New Delhi, Nov 19 () Google has acquired US-based CloudSimple for an undisclosed amount, a move that will help the tech giant further strengthen its cloud business.
 CloudSimple, which allows companies to run computing workloads that are based on VMware's server virtualisation technology, is headquartered in Santa Clara, US. Founded in 2016, it has offices in Ukraine and India (Bengaluru, Gurugram and Pune), and its investors include Mayfield, Redpoint and M12 (Microsoft's venture fund).
 "This acquisition builds on our existing partnership with CloudSimple that we announced earlier this year, allowing us to accelerate a fully integrated VMware migration solution with improved support for our customers," Google Vice-President (Engineering) Rich Sanzi said in a blogpost.
 He added that many enterprises are using VMware in their on-premises environments to run a variety of workloads: business applications such as ERP and CRM; databases such as Oracle and SQL Server; development and test environments; virtual desktops; and reporting and analytics systems.
 Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
 "As part of their IT modernisation initiatives, we hear frequently from enterprise customers that they need a simple way to migrate those workloads to the cloud. To put it simply: they want to be able to run what they want, where they want, and how they want - so they can leverage existing investments with as little toil as possible," he said.
 CloudSimple co-founder and CEO Guru Pangal said the company is "incredibly excited to be part of Google Cloud and look forward to accelerating our ability to help customers easily move their enterprise workloads to the cloud". SR HRS

Google acquires CloudSimple

<ul><li>Global technology multinational <keyword id="10863" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="CapGemini">Capgemini</keyword> today partnered with <keyword id="1017386" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Coursera">Coursera</keyword>, an online learning platform to train its employees across verticals. </li><li>These include over 4,000 courses ranging from data science to personal development and business. </li><li>Nearly 25,000 Capgemini employees have signed up on Coursera’s enterprise platform — and they have completed more than 22,000 courses. </li><li>Reskilling employees in the digital space is critical to the IT major as these technologies, including cloud services comprise over 50% of the IT major. </li></ul>Global technology multinational Capgemini today partnered with Coursera, an online learning platform to train its employees across verticals in digital skills and other emerging technologies. These include courses ranging from data science to personal development and business. The partnership, which is aimed at developing skills including professional services, technology consulting, cloud adoption and sales productivity, will give access to over 4,000 courses to the IT employees at Capgemini. These courses have been added to Capgemini’s internal digital learning hub — NEXT — for upskilling employees globally. “We’re delighted to partner with Coursera as we launch NEXT, our new all-employee digital learning hub. This will further support the upskilling needs of all our team members as they design and deliver solutions to help our clients navigate through ever-changing business and people environments,” said <keyword id="9379023" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="stephan-paolini">Stephan Paolini</keyword>, Group Chief Talent &amp; Learning Officer at Capgemini. This comes after nearly 25,000 Capgemini employees enrolled in Coursera for the business module — and they have completed more than 22,000 courses. As work from home becomes the new normal, the company feels that upskilling the employees is the way to enhance employee engagement and adaptability for new business imperatives. “Access to top-quality learning content is more relevant than ever as markets and clients adapt to new challenges emerging from the COVID-19 crisis and its long-term implications on businesses and ways of working,” Capgemini said. Reskilling employees digitally critical for Capgemini Reskilling employees in digital space is critical to the IT major as these technologies, including cloud services comprise over 50% of the group’s activities, with growth exceeding 20% at constant exchange rates. “We have 1,800 certified consultants, while our nearest competitor in India is 500. The focus is on continued skilling. On average, we are reskilling 60,000-plus employees,” Capgemini India CEO Ashwin Yardi earlier <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/capgemini-and-cognizant-plan-to-hire-35000-freshers-in-india/articleshow/74173093.cms">said</a>. With technologies like AI and machine learning taking center stage, most of the IT companies are having to change the ‘job roles’ of their employees too. Capgemini said that it reskilled over 51,000 of its employees in 2019, in emerging technologies like cloud, devOps, and big data. This is yet another initiative taken by the company to reskill its employees to keep up with the pace of digitisation. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/elections/news/tamil-nadu-witnesses-political-drama-inspired-by-a-manipur-court-verdict-even-as-senior-opposition-leader-anbazhagan-succumbs-to-covid-19/articleshow/76299032.cms">Tamil Nadu witnesses political drama inspired by a Manipur court verdict⁠— even as senior opposition leader Anbazhagan succumbs to COVID-19</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/microsoft-brings-its-venture-fund-m12-to-india-its-fifth-office-in-the-world-is-now-in-bengaluru/articleshow/76297385.cms">Microsoft brings its venture fund M12 to India – its fifth office in the world is now in Bengaluru</a>

Capgemini partners with Coursera to reskill employees in digital technologies — and 25,000 IT employees have already enrolled

<ul><li>Ratan Tata’s teensy minsy car, the <keyword id="6371021" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tata-Nano">Tata Nano</keyword>, will no longer be called the world’s cheapest car. </li><li>Jason Torchinsky, senior editor of an online motor magazine Jalopnik, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxl_vgYP3Rg">recently received the ‘4 Wheels Electric Mobility Scooter’</a> from the e-commerce giant Alibaba — in a box. </li><li>The car is priced between $930 and $1200. </li></ul>Ratan Tata’s teensy minsy car, the Tata Nano, will no longer be called the world’s cheapest car at $2,500 before taxes. Changli, a Chinese company, is now selling a tiny electric car at a much cheaper price. Jason Torchinsky, senior editor of an online motor magazine Jalopnik, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxl_vgYP3Rg">recently received the ‘4 Wheels Electric Mobility Scooter’</a> from the e-commerce giant Alibaba — in a box. <div type="Youtube" id="qxl_vgYP3Rg" title="Unboxing The World's Cheapest New Car Reveals It's So Much Better Than You Think" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qxl_vgYP3Rg/mqdefault.jpg"></div> The car is priced at $930 and $1200 with the batteries (approximately ₹70,000 to ₹90,000). However, Torchinsky got it for $3,000 since he ordered it from the United States. However, that is still cheap for a car in America where the average<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/22/car-prices-are-rapidly-increasing-heres-why-thats-bad-for-americans.html#:~:text=Why%20are%20car%20prices%20going,according%20to%20Kelley%20Blue%20Book."> price of an automobile is $36,000. </a> <div type="image" title="HTB1MqqMcwKG3KVjSZFLq6yMvXXaW" msid="76300859" hostid="261"></div> The car is an electric vehicle (EV) manufactured in Jiangsu, China and is described as being the most suitable for “leisure commute while picking up children.” While there is ample space for three people, the car can only move at a maximum speed of 35 kilometres per hour. Unlike normal cars that have two divided seats in the front, this EV has a joined bench seat that’s roomy enough for one person. It has LED tail lights with LED projector headlamps and LED indicators. The car also includes add-ons like a spare tyre, extra side mirrors, roof rack, bumpers — and even an electric air pump. There’s even a mini-sun roof mechanism up top that opens up to let in some fresh air. The steering wheel is at the centre, much like a convention auto-rickshaw, with an all-digital dash at the back. Even though the price of the car is dirt cheap it looks like a giant matchbox with big windows. Tata’s Nano design — the made-in-India car sold at a price of ₹100,000— was as basic as Changli’s. Interestingly, such cars may not be seen in other parts of the world but are very popular in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kILXXaqspcI">China.</a> Some other examples include <a href="https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/1200W-1000W-Electric-Car-made-in_62283391732.html?spm=a2700.details.deiletai6.4.6c821998fHt5E5">4 Wheel Electric Car by Changli</a>, <a href="https://carnewschina.com/tag/lsev-china/">P8 by Shandong Qilu Fengde and Qifeng K7 LSEV.</a> They are just a third the size of any regular car and in some parts of China people don’t even need a driver’s license to drive these due to their slow speeds. Despite safety concerns — and unappealing design — the cars are popular because they are “extremely cheap.” On average people <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kILXXaqspcI">have to spend between $1,000 and $2500</a> to purchase such cars and it breaks away from the norm that EVs are only manufactured for the super-rich. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/microsoft-brings-its-venture-fund-m12-to-india-its-fifth-office-in-the-world-is-now-in-bengaluru/articleshow/76297385.cms">Microsoft brings its venture fund M12 to India – its fifth office in the world is now in Bengaluru</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/anand-mahindra-invests-usd-1-mn-in-gurugram-based-startup-hapramp/articleshow/76297106.cms">Anand Mahindra invests $1 million in Gurugram-based startup Hapramp</a>

A Chinese company trump Tata Nano by selling the world’s cheapest car — but it still looks like a giant matchbox

<ul><li><keyword id="48032" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Blackstone">Blackstone</keyword> Group is partnering with <keyword id="44145" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="embassy">Embassy</keyword> Group to list their <keyword id="168019" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="REIT">REIT</keyword>, which will be operated through their joint venture- Embassy Office Parks. </li><li>An REIT functions like a mutual fund and distributes income earned from various <keyword id="6354516" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="property">property</keyword> assets. It is expected to increase the flow of funding to India’s <keyword id="6543013" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="real-estate-sector">real estate sector</keyword>. </li><li>The listing comes four years after the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) released regulations for the structuring and operation of real estate investment trusts. </li></ul>It was in September 2014 when the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) first released regulations for the domestic listing and operation of real estate investment trusts (REIT). The move was a response to the growth of India’s real estate sector and the need for a specialised investment vehicle for the financing of commercial real estate transactions. An REIT, which functions like a mutual fund and distributes income earned from various property assets, is such an investment vehicle. And now, four years later, India is all set to witness the listing of its first REIT. Blackstone Group, a US private equity firm, is partnering with Embassy Group, a Bengaluru-based real estate developer, to list their REIT, which will be operated through their joint venture- Embassy Office Parks. The companies are expecting to raise a little over ₹50 billion from investors for the trust, which was first registered in 2016, sources told ET. The REIT will comprise 33 million sq ft of commercial space, making it one of the largest in Asia by portfolio area and is expected to record around ₹20 billion in annual revenues. The portfolio includes nearly 70 buildings and office parks in India’s major cities - Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai - some of which are owned by Blackstone. Around 95% of the property under the trust is already under occupation from the likes of companies like Google, IBM, Microsoft and JPMorgan, while the remaining property is still being constructed. The launch of REIT will increase the flow of funding to India’s real estate sector, which has experienced a protracted downturn in the recent past. It will allow institutional investors - domestic and foreign - to easily make their bets on commercial property assets and give India’s real estate developers an additional source of capital. Blackstone has fast become one of the largest private equity <keyword id="6368449" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="investor">investor</keyword>s in India’s real estate landscape, with a number of well-known commercial assets like Express Towers in Mumbai’s Nariman Point, the Blue Ridge SEZ in Pune and Noida’s Galaxy Business Park. Given the high rate of annual growth on office rental space, the REIT is expected to met with strong investor demand. While the Blackstone-Embassy REIT will be the first one, it won’t be the only one in the near term. In June, IIFL Holdings, a Mumbai-based diversified financial services firm, registered its own REIT with the SEBI. RMZ Corp, a real estate developer in South India, is also said to be planning an REIT of its own.

Blackstone and Embassy Group are all set to launch India’s first ever REIT

<ul><li>Y Combinator has seen a 50% increase in participation from <keyword id="982553" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-startups">Indian startups</keyword>. </li><li>As many as 12 <keyword id="6362513" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="startups">startups</keyword> ranging from fuel delivery to customised clothing will deliver their ideas on demo day. </li><li>Startups like Cleartax, Razorpay, Meesho among others have been a part of the accelerator programmes earlier.</li></ul>One of the world’s most renowned accelerator programmes, Y Combinator, is concluding its summer programme with a demo day, where it will also be funding them. During the demo day, 12 Indian startups (2 of them have not been made public yet) are presenting their business ideas. Y Combinator, which takes in two batches of startups in a year, saw a 50% increase in participation from Indian startups. As many as 140 seed stage startups applied to the accelerator, while 12 of them were selected. Startups like Cleartax, Razorpay, Meesho among others have been a part of Y Combinator programmes earlier. Here are the 10 Indian startups that are presenting their ideas at the Demo Day. MyPetrolPump The Bengaluru-based startup delivers on-demand fuel to cars, fleet vehicles and generators. Founded in 2016, the startup has so far delivered 5 million litres of fuel, making revenues to the tune of ₹25 crore in FY19. They start delivery at 6 am in the morning, and it goes on until midnight. Lokal Lokal is a news app which delivers news and classifieds in vernacular content. The app currently delivers news in Telugu for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Wingman The startup helps sales representatives with on-screen and real-time analysis. The startup’s AI assistant helps the employees, and assists them with cue cards for their presentations, helping them improve performance. DigiPrex DigPrex works as an online pharmacy where patients can share prescription online and get medicines delivered at home, via through Whatsapp. Khabri The podcast platform offers vernacular content to Indians. Their content ranges from news to inspirational content and even jobs, where users can tune in to listen to information on-the-go. Mela Mela is an e-commerce platform that enables group buying through WhatsApp and Facebook. The platform helps collective buying at much cheaper costs and works much like the popular Chinese platform Pinduoduo. Nonu Nonu is a personal healthcare startup, specializing in hair loss treatment with prescription medicines, shampoos, and more. Vahan Vahan is a recruitment platform which uses Artificial Intelligence to match employers with job seekers. Through its messaging platform, it promises faster recruitment. GreenTiger Two former Microsoft employees Prateek Swain and Tyler Burnam launched GreenTiger, which helps Indians invest in the US stock market. The startup is based out of Sunnyvale, California. Binks Binks, launched in 2019, helps women get custom-made clothes online. Through the platform, women can pick styles, take a photograph and upload it on the platform along with measurements and then a custom made outfit is delivered in three days.

These 10 Indian startups are taking part in Y Combinator’s demo day

Plans of world domination don’t come cheap. As a company present in 460 cities in 69 countries, ride-sharing business <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> recently raised another $3.5 billion from <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Uber-just-got-3-5-billion-from-Saudi-Arabia/articleshow/52544814.cms">Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund</a>, the largest single investment ever made in a private company, and a significant part of this is coming to India. 
 Amidst growing and fierce competition in a market that has grown in significance and importance to startups and tech companies world around, India is now commonly considered the battle-ground for the giants, be it <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Apple&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Apple</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=facebook&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Facebook</a>, or <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=microsoft&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Microsoft</a>. And, not without reason, with a population of 1.2 billion and counting and a smart phone penetration of over 220 mn and rapidly growing, this is what all sweet dreams are made of for any tech-based, consumer focused company. 
 
READ ALSO: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Exclusive-Uber-India-Head-says-additional-investments-to-bemade-in-India-this-year/articleshow/52553142.cms">Exclusive: Uber India Head says additional investments to be made in India this year</a> 
 
Uber entered the Indian market in 2013 and is currently present in 27 cities. It’s aggressive pricing and convenience of anywhere-anytime mobility has wooed Indian users. The country has also emerged as a major strategic market after the US and China. 
 Business Insider sat down with <keyword id="3389350" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uber-India-head-Amit-Jain">Uber India Head Amit Jain</keyword> as he opened up for the very first time about not only what India means to Uber’s global scheme of things, but also about the numerous challenges the company’s been facing dealing with the several State Governments, the deep learnings out of each of these challenges and the conversations he has with each Uber driver during his daily trips to office and back home. 
 
What % of the $3.5 bn raised by Uber from the Saudi Arabic Public Investment Fund comes to India? 
There is no specific number. We committed a billion dollars to India last year, and our commitment to India is absolute. We’ll do whatever it takes to invest and grow in India. It’s a strategic market for Uber globally. 
 
The $3.5 bn is testament to the strength of our business globally. The war-chest we have is $11 bn, that’s more than all our competitors combined. You could see additional funds being deployed. The whole premise is we’ll invest as much is needed. 
 
Highlights from your 1 year stint at Uber? 
 
A year back, our business looked very different from what it is today. We were in 11 cities then, now its 27 cities. The number of driver partners has also grown exponentially - we have over 3,50,000 plus driver partners with Uber in India. The team size has grown a lot. We've invested and built an Engineering Centre in Bangalore to tap into the deep talent pool in India. We have set up our Centre of Excellence in Hyderabad which has over 200 employees currently. 
 
On the impact side, the expected time of arrival for an Uber has gone down significantly, and is often less than 5 minutes in most cities. The flexibility and money that working with Uber provides to our driver partners is phenomenal. 
 
Uber Pool wasn't there back then. Today we've launched it in multiple cities globally. Today 25% Uber rides in Delhi and Bengaluru are on UberPOOL. 
 
In the last one year we've also customized the app to suite the demands of the Indian market. We launched cash in India and taken it to multiple new markets across the world. We've also launched bikes and autos in India. From a product perspective we believe our product and technology is far superior to any competitor, be it a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=didi&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Didi</a>,<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> or Lyft. 
 
What were your initial thoughts about the company’s operability in India? 
I was working in the US for over 17 years and when my wife and I were in India on a vacation - Uber was a life saver for me. I was sold on how easy it was for me to get around the cities in India using Uber. 
 
That point has been proven with phenomenal number of riders joining the Uber platform because it's affordable, safe and more convenient. What I didn't have a view before I joined Uber was the phenomenal impact this product and service had on the driver community and how it has fundamentally changed the lives of hundred of thousands of drivers in India. 
 
How do you build a core business function keeping in mind the requirements of each state govt.? 
We continue to educate governments help understand our point-of-view and tell people why the service is better for the driver-base. If something is beneficial to society, a progressive govt. will embrace it. 
 
We’re in conversation with various governments to help frame regulation for the space. 
 
Have they been receptive, in understanding some of the laws dating back to 1988 need bits of tweaking? 
More than tweaking it’s about the policy you create. We’re talking about a new policy for a new space. All our interactions have been inputs about what the new policy should look like. 
 
These discussions take time. The central govt. has created a set of guidelines. We’re working with each state government to make those guidelines into regulations. 
 
What are your core leadership values? 
For us it’s about believing you’re doing the right thing. We’re a company of smart people who hire the smartest and let builders build. It’s about creating an environment where everyone has a mission and vision, and a measurable outcome that they’re working towards. We don’t believe in hierarchy, and believe in elimination of bureaucracy at every level. 
 
What is the learning that you want to apply to Indian market? 
It’s all about increasing efficiency. If a car’s not being utilized, or has to drive a longer distance to pick up a rider, you’re low on efficiency. That will win in the long term. 
 
Take on the Indian startup ecosystem? 
You’re seeing more innovation and people taking risks to become entrepreneurs. That’s very necessary for the country. 
 
You may have seen come changes in valuation in the bigger companies, but overall it’s a healthy ecosystem that has attracted much investment and enthusiasm. 
 
What does it take to land a job in Uber? 
You have got to have a passion for the company and what it's trying to solve. You've got to be a hustler, someone who's going to get more done with less. You've got to be optimistic and super-charged, and that's the only way to achieve more than what you expect from yourself. 
And of course you need skills that'll help you with the job.

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Google acquires CloudSimple

PTI

Capgemini partners with Coursera to reskill employees in digital technologies — and 25,000 IT employees have already enrolled

Prerna Sindwani

A Chinese company trump Tata Nano by selling the world’s cheapest car — but it still looks like a giant matchbox

Preeti Soni

Blackstone and Embassy Group are all set to launch India’s first ever REIT

Dilsher Dhillon

These 10 Indian startups are taking part in Y Combinator’s demo day

Sanchita Dash

Exclusive: Uber’s product and technology is superior than any competitor, be it a Didi, Ola or Lyft, says Uber India Head Amit Jain

Debdatta

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