Debarghya Sanyal &Amp;Amp; Aryaman Gupta

Stories by Debarghya Sanyal &Amp;Amp; Aryaman Gupta

Unicorns Carve Profits In Funding Winter

Unicorns Carve Profits In Funding Winter

Rediff.com   22 Aug 2023

'Given that the market is now demanding disciplined growth, well-run companies should be able to demonstrate profitability with the cash on hand.'

Red Fort's Tryst With India's Destiny

Red Fort's Tryst With India's Destiny

Rediff.com   14 Aug 2023

Jawaharlal Nehru did not unfurl the Tricolour at the Red Fort on August 15, 1947. But, in a gesture of nationalistic symbolism -- one that has endured by repetition over the 76 years of independent India -- Nehru took to the ramparts at Red Fort's Lahori Gate on August 16, 1947, unfurled the Tricolour there and delivered his first Independence Day speech.

Quick commerce firms gain traction. Next stop: Profit

Quick commerce firms gain traction. Next stop: Profit

Rediff.com   7 Aug 2023

Quick commerce is proving to be a solid business proposition, with companies like Zomato's Blinkit and Y Combinator-backed Zepto recently registering growth, charting paths to profitability. Blinkit logged its highest gross order value (GOV) and customer transactions in June and July, showing a positive contribution for the first time in the quarter ended June 2023. Deepinder Goyal, Zomato's co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO), predicted that Blinkit would deliver more value to shareholders than the core food delivery business in the next decade.

How BAD Is The Job Market?

How BAD Is The Job Market?

Rediff.com   2 Aug 2023

More people working in India's technology industry have lost their jobs in the first six months of 2023 than in the corresponding period in 2022.

Magicpin app crashes under tomato demand, stocks sold out within 10 mins

Magicpin app crashes under tomato demand, stocks sold out within 10 mins

Rediff.com   1 Aug 2023

Hyperlocal delivery platform magicpin experienced an overwhelming surge in demand at 9 am on Monday, causing its app to crash, leaving users temporarily unable to access the platform. The increased traffic came after the firm announced its "tomatoes @ Rs70" initiative last week in partnership with National Cooperative Consumers Federation of India (NCCF) and Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). This led to magicpin's tomato stocks depleting within the first 10 minutes, leaving many buyers struggling to order.

Narayana Murthy's Catamaran aims to double AUM to $2 billion in 5 yrs

Narayana Murthy's Catamaran aims to double AUM to $2 billion in 5 yrs

Rediff.com   31 Jul 2023

Catamaran, the family office of Infosys founder Narayana Murthy, is targeting 15 per cent returns on its portfolio investments per annum as it shifts focus from early-stage investments to growth and late-stage bets. This would double the firm's assets under management (AUM) from the current $1 billion to $2 billion over the next five years. "For direct investments, we are focusing on growth-stage investments and very selectively on early stage," Deepak Padaki, president, Catamaran, told Business Standard. "(This is) primarily because the early-stage space in India, in the last three-four years, has completely changed. "There has been a huge influx of capital in the last two years. It has become a very crowded space for early-stage investment," he said.

Why Indians Are Buying Phones Offline

Why Indians Are Buying Phones Offline

Rediff.com   27 Jul 2023

Similar discounts compared to online led to a spike in demand for offline, where customers can get a more personal and hands-on product experience.

E-sports not affected by revised GST

E-sports not affected by revised GST

Rediff.com   25 Jul 2023

E-sports experts say the burgeoning sector will not be affected by the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council's recent decision to levy a blanket 28 per cent tax on online gaming, which is being viewed by the industry as a death blow to gaming companies.

Why ASUS Is Betting On Gaming

Why ASUS Is Betting On Gaming

Rediff.com   24 Jul 2023

'As long as ASUS continues to introduce new products into the market, we still have a chance to grow our business in India.'

Zepto 'in talks' to raise funding, may become India's 1st unicorn this year

Zepto 'in talks' to raise funding, may become India's 1st unicorn this year

Rediff.com   13 Jul 2023

India may get its first unicorn this year as Zepto, which promises 10-minute deliveries, is in talks to get fresh funding that would take the start-up's valuation past $1 billion. The quick-delivery firm is looking to raise $150 million in a series E round, which will take its valuation to $1.3 billion. The round will be led by StepStone Group, a limited partner (LP) of Zepto's existing investor, Nexus Venture Partners, said media reports.

Primed for Prime Day, Amazon@10 goes from 100 product launches to 45,000

Primed for Prime Day, Amazon@10 goes from 100 product launches to 45,000

Rediff.com   11 Jul 2023

E-commerce major Amazon will host Prime Day - its annual sale event - in India on July 15-16. The company will launch over 45,000 products from over 400 Indian and global brands. The announcement of the Prime Day event in India comes at a time when 900 workers at Amazon UK plan to strike for three days (July 11-13).

Curry Westerns Move To Rajasthan

Curry Westerns Move To Rajasthan

Rediff.com   10 Jul 2023

Even as our tier-2 and tier-3 cities become increasingly well-mapped, and well-documented through myriad tech-driven data, the Indian film-maker's dominantly urban gaze turns to regions not crowded by data, area codes, or directions, observes Debarghya Sanyal.

Google unveils a slate of AI tools for Indian developers

Google unveils a slate of AI tools for Indian developers

Rediff.com   29 Jun 2023

Google unveiled on Wednesday a slate of artificial intelligence (AI) tools and technologies for Indian developers at its first I/O Connect event for India, being held in Bengaluru. The company made accessible for Indian developers its faster, more accurate large language AI model accessible through PaLM API, Makersuite, as well as features on Google Cloud's Vertex AI. Google Cloud officially launched a new initiative in collaboration with Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, to help sellers build and scale commerce platforms across the country.

IIT Madras raises Rs 231 cr in funding from alumni, firms, donors in FY23

IIT Madras raises Rs 231 cr in funding from alumni, firms, donors in FY23

Rediff.com   20 Jun 2023

Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) said on Monday that it had raised the highest-ever corpus of annual funds for the institution, garnering Rs 231 crore from alumni, industry and individual donors for 2022-23 (FY23). Its funding increased 76 per cent year-on-year (YoY) compared to Rs 131 crore in FY22, according to data shared by the institute. The number of donors contributing more than Rs 1 crore increased 64 per cent YoY.

'If students can learn asking ChatGPT...'

'If students can learn asking ChatGPT...'

Rediff.com   15 Jun 2023

'What can a teacher do that ChatGPT cannot?'

Interested in working with OpenAI? Please feel free to email Sam Altman

Interested in working with OpenAI? Please feel free to email Sam Altman

Rediff.com   9 Jun 2023

If you are interested in working with OpenAI, feel free to email Sam Altman. In a free-wheeling fireside chat with university students on Thursday in Delhi, the CEO of OpenAI and his team seemed eager to welcome bright young IT practitioners of India into the OpenAI work space. Asked about the steep degree requirements for applying to tech giants such as Microsoft and Google, Altman said that his company was open to hiring undergraduates and even college drop-outs.

TVs, Laptops, Phones May Cost More

TVs, Laptops, Phones May Cost More

Rediff.com   9 Jun 2023

The reason? Price of open cell panels has gone up 15%. One of the main components in the manufacturing of TV sets, open cells contribute to 60%-65% of the manufacturing cost.

Sequoia splits into 3 independent entities, India biz now Peak XV Partners

Sequoia splits into 3 independent entities, India biz now Peak XV Partners

Rediff.com   7 Jun 2023

Venture Capital giant Sequoia India & Southeast Asia has rebranded itself to Peak VX Partners. The VC firm will now manage its assets under management (AUM) in the region of over $9.2 billion across 13 funds independently. The rebranding exercise followed Sequoia Capital's break-up into three independent entities across the globe. Besides Sequoia India & Southeast Asia, Sequoia China business has adopted the name HongShan in English (it will

Why Foreign VCs Have Shut Their Taps

Why Foreign VCs Have Shut Their Taps

Rediff.com   6 Jun 2023

Foreign investment in India's start-ups has plummeted 72 per cent to $4.58 billion so far, from $16.2 billion during the same period last year.

Gaming Is Not Just For India's Young

Gaming Is Not Just For India's Young

Rediff.com   1 Jun 2023

Meet Nilima Kalra, 79, Manju Roy, 80, Sumita Maan, 79, and Gurpreet Kaur, 75.