Ritwik Sharma, Peerzada Abrar &Amp; Ashli Varghese

Stories by Ritwik Sharma, Peerzada Abrar &Amp; Ashli Varghese

ShareChat lays off 200 staffers as it eyes profitability

ShareChat lays off 200 staffers as it eyes profitability

Rediff.com   21 Dec 2023

Social media unicorn ShareChat has laid off 200 employees, around 15 per cent of its workforce, in another round of layoffs this year to reduce costs and achieve profitability within the next six quarters. In January, Mohalla Tech Pvt Ltd, the parent company of platforms ShareChat and Moj, fired 500 employees, 20 per cent of its workforce. The same month, company co-founders Bhanu Pratap Singh and Farid Ahsan also stepped down from executive roles.

State Polls See An Uptick In Women MLAs

State Polls See An Uptick In Women MLAs

Rediff.com   21 Dec 2023

There is a rise in the number of women elected to the state legislatures in 2023 compared to 2018, except in Rajasthan.

Which Country Sent Most Tourists To India?

Which Country Sent Most Tourists To India?

Rediff.com   21 Dec 2023

Bangladesh was the largest source of foreign tourists, accounting for 21.4 per cent of all arrivals.

1,000 Cases Of Violence Against Women Daily

1,000 Cases Of Violence Against Women Daily

Rediff.com   18 Dec 2023

Cruelty by the husband (or his relatives) accounted for about 40 per cent of these cases. Delhi reported the highest number of cases of crimes against women (12,552) followed by Mumbai with over 5,000 cases.

Online Shoppers, Please Read This!

Online Shoppers, Please Read This!

Rediff.com   13 Dec 2023

An online company would show a particular price to the customer and then quickly increase the cost after analysing consumer behaviour or detecting any kind of desperation.

Want To Know About Tech Of The Future?

Want To Know About Tech Of The Future?

Rediff.com   11 Dec 2023

Amphibious drones for maritime inspection... devices that extract pure oxygen from water for patients in need... self-balancing electric bikes...

Rapido drives cabs into Uber, Ola lane

Rapido drives cabs into Uber, Ola lane

Rediff.com   6 Dec 2023

There's a hint of new competition riding into a sector that has attracted attention for being in a duopoly-like situation. Rapido, a commute app known for its budget-friendly bike-taxi services, on Tuesday announced its entry into the cab market, which is currently dominated by marquee brands Uber and Ola. Rapido's cab foray will be enabled by a software as a service (SaaS)-based platform.

Raveendran puts Rs 4K cr own wealth into Byju's

Raveendran puts Rs 4K cr own wealth into Byju's

Rediff.com   6 Dec 2023

Byju Raveendran, founder of educational technology (edtech) firm Byju's, has injected around Rs 4,000 crore of personal capital into the company in recent months. This move comes as the company grapples with challenges, including securing fresh capital, delays in financial reporting, and legal disputes with lenders. "Raveendran has pledged personal property to assist the company in dealing with the crisis. "He conveyed to employees that despite perceptions of being a billionaire, he has reinvested a major portion of his wealth back into the company," said a person familiar with the matter.

GenAI, climate & fintech, hot bets for investors next year: Accel's Prakash

GenAI, climate & fintech, hot bets for investors next year: Accel's Prakash

Rediff.com   4 Dec 2023

Generative artificial intelligence (AI), climate tech and fintech sectors will be the hot areas for venture capitalists and founders in the next year, according to the prediction by Prashanth Prakash, founding partner of the global venture capital firm Accel Partners in India and the chairperson of Karnataka Startup Vision Group. Prakash said that about $25 billion has been invested into building Gen AI globally. But a lot of that capital has not yet come to India, opening up huge opportunities for startups in the country.

What Does Ranjan Pai's Re-Entry Mean For Byju's?

What Does Ranjan Pai's Re-Entry Mean For Byju's?

Rediff.com   1 Dec 2023

'Considering Pai is putting his own personal money in Byju's, stakeholders in the company can look forward to more governance and transparency.'

Flavours of ICC Cricket World Cup final on apps: Food and flowers

Flavours of ICC Cricket World Cup final on apps: Food and flowers

Rediff.com   20 Nov 2023

As the Men in Blue took on Australia in an intriguing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup final in Ahmedabad on Sunday, the orders on quick delivery platforms reflected the pulsating mood of the nation.

Loss At Byju's May Only Be Tip Of Iceberg

Loss At Byju's May Only Be Tip Of Iceberg

Rediff.com   18 Nov 2023

'Byju's financials only reflect the core business. At a group level, they are experiencing substantial losses.'

IT Hiring Slowdown Worries Students

IT Hiring Slowdown Worries Students

Rediff.com   13 Nov 2023

'Students of Tier-II and Tier III engineering colleges in the south may find 2023 to be one of the toughest years for getting jobs.'

Walmart-owned PhonePe crosses 500 million lifetime registered users

Walmart-owned PhonePe crosses 500 million lifetime registered users

Rediff.com   9 Nov 2023

Walmart-owned fintech firm PhonePe said it has crossed 500 million lifetime registered users on its platform. With this milestone, 1 in 3 Indians are now on PhonePe. The company said it is the first Indian internet company to have reached this scale globally. This milestone has been achieved in just over 7 years since the PhonePe UPI (Unified Payments Interface) payments launched in August 2016.

Byju's in talks with 3-4 strategic buyers to sell Epic for $450 million

Byju's in talks with 3-4 strategic buyers to sell Epic for $450 million

Rediff.com   7 Nov 2023

Byju's is in talks with three-four strategic buyers, including Joffre Capital Ltd and language learning platform Duolingo, to sell one of its key assets, US-based digital reading platform Epic, for about $400-$450 million, according to sources. With this, the beleaguered edtech firm wants to meet various commitments, including repaying its entire $1.2 billion term loan B (TLB) within six months. "The binding offers of the bidders to acquire Epic are expected to come in the next few weeks after the due diligence is complete," said a person familiar with the matter.

How Amazon Works With Indian Railways

How Amazon Works With Indian Railways

Rediff.com   13 Oct 2023

'Building a whole product with the railways was challenging; we had to figure out how to load and unload a train when it stops for only about five minutes at a station.' 'We also helped them understand the revenues this would generate for them.'

Kota Factory Calls For More Than Mechanical Repair

Kota Factory Calls For More Than Mechanical Repair

Rediff.com   25 Sep 2023

The suicides have involved more NEET aspirants than JEE. 'It's a make-or-mar situation.' 'Either you get into a government medical college, where the fee is much lower than in private institutes, or you don't make it.'

'Many Indian unicorns have set up businesses in Dubai'

'Many Indian unicorns have set up businesses in Dubai'

Rediff.com   16 Sep 2023

'As part of our D33 strategy, the plan is to establish 30 unicorns in Dubai within the next 10 years.'

Edtech company Byju's plans asset sale to pay off $1.2 billion loan

Edtech company Byju's plans asset sale to pay off $1.2 billion loan

Rediff.com   12 Sep 2023

Byju's, India's most-valued startup, has decided to put two of its key assets -- Epic and Great Learning -- on the block to generate $800 million-$1 billion in cash, with an aim to meet the edtech firm's various commitments, including repaying the entire $1.2 billion term loan B (TLB) within six months, according to sources. The cash-strapped company has proposed repaying $300 million of the $1.2 billion loan in the next three months, depending on whether the lenders accept Byju's amendment proposal, said the people familiar with the development. "This loan repayment proposal has been submitted to the lenders and conversations are going in the right direction," said a person in the know.

Byju's changing fortune: From buying spree to selling crown jewels

Byju's changing fortune: From buying spree to selling crown jewels

Rediff.com   12 Sep 2023

From those highs, the Bengaluru-headquartered company founded in 2011 is now looking to sell two companies it lists as "well-known acquisitions" on its website - Epic and Great Learning. But strategic buys have been critical to its quick expansion. The company got a valuation of about $8 billion by January 2020 after becoming a unicorn in late 2017.