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When it comes to buying furniture, no one has the time to do it the old fashioned way, which required the customer to visit the store, browse through catalogues and then find a way to get it made through an <keyword id="6466632" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="interior-designer">interior designer</keyword> or a retailer. With the e-commerce boom, buying furniture has been simplified through start-up companies like Pepperfry, HomeLane and <keyword id="2644491" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="LivSpace">Livspace</keyword> even as consumers demand more variety for less cost. The unlikely victims of this online buying had been independent designers who saw many customers drop out for better and easier online offers but the situation has been changing. Livspace which is trying to ‘democratize’ home design is trying to bring homeowners and designers and vendors on the same platform and work simultaneously to create better value for both. What that means is that customers can get the expertise of a designer and get the execution done faster with great materials while estimating the cost, which is unheard of. How does it work ●Homeowners typically contact Livspace online and fill a quick form to describe their requirements. They can even shortlist designs from thousands of looks ●Quickly thereafter a designer is assigned to their project, based on their project scope, aesthetic preferences and location. ●The designer meets the homeowner and understands their design, home and lifestyle needs. They present concepts for their home quickly using the software called Canvas.● Once a homeowner likes the initial concepts and books Livspace, they collaborate with their designer to finalize the designs after seeing it all in 3D/virtual reality, experiencing real designs at our Design Centers or experience apartments and touching all materials. ●The final orders are placed and the project plan is shared in the customer account. ●Within a few weeks, a Livspace team of experts delivers and installs every product and service to make their home exactly like the picture. Livspace Canvas Canvas is a cloud-based, design platform which is accessible to all certified <keyword id="107252" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="interior">interior</keyword> designers on Livspace. I tried my hand at the software and learned how easy it is to manage an interior design project with Canvas where designers can manage all their projects from start to finish in one dashboard and plan spaces in 2D and convert the design to 3D and virtual reality demos. The designers can also auto-generate invoices that are linked to the designs they create in real-time and place orders for all products and services, with no worry about the supply chain and delivery. Interior designers can even create a Virtual reality demo for the customer’s home design which they can access online.

I tried the platform that is using Virtual Reality to help customers find affordable Interior designers in India

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

IIT Kharagpur, IIT Delhi have bred the most number of future unicorn founders

<ul><li>The company has raised $180 million from <keyword id="6354544" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kkr" source="Orion">KKR</keyword>, <keyword id="6371031" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ikea" source="Orion">Ikea</keyword> and others.</li><li>It plans to use this capital to enter APAC, MENA and Australia.</li><li><keyword id="2644491" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="livspace" source="Orion">Livspace</keyword> is the fourth Indian startup to turn into a unicorn in 2022.</li></ul>Home interior and renovation company Livspace on Tuesday announced that it turned into a unicorn by crossing the billion-dollar valuation mark. The company has raised $180 million in a funding round led by KKR &amp; Co. Swedish retail Ikea, along with the company’s existing backers like Jungle Ventures, Venturi Partners and Peugeot, also invested in this round. Overall, the company has raised nearly half a billion to date. The company plans to use this capital to double down on international expansion and take on local competitors like HomeLane, Stokers, At Home Group, Pepperfry and American Furniture Warehouse. "Our business is growing exponentially in both India and Singapore, and we aim to replicate this playbook, launch new solutions and accelerate our launches across new markets with operations across APAC, MENA and Australia,” Anuj Srivastava, cofounder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Livspace, said in a statement. So far, four Indian startups have turned into a unicorn in 2022. This includes AI analytics <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/fractal-raised-360-million-funding-from-tpg-at-1-billion-valuation/articleshow/88712189.cms">Fractal</a>, edtech startup <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/lead-school-joins-byjus-upgrad-as-the-sixth-edtech-unicorn-of-india/articleshow/88867816.cms">LeadSchool</a> and software-as-a-service (SaaS) company Darwinbox. Mamaearth too had officially announced its unicorn funding this year, but the development was already <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/india-is-home-to-81-unicorns-now-as-mamaearth-globalbees-make-it-to-the-list/articleshow/88558418.cms">reported based on regulatory filings </a>by the end of 2021. The year 2021 was the best one for Indian startups as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/2021-indias-year-of-the-unicorn-and-its-many-high-points/slidelist/88528773.cms">four startups turned a unicorn every month</a>. Overall, 44 startups were valued over $1 billion last year. Piyush Goyal, the minister of industry and commerce, hopes that India will create 75 unicorns in 2022. SEE ALSO <a class="tout-title-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/adani-wilmar-tvs-motor-bharti-airtel-irctc-and-other-hot-stocks-on-february-8/slidelist/89418927.cms">Adani Wilmar, TVS Motor, Bharti Airtel, IRCTC and other hot stocks on February 8</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/interview-indias-latest-software-unicorn-is-wetting-its-feet-in-america-after-holding-its-horses-for-seven-years/articleshow/89409491.cms">INTERVIEW: India’s latest software unicorn is wetting its feet in America after holding its horses for seven years</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/future-groups-kishore-biyani-mohandas-pai-and-68-others-invest-in-former-twitter-india-heads-latest-startup/articleshow/89403045.cms">Future Group’s Kishore Biyani, Mohandas Pai and 68 others invest in former Twitter India head’s latest startup</a>

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I tried the platform that is using Virtual Reality to help customers find affordable Interior designers in India

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