Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

<ul><li><keyword id="1165142" type="General" weightage="90" keywordseo="practo" source="Orion">Practo</keyword> has laid off 41 employees, mostly engineers, as part of the company's continuous performance management and planning process.</li><li>The company said in a statement that upholding a high bar for performance and productivity is crucial to maintaining this level of growth.</li><li>Practo, however, clarified layoffs and the business's financial performance have no connection.</li></ul>Leading digital healthcare platform Practo has laid off 41 employees, mostly engineers, as part of the company's continuous performance management and planning process, as the funding winter continues. The layoffs affected the engineering department the most, especially roles like product managers and software engineers, etc. The company said in a statement that upholding a high bar for performance and productivity is crucial to maintaining this level of growth. "Therefore, as part of our continuous performance management and planning process, we had to part ways with 41 employees in accordance with their employment contracts," a Practo spokesperson added. Practo, however, clarified layoffs and the business's financial performance have no connection. "Our revenue, margins, and profits are at an all-time high," said the company. "In the past year, we have hired over 500 talented individuals, and we plan to add another 500 'Practeons' to our team in the next 12 months, including backfill," it added. Practo has raised more than $228 million so far. In August 2020, the healthtech platform received $32 million led by Hong Kong-based <keyword id="154704" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="aia-group" source="Orion">AIA Group</keyword>. The platform is present in more than 20 countries, helping over 30 crore patients, by connecting them with more than one lakh verified doctor partners. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/cert-in-warns-of-high-severity-vulnerabilities-in-apple-products-urges-immediate-action/articleshow/99231900.cms">CERT-In warns of high-severity vulnerabilities in Apple products, urges immediate action</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/googles-new-features-to-simplify-travel-planning-including-a-mobile-friendly-hotel-browsing-feature-a-price-guarantee-badge-for-flights-and-more/articleshow/99235884.cms">Google’s new features to simplify travel planning, including a mobile-friendly hotel browsing feature, a price guarantee badge for flights, and more</a>

Healthtech platform Practo lays off 41 employees, mostly engineers

<ul><li>‘The Wall’ has been signed as the company’s first brand ambassador.</li><li>Conceptualized by <keyword id="7223115" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="spring-marketing-capital" source="Orion">Spring Marketing Capital</keyword>, the campaign is will be seen on digital media platforms across six metro cities in India.</li></ul>Practo, India’s leading integrated healthcare company, has unveiled <keyword id="2727" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rahul-dravid" source="Orion">Rahul Dravid</keyword> as its first brand ambassador with a campaign marking its foray into secondary care services. In the first phase of the ‘You are in safe hands’ campaign, the celebrated cricketer talks about the safe secondary care procedures under Practo Care Surgeries (PCS) in the hands of its team of experts. Maintaining good health is integral to all sportspeople in not only boosting their performance, but also helping them recover quickly from injuries that require expert medical care. Being a strong advocate of the importance of getting the right care from experts to live a healthy life, there could not have been anyone more suited to represent the company than the cricketer. The first ad film starts with Dravid speaking to a friend at a party who has been suffering from a secondary health condition. On being told that he always has access to expert care, Dravid introduces his friend to PCS that is designed to provide personalized, expert care to everyone. By walking him through the entire process - from the first consultation to post-surgery care - this film encapsulates how - and why - Practo is positioned to offer the best secondary care experience to patients. <div type="Youtube" id="fu2veykYpOs" title="Practo Care Surgeries | You are in safe hands x Rahul Dravid | End-to-end surgical solutions" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/fu2veykYpOs/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Commenting on the announcement, cricketer Rahul Dravid says, “Practo has reimagined modern healthcare in India with its comprehensive digital services and integrated offline experience with Practo Care, helping us with our secondary healthcare needs . The company has earned a name for itself as a leader in delivering patient-focused care - anytime, anywhere - and I’m glad to be associated with them.” Seamless delivery of secondary care can be challenging given the lack of adequate support patients may get in terms of access to expert surgeons, right information, financial help and post-surgical support. Practo has attempted to find a solution to these with PCS. Speaking on the launch, Srikanth Pinninti, Executive Vice President - Marketing, Practo, says, “Dravid embodies Practo’s spirit of always being dependable and trustworthy. Built on this understanding, our association with him is a step towards improving awareness - and thereby access - to quality secondary healthcare. Given the superior surgical support that sports people routinely need, this endorsement conveys that the same is available to anyone today with Practo Care Surgeries.” Conceptualized by Spring Marketing Capital, and directed by Shlok Sharma of Absolute Productions, the ad film demonstrates that Dravid’s values as a dependable sportsperson with great command over his craft aligns with Practo’s vision of building access to quality healthcare on the back of the trust and expertise it has built over years. It covers key aspects of the new service, including the PCS Experience Centers, expert surgeons, use of latest surgical technology, and financial support. “Surgeries are considered a stressor for most patients, even though they can offer a lot of relief” says Arun Iyer, Founder and Creative Partner, Spring Marketing Capital. “Practo Care Surgeries combines easy access with medical expertise and state-of-the-art technology to offer patients an end-to-end experience,” he adds. The ad film will air on digital media platforms - including Disney+Hotstar during IPL, ZEE5, SonyLiv, Voot, MX Player, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram - across six key cities (Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, and Ahmedabad), where the ace cricketer will be seen promoting quality, convenient, and end-to-end delivery experience in secondary care with the help of expert surgeons on Practo. Credits: Spring Marketing Capital Arun Iyer – Founder &amp; Creative Partner Manish Karnatak – Creative Partner Manu Ambady – Creative Associate Chitra Balachandran – Portfolio Associate Production Production House: Absolute Productions Director: Shlok Sharma Executive Producer: Prafull Sharma Producer: Trisanku Kaushik

Practo names Rahul Dravid as brand ambassador; launches new campaign to spread awareness for its secondary care procedures

<ul><li>The lockdown gave an unprecedented push to the healthtech sector where more and more people got comfortable with the idea of not just ordering medicines online, but also consulting doctors on virtual platforms.</li><li>We talk to <keyword id="1165145" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shashank-ND">Shashank ND</keyword>, CEO &amp; Co-Founder, <keyword id="1165142" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Practo">Practo</keyword> who shares what kind of growth the startup witnessed in the past few months and what the future of the industry will look like.</li></ul>The Covid-induced lockdown that led to the entire country getting stuck at home has now led to huge behaviour changes. While many of these changes might go back to being the way they were pre-Covid, many might just stick. One such behavioural change we believe is here to stay is the increased adoption of <keyword id="108593" type="TECHNOLOGY" weightage="20" keywordseo="telemedicine">telemedicine</keyword> and online consultations. Considering people could not visit their doctors or hospitals, the Indian healthcare sector had to innovate, and fast. This gave a massive push to the healthtech sector. The same people who weren’t comfortable buying anything online have now become accustomed to using online platforms for buying everything from essentials and non-essentials to even talking to their doctors. While the telemedicine sector has been around in India for a few years now, this was perhaps the push it needed. And the results are already showing as Shashank ND, CEO &amp; Co-Founder, Practo tells us. How the lockdown impacted Practo While Practo was founded in 2008 and has been continuously growing in the last couple of years, the last few months saw a lot of new users coming onto the platform. About how things have been for Practo, which calls itself a ‘one-stop shop for all your medical needs’, Shashank tells us, “COVID-19, though unparalleled in its reach and the extent to which it has upended the lives of billions across the globe, also provided the push necessary for India to embrace telemedicine. As people remained homebound amid the lockdown, it became imperative to solve the critical problem of <keyword id="606335" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="healthcare-access">healthcare access</keyword> without putting the patients’, doctors’ and healthcare workers’ lives at further risk. <keyword id="387573" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="online-consultation">Online consultation</keyword>, thus, became the first port of call to offer the much-needed impetus amid this crisis.” Currently, Practo has close to 25,000 verified doctors who provide online consultations on its platform. “This is indicative of growth to the tune of over 1000% in just four months. These doctors enable us to provide consultations anywhere, anytime - even at odd hours, weekends and holidays. The objective is to further increase this number to keep up with the growing demand on the platform,” shared Shashank. Patients have responded with equal gusto, Shashank further shared. More and more people are now preferring online consultations. Practo’s online consultation has seen a 10x growth in the last six months. What is also encouraging is the fact that many of these users are first-time users and also from smaller cities. “What was considered a luxury just a few months ago, has become a necessity today. In fact, 80% of all our telemedicine customers were first-time users, while approximately 50% consultations were from non-metros. But what really stands out is the high CSAT score of 90% (i.e., more than 90% of users rate Practo 4 and 5). This places a massive responsibility on us to continue providing support to improve existing services and create better ones; our top priority remains delivering on our mission to make <keyword id="474799" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Quality-healthcare">quality healthcare</keyword> accessible and affordable for all,” he added. Practo also runs a service called Prime that gives users benefits like low wait times and 24*7 service, among other services. About how the offering has helped not just consumers but hospitals and clinics too, Shashank said, “As restrictions began to ease, hospitals and clinics felt a need for a service like Prime, whereby patients can book an appointment in advance, more than ever to avoid overcrowding in waiting rooms and enforce social distancing better. Patients too prefer making appointments in advance to reduce wait times. So, it's no wonder that appointment booking has started to pick up again and is almost back to where it was in early February. Hospitals and clinics are rethinking how they operate in the light of COVID-10 and prepare for a future to keep patients out of waiting rooms. Practo Prime has emerged as a suitable option to bring more predictability and discipline in how we see doctors. While on one hand patients get access to predictable wait times and convenience of booking appointment with doctors 24*7 online, healthcare providers can manage their calendars and schedule appointments more seamlessly, so as to keep waiting rooms clear and uncrowded.” Is the consumer's behaviour change here to stay? During the last few challenging months, online consultations provided uninterrupted access to quality healthcare for a lot of people who jumped onto the digital bandwagon. What was heartening to see was also the fact that it was not only people from metros who were adapting to this new world order and adopting online healthcare. On whether there’s been a surge in the number of people coming onto their platform from smaller cities, Shashank said, “Absolutely. Currently the split is around 50:50 between metro and non-metro cities. These numbers were highly skewed a few years ago, when we had just begun. In the pre-covid era, close to 70% of the online consults on Practo were only from metros. But, the pandemic has narrowed down the divide quite quickly, and in the three months since March 2020, the ratio is nearly 50-50. This is mainly because the challenge of accessing verified doctors in smaller cities has further increased due to social distancing and lockdown. Patients from cities like Hoshiarpur, Karnal, Bhimavaram, Katni, and Durgapur have been actively consulting online on our platform and a large part of them are first time users.” So is this change in behaviour here to stay? Shashank added, “The pandemic has set the wheels of change in motion. But this is a long-term process, and change will not occur overnight. There is an evident behavioural change in the way individuals have started accessing healthcare in our country. This shift, which is a necessity now, will prove useful in its widespread adoption in the country. With the smartphone users in Indian poised to grow to 500 million by 2025, this transition will be smooth and swift.” Areas of focus for Practo For the last 12 years, Practo says that it has been working towards solving three critical needs of the Industry, Quality, Access, and Affordability. Till now, its core focus has been on building an environment of trust, transparency and reliability in healthcare. Going ahead, Shashank puts together a list of the organization’s areas of focus: 1. Patients’ overall wellbeing - building a patient-centric healthcare system of tomorrow a. We’ve helped people manage illness so far, we want to now help them stay away from it too through telemedicine 2. Continuum of care a. The future of the healthcare Industry is patient-centric, integrated and preventive and for that it requires a good blend of offline and online, and we’re determined to work towards that to offer continuum of care to users. Practo health plans are a good example in that direction. As we look at our strategy going forward, driving exceptional consumer value and serving existing as well as the next set of 200 million consumers would continue to be our top priority. To that affect our roadmap would be: 3. Highest quality of health outcomes With the objective of attaining the highest quality in medical care, a. We will double down our efforts on ensuring no one except Registered Medical Professionals (RMPs or qualified medical practitioners ) have access to our platform, thus actively fighting all forms of quackery and enabling access to only genuine, verified doctors. b. Onboard more senior doctors to help train, and monitor quality of consultations facilitated on our platform. c. Launch new initiatives to solve for challenges on lack of clarity around various specialisations and qualifications. 4. Equitable access to quality healthcare, from Bengaluru to Barsi For greater participation, especially from smaller towns and tier 2 and 3 cities, a. We will build a multilingual interface that will expand access to quality healthcare, b. This will also enable interactions in native languages, bringing quality care to remote locations. 5. Continuous care over episodic intervention In order to ensure care is connected, on-demand and synchronous, we will: a. Double our focus on digitization on the provider-side to make care-giving seamless, b. Simultaneously, we will make healthcare patient-centric and preventive. 6. Build a sustainable, resilient healthcare system and business To attain our goal of sustained profitability and make a lasting difference, we will: a. Harness technologies like AI to increase operational efficiencies and improve user experience, b. Optimize our processes and integrate systemic improvements to create a scalable and sustainable business model that will deliver long-term value for all, c. Capture next 200 million customers by continued focus on expansion and growth. He also added that Practo will continue to focus on is mission to empower, support, and enable healthcare access to all without exception. “We will concurrently be optimizing our processes and integrating systemic improvements to create a scalable and sustainable business model that will deliver long-term value for all,” he explained.

There are over 25,000 verified doctors providing online consultations which is a growth of over 1000% in just four months: Shashank ND, CEO & Co-Founder, Practo

<ul><li>With the growing number of healthtech startups, India is in the need of a <keyword id="7507326" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="healthcare-data-privacy">healthcare data privacy</keyword> bill. </li><li>The Indian government has proposed a law that will bring the ownership of the data to the consumer. </li><li>Healthtech startups like <keyword id="1165142" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Practo">Practo</keyword>, Healthifyme too agree to the need of consumer ownership in the privacy bill.</li></ul>Over the years, with the growth of internet businesses, data privacy has gained even more importance. And when it comes to healthcare data, the importance of data privacy only increases. India has been toying with the idea of a healthcare data privacy bill since 2018, but it hasn’t come into effect yet. In March 2018, the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said that it plans to set up a nodal body called National Digital Health Authority, that would enforce privacy and security measures for electronic health data in India. However, while the setting up of the regulatory body is awaited, there are multiple healthtech startups out there today with millions of users that have access to medical records. Recently, healthcare platform Practo released a report on India’s healthcare map citing “key consumer healthcare trends, concerns and behaviour.” The report was generated from the doctors appointment bookings made through their platform. An official statement from the company said the report was made “of hundreds of thousands of searches and appointments, by over 13 crore patients, across 50+ cities and 250+ specialities, in 2018.” But doesn’t that put the privacy of a patient at risk? Experts don't believe so as the anonymity of the user is still in place. Varun Dubey, VP, Marketing at Practo spoke to Business Insider and said “We feel this data itself is powerful as it shows the healthcare trends in the country. There is a real need for conversation around the issues in the sector,” he said. It’s similar to when Google releases a report about what people are searching for, it is quite generic as well as anonymised, he added. Experts from the healthcare industry too stress on the importance of such reports. “If without sharing the name of the individual, if the remaining quantifiable and quality data is shared for the purpose of innovation, I don’t think it’s a bad thing. It's like a necessary evil for the greater good of mankind,” Dr. Siddhant Bhargava, Co-founder, Fitness &amp; Nutritional Scientist - Food Darzee told Business Insider. So how does Practo, a company which has about 2.5 crore patients booking appointments through them, keep the data safe? “We have cared and given importance to data security and privacy for years now. Probably, we are the only ISO 27000 certified company in healthtech. As we work in other countries too, we don’t have to just comply with Indian laws but across many other countries. We have a lot of external and internal audits that take place. Our servers are Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (hipaa) compliant, even though India doesn’t need one. We also have a 256 bit encryption code, which is much stronger than security codes in Indian banks,” said Dubey. The Health Ministry is also looking to bring about a strict <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/india-to-be-first-to-protect-health-data-of-citizens-with-iron-clad-law-118053100126_1.html">law</a> that would give individuals the ownership of their data. It is the “consumer ownership” of data that makes the law important. While Dubey believes that not just healthcare but data privacy overall is utmost important, he said that the bill is moving towards giving more power to the consumer. Other healthcare startups too agree. Tushar Vashisht, co-founder and CEO of Healthifyme, said that it is the government’s mandate to figure out how strict the norms should be. “I would personally ask for the consumer to be king. They should define how they want to control or secure their data,” Vashisht told Business Insider. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indian-government-commits-to-increasing-public-health-spending-to-2-5-of-gdp-by-2025but-is-that-enough/articleshow/67086285.cms">Indian government commits to increasing public health spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2025—but is that enough?</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indias-fintech-cos-are-growing-but-cybersecurity-fails-to-make-the-mark/articleshow/68255233.cms">India’s fintech cos are growing but cybersecurity fails to make the mark</a>

India has millions of medical records online but no law to keep the data safe

<keyword id="6354802" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="depression">Depression</keyword> is becoming a prevalent problem among Indians today and this is because of various factors such as stress, fast paced lives and changing value systems. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/exclusive-heres-what-google-vp-rajan-anandan-said-about-jios-impact-on-the-telecom-sector/articleshow/58132345.cms">ALSO READ: Exclusive: Here’s what Google VP Rajan Anandan said about Jio’s Impact on the Telecom Sector</a> 
 
Many people living in urban cities have been seeking medical help for various mental issues and major depressive disorder (MDD) which often have symptoms such as loss of interest and enjoyment in practically every aspect of life. Added to this are physical symptoms such as a heavy headache, backache, insomnia, difficulty in concentration, restlessness, stomach disorders, heaviness in the chest, weakness and blurred vision. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/exclusive-rajan-anandan-vp-google-india-says-that-it-is-the-beginning-of-the-indian-start-up-boom/articleshow/58144238.cms">ALSO READ: Exclusive: Rajan Anandan, VP, Google India says that it is the Beginning of the Start-up Boom in India</a> 
 
Practo, India's leading healthcare startup released findings from its Healthcare Map of India highlighting the key mental health concerns in India’s top cities. These findings can help experts understand the state of mental health in the country so that more people can be encouraged to seek medical assistance. 
 The Practo healthcare map is a comprehensive look at the mental health trends across India. The report is based on those health care appointments that were booked on the platform along with online consultations across India with the focus on cities including Delhi &amp; NCR, Bangalore, Mumbai, <keyword id="6354925" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kolkata">Kolkata</keyword>, Chennai etc. 
 
The report is entirely based on actual patient actions such as booking appointments with a doctor and online consultations with doctors, rather than a survey which makes it more realistic. 
 
Report Findings 
 
1. 78% of all doctor appointments related to mental illness booked were by people under 30 
 
2. 79% of all online doctor consultations related to mental illness were done by people under 30 
 
3. People in the age group of 18-24 visited mental health specialists the most followed by growth in the age group of 25-34 
 
4. 62% growth in appointments booked for symptoms like depression and anxiety nationally. 
 
5. 4x growth in patients consulting doctors online for such health concerns – meaning that increasingly patients are also exploring consulting doctors online as it gives them greater privacy and helps avoid the stigma these conditions can sometimes carry. 
 
6. Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore saw the most appointments with mental health specialists. 
 
7. Chennai and Kolkata saw the highest growth (57% and 24% respectively) in these appointments in 2016 as compared to 2015

People below 30 are most depression-prone according to this Practo survey

Yoga guru <keyword id="6355107" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Baba-Ramdev">Baba Ramdev</keyword>’s FMCG Company Patanjali has already taken the market share from the big daddies of the industry to become the favorite of the nation. Moving ahead, he is now focusing at the digital health space in the country, and is ready to take on start-ups like such as <keyword id="2798697" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Lybrate">Lybrate</keyword> and <keyword id="1165142" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Practo">Practo</keyword>. 
 
For this, the Haridwar-based company would be coming up with an online platform, called Chikitsalaya, exclusively for ayurvedic consultation and treatment. 
 
Industry experts are of the opinion that this would help the company, which was getting around five crore internet searches every month, speed up its outreach. 
 
"A company that manufactures its own drugs and sets up a digital consultation platform subsequently will have a multifold impact on its business," Saurabh Arora, founder &amp; CEO of Lybrate, told ET. Backed by Tiger Global, Lybrate is one of India’s largest online doctor consultation platforms. 
 As of now, Patanjali operates in the FMCG sector and sells products like ghee, soaps and honey, while its sister concern <keyword id="2830840" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Divya-Pharmacy">Divya Pharmacy</keyword> manufactures and sells Ayurvedic medicines. Besides this, Ramdev also has an ayurveda hospital and a medical college in his campus located near Haridwar. 
 "Absence of doctors and pharmacies is the main problem faced by traditional medicine practices such as ayurveda in the country. If Ramdev manages to launch an online consultation platform, he will be one of the forerunners in the business," Punit Kapoor, director of online pharma company <keyword id="3375612" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="BigChemist">BigChemist</keyword>, told ET. 
 
"Even large FMCG companies have started working on separate websites for their natural products. Online consultation means patients will not have to physically walk into a doctor's chamber. It means, reaching out to a global audience," he added. 
 
<a href="https://images1-fabric.practo.com/53fc706b4e227cdafb91a39cc1b4e53ca98c6d813863f.JPG/large">Image source</a>

After FMCG, Patanjali wants to strike gold in digital health startup space

The 2016-17 Union Budget was a budget for the poor, as the government aims to bring development to the grass roots level. Rural sector, big schemes and agriculture, all saw some historic announcements.
 

	But health was perhaps the most significant change from past years.
 “The Finance Minister’s focus on health as one of the key pillars proves to show that everyone should have the right to live a healthy lifestyle. The fact that quality drugs will be made available by setting up 3,000 stores in rural India along with health insurance of upto Rs. 1 lakh per family; top up of Rs. 35,000 for individuals above 60 years indicates that incentives should be made available to every Indian, irrespective of old age or income limitation,” said Shashank ND, the founder &amp; CEO of <keyword id="6354525" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Healthcare">healthcare</keyword> startup, <keyword id="1165142" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Practo">Practo</keyword>. 

	He further added that the government's ambitious scheme Swachch Bharat Abhiyan, and LPG connection for women in rural homes will help in pushing the agenda of preventive healthcare even further. The National Dialysis services programme is also a heartening initiative taken up by the government.
 

	Shashank added that clarity on tax holiday and easing out of the registration process will nurture the growth of Practo.
 

	“The ease of registration process and the hope to complete the task in 1 day is a welcome measure along with the 3 year Tax holiday for startups. At least this will allow a speedy way to setting up a venture and help startups to focus on the building disruptive products and services without worrying about profits or losses. It is also good to see aspiring entrepreneurs to get access to quality education and training through various newly built colleges, schools, government ITI’s and vocation training centers through massive open online courses. Reduction of long term capital gains from 3 years to 2 years is a positive move by the government,” he said.

	 
	 
	(Image credits: Indiatimes)

Here’s what healthcare startup Practo found encouraging about the new Budget

At least 890 funding <keyword id="6391790" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="deals">deals</keyword> would be signed this year in the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=telecom">telecom</a>, <keyword id="6354777" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Media">media</keyword> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=technology+">technology</a> sectors in India, witnessing more financial deals as compared to the last year when 515 such deals were signed. 
 According to a <keyword id="2858137" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Merisis-Advisors">Merisis Advisors</keyword> report, a bulk of these deals (580) is expected to be in the under $1 million category while those above $10 million and $100 million are forecast to be about 95 and 10, respectively, in 2015. 
 
In the first half of 2015, 288 deals were seen in under $1 million category and 160 in the over $1 million range. 
 Some of the large funding deals this year include <keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword>'s $400 million in April, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Snapdeal">Snapdeal</a>'s $500 million by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Alibaba+">Alibaba</a> and others and <keyword id="1165142" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Practo">Practo</keyword> raising $90 million in August. 
 Compared with 2015, a total of 515 deals were inked in 2014 in the telecom, media and <keyword id="6355118" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="80" keywordseo="technology">technology</keyword> space. Of this, 324 were in the under $1 million and 191 in the over $1 million brackets. 
 
Over 430 funding deals were signed in 2013, the report said. 
 
"The data clearly confirm our focus on the $10+ million deal size, we are also open to doing $5-10 million fund raising as it gives us the opportunity of working with young entrepreneurs with whom we would like to create a relationship too early on in the lifecycle," Merisis Advisors co-founder Sumir Verma said. 
 
Asked if there was saturation setting in terms of funding opportunities, Verma replied in the negative. 
 
"Not really. There are plenty of investment opportunities in India currently and for some time to come. However, macro conditions will decide investor appetite," he said. 
 
Verma said investors look for companies disrupting an untapped market with technology driven solutions headed by a strong <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=management">management</a>. 
 
"Some funds have focus on certain themes at various times ranging from hyperlocal to food-tech, but it largely comes down to whether or not there is a large enough market for the company's solution," he added. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

About 900 new funding deals to be inked in 2015 compared to 2014

<ul><li>The cases of <keyword id="653892" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Seasonal-influenza" source="Orion">seasonal influenza</keyword> saw a steep rise this post-monsoon season, as compared to the last 2-3 years, say doctors and experts.</li><li>However, it is to be noted that <keyword id="43489" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="swine-flu" source="Orion">swine flu</keyword>, <keyword id="8763838" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Covid-19" source="Orion">Covid-19</keyword> and seasonal influenza have a few similar symptoms.</li><li>Influenza can cause severe illness or death, particularly among high risk groups.</li></ul>Seasonal in<keyword id="43544" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="flu" source="Orion">flu</keyword>enza, commonly known as ‘flu’ is a viral infection that attacks lungs, nose and throat. The cases of flu saw a steep rise this post-monsoon season as compared to the last 2-3 years, say doctors and experts. However, it is to be noted that swine flu and seasonal influenza are totally different but exhibit similar symptoms. Swine flu or <keyword id="46531" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="H1N1-virus" source="Orion">H1N1 virus</keyword> is caused by the H1N1 virus. Whereas, the virus which causes the seasonal flu changes every year and season. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="What is seasonal influenza?" comment="subhead" text="What is seasonal influenza?">What is seasonal influenza?</cmsannotation> Seasonal influenza is an acute respiratory infection caused by influenza viruses which circulate in all parts of the world. It is a self-limiting disease and causes illnesses that range in severity and sometimes lead to hospitalization and death, according to the <keyword id="43588" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="world-health-organization" source="Orion">World Health Organization</keyword> (WHO). High risk groups like children, elderly, pregnant women, health workers and those with serious medical conditions are more vulnerable to this disease. Worldwide, these annual epidemics are estimated to result in about 3-5 million cases of severe illnesses, and about 290,000-650,000 respiratory deaths, as per WHO. In temperate climates, seasonal epidemics occur mainly during winter, while in tropical regions, influenza may occur throughout the year, causing outbreaks more irregularly. The seasonal influenza transmits rapidly in crowded areas including schools and nursing homes. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, droplets containing viruses are dispersed into the air and can spread up to a distance of one meter, and infect persons in close proximity who breathe them in. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Is flu similar to Covid-19?" comment="subhead" text="Is flu similar to Covid-19?">Is flu similar to Covid-19?</cmsannotation> No, the flu is not similar to Covid-19 but has some common symptoms. “Seasonal influenza doesn’t spread as easily as <keyword id="8764262" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="covid" source="Orion">Covid</keyword>. It has a smaller isolation period and generally doesn’t cause any complications as Covid, depending upon the patient,” said Dr Kirti Sabnis, infectious disease specialist, Fortis Hospital - Kalyan and Mulund. Covid-19 is caused by the coronavirus and its isolation period is anywhere between 14-17 days. The common symptoms between Covid and seasonal flu are fever, fatigue and dry cough. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="How can one stop it from spreading?" comment="subhead" text="How can one stop it from spreading?">How can one stop it from spreading?</cmsannotation> “We must watch out for flu-like symptoms like fever, cough, sore throat, fatigue and body ache. One must follow simple steps like throwing away the tissue used for sneezing or coughing, and follow normal hygiene guidelines,” Dr Aditya S Chowti, Senior Consultant — internal medicine, Fortis Hospital, Bangalore. There are also vaccines available in the market for influenza. “The best precaution for influenza to reduce the complication or reduce the spread is to get a vaccination. The dose has to be taken once in a year,” Dr Sabnis added. Patients should monitor themselves, and if their condition deteriorates, they should seek medical attention. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/personal-finance/news/nearly-62-health-insurance-policy-holders-surveyed-saw-their-premiums-increase/articleshow/93772339.cms">Nearly 62% health insurance policy holders surveyed saw their premiums increase</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/practos-insta-says-its-saas-transition-will-help-reduce-costs-by-4x/articleshow/93769317.cms">Practo’s Insta says it’s SaaS transition will help reduce costs by 4x</a>

Seasonal influenza cases rising in India — here’s what we know so far about the flu

<ul><li>It is after a long time that we have consistently seen <keyword id="2727" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rahul-dravid" source="Orion">Rahul Dravid</keyword> in the brandverse.</li><li>After his association with CRED, Dravid has signed up a few more brand deals with Piramal Realty, Practo, Orchids, to mention a few.</li><li>According to TAM sports, Dravid had about a 4% share in television advertisements during the first half of 2021. He was also the eighth most-loved sports celebrity in India this year.</li><li>So, as the Former Indian captain dons a new role in Indian cricket history and bags more brand deals, we speak to brand custodians to find out the reasons behind his comeback and decode his equity as a brand endorser.</li></ul>Rahul Dravid, team India’s newly appointed head coach, has found his space back into the brandverse after his clutter-breaking and memorable performance in <a href="https://twitter.com/imvkohli/status/1380451732690411521?s=21">CRED’s campaign</a>. The brand had unleashed Dravid’s unseen side and the audience was astonished! Apart from breaking other bowlers’ patience, we have never seen Dravid break anything or lose his calm at all. We certainly did not expect the zen Rahul Dravid to react as we do in traffic. This Indiranagar ka Gunda won millions of hearts with his acting skills and his ad went on to become the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/advertising/brands/article/creds-ad-featuring-rahul-dravid-was-the-most-viral-ad-in-ipl-2021-report/articleshow/87279382.cms">most viral ad during IPL 2021. </a> Since Dravid’s association with CRED, his popularity seems to be growing steadily. He has signed up a few more brand deals with Piramal Realty, Practo, Orchids, to mention a few. On the field, he was fondly referred to as ‘The Wall’ or ‘Mr Dependable’ for acting as the team’s silent saviour and guiding them out of troubled waters time and again. He was also known as one of the most disciplined cricketers with a sound technique and at one point, he was a bowler’s nightmare. However, he lived under Sachin Tendulkar’s shadow during his entire career and in the last decade, after he resigned from international cricket, he was replaced by MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli in the marketing world too. After experiencing a dry spell in the ad industry for years, he has finally made a comeback. According to TAM sports, Dravid had about a 4% share in television advertisements during the first half of 2021. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/advertising/media/article/top-10-sports-celebrities-of-the-brandverse-in-2021-as-per-tam/slidelist/85649566.cms">He was the eighth most-loved sports celebrity in India. </a> Telling us the reasons behind Dravid’s rising popularity, Lloyd Mathias, Business Strategist and former marketer at HP, Motorola and PepsiCo, said, “Rahul has always been a thinking cricketer known for his poise, balance and maturity and his batting best described by the moniker ‘the wall’ have always been the mainstay of India’s cricket through the late nineties and 2000s. So even after his retirement from international cricket, his association with the game as the captain of IPL team Rajasthan Royals and as the head of the National Cricket Academy NCA continued. Another reason for the renewed brand interest is the fact that Dravid is now the Head Coach of the Indian cricket team, one of the key positions in Indian sport. This brings him Centerstage as he helps navigate India’s cricket team over the next few years.” Athletes and sports personalities disappear from the limelight once their sporting career comes to an end. However, Dravid has managed to stay relevant. N. Chandramouli, CEO, TRA is confident that Dravid’s brand value will only rise in the coming years. He said, “Rahul Dravid has kept his brand relevant, but not over-exposed, and therefore even at 48 years, he is likely to see his brand value grow over the years.” So, what’s the secret behind this? Chandramouli says, “Sportspersons usually have a short shelf-life for endorsements, and it declines sharply after their sporting careers are over. However, the two-decade career of Rahul Dravid has had glittering successes and his dependability on the field is legendary. His calm, non-controversial demeanor is at its batting best off the field too. He is a brand’s dream as an endorser, especially for those who want to show dependability.” Shashwat Das, Founder and Director, Almond Branding said that The Wall of Indian cricket will never go out of fashion and the CRED campaign has only strengthened his position as an endorser. He said, "Just last week the batting legend has been officially appointed the head coach of the Indian cricket team. That clearly shows that he has miles to go as far as his contribution to Indian cricket is concerned. The same holds true for the brandverse! I would say his PR team has been doing a commendable job and is a big force behind not only his comeback to the brandverse but also pushing him beyond his typical gentlemen arena. Jammy’s act of breaking things as “Indranagar ka Gunda” was clearly breaking the internet. After CRED, we suddenly are ready to see much more from him. I am sure we will see many more of his brand endorsements in the coming year." With 18.9k followers on Instagram, Dravid’s social media following also adds to the potential consumer base for the associated brands, especially during the lockdown when most of the brands had little to no access to the traditional channels of advertisement. Over the years, Dravid has also managed to stay clean from any controversy -- making him a safe bet for brands. He has endorsed everything from grooming products to insurance brands, staying four feet apart from pan masala brands. In fact, he was a part of a<a href="https://youtu.be/6fOUNhW1YVY"> Tobacco control campaign</a> that helped him reiterate his principles and ethics to consumers. It is his charming personality and tactical acumen that he has always held a special place in India’s marketing world. He has emerged as the perfect option for brands who want to establish themselves as the ‘pillar of strength and trust.’ “Dravid’s allure for brand is his mature and untarnished reputation who has always played fair both on and off the field. A player who despite his awesome achievements has remained controversy-free, stayed low profile and shunned the limelight. This archetype is generally rare among sportspersons and movie stars and makes for a brand endorser that many stable brands would opt for. I think his personality makes a great fit for categories that work around tradition, and value trust and dependability - BFSI, Technology, FinTech and Education/EdTech,” said Mathias. He also said that Dravid’s equity might see a hike after his recent appointment as India’s Head Coach. Mathias added, “Dravid's brand equity should see an upsurge with the Indian cricket head coach role. Brands may see the appeal of someone who’s nationally revered, had a great playing career, morphing into an astute administrator and coach combined with a positive and untarnished reputation as a great rub off.” While we all know that brands chase numbers, some celebrities live forever. Dravid, the wall of Indian Cricket Team, is one of those stars who will shine for years to come. His brand image, relatability and followership continue to remain strong and experts expect the same trend going forward.

Decoding Rahul Dravid’s rising popularity among brands

<keyword id="1199916" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Belong">Belong</keyword>, a data analytics talent acquisition firm helping companies hire the right talent at the right time, boasts of a dynamic list of clients – from <keyword id="541988" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="SnapDeal">Snapdeal</keyword>, Practo, Zivame to Ola and <keyword id="6368309" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Urban-Ladder">Urban ladder</keyword>. 
 
The reason it has been able to get onboard big names on its platform is because it's solving the recruitment concerns of these companies differently – it’s using big data, search, and predictive analytics to make a recruiter’s job easier. They no longer need to screen thousands of resumes to find ‘hidden gems’ -- but can instead target and engage candidates with surgical precision in just a few clicks. 
 For this, Belong is using machine learning to optimize the process of shortlisting a candidate based on an individual recruiter’s search patterns. This, the company claims, greatly reduces the effort of a recruiter as it replicates what recruiters and <keyword id="6357342" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hiring">hiring</keyword> managers try to do when they look at a candidate’s background except the algorithms draw on far more information for an informed decision. 
 We decided to chat with <keyword id="14193" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vijay-Sharma">Vijay Sharma</keyword>, CEO and co-founder of Belong, to understand what these high growth companies they work with are looking for in candidates. 
 
"They look for an entrepreneurial DNA in their candidates..." 
 
Sharma told Business Insider – “These candidates would have to be ex-entrepreneurs or co-founders or product leaders with experience in building and launching global products from the scratch. People who are comfortable getting their hands dirty, for example, tech leaders who are still comfortable coding.” 
 
He said most of these companies are actively encouraging a “micro-startup” culture within their teams. 
 
"Because many of them are moving into new categories or businesses, they want people who can come onboard and take on business ownership. For a product manager, this could involve P/L metrics,” he added. Additionally, because these companies are building for a global market, they also prefer people with international experience. 
 
Another key aspect, the Belong CEO said, companies are looking out for is - “Why someone is joining them”. 
 
“In the recent past, companies did attract a lot of talent looking for higher salaries and perks. They are still willing to splurge on talent, but they seek strong alignment on vision, culture, and role-fit,” he concluded. 
 
These trends show how India has come a long way in the recruitment journey already. As it continues to evolve, companies like Belong (which are bringing technology to HR) are bound to completely reshape and revolutionize the recruiting landscape in the near future.

CEO of the firm hiring for Ola, Snapdeal, Urban Ladder tells us what high growth companies are looking for in candidates

After spending hours on internet, scanning through social media, writing emails and recruiting for different startups, founders of hiring startup ‘Belong’ concluded that top coders or product managers rarely apply for jobs. 
 
Vijay Sharma and Sudheendra Chilappagari said that most recruitments at these levels happen through connections or referrals, making it tough for employers to find great talent buried a few levels inside a company. 
 
The two have helped hire people for startups including Exotel, Practo and Instamojo in their earlier jobs. They have now focussed on their know-how into a hiring company that uses big data and rules to tell which gifted programmer is likely to move jobs or which manager is bored of the job. 
 
Belong not only matches skills but also checks if a potential hire can culturally fit in. 
 
"People leave a lot about themselves online. That helps us match a potential employee and the culture of the organisation," Sharma, who has so far bootstrapped the company to a 35-member team told Economic Times. 
 
The financial daily reported that the Bengaluru-based Belong analyses internet data and crumbs of information left on social media by potential hires to help companies identify candidates with high degree of precision. 
 
"People do skill matching all the time. But what really makes an employee stick is the culture," added Sharma, who has been in stealth mode since leaving Exotel last year. 
 
Many startups these days believe in hiring smart people and then figuring out a role for them, especially at senior levels. Mostly, these people might not be actively looking for jobs. 
 
"People have joined us from various industries like FMCG and telecom, and you don't see a direct fit most of the times," Saurabh Sengupta, who heads recruitment at Zomato, told ET, adding, “the deal maker is if they are like-minded. We are taking a lot of bets on people and not on resumes.” 
 
Belong, which was earlier known as Dataemo, has more than 15 paying customers including fast-growing companies such as Ola Cabs, Xiaomi, Snapdeal, Zivame and Akosha. 
 
It profiles companies and potential hires based on various factors including the state from which they are, whether they are parents or is the engineering team low on women coders. 
 
"Some people might even come to you and say we need ex-Army men in our operations team," said Sharma. 
 
Sharma told the financial daily that using Belong, recruiters have rolled out over 100 offers in the past nine months, typically for senior engineering and product roles. 
 
"We saw many of our friends, startup founders and others always saying, 'I would like to work with people I will enjoy working with and make an impact'. We are meant to belong, especially somewhere, where we spend 70% of our lifetime working," Sharma said. 
 
(Image: Thinkstock)

Here’s why it is important to list your skills carefully on the internet, if you’re looking for a job

<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Sequoia+Capital+India+">Sequoia Capital India</a> is ready for an aggressive pace of investments in the country. The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=v">Silicon Valley</a>-headquartered <keyword id="6357097" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="venture-capital">venture capital</keyword> firm is planning to raise about $800 million (about Rs 5,000 crore) for a new fund. 
 
The $800-million fund will be the largest <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Venture+Capital+">Venture Capital</a> fund for India, and one of the biggest in the venture and growth capital category in recent years. 
 According to two people familiar with the development, the fund raising process is expected to begin in 6-12 months and is likely to be closed in quick time, "as is the norm with <keyword id="270604" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sequoia">Sequoia</keyword>". 
 
Sources who knew about Sequoia's plans for a new fund said the venture capital firm may begin approaching limited partners, industry parlance for investors in these funds, as early as October. 
 
The VC firm has nearly $2 billion under management and the new fund will make Sequoia, already a highly influential investor, one of the largest private equity and venture capital managers as well. 
 
One person familiar with the plan said: "One idea behind such a large fund could be to counter the influence of Tiger Global, which will be good for the ecosystem." 
 
Let’s know what experts has to say about Sequoia’s aggressive plans: 
 
1. The VC firm has the ability to invest: Its move to raise such a large fund in quick succession will signal to entrepreneurs the firm's ability to invest across early and late-stage deals, said industry experts. In the past year, several hedge funds have entered India and firms like <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Tiger+Global+Management+">Tiger Global Management</a> have been aggressively investing in early-stage deals. 
Sequoia Capital has been aggressively backing mid to late stage startups after it unveiled a $530-million fourth India-focussed fund in May 2014, nearly six years after it raised its previous corpus of $725 million in August 2008. Sequoia topped up its fourth India fund with another $210 million earlier this year. "They don't have fund cycles like normal VCs," said a Bengalurubased venture capital investor, adding that the typical cycle between successive funds is 3-4 years. 
 2. Sequoia has participated in at least 80 deals: It has participated in at least 80 deals worth over $1.7 billion since the beginning of 2014, according to data from VCCEdge. It participated in the $100-million round raised by budget stay startup <keyword id="2550719" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="OYO-Rooms">OYO Rooms</keyword>, the $90-million round of healthcare app Practo, and the $80-million round of digital payments firm <keyword id="6377963" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Freecharge">FreeCharge</keyword> (which has since been acquired by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Sounds-cool-Smart-Cities-to-also-become-the-safest-in-the-entire-country/articleshow/48867219.cms">Snapdeal</a>). "Sequoia has been able to balance its investments in newage businesses and older businesses in areas like life sciences (and) consumer quite well. Also, they have been one of the most prolific investors in terms of ability to get an exit," said <keyword id="225165" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Sanjeev-Krishan">Sanjeev Krishan</keyword>, transaction services and private equity leader at PwC India. 
 Since last year, the VC firm has closed more than half-a-dozen investments in the life sciences space, including in Koye Pharmaceuticals, Curatio Healthcare, La Renon, MedGenome Labs, Akumentis Healthcare and Innovcare Lifesciences. Sequoia has also been actively investing in <keyword id="53564" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Southeast-Asia">Southeast Asia</keyword> from its India fund, where it has closed nearly a dozen funding deals, including in Tokopedia, mobile marketplace Carousell and analytics platform Appier. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

You Searched For "practo ad" and got 13 results

Healthtech platform Practo lays off 41 employees, mostly engineers

IANS

Practo names Rahul Dravid as brand ambassador; launches new campaign to spread awareness for its secondary care procedures

BI India Partner

There are over 25,000 verified doctors providing online consultations which is a growth of over 1000% in just four months: Shashank ND, CEO & Co-Founder, Practo

Samarpita Banerjee

India has millions of medical records online but no law to keep the data safe

Sanchita Dash

People below 30 are most depression-prone according to this Practo survey

Tanya Dubey

After FMCG, Patanjali wants to strike gold in digital health startup space

BI India Bureau

Here’s what healthcare startup Practo found encouraging about the new Budget

Usha Rani Das

About 900 new funding deals to be inked in 2015 compared to 2014

BI India Bureau

Seasonal influenza cases rising in India — here’s what we know so far about the flu

Vaamanaa Sethi

Decoding Rahul Dravid’s rising popularity among brands

Karuna Sharma

CEO of the firm hiring for Ola, Snapdeal, Urban Ladder tells us what high growth companies are looking for in candidates

Anushree Singh

Here’s why it is important to list your skills carefully on the internet, if you’re looking for a job

BI India Bureau

Know how Sequoia is going to become the largest India-focussed Venture Capital fund

BI India Bureau

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides