end of the week.

Built for lean teams: Designed for early-stage businesses without dedicated analytics headcount.

Automatic upgrades: Brands can move to paid tiers automatically as they scale.

About GobbleCube

GobbleCube is a unified commerce operating system designed to help brands scale profitably across new commerce.

Founded in November 2022 by the former core team of Blinkit, the platform went live commercially after private beta in September 2024. GobbleCube has scaled rapidly, supporting more than 600 brands across enterprise and D2C segments.

The company has grown revenue by 10X and onboarded 45 of India’s largest CPG enterprises in the last nine months, including HUL, P&G, Tata Consumer Products, ITC, Godrej, Beiersdorf, MTR, L’Oréal, and Hershey’s, among others.

As commerce becomes more distributed and hyperlocal, GobbleCube is building agentic solutions to help brands navigate complexity in real time across visibility, performance marketing, supply chain, and growth strategy.

For brand leaders who have more data than ever but still make critical calls on instinct, GobbleCube is the unified commerce operating system that senses, recommends, and acts, helping brands grow profitably in new commerce.

GobbleCube is headquartered in Gurugram, India, and supports brands across India.

Website: gobblecube.ai

Scooby’s Club raises $250K in pre-seed round led by TDV Partners to build India’s first network of premium dog care hubs

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In a first-of-its-kind model, the company is building neighbourhood dog care hubs for pet parents, using canine behaviour science to create safe spaces for dogs.

National, 26th August 2026: Scooby’s Club, India’s first network of premium dog care hubs in residential neighbourhoods, has raised $250,000 in a pre-seed funding round led by TDV Partners. The company is building a new category of trusted, free-roam dog daycare, hotel, and spa for India’s growing population of pet parents, starting with Bengaluru.

The fundraise will support Scooby’s Club’s expansion to 2 new properties across Bengaluru neighbourhoods over the next 6-12 months, along with hiring and training canine coaches to deliver an expert-led experience, addressing the growing need for high-quality, everyday dog care. In the long term, the company aims to build a network of 100 properties across major Indian cities, using its neighbourhood-led model to bring care closer to where pet parents live.

Scooby’s Club was founded in 2025 by Animeha Singh and Ankit Gupta, both XLRI Jamshedpur alumni with nine years each as operators in the startup ecosystem. Animeha also studied canine behaviour and has expertise in dog psychology and behavioural science. The duo started the company out of the need gap for a trusted second space for pets while pet parents manage work, errands, and social commitments—a personal experience that exposed the lack of transparency and consistent standards in dog care traditionally.

Commenting on the announcement, Animeha Singh, Co-founder, Scooby’s Club, said, “Pet care in India started with the basics: food, grooming, and vet services, but the way we live with our pets has changed. They are no longer just at home waiting for us; they are part of our routines, our weekends, our travel plans, and, for many families, as close to us as children. That has changed the standard of care pet parents expect. Through our own experience, we saw how difficult it can be to find a place you can truly trust when you need to leave your dog behind. There are plenty of boarding and homestay options, but very few that offer the trust or standards of a Taj. That is the gap we set out to address with Scooby’s Club, creating neighbourhood spaces where dogs are safe, understood, and genuinely happy.”

India’s pet care market is currently estimated at ₹6,000 crore, growing at an estimated 20% CAGR, while pet ownership is growing at around 5% year-on-year, a rise driven in part by a long-term cultural shift in which pets are increasingly seen as integral members of the family. Yet the infrastructure around everyday dog care remains fragmented and traditional, with little innovation, leaving working pet parents with limited options when they need to go to work, travel, make weekend plans, or simply take a break.

Scooby’s Club differentiates itself by combining canine behavioural principles with purpose-built indoor spaces in residential neighbourhoods. Every dog undergoes temperament testing and is grouped by size, enabling safer, lower-stress socialisation. The spaces are fully indoor and climate-controlled, with sound, scent, and colour elements designed to provide mental enrichment throughout the day. The company also offers allergen-sensitive care, personalised attention and 24×7 CCTV access, giving pet parents complete visibility into their dog’s experience.

Commenting on the investment, Ujwal Sutaria, Founder and General Partner at TDV Partners, said, “India’s pet economy is growing alongside rising disposable incomes, changing lifestyles, and increasing pet adoption. With more dual-income-no-kids DINK and single-income-no-kids SINK households, pets are the new kids in the family, sometimes the only kids and at other times preceding kids, and people are willing to spend more on their health, happiness, and everyday care. But finding a reliable place to leave your dog for a few hours, a day, or even longer can still be surprisingly difficult. Scooby’s Club is solving this everyday gap by bringing together canine wellbeing, safety, and convenience in a way that fits into the lives of today’s pet parents. We were particularly drawn to the founders’ understanding of this need and their vision to build a trusted neighbourhood-led model.”

The evolution of India’s petcare market reflects a simple change in the way people live with their pets. What was once largely about keeping a pet healthy and fed is becoming a much broader consideration of how they spend their day, who looks after them, how they travel, and what makes them happy. That shift is already opening up categories such as pet insurance, training, travel, premium nutrition, and specialised care, and is creating demand for services built around the everyday realities of pet parenting.

As pet parenting becomes a more established part of urban life, the next phase of India’s petcare market will be shaped by the quality of the infrastructure built around it. Scooby’s Club sees an opportunity to be part of that shift by making trusted dog care a more familiar, accessible part of neighbourhood life. Starting in Bengaluru and with plans to expand across major Indian cities, the company is betting that the future will be where pet parents increasingly demand the same level of intentional, personalised care for their pets that they choose for themselves. For a generation that increasingly sees pets as part of the family, the next expectation from petcare may be simple: care that is professional enough to trust but personal enough to feel like home.

About Scooby’s Club

Scooby’s Club is building a network of professionally managed neighbourhood care hubs for dogs. They exist to give busy pet parents trustworthy everyday dog care options—one that’s good for their schedule and great for their dog’s wellbeing.

Juniper Hotels to develop 550-room Grand Hyatt in Dwarka, New Delhi

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Juniper Hotels has signed a licence deed with the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to develop a hotel with approximately 550 rooms in Sector 23, Dwarka, New Delhi.

The planned property will operate as a Grand Hyatt, and Juniper Hotels will develop and manage the hotel through its association with Hyatt. Juniper Hospitality Assets Private Limited, a subsidiary of Juniper Hotels, signed the agreement in the presence of Delhi Lieutenant Governor Shri Taranjit Singh Sandhu.

The upcoming hotel will overlook the DDA Dwarka Golf Course and sit near the Yashobhoomi Convention Centre and the proposed Diplomatic Enclave. Consequently, its strategic location could help the property attract business travellers, event attendees, and visitors to the broader Dwarka region.

With the addition of the new hotel, Juniper Hotels will increase its New Delhi portfolio to nearly 1,000 rooms. Furthermore, the project supports the company’s broader strategy to expand its total room inventory by FY2030-31.

The upcoming Grand Hyatt will also strengthen the hospitality infrastructure emerging around Dwarka. The area has been witnessing the development of major convention, business, and tourism facilities, which could create additional demand for hotel accommodation.

Moreover, the property’s proximity to Yashobhoomi and other major developments will position it to serve a diverse customer base. The hotel is expected to cater to corporate travellers, guests attending events and conferences, as well as leisure visitors exploring Dwarka and New Delhi.

Through the project, Juniper Hotels aims to strengthen its presence in the capital’s growing hospitality market while capitalising on Dwarka’s expanding role as a business, convention, and tourism destination.

Spacetech startup InspeCity raises Rs 100-Cr to scale satellite servicing and life extension

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Spacetech startup InspeCity has raised Rs 100 crore in a pre-Series A funding round as it prepares to qualify its technologies for flight and expand its commercial operations.

Founded in 2022, InspeCity develops technologies for satellite inspection and life extension, including satellite propulsion systems. With the fresh capital, the company plans to commercialise its in-space servicing architecture, initially focusing on extending satellite lifespans.

Over the next 12-18 months, InspeCity plans to conduct four in-orbit missions to advance flight qualification across several technologies. These include propulsion, sensing, autonomous operations, robotics, docking, and refuelling. At the same time, the company plans to scale its satellite propulsion systems business.

Speciale Invest and Ashish Kacholia led the latest funding round, while Antler and other investors also participated. The investment will help InspeCity move from individual technology demonstrations towards integrated in-space servicing missions and broader commercial deployment.

Prof. Arindrajit Chowdhury, founder and CEO of InspeCity, said, “We have built VEDA, or vehicle for life-extension and deorbiting activities, an autonomous architecture designed to extend satellite lifetimes and, in the future, enable more sophisticated orbital servicing. We are transitioning from proving technologies individually to qualifying an integrated architecture in space and putting it to work for customers.”

According to the company, VEDA represents its broader effort to establish an autonomous platform for satellite life extension and, eventually, more advanced orbital servicing operations. InspeCity plans to use its upcoming missions to demonstrate how the integrated architecture can operate in space.

Furthermore, InspeCity has entered into preliminary agreements with multiple customers and continues to engage with the government as it advances its commercial plans. The company has also received support from the Ministry of Defence’s Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) programme.

With the latest funding, InspeCity aims to transition from technology development to commercial in-space servicing. The company will initially focus on satellite life extension before expanding into additional orbital servicing applications as its technology matures.

LaRiSa Hotels launches 8fold by LaRiSa in Amritsar’s Heritage Walk

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LaRiSa Hotels & Resorts has expanded its 8fold Hotels portfolio into Punjab with the launch of 8fold by LaRiSa, Amritsar Heritage Walk.

Located in Amritsar’s Heritage Walk precinct, the hotel places guests close to some of the city’s most prominent attractions. The Golden Temple, Jallianwala Bagh, the Partition Museum, and the city’s traditional market lanes all sit within walking distance of the property.

The new hotel caters to pilgrims and leisure travellers visiting Amritsar and offers room categories designed to accommodate families and groups. Furthermore, its location allows guests to explore the city’s heritage and cultural attractions with ease.

The property also features an in-house restaurant that celebrates Amritsar’s distinctive food culture. Kulcha takes centre stage on the menu, connecting the hotel’s dining experience with one of the city’s most recognised culinary traditions.

The launch of 8fold by LaRiSa, Amritsar Heritage Walk, follows the success of 8fold by LaRiSa, Shimla, which has welcomed travellers across North India for nine years. With the Amritsar property, LaRiSa Hotels & Resorts has established the 8fold brand’s first presence in Punjab.

Commenting on the launch, Priya Thakur, Founder & Director, LaRiSa Hotels and Resorts, said, “Amritsar has always meant something to travellers, long before hotels even came into the picture; people have been walking these same lanes to the Golden Temple for generations. With 8fold, we wanted a stay that respects that rhythm rather than getting in its way: somewhere simple to return to at the end of the day.”

Through the new property, LaRiSa Hotels & Resorts aims to offer a convenient base for travellers exploring Amritsar while keeping the experience closely connected to the city’s heritage, food, and everyday character. The launch also strengthens the group’s presence across North India’s key leisure destinations.