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Celebrity couple <keyword id="6357860" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="anushka-sharma">Anushka Sharma</keyword> and <keyword id="6354486" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="virat-kohli">Virat Kohli</keyword> have started a <keyword id="6388631" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="fundraiser">fundraiser</keyword> <keyword id="6359590" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Campaign">campaign</keyword> to help people deal with the Covid crises at hand. The couple has collaborated with crowd-funding platform <keyword id="2953722" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ketto">Ketto</keyword> for the campaign #InThisTogether and has donated ₹2 crore for this initiative. They aim to raise 7 crore for Covid relief in India Talking about the same, <keyword id="376" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Anushka">Anushka</keyword> said: "India is going through an extremely difficult time and the second wave of the deadly Covid-19 pandemic has pushed our country to a state of crisis. It is time for all of us to come together and do our bit for our fellow countrymen who are in serious need of support. "Virat and I have been hugely pained looking at the inexplicable suffering that people are going through and we hope that this fund will aid in our fight against the virus that we are all helplessly witnessing. We are praying for everyone's safety. We hope that you join us in our prayers to save as many lives as possible because we are all in this together." Virat said: "We are going through an unprecedented time in the history of our country and our nation needs all of us to unite and save as many people as possible. Anushka and I have been shocked to see humans suffering since last year. We have been working towards helping as many people as possible all through the pandemic and now, India wants our support more than ever. "We are starting this fundraiser with the confidence that we will be able to raise substantial funds to aid those in dire need. We are confident that people will come forward to support fellow countrymen in crisis. We are in this together and we shall overcome this." #InThisTogether will run for seven days and the proceeds raised will be directed to <keyword id="8994605" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="ACT-Grants">ACT Grants</keyword>, the implementation partner for this campaign. "Having strong voices like Anushka and Virat help drive fundraising efforts will go a long way towards helping us realise this goal. On behalf of India's startup ecosystem, ACT Grants is truly grateful to have them join this mission," said Gayatri Yadav, spokesperson ACT Grants. "We are delighted to collaborate with Virat Kholi and Anuskha Sharma for their philanthropic endeavour to support our Covid relief programme," said Varun Sheth, CEO &amp; co-founder, Ketto.org. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/yes-bank-shares-are-cheaper-than-what-they-were-a-year-ago-and-what-could-revive-the-investment-if-at-all/articleshow/82448509.cms">Yes Bank shares are cheaper than what they were a year ago — and what could revive the investment, if at all</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/heres-why-zomato-is-reportedly-cutting-a-300-million-cheque-for-grofers/articleshow/82450062.cms">Here’s why Zomato is reportedly cutting a $300 million cheque for Grofers</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/there-will-be-three-flights-from-india-to-australia-starting-may-15-for-the-estimated-9000-people-looking-to-return/articleshow/82450220.cms">There will be three flights from India to Australia starting May 15 for the estimated 9,000 people looking to return</a>

Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli donate ₹2 crore as they kick start a campaign to help Indians deal with the COVID-19 crisis

Batting great <keyword id="6354267" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="sachin-tendulkar">Sachin Tendulkar</keyword> has contributed ₹1 crore to '<keyword id="11175308" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mission-Oxygen">Mission Oxygen</keyword>', an initiative on the medical <keyword id="11180068" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="fundraising-website-Ketto">fundraising website Ketto</keyword> aiming to help procure oxygen cylinders for <keyword id="6365858" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="hospitals">hospitals</keyword> in <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> for Covid-19 patients. "The second wave of Covid has put our health-care system under immense pressure. Providing oxygen for the large number of serious Covid patients is the need of the hour," Tendulkar said in a statement he released on his social media handles on Thursday. "It is heartening to see how people are rising to the occasion. A group of 250+ young entrepreneurs have launched Mission Oxygen to raise funds for importing oxygen concentrators and donating them to hospitals across the country. I've helped by contributing to the cause and hope that their effort soon reaches out to many more hospitals across India. Today, we have to stand together behind everyone that is working hard to fight this pandemic," he further said. Tendulkar's name appears at the top of the list of donors on the initiative's page on the website. It shows that it has thus far raised over Rs 17 crore as on Friday with a target of ₹35 crore. It said on Thursday that it has already placed "an order for 3,900 concentrators". SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/gadgets/news/exclusive-asus-rog-flow-x13-companys-portable-2-in-1-gaming-laptop-will-launch-in-india-on-may-12/articleshow/82322142.cms">Exclusive: Asus ROG Flow X13 — company’s portable 2-in-1 gaming laptop will launch in India on May 12</a>

Batting sensation Sachin Tendulkar donates ₹1 crore to 'Mission Oxygen'

<keyword id="3706" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kunal-Kapoor">Kunal Kapoor</keyword> is a famous <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword> personality known for his work in Cinema but few know of his brilliant work in the ubiquitous crowd funding- for- causes platform, <keyword id="2953722" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ketto">Ketto</keyword>. 
 
Ketto is an online fundraising website to raise funds for social(NGOs/Non-Profits/Charities), creative(Movies/Music/Theatre/Fashion/Technology) and personal(Health/Education/Travel) causes from a large number of people who share your passion or concern. 
 Ketto, founded in 2012 by Varun Sheth, Zaheer Adenwala and <keyword id="2010" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kunal">Kunal</keyword> Kapoor, is engaged in the business of crowd-funding, which requires raising small sums of money from large numbers of people to achieve a common goal. 
 <keyword id="824043" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Business-Insider">Business Insider</keyword> caught up with the charming actor in <keyword id="6354321" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Bengaluru">Bengaluru</keyword> where he was launching the ‘MCBC’ campaign (Men Countering <keyword id="16070" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="breast-cancer">Breast Cancer</keyword>) is spearheaded by men to generate awareness and conversations around breast <keyword id="6355291" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Cancer">cancer</keyword> and most importantly to encourage women to get checked early. As a part of the campaign, Ketto and JUMPINGGOOSE® have launched a range of branded T shirts for men exclusively available on <keyword id="2734916" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon-Fashion">Amazon Fashion</keyword>. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/EXCLUSIVE-BigBaskets-co-founder-talks-about-hyperlocal-businesses-and-profitability/articleshow/55752379.cms">ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: BigBasket’s co-founder talks about hyperlocal businesses and profitability</a> 
 
Here are the excerpts: 
 
Q. What is the kind of work Ketto is doing? 
 
Kunal: At Ketto, we believe that a change in mindset is the first step towards solving a problem. Over the past 4.5 years, we have raised over 40 crores for different causes. People are catching up with the idea of crowd funding. Ketto is a reward based platform where if you support a tech company, you get the product as reward and if its a social cause then usually your reward is just the gratification of helping someone out and so on. There is no equity or stake. 
 
Q. How does crowdfunding help start-ups? 
 
Kunal: Crowd funding is great for start-ups. It is basically <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Unlike-Paytm-Vodafones-M-Pesa-is-allowing-you-to-withdraw-cash-using-your-e-wallet/articleshow/55718110.cms">democratisation of capital in a world </a>where very few people control the money. When someone has a great idea, they can ask people to validate it by contributing whatever they can. On Ketto, a bunch of start-ups have raised money and also gone ahead and raised money from VCs and investors because crowd funding is a validation of the fact that their product was viable. 
 
Q3. From acting to running a business; why did you chose to start Ketto? 
​ 
Kunal: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/This-LinkedIn-survey-reveals-that-India-has-the-highest-level-of-sales-and-marketing-collaborations/articleshow/55749887.cms">I’ve always wanted to run a business which was ethical </a>which not only made profits but also gave back to the society. I found crowd funding fascinating while I was working in the social space with NGOs, I found the cost of raising money for causes was very high, going upto 401-50% which I thought was very unfair.The maximum amount of money should go to the cause.

EXCLUSIVE - Bollywood actor Kunal Kapoor talks about Ketto, his crowdfunding startup which has raised Rs 40 Cr for social causes

By Justin Rao Mumbai, Apr 9 () An empty tent is a circus group's worst nightmare but the nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus has compounded the problems of an already struggling business, says Sujit Dilip, the proprietor of Rambo Circus, who had to put out an appeal for help.Dilip said he was initially "embarrassed" to ask for help but decided to reach out to public as they were grounded in Airoli, Navi Mumbai from March 13, when the state and later the nation announced the lockdown due to the pandemic.With no shows possible and the responsibility of around 80 artistes and 20 animals, Dilip said they were staring at an uncertain future as the pandemic has taken away their chance to earn money during the peak summer season."We were about to start our circus when the CM announced the lockdown from March 13 and we had to close. It'll take at least three-four months for the situation to settle down but by then monsoon will start and it'll be a bad time for us again," Dilip told in an interview.Circuses in the country, Dilip said, have two primary seasons: the summers and Diwali. Last year, Rambo Circus braved the Aurangabad floods-which damaged their tents and lights-faced heavy rainfall in Pune and finally arrived in the suburban Malad here during Diwali to make up for the losses."I had to sell off my flat to bail out the circus. But even the festive period earning was hit. So we finally decided to focus on the summer of 2020. Who would've thought this would happen?" he wondered.The staff of 80, residing in a gated wall compound venue, includes two families with small children-who don't perform-25 women and as many men. There are 17 dogs, including seven who are under retirement and one pony. Then there is the support staff: animal keepers, cooks, electricians, designers and tent makers. In the initial phase of the lockdown, those hailing from nearby towns in the state headed home. Others, who had to risk crossing state borders amid the pandemic, chose to stay back, Dilip said. "Indian circus is like a moving village. We are like vagabonds. Every 45 days, we change our location. But where can we go today? There are no trucks available, everything's shut. It's wise to stay here and wait for the permission. It's the safest to stay inside," he said.As soon as the word spread on WhatsApp that the Rambo Circus was feeling the heat of the lockdown, many admirers and longtime well wishers of these artistes offered help, Dilip said."For the staff, circus is the home. 'Jeena yahan marna yahan.' They can't go anywhere else... But right now, we all are so happy. The artistes always felt they're the neglected part of the society. But today for the first time we are feeling proud that so many people are thinking about us."In a day, Rambo Circus requires at least 55 kg rice for its staff and animals, and a ration of such magnitude was impossible for them to procure. Dilip, who has been looking after the circus for over 25 years now, was stunned by the offers of help via social media.A cancer trust contributed Rs 50,000, while a government servant donated her pension of Rs 30,000 to the circus, he said. Politicians too stepped in, Dilip said, with Cabinet Minister Chhagan Bhujbal providing them with ration, Shiv Sena leader Vijay Chougule pitching in to help and even the Thane deputy collector reaching out, asking if they needed animal food.The local municipality is providing the artistes with food packets and drinking water every day. "The circus would have just died had people not helped, if the NGOs, government wouldn't have come forward."With no possibility of any shows for at least four months, the challenge now is to raise funds to pay the staff their salaries.A fan from Bengaluru suggested Rambo Circus should set up a donation fund on crowdfunding platform Ketto, co-founded by actor Kunal Kapoor."We then drew a budget of Rs 8.5 lakh for the salary and food of our staff for two months. "Once the target is achieved, we will get the money and then distribute it among them. Some have their families in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha. I need to give them money so that they can help their families back home."So far, Rambo Circus has raised over Rs 5 lakh, with even actor-filmmaker Renuka Shahane donating for them. "I've never seen an entire community taking care of us. This can only happen in India. We have spread happiness to so many people over the years. I think now they are giving us back. In cash, kind and smiles," Dilip said. JUR BK RDS BKBK

A 'moving village' stops: Rambo Circus faces heat amid coronavirus outbreak

By Trisha Mukherjee New Delhi, Apr 11 () The devastating impact of coronavirus crisis was evident in the pictures – hordes of homeless migrant workers on long marches back to their villages; many urban slum dwellers, living on the edges of the society in normal times, left destitute, clamouring for food. But it has not been all gloom and doom. Amid the crisis has risen an outpouring of empathy from ordinary people across India led by the civil society, who have stepped up to help migrant labourers, domestic helps, construction workers, and small scale workers who were left jobless because of the nationwide lockdown. From every part of the country, Indian are coming forward with donations, big and small, on crowdfunding sites, with online transfers, and even good old cash left in envelopes at their gates."People have been incredibly generous," said Rohini Malur of Bengaluru-based NGO Hasiru Dala, which has raised a whopping Rs 38.27 lakh in just 17 days, surpassing its goal of Rs 36 lakh. Malur said the donors gave an average of Rs. 3000 each.Hasiru Dala used crowdfunding to collect money for providing dry ration kits to ragpickers and daily wage labourers in six cities of Karnataka -- Bengaluru, Mysuru, Tumakuru, Davanagere and the twins cities of Hubli-Dharwad. The kits contain 25 kg rice, 5 kg lentils, 2 litres of cooking oil, salt, chilli powder, 500 grams of groundnuts, 500 grams jaggery and soaps. Worth Rs. 1600 each, the kits are expected to last for 21 days. "The families we have identified are the most vulnerable and need immediate support. They have no BPL/ration card, no public housing, and no predictable income," Malur told . Hasiru Dala had identified 3,500 vulnerable families but has managed to help 4,661 families since March 24, the day the lockdown was announced. Besides depending on "a little" funding from corporate houses, and seeking donations on their website, Hasiru Dala also tied up with the crowdfunding site KETTO, which has offered to waive off its service charges completely. According to the International Labour Organisation, the COVID-19 crisis has the potential to push around 40 crore informal sector workers in India deeper into poverty, with the lockdown and other containment measures affecting jobs and earnings.A similar drive is being conducted by Project Potential in Bihar, which is aiding daily wage workers who have returned from tea gardens, farms, and brick kilns by raising money on crowdfunding site Give India, which also has waived off its fee."With the nationwide lockdown daily wage labourers are without a livelihood. Many of these families lack ration cards or bank accounts, and even for those who have them, ATMs are often inaccessible or lack money once people reach them," Abodh Kumar of Project Potential told .To encourage the villagers, especially the children to stay indoors, Project Potential has also included a board game of Ludo in the aid packet"Most of the population is tribal/adivasi. It is difficult to keep the children from going out. So we thought Ludo would help keep them engaged indoors," Kumar said. An awareness program run separately by the group on WhatsApp goes to 265 villages in the state, disseminatign precautionary and preventive information about the novel coronavirus in the local dialects of Surjapuri, Rajbanshi and Santhali. Individuals too, have stepped up to do their bit for those working in informal sectors, whose services help keep the middle and upper class households functional. Ameena Talwar, a resident of Delhi's posh Vasant Kunj area has been raising money from the people in her locality for the last two weeks to first distribute ration to their domestic help such as maids and drivers, as well as neighbourhood gardeners, sweepers and construction workers camped at half-finished projects. "When I decided to do this, many people told me it wouldn't work, but the response has been overwhelming. People keep money in envelopes outside their gates to ensure social distancing, and I collect it from there. I managed to raise Rs 2 lakh in a week," Talwar said. She first created packets worth Rs 800 each containing 1 litre oil, salt, sugar, wheat flour, dal, biscuits and five bars of soap. To expand her relief work, she has now tied up with the NGO Prabhaav Foundation to also reach out to those living in the slum across the road from her neighbourhood. The new packets cost Rs 525 each and have the same things except the flour has been reduced from 10 kgs to 5 kgs and 2 kgs of rice has been added.Several former and current students of Kolkata's Presidency and Jadavpur Universities have also come together to create the Quarantined Student Youth Network that has undertaken a food distribution drive to help migrant labourers in Delhi and Bengal who have been hit the worst by the lockdown."We have got money from people both within and outside the country, and they have been generous. I managed to raise 1.5 lakh within a single day," Debojit Thakur, a PHD scholar said. The Gurgaon Nagrik Ekta Manch (GNEM) has been feeding cooked meals to nearly 25,000 people, including daily wagers, industrial workers, construction labourers, domestic workers, and housekeeping staff every single day since March 27. Its temporary kitchen in Gurgaon's Shri Ram School produces nearly 15,000 meals every day. The rest are provided by different contributors including food delivery app Swiggy, said Saba Dewan from the GNEM."We are also providing ration kits which would last a family of five for about 10 days. We also feel that dry food makes people feel more secure," Dewan said. TIR VJVJ

Hope in coronavirus times: Help pours in for those hit by lockdown

Fame might have an expiry date. But, businesses last forever. 
 
Our favourite Bollywood celebrities seem to have realised this and are proving their mettle by diversifying and starting their own businesses. 
In fact, some of them and their ventures can even give any entrepreneurs a run for their money. 
 
From starting a production company to creating a clothing line, these star entrepreneurs are venturing into every direction. 
 
Business Insider lists 10 such Bollywood celebrities who have crazy entrepreneurial skills and are raking in the moolah- 
 
 
 
 
1. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=farhan+akhtar&amp;sortorder=effectivedate"> Farhan Akhtar:</a> Bollywood’s resident all-rounder owns Farout Media, a music innovation, publishing and talent development company that not only encourages but also promotes new indie music talent. The services of his company includes talent management, music licensing and content monetizing services. 
 
 
 
2. S<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=srk&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">hah Rukh Khan</a>: The Bollywood Badshaah is a smart entrepreneur who started his journey in the world of business earlier than his peers. Along with his wife, Gauri, Khan started Red Chillies Entertainment, a production and distribution company which generally produces all of the actor’s movies (Think Dilwale, Ra.One and Om Shanti Om) and has also garnered a reputation for its VFX. Additionally, he also owns a 50% stake in IPL team <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=kkr&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Kolkata Knight Riders</a> (<keyword id="6354544" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="KKR">KKR</keyword>) that’s gone through the finals this year! 
 
 
 
3. <keyword id="8112" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bipasha-Basu">Bipasha Basu</keyword>, <keyword id="2058" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Malaika-Arora">Malaika Arora</keyword> and Suzanne Khan: The three beauties co-own online lifestyle and fashion brand The Label Life. Additionally, Suzzane Khan is also a reputed interior designer and Basu is known for her fitness dvds. 
 
 
4. Deepika Padukone: The Tamasha actor has forayed into the fashion space and co-created a clothing line called ‘All About you’, which is exclusively available on Myntra. She ahs also previously deisgned a line for Van Huesen. 
 
 
 
5. Shilpa Shetty: After making a rather unforgettable appearance in Big Brother, Shetty launched her own perfrume line, invested in a spa and launched fitness and yoga DVDs that elaborated on how to get the perfect body like hers. Along with her husband <keyword id="18641" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Raj-Kundra">Raj Kundra</keyword>, she also used to hold a stake in the PL team Rajasthan Royals. 
 
 
 
 
6. Kunal Kapoor: It goes without saying that Kunal Kapoor is the most surprising person in the list. Kapoor co-owns the online crowdfunding platform Ketto. Ketto is an online ‘giving’ platform where you can start giving with as less as Rs 100. Kunal with the help of his friends and his agency Kwan foundation looks to bring individuals and corporates from all fields together to support their favorite causes and put the ‘fun’ in fundraising. 
 
 
 
 
7. <keyword id="6354583" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Salman-Khan">Salman Khan</keyword>: Bollywood’s bad boy with a big heart, Salman Khan started his <keyword id="148126" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Being-Human">Being Human</keyword> foundation which later also gave birth to the Being Human clothing line that is a hit with the crowds and can be bought from exclusive stores, multi-brand outlets and e-commerce websites like Snapdeal, Myntra and Flipkart. Khan is also known to actively promote the brand at various events and on social media by being its unofficial brand ambassador. 
 
 
 
8. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=sonam+kapoor&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Sonam Kapoor: </a>Anil Kapoor’s daughter might not have found much success on screen, but she sure is one smart businessmen. Kapoor co-owns a clothing line with her sister Rhea Kapoor called Rheson which will be launched in July in an exclusive partnership with Shopper’s Stop. Besides, she also regularly invests in silver and diamond jewellery, real estate, paintings and has recently even launched her own app. 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

Meet these 10 Bollywood celebrities who are also
kickass entrepreneurs

All of a sudden there is a sudden boom in the Indian wearable technology platforms. Beating <keyword id="874458" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Xiaomi">Xiaomi</keyword>'s Mi Band, <keyword id="211471" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vishal-Gondal">Vishal Gondal</keyword>’s GOQii is the market leader in India in this segment. 
 <keyword id="1951790" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="SenseGiz">SenseGiz</keyword>, a Bengaluru-based startup that makes a safety monitoring wristband called <keyword id="3683950" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="safr">SAFR</keyword>, has sold around 35,000 devices so far. Priced at Rs 3,000, SAFR connects to a smartphone app and can detect if a user has got into an accident and alert emergency contacts, as per a news report by The <keyword id="6474066" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="economic-times">Economic Times</keyword>. 
 Its primary markets have been <keyword id="6355311" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Japan">Japan</keyword> and the US. "Now, awareness is growing even in India," <keyword id="3683949" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="abhishek-latte">Abhishek Latte</keyword>, cofounder and CEO of SenseGiz told the ET. 
 "People should not throw the devices after a few months. To prevent that, there should be enough services that keep the consumer interested. Hardware is just one part," <keyword id="52455" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gondal">Gondal</keyword>, whose GOQii counts former <keyword id="6355629" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Google">Google</keyword> search head <keyword id="6372293" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amit-Singhal">Amit Singhal</keyword> and WhatsApp's business head <keyword id="468884" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Neeraj-Arora">Neeraj Arora</keyword> among investors, told the financial daily. 
 Another wearable start up by an <keyword id="6364832" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="IIT-Kharagpur">IIT Kharagpur</keyword> alumnus, Blink operates a smartwatch and uses an inhouse operating system. The device will be priced at around $200 and will be launched by the end of September. 
 Some of the wearable ventures that have won funding include Actofit, a fitness wearable that has received funds from Next Orbit Ventures; <keyword id="2105082" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Azoi">Azoi</keyword>, another fitness wearable funded by <keyword id="3683948" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="vedanta-capital">Vedanta Capital</keyword>, MadRat Games, which has built a wearable gaming suit and has been funded by <keyword id="6360722" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="ratan-tata">Ratan Tata</keyword> and others, and Leaf Wearable, a bluetoothconnected jewellery for safety of women and funded on crowdfunding platform Ketto.

​ Made in India wearable technology platforms are beating Chinese manufacturers like Xiaomi

IKEA is a consumer brand that anyone can relate to; it's homely, practical and futuristic which makes it very exciting for India because these are the values that compel us before purchasing anyway. 
 
So, when we heard that IKEA is opening its first store in the country next year, not only were we excited, but extremely curious as well. <keyword id="824043" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Business-Insider">Business Insider</keyword> met with <keyword id="3922141" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="mikael-palmqvist">Mikael Palmqvist</keyword>, APAC Head, IKEA Retail to discuss what’s in store, (literally) at the upcoming IKEA store in Hyderabad. 
 
This is how he began - “We are very excited to open our maiden store in the country after textile- sourcing for about 30 years from here. The size of the store, the functionality of the products would be same, and around 5% of the products will be Indianized for meeting customer’s needs like the ‘tava’, idli maker and the pressure cooker.” 
 
Regulations 
 <keyword id="3922143" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="palmqvist">Palmqvist</keyword> emphasizes that IKEA is not a retail company, but a life-at-home company that sells solutions. For him, India is a very important market because not only is every home, room, and activity important, but the sheer size and diversity makes India like a continent for the company. 
 
Palmqvist also says that it took them around 4.5 years to get here but that wasn’t because of the regulations. 
 
He says - ‘’Our stakeholders here have always been supportive; in terms of FDI, e-commerce, and sourcing. Ease of doing business has increased dramatically.’’ 
 
‘Start and adapt’ is IKEA’s motto of the company everywhere, and in India as well. 
 
“We want to understand how the customer accepts IKEA and then go from there. If the customer wants to pay digitally or by cash, we will provide them with options’’ he adds on being asked to comment on the recent demonetization move and its impact on businesses. 
 
Diversity 
 The company also believes in emphasizing on diversity when they hire people and globally they ensure that 50% of the workforce is women. Currently, the company has collaboration with <keyword id="3922144" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="national-institution-of-fashion-technology">National Institution of Fashion Technology</keyword> which contributes design aesthetics to their collections. 
 
In terms of future pricing for their products, they claim to be accessible to all, and not just the middle class. They want to be competitive in pricing under ‘’Home furnishing for all’’. 
 
Online store 
 
E-commerce companies like HomeLane, Urbanladder, Pepperfry, Fabfurnish etc. might pose a threat to the Swedish giant, but Palmqvist’response - ‘’We are happy to build up the furnishing market with these players“ – shows the IKEA team is unfazed by the competition. 
 
Their website IKEA.in will be updated with inventory after the store has opened in full swing. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Bollywood-actor-Kunal-Kapoor-talks-about-Ketto-his-crowdfunding-startup-which-has-raised-Rs-40-Cr-for-social-causes/articleshow/55753955.cms">ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE - Bollywood actor Kunal Kapoor talks about Ketto, his crowdfunding startup which has raised Rs 40 Cr for social causes</a> 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/This-LinkedIn-survey-reveals-that-India-has-the-highest-level-of-sales-and-marketing-collaborations/articleshow/55749887.cms">Feeling inspired by the Indian homes</a> that the IKEA team visited, the company plans to make further investments in the country but over a few years, after more stores have opened. After Hyderabad, the company wants to open in <keyword id="57321" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Navi-Mumbai">Navi Mumbai</keyword> and so on. 
 
Biggest cafes 
 When we asked <keyword id="322364" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mikael">Mikael</keyword> to tell us how would an Indian feel after entering the first IKEA store, he said, “WOW! I want them to be surprised by how much we know about what they need. It’s smart and affordable.” The company is also planning to open the biggest restaurants in India with 1000 seats, where customers will get to taste typical Swedish delights. 
 
The company seems to<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/EXCLUSIVE-BigBaskets-co-founder-talks-about-hyperlocal-businesses-and-profitability/articleshow/55752379.cms"> be watching how you live, eat and work to create things</a> that you didn’t even know you needed. We can’t seem to wait to enter the much-hyped store!

EXCLUSIVE: IKEA APAC Head talks about what to expect from the upcoming IKEA store in Hyderabad

For startups to grow they must garner funds from investors; and to gather funds, startups need to have a robust product-market fit along with a promising team and a solid business plan with the potential to scale. Then comes the role of angel investors and <keyword id="6357097" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="venture-capital">Venture Capital</keyword> (VC) <keyword id="6357455" type="EVENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Funding">funding</keyword> that usually surfaces when larger amounts are required to grow a business. 
 Lately, major <keyword id="982553" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Indian-startups">Indian startups</keyword> have seen a tremendous boost from venture capitalists. To start with, we saw how Tiger Global Management, Softbank Corp., Morgan Stanley, Sequoia Capital, Accel Partners, IDG Ventures India and SAIF Partners managed to support promising Indian startups like that of Flipkart, Snapdeal, Ola, Zomato, ShopClues, Urban Ladder and many others. Moreover, it is not only the bigger firms who are eyeing VC funds, relatively younger and smaller firms like OYO Rooms, Swiggy and Grofers have also joined the race. 
 Apart from ruling the e-commerce and fashion industry, <keyword id="153868" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="VC-funding">VC funding</keyword> is now gradually moving into other sectors too, such as agriculture, healthcare and education. As per the data from the upcoming Wharton India Economic Forum (WIEF), which is all set to launch the Wharton India Startup Competition (WISC) with over 500 entries, though majority of applicants (around 25%) belong to the e-commerce industry, the healthcare segment is not far away with around 22% applicants. Moreover, most of the participating startups already have pre-seeded and seeded funding arrangements and around 31% of them have listed themselves as social enterprises. 
 
The ecosystem for VC funding for Indian startups would be discussed at length at the Wharton India Economic Forum (WIEF). WIEF is a two-day event starting from January 6, 2017, which will bring together the best entrepreneurs, investors, distinguished Wharton faculty, students and inspirational speakers. Attendees will not only have numerous opportunities for interaction and networking across the board but will also witness in-depth discussions in terms of understanding the evolving business landscape in India and the need for business model innovation from the government, various industry leaders, and distinguished Wharton faculty. 
 
The relevance of this summit doesn’t end there. It is also known for hosting the Wharton India Startup Competition (WISC) which is giving Indian startups the opportunity to present themselves in front of an esteemed panel of judges and also win cash prizes of over $25,000 and unparalleled mentorship of up to 4 months from some of the most renowned names in the industry on strategy and funding. The jury for WISC comprises top-notch personalities with the likes of Bharati Jacob (Co-founder of Seedfund), Nipun Mehra (Investor at Sequoia Capital India), Rehan Yar Khan (Managing Partner of Orios Venture Partners), Tarun Davda (Managing Director of Matrix Partners), Aditya Nair (Investor at Nyca Partners), Ajay Hattangdi (CEO India &amp; Group COO of InnoVen Capital Group), Ankit Shah (Vice President at Unilazer Ventures), Sameer Verma (Director &amp; Junior Partner of Nexus Venture Partners), Saurabh Joshi (Strategy Manager at PayPal) and Shantanu Gangal (Head – Analytics at Fundbox). Also, past finalists of this prestigious event includes names such as Ketto, Haptik, Zoomcar, Zostel, Targeting Mantra, Qlicket, Samaan and Ambitioni. 
 
Needless to say, such competitions and summits go a long way in not only promoting upcoming startups but also in educating the audience and the participants regarding the funding scenario. Not many seem to be aware about the types and rounds of funding, the know-how of VC funding and even the right way to go about securing such funds, hence this is surely going to be one the most-sought after events at the start of the next year. 
 
(Image Credits: Thinkstock) 
 
(About the Author: This article has been authored by Aman Jain, Chairperson WIEF 2017)

How VC Funding Fuels the Indian Startup Ecosystem

It's normal for marketers to discuss <keyword id="2410330" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Marketing-automation">marketing automation</keyword> and email marketing conversely. The truth of the matter is that email marketing is a part of marketing automation, yet the two are a long way from the same thing. Marketing automation joins divergent client acquisition and retention channels to adjust to fit in with your organization's conversion pipe. 
 Marketing automation has really been around since the 1980s. The utilization of programming to consequently embed names and addresses from your database onto the letters and envelopes you wish to send to customers via mail has been a pillar of direct marketers for a considerable length of time. The distinction amongst then and now is the idea of 'continuous' and the incomprehensible measure of data accessible to organizations on their clients by means of different digital and offline channels. Automation can not only help reduce staff costs but can also boost customer lifetime value through up-sells and cross-sells. To empower this structure through technology <keyword id="3053798" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Wigzo">Wigzo</keyword> came into being. 
 
What is Wigzo 
 
Founded by Umair Mohammed, Himanshu Kaushik, Vikrant Khushu, Shamail Tayyab and Mohammad Atyab in 2013, the company works as a next generation Marketing Automation Platform that helps marketers send Smarter Communication online or through mobile applications. The platform based on SoLoMo – Social, Location and Mobile, provides real time content in the emails or push notifications for marketers. Umair stated that Wigzo’s was incepted with an aim to solve a major issue of seamless data management, and utilizing it to send intelligent communication across Web and in App. 
 
“We simplify big data for brands and improve the communication between the company and its users. Our aim is to modernize the use of data for the brands as much as we can,” he added. Basically, with the assistance of prediction technology and machine learning, Wigzo checks any event about the visitor’s search, scanning designs, time spent, item data, area, and so forth to foresee plan of the crowd. 
 
The cool new stuff Wigzo is upto 
 
Talking to Umair about future and upcoming services, he said, “We have recently revamped our machine learning algorithm to a revolutionary Customer Intelligence Suite. The upgraded version will change the dynamics of reporting and analytics when it comes to digital marketing and ensure increased customer acquisition for brands. The new dashboard is one of the most mature set of automation tools incorporating a full suite of features that not only help marketers manage basic communication campaign, but also provides everything a marketer needs: Dynamic Email, Notifications, User Retention, Real Time Engagement and more. Our aim is to streamline the hassle of data management for every marketer.” 
 
Minting it 
The company works on a typical subscription based model which incorporates all features (as Umair claims). Umair stated that they’ve also tiered based pricing, now this depends on the number of users of a client. The costing varies on volume and user base. 
 
The company claims to have over 35 clients including Ketto, Kaaryah, and Little Black Book. Further Umair specified that they’re looking at 100+ clients across industries like: banking, ecommerce, content &amp; gamming across the country and in UK. 
 The company raised $500,000 in pre-series A round of financing led by Aarin Capital Partners and <keyword id="6491998" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mohandas-Pai">Mohandas Pai</keyword>, Chairman of Manipal Global Education. In seed round they had raised $100,000 from by Nikunj Jain, Outbox ventures and <keyword id="2939297" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ritesh-Malik">Ritesh Malik</keyword>. 
 
Umair - AI &amp; Data 
 
In this digital age where everything is largely dependent on the use of technology, companies are leveraging AI to reinvent themselves and scale their businesses quickly. AI is becoming a key enabler of the changes that businesses need to make and is helping them manage complexity of the constant digital change. 
 
We follow a very simple rule - Data should not reside in silos, because it takes the intelligence away. We algorithm provides actionable intelligence around data so marketer can leverage it to interact with their audience in real time, and reach them with the right message on the right device. Our USP is to take the marketers beyond page views and basic analytics which also set us apart from the rest of the players in the market.

Wigzo: B2B Startup Using AI for User Conversion

Some of the biggest names from the startup ecosystem are in the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=IIM+Bangalore&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">IIM Bangalore</a> campus today, either giving speeches in the auditoriums or judging competitions and providing mentorships within closed doors to startups and students from across the country, as the ninth edition of their National Annual <keyword id="107737" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Entrepreneurship">Entrepreneurship</keyword> Summit ‘Eximius’ kickstarts. 
 
The summit themed ‘The Time Is Now’ has names like P Chidambaram, Kunal Kapoor, Devdutt Patnaik among others associated with it, and this extravagant show has been put up by The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Cell in association with the NS Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning at <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=IIM+Bangalore&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">IIMB</a>. 
 One look at the array of events shows that like every year, this year too Eximius USP of holding the event is to get the biggies under one roof and encourage students from across the country with failed start-ups or who aspire to have startups, to be able to meet investors like <keyword id="720079" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="IvyCap-Ventures">IvyCap Ventures</keyword> and Shark Tank during competitions or mentorship sessions. The exchange of ideas will enable these students to be better prepared before they take on the entrepreneurship journey. The competitions will have participants solving a range of problems faced by start-ups and entrepreneurs in marketing, operations, finance, sustainability and fund-raising. Several online and on-the-spot events such as quizzes and simulation games mark the event. 
 
Eximius is featuring at least 150 start-ups and in over 30 events, and Business Insider is in the campus to cover some of the best sessions. Here’s a sneak peek into what is unfolding at the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=IIM+Bangalore&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">IIM-B</a> campus: 
 
Speaker List: Eximius 2016 will host eminent speakers including P Chidambaram (former Finance Minister of India); Duvvuri Subbarao (former RBI Governor); Dr Jacob Crasta (Prime Minister's SME Council); Dr P Namperumalsamy (Padma Shree Awardee, Chairman, Aravind Eye Care); Dr <keyword id="160324" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Devdutt-Pattanaik">Devdutt Pattanaik</keyword> (bestselling author); Shradha Sharma (Co-founder YourStory); Sujayath Ali (Co-founder CEO Voonik); Kunal Kapoor (actor and co-founder Ketto.Org); Mukesh Singh (co-founder &amp; CEO Zopnow); Piyush Mishra (actor) and Anshu Gupta (founder Goonj). 
 
Flagship events 
Bzzwings: Bzzwings, the business plan contest, encourages individuals to conceptualise, ideate and take the plunge. Winning teams will get incubation at IIMB’s NSRCEL. Prizes worth Rs. 40 lakh will be given away in this contest. 
 
Fast Forward: Fast Forward is targeted at business ideas built around information technology that can impact millions and start a revolution. It offers exclusive mentorship to selected teams. The winners of Fast Forward will get prizes worth Rs. 2.5 lakh. 
 
The Other Incentive: The event is aimed at promoting and supporting social entrepreneurship. This is for ideas where revenues and bottom-line profits are hygiene factors and social impact is the key measure of success. The event is being organised in association with Villgro, a leading social incubator. Social entrepreneurs could win an incubation opportunity of up to Rs. 65 lakh from Villgro and prizes worth Rs. 80,000. 
 
The Game of Clicks: The event bridges the gap between students and start-ups. In this marketing challenge, teams compete in real-time for digital marketing. It gives students the opportunity to collaborate with start-ups to develop their marketing strategies. Each student team works closely with a start-up to develop and implement its digital marketing strategy over a period of three weeks. The winning teams get a chance to win prizes worth Rs. 50,000. 
 
Wipro Earthian Sustainability Quiz: Governments, organisations and leaders across the world are thinking about sustainability. Eximius 2016 will present the Earthian Sustainability Quiz in association with Wipro, based on sustainability and the environment. Prizes worth Rs. 1.1 lakh are to be won. 
 
Bootcamp Kiosk: Early stage start-ups can showcase their business models and company goals at the Startup Bootcamp. The bootcamp will give start-up founders the chance to demonstrate their vision to a captive student community of future business leaders and entrepreneurs. Additionally, start-up founders will get a chance to imbibe key lessons from industry veterans and investors. 
 
Workshops: This year the bootcamp workshops will be conducted by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=IBM&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">IBM</a>, Greg Maron (co-founder <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Zoomcar&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Zoomcar</a>) and HeadStart Network, India’s leading community for start-ups. The workshops will cover diverse themes such as innovative business models, leveraging start-up ecosystems, start-up marketing, scaling and building an empowered venture. 
 
<a href="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/insideiim/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/26020014/IIM-Bangalore.jpg">Image Source</a>

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