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Zepto to Rapido: 10 latest unicorn start-ups in India

<ul><li><keyword id="3269053" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="rapido" source="Orion">Rapido</keyword> has launched a new campaign. </li><li>'Smart ho, toh Rapido’ campaign aims to position Rapido as a customer-centric brand and highlight its key USPs. </li></ul>Rapido has announced its first celebrity campaign ‘Smart ho, toh Rapido.’ Rapido’s strategic objective behind the campaign is to portray itself as a customer-centric brand and educate people about its key offerings and USPs. This is the first time the company has roped in movie superstars to spread awareness about its unique services, intending to strengthen its presence in the market and transform daily commute for the better. Going live from 5th November, the 6-week campaign will run two films each for HSM and Non-HSM markets, directed by Sizil Srivastava (HSM)&amp;Trivikram Srinivas (Non-HSM)and produced by Dream Vault media. Featuring superstars <keyword id="106133" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="ranveer-singh" source="Orion">Ranveer Singh</keyword> and <keyword id="17473" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="allu-arjun" source="Orion">Allu Arjun</keyword>, the campaign will air on OOH, Radio, TV, and Digital platforms Pan India, focusing on 14 cities. Commenting on the first-of-its-kind announcement, Amit Verma, Head of Marketing, Rapido, said, “We are delighted to introduce our first celebrity campaign with Ranveer Singh and Allu Arjun. Both these brilliant actors will help us seed the idea of using Rapido as an alternative yet regular medium of travel among the masses, ushering in an era of affordable and convenient daily commute”. As a part of the ad campaign, Ranveer Singh and Allu Arjun will entertain their fans by enacting the roles of Babban and Guru, both smart and clever personalities. Their unique and interesting characters will guide the daily commuters, who are fed up with the hassles of traveling via buses/autos, to opt for a smart option like Rapido. The bike taxis offered by Rapido can swiftly cut through the traffic to offer timely, convenient, and pocket-friendly rides. <div type="Youtube" id="bhnlZIs1Ads" title="Rapido Bike-Taxi | Smart Ho Toh Rapido | Ranveer Singh" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bhnlZIs1Ads/mqdefault.jpg"></div> <div type="Youtube" id="lyEdUcEa_g8" title="Rapido Bike-Taxi | Smart Ho Toh Rapido | Allu Arjun | Telugu" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lyEdUcEa_g8/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Speaking on the campaign, Bollywood superstar Ranveer Singh, said, “I am glad to be associated with Rapido. I really enjoyed collaborating on our first campaign together. It was a delightful experience shooting for this ad film, playing a peculiar character (Babban) who has a unique and original style and persona. Rapido is all set to make waves and I’m happy to contribute my bit in what I’m sure will be a successful endeavor.” “I like to consider myself as a person who knows how to tackle a situation with the best possible solution. That’s why I was excited when Rapido approached me for the role of Guru, which resembles me. What Rapido is doing is quite exceptional and I’m happy to be a part of this campaign, which will help them scale their market presence to new heights,” added Allu Arjun. Rapido's revenue has returned by 85% compared to pre-COVID levels. Post acquiring $52 million funding in August 2021, the company is all set to scale its business operations, including expanding its auto fleet to 5 lakh by the end of 2021.

Rapido launches its first celebrity campaign with Ranveer Singh and Allu Arjun

<ul><li>Rapido’s latest campaign poses questions to users to choose between essential and expendable needs.</li><li>#ZarooriHaiKya campaign aims to drive mindfulness towards the essential services workers at risk during the pandemic.</li></ul>Rapido, bike taxi platform, today announced the launch of its new digital marketing campaign #ZarooriHaiKya. The social good campaign takes the consumers through different scenarios of customers using delivery, ride sharing or home services during the pandemic in a witty format. The campaign aims to drive awareness on how essential services like home deliveries, ride-sharing and home services should be used responsibly in the pandemic. It is built as a homage to the efforts of various driving, delivery, and service partners who have been working tirelessly to make sure that people like us survive through the lockdown, even at the cost of their lives. The #ZarooriHaiKya campaign takes a dig at the times people celebrate expendable days, prodding them to rethink their decisions. Roz ki roses wali anniversary manana, #ZaroorihaiKya, calling for a home salon service or ordering unnecessary items like footwear, work pants when you are working from home, or visiting the gym at this time, etc. is all that important, to risk a driver or delivery partner’s life, as he sets out during the pandemic. As unlocking begins in most of the cities, Rapido takes a bold stance asking people to step out only when necessary, despite being the largest bike taxi player in the country. <div type="Youtube" id="52KSqOG673A" title="Zaroori Hai Kya?" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/52KSqOG673A/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Announcing the campaign, Amit Verma, Head of Marketing, Rapido, said, “The idea to do such a responsible marketing campaign stemmed from the consumer behavior seen across the country during the pandemic. Accelerating our delivery service or promoting our bike taxi services may be beneficial to us, but at Rapido, we also feel responsible for the lives of our Captains and essential delivery partners. As the nation prepares for unlock, we want to urge everyone to act responsibly and think about the frontline warriors. Through #ZarooriHaiKya, we would like to plead to the sensibilities of our users to not book that ride, to not ask your friend to deliver that item, to not call home services guys to fix a thing that you do not need at the moment, and thereby saving someone’s life.” The campaign and storyline were conceptualized in-house, the script was written by <keyword id="2949725" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Enormous-Brands">Enormous Brands</keyword> and brought to life by a budding production house with new and aspiring talent. The company will also be driving two more shoulder campaigns like a Bahana generator, to generate curiosity and engagement with the users on their social media platforms. Rapido has announced a $20Mn budget for this year’s bullish focus on its marketing efforts. With the second wave of the pandemic continuing to wreak havoc in the country, Rapido wants to do every bit to break the chain, in their own way and help professionals who are putting themselves in harm’s way so that people can lead a comfortable life at home. It could be the driver partners, home service executives, delivery executives, etc. The company recently started a Captain Vaccination Drive in the country where the first camp was held in Chennai through a collaboration with the Chennai City Corporation. It hopes to expand to all the 100 cities Rapido is present in, through more such partnerships soon.

As unlocking begins in most cities, Rapido urges people to step out only when necessary

<ul><li>In 2020, despite the pandemic-induced lockdown bringing mobility services to a complete standstill, homegrown bike-taxi platform <keyword id="3269053" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rapido">Rapido</keyword> shifted its gears to focus on what’s important. </li><li>It was quick to bounce back as it continued to engage with its customers through digital mediums and by accelerating its logistics business towards providing essential services. </li><li>For 2021, Rapido has earmarked $20M in marketing spends. We caught up with Amit Verma, Head of Marketing, Rapido to further discuss the company's plans for FY22 and how it will go about spending its marketing monnies. </li></ul>Tapping on the scope of growth in the mobility category, Rapido, India’s first and the largest Bike-Taxi platform has earmarked USD 20 million for its marketing activities in 2021. According to PGA Labs, bike taxi service is now a $150 million market, growing at 20% month-over-month. In India, 300 million people commute every day out of which only 1% of bookings happen via apps and only 20% of India owns private vehicles today. It is estimated that bike taxis in India have the potential to create 5+ million livelihood opportunities, generating a revenue of $10 billion. In 2020, after the nation-wide lockdown was lifted and consumers were still concerned about stepping out and using public vehicles, they turned to private vehicle providers like Rapido for safe and secure commutes. Now, as the market has started limping towards normalcy, Rapido is putting its best foot forward to increase brand awareness and acquire new users. Amit Verma, Head of Marketing, Rapido said, “The market is now opening up and the overall number of COVID-19 cases are going down, so we thought now this is the right time that we can increase our spends. We also want to grow 100% maybe in the next 12-13 months. And we have set aside $20 million for marketing in FY22, which will mostly be spent to acquire new users and spread awareness of Rapido as a brand.” Verma said that it was because of Rapido’s marketing efforts that it continued to acquire new users despite a recession. It also decided to pivot its focus on accelerating the existing logistics business model such as delivering essentials at home, supporting the government to resolve supply-chain challenges, etc. As a result, 25% of its business bounced back in June 2020. He said, “Unfortunately, the last financial year started with the COVID-19. The operations came to a halt during those few months and post that, when we started our operations, we were really frugal and trying to optimize our marketing spends. And just because of that, we are focusing on marketing well this year.” From the $20 million marketing budget, Rapido has decided to spend 50% on digital media. “Our lion’s share of the $20 million, around 50-60%, will be spent on digital. A major share within digital will go on performance marketing. Post that, we are going to spend a lot on traditional mediums as well which includes TV, radio and outdoor media because our TG spends a significant amount of time on these mediums. Apart from that, we are putting a lot of focus on improving user experience. So we might do more activities to enhance in-app user experience through brand campaigns and digital activities,” explained Verma. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Winning consumers with a bullish marketing campaign" text="Winning consumers with a bullish marketing campaign">Winning consumers with a bullish marketing campaign</cmsannotation> From a rap jingle to partnering with celebrities and other media houses, Rapido tried to woo its customers with one message across all platforms - how Rapido is ensuring safe commutes, which is affordable and accessible in every nook of top 100 cities. Its strategy was multilingual and regional. After securing a leadership position in the Bike-Taxi ecosystem across cities, it is hoping to increase its user base and brand recognition. Walking us through Rapido’s future marketing plans, Verma shared, “There are two things we are planning for next year. First, there will be a few brand campaigns which will focus on polishing the upper funnel, that is, increasing brand awareness and making our brand top of the mind (whether it be aided or unaided recall). That is our first objective. We might do two to three brand campaigns followed by some sustenance campaigns. And apart from that, we're also planning to do quite a few content integrations with content partners like TVF, Pocket Aces, Pocket Media, so that we can keep a continuity alive, and we can engage with our user base as well.” Currently, Rapido’s Creative agency-on-record is Enormous Brands, GroupM will be handling its TV, print and radio and Laqshya Media Group has been awarded brand’s OOH duties. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Goals for FY22" text="Goals for FY22">Goals for FY22</cmsannotation> Rapido was growing at around 15% month-on-month for the last 3 years before the pandemic-infused lockdown hit India. It also doubled its presence from 50 cities to 100 in the second half of 2020. Now, it is eyeing to grow by 100%. “If you compare it with pre-Corona, we were doing 10 million rides per month. So for the next 12 to 13 months, we are again aiming 100% growth on that base,” said Verma. Rapido has recorded over 20 million app downloads so far and Verma said that the company will try to double its downloads by the end of FY22.

Exclusive: Rapido earmarks $20 million for marketing in FY22 to gain new users and spread brand awareness

<ul><li><keyword id="3269053" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rapido">Rapido</keyword> is aiming to achieve at least 1.5x growth than last fiscal. It is the only mobility company that is eyeing profits this year. </li><li>Rapido has already seen 25% of its business bouncing back. </li><li>Pavan Guntupalli, Co-founder, Rapido, talks to us about the story behind launching the brand, its growth, and mantra behind its road to profitability. </li></ul>The lockdown impacted most businesses across the globe. Some shut down and some learnt how to evolve with the changing tides. Home-grown brand Rapido, a Bike-Taxi service provider, saw its revenue plunge in the first two months after COVID hit the country and people were locked inside the four walls of their houses. With it, mobility came to a complete standstill. However, it soon saw a silver lining in June and July as 25% of its business bounced back. One of the reasons behind this demand was that people started avoiding public places and transport. Although, according to Rapido, 80% of India still doesn’t own private vehicles and due to COVID, they needed a safe and secure commute. This presented an opportunity in adversity for Rapido. Explaining why the brand’s demand came back, Pavan Guntupalli, Co-founder, Rapido, said, “Customers became aware that bike taxi is a more open and personalized way for intra-city travel. The customer has an advantage of less exposure to any infection due to his/her limited interaction with the captain (driver) and less touch points.” People also started renting its bikes for longer commutes. “Our average distance has suddenly changed, earlier people were using us for the last mile 3-5km but suddenly because of unavailability of regular public transport, our average distance has increased to 35% in some cities and overall, we saw 25% increase. Now people are using us for home to home travel and not just for last mile connectivity. Somewhere in December, we are hoping to come back to 100% of our business as before,” said Guntupalli. Shifting gears Rapido was growing at around 15% month-on-month from the last 3 years before the pandemic-infused lockdown hit India. It also doubled its presence from 50 cities to 100 in 6 months. Post lockdown, it had to shift its business model from offering bikes and taxies from consumers to distributors. Around 92% of its business came from bike and taxi model (intra-city mobility) and 8% came from logistics (essential supplies). Now, 30% of its total business comes from logistics and 70% from bike taxis. So, it decided to pivot its focus on accelerating the existing logistics business model by following a few initiatives such as delivering essentials at home, supporting the government to resolve supply-chain challenges, etc. “Rapido has been operating delivery services for e-commerce companies for close to 2 years now namely Zomato, Swiggy, Delhivery.com, Myntra, Eat.Fit. SuprDaily, Mapprr, 24*7 Stores, Kalerya, Bharatpe. During the lockdown, we amped up the existing Rapido-Delivery services to provide for the delivery of essential goods and partnered with major online companies like Big Bazaar, Big Basket and Spencer’s for delivery of essential goods,” shared Guntupalli. Building on the demand for logistics further, Rapido launched Rapido Local, a person-to-person delivery service. “Rapido Store is a convenient tool for offline and online businesses to help them reach out and deliver products to their customers in these challenging times. Rapido Store helps local businesses take care of multiple customer deliveries simultaneously in the most affordable and trusted manner. The service is currently operational in Bangalore &amp; Vijayawada and will scale to all cities Rapido is present in,” explained Guntupalli. Marketing Strategy and Understanding Consumers To gain its consumers' trust in a volatile market, Rapido introduced Safety Shields that helped consumers to maintain a safe distance from the driver or Captain, as Rapido calls them. <div type="image" title="rapido safety shields" msid="78221466" hostid="261"></div> Guntupalli said, “The Shield weighs around 400 gms -- it is a lightweight, PVC board that is attached to the Captain’s back like a rucksack. The shield covers the Captain’s body and makes for a considerable distance between the customer and our Captain. Apart from the usual measures, like using masks, sanitizers and the ArogyaSetu App, that we have taken, we felt the Safety Shields will be an added measure of safety during the rides.” It also tweaked its marketing strategy to increase awareness about the safety measures they followed. Its strategy is multi-lingual and regional. “We are trying to help change consumer behaviour towards safety, by helping them embrace the new norms through best practices when it comes to precautions, like bringing their own helmet, and avoiding stepping out. We also ensure that we leverage push notifications, SMS, emailers, in-app training videos, social media campaigns and marketing campaigns in various languages like Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi, to communicate regularly on our company updates and initiatives. We recently launched our first-ever video campaign, #PromiseofProtection, that showcases Rapido’s commitment to the safety and protection of its users, through an understanding of different relationships in our lives. In the initial phase of COVID, we launched a fundraiser for the Captains to provide them with the support they needed to weather the difficult times,” said Guntupalli. Goals for this fiscal As we inch towards normalcy and people have started stepping out, Rapido is aiming to achieve at least 1.5x growth over last fiscal. It is the only mobility company that is eyeing profits this year. According to PGA Labs, bike taxi service is now a $150 million market, growing at 20% month-over-month. In India 300 million people commute every day out of which only 1% happens via apps. It is estimated that bike taxis in India have the potential to create 5+ million livelihood opportunities, generating a revenue of $10 billion. With rapid urbanisation and smart status of cities, bike-taxi is becoming the future of intra-city transport. Due to COVID, they are also avoiding public transport. As a result, Rapido has become the third largest ride sharing platform in the country that sees around 10 million transactions in a month. Now, after securing a leadership position in the Bike Taxi ecosystem across cities, Rapido’s next focus area is to use technology to propel newer models that will help serve end users as well as businesses in the post COVID world. However, vehicle ownership in India is less. Hardly 18-20% people own a vehicle, that means 80% people still don’t have their own vehicle. When the pandemic hit, a huge problem statement was the need for a safe and secure commute. This became an opportunity in adversity for Rapido, as it saw a 25% spike in the month of June and July. Where it all began Rapido introduced bike sharing in our country in 2015. The product was built to bridge the last mile connectivity gaps. People in Tier II, III and beyond towns and cities have limited public transport solutions, some are not even available late in the evenings, making it difficult to look for an affordable option to travel within the city and getting shared autos are a hassle especially if you are a woman. However, being a first mover has its own set of challenges. Rapido was dealing with both cultural and social challenges. People did not feel comfortable sitting behind a stranger. So to woo consumers, Rapido took a quirky route. Guntupalli said, “We took a multilingual approach for our consumer outreach. The idea was to reach larger sets of audiences across Tier I, II and III cities and build affinity with the message. We worked on short, quirky videos that are a trend among tech-savvy millennials. We introduced the brand in a fun and different way to them through 7 videos with themes such as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgGQYrlpRHA">Don’t be late, Save Your Date</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMOxf64njqE">KabhiBhiKahinBhi</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXPThvwLKSo">Don’t’ Get Crushed Away In Traffic</a>,<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbvxRnLayYI"> Late for Exam, Just Stay Calm</a>.” It also partnered with traffic police in cities like Vijayawada, Mangalore, Mysore, Kota to name a few, to drive awareness about road safety with helmet distribution campaigns. To make its women customers feel safer, Rapido masks their phone numbers from its captains. It was also the first bike taxi company in India to introduce insurance for both customers and Captains from Day 1. Rapido is now present in 100 cities serving over 10 million customers with 15 lakh+ registered Captains. It is the 3rd largest ride sharing platform in the country with 10 million transactions a month and has recorded over 25 million app downloads.

Rapido shifts focus to logistics; sees 25% business recovery and aims for 1.5x growth next year over FY20

<ul><li>The <keyword id="6354831" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-premier-league">Indian Premier League</keyword> (IPL) every year brings with it an advertising extravaganza where brands try to come up with communications that stand out in the clutter.</li><li>To shine the spotlight on some of the best work brands are coming up with throughout the season, we will come up with a weekly list of ads.</li></ul>It’s been more than a week since Indian Premier League (IPL) kicked-off its much talked about season. Launched in a different format this year with no in-stadium audience, IPL has been a somewhat different experience so far. What hasn’t been much different however, is the advertising extravaganza that has just started. Owing to the fact that year after year, IPL has given brands a platform to advertise and connect with millions of viewers, this year too, brands are going all-out to create ads that will help them engage with a wide set of audience. While there have been many who have been talking about the quality of ads that have come out of the league so far, the league has just started. Most experts expect we will soon start seeing more brands coming up with ads that create an impact. Meanwhile, to join in on the fanfare, we thought it would be a good idea to showcase a few campaigns that standout every week. Here are our top picks for the last week: 1. <keyword id="6214644" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Dream11">Dream11</keyword> <div type="Youtube" id="4rEekXHvwK0" title="Dream11: Yahan sab same hai, #YeApnaGameHai" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4rEekXHvwK0/mqdefault.jpg"></div> 2. <keyword id="6358977" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="swiggy">Swiggy</keyword> <div type="Youtube" id="LBmElWEum44" title="Trusted by uncle ji and 1 crore plus Indians. Swiggy- what a score!" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LBmElWEum44/mqdefault.jpg"></div> <div type="Youtube" id="dPrN8kNUcPo" title="And that's clearly swung the match! Get big discounts with Swiggy Matchday Mania. Order Now!" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/dPrN8kNUcPo/mqdefault.jpg"></div> 3. CRED <div type="Youtube" id="iW63vNsF8ck" title="Not everyone gets it | CRED | Anil Kapoor" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iW63vNsF8ck/mqdefault.jpg"></div> 4. Khatabook <div type="Youtube" id="AoHYVfxfPvA" title="Bina Maange Udhaar Waapas!" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/AoHYVfxfPvA/mqdefault.jpg"></div> <div type="Youtube" id="ZzhhL2tNP5k" title="Hisaab Daily Ab Automatically!" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZzhhL2tNP5k/mqdefault.jpg"></div> <div type="Youtube" id="5MWZtx3EPMw" title="Har QR Ka Hisaab Yahaan!" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/5MWZtx3EPMw/mqdefault.jpg"></div> 5. Wakefit <div type="Youtube" id="ZkoCG-W95rc" title="Watch Cricket Like a King with Wakefit Furniture | Artist Babloo ft. Vijay Raaz | Wakefit" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZkoCG-W95rc/mqdefault.jpg"></div> <div type="Youtube" id="rEhCVGNdR78" title="Get Made In India Furniture Assembled At Home | Cricket 2020 | Artist Babloo Ft. Vijay Raaz |Wakefit" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rEhCVGNdR78/mqdefault.jpg"></div> 6. <keyword id="6354576" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="facebook">Facebook</keyword> <div type="Youtube" id="7czHNAczHgs" title="Facebook: Jersey" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7czHNAczHgs/mqdefault.jpg"></div> 7. <keyword id="3269053" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rapido">Rapido</keyword> <div type="Youtube" id="MkKwT9EE_jg" title="Rapido I Captains Of Tomorrow" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MkKwT9EE_jg/mqdefault.jpg"></div>

Our pick of the best IPL 2020 ads: Week 1

<ul><li><keyword id="3269053" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rapido">Rapido</keyword> has resumed services in 39 cities across 11 states in the country.</li><li>The company has asked its drivers to install the Aarogya Setu app, wear masks and always carry hand sanitizers.</li></ul>Bike-taxi service provider Rapido on Wednesday said it has resumed normal operations in 39 cities across 11 states, following the new guidelines announced by the government for <keyword id="9207199" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="lockdown-4">lockdown 4</keyword>.0. "For now, our bike taxi services will be operational in the green and orange zones as the services cannot be extended to the containment zones as per the lockdown guidelines," the company said in a statement. The company said it will keep updating customers on the status of various cities and safety instructions via in-app notifications. According to the company, ‘captains' or drivers need to install the Aarogya Setu app before they go on-duty to start accepting orders and have been asked to wear a mask at all times as well as carry sanitizers, hair net in addition to the mandatory helmets. Captains are also asked to maintain personal hygiene and sanitise their bikes at regular intervals, especially sanitise the pillion seat before on boarding customers. Meanwhile, after every ride, customers can give feedback about wearing a mask or captains not using sanitizer. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/lockdown-4-0-uber-ola-resume-services-in-more-cities/articleshow/75812021.cms">Lockdown 4.0: Uber, Ola resume services in more cities</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/swiggy-follows-zomato-the-food-delivery-firm-will-layoff-1100-employees/articleshow/75801328.cms">The $3.6-billion Swiggy follows Zomato⁠— the food delivery firm lays off 1100 employees as Covid-19 squeezes business</a>

Rapido resumes services in 39 cities in orange and green zones

New Delhi, June 8 (IANS) Bike-taxi service provider Rapido on Monday said it has resumed normal operations in close to 100 cities in India following the new guidelines announced by the government for unlock 1.0. Resuming these operations will bring relief to driver partners who are solely dependent on the bike taxi service for their daily income and livelihood, the company said in a statement. "Being the most affordable, convenient and accessible last-mile connectivity option for millions of users, we are geared up to ensure the safety and protection of our customers as well as our Captains (driver partners). We will be closely monitoring the adherence of all mandatory and hygiene guidelines issued by the authorities by all our stakeholders," the company said in a statement. Captains or drivers need to install the Aarogya Setu app before they go on-duty to start accepting orders and have been asked to wear a mask at all times as well as carry sanitizers, hair net in addition to the mandatory helmets. Captains are also asked to maintain personal hygiene and sanitise their bikes at regular intervals, especially sanitise the pillion seat before on boarding customers. Meanwhile, after every ride, customers can give feedback about wearing a mask or captains not using sanitizer. --IANS wh/na

Bike taxi booking app Rapido resumes operations in 100 cities

Who don’t look fashionable and stylish every day when they have plethora of fashion retailers catering to their fashion demands conveniently, every single day. And soon, a robot would help you find the best match for yourself. No, we ain’t kidding. The online fashion retailer <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Myntra">Myntra </a>has already developed such a robot character. 
 Named <keyword id="3067270" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Artie">Artie</keyword>, the robot powered by artificial intelligence will represent the recently-launched in-house <keyword id="3067269" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Moda-Rapido">Moda Rapido</keyword> brand of <keyword id="319719" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Myntra">Myntra</keyword>. 
 As per the company officials, the brand is capable of offering new styles and designs every week, through out the year. The software will scan all the <keyword id="20790" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="fashion-trends">fashion trends</keyword> that people are looking for over the internet and with the help of this data, the company will develop those styles. 
 <keyword id="2564167" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gautam-Kotamraju">Gautam Kotamraju</keyword>, senior vice president for new initiatives at Myntra says, "We will bring new products every week. We will react to everything that is selling well, go back and make it, and bring it for our customers in 20 days. We have a nimble supply chain which allows us to do so." 
 According to an Economic Times report, it took around eight months for a 25-member team to develop this brand in the company headquarters in Bengaluru. The online marketplace owned by <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> used a computer vision for the machine to learn fashion and its attributes and had a few design specialists who helped the machine to learn. 
 
"Our artificial intelligence tells us what material we have on one side and what people are liking on the other side and therefore it puts across a basic skeletal framework together for the in-house designers, who would then tweak the designs according to the demand," Kotamraju added. 
 
Industry biggies like Snapdeal and Flipkart are aggressively working on the technological front to engage with more and more consumers. Market leader Flipkart recently introduced Ping, a messaging platform where users can have a real time discussion with friends and fashion experts. 
 
Flipkart also introduced the feature called image search, where users can upload an image of the product they are looking for and as a result, they’ll get similar products available online. 
 
Rival Snapdeal has introduced findmystyle.in, a tool that filters the wide catalogue of apparels and footwear to show the most relevant products without the traditional way of using filters like keywords, brands, price, etc. 
 
Ganesh Subramanian, head of new initiatives at Myntra while naming the upcoming technology the ‘Insta Trend’ said, "Whatever products you see under the Moda Rapido brand are based purely on (artificial) intelligence and there are no designers involved in the process.” 
Image: facebook.com/myntra

Tired of tracking fashion trends? Myntra’s Artie robot will now help you out.

New Delhi: <keyword id="20845764" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Indias-startup-ecosystem" source="keywords">India's startup ecosystem</keyword> experienced a surge in <keyword id="19913965" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="venture-capital" source="keywords">venture capital</keyword> (VC) funding during the first seven months of 2024, raising a total of USD 6.3 billion through 672 deals. This marks a 42.1 per cent year-on-year (YoY) increase in funding value, despite a modest 1.2 per cent rise in deal volume, according to a report by <keyword id="19910824" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="GlobalData" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="GlobalData" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="GlobalData">GlobalData</keyword>. The uptick in funding underscores investor confidence in India's <keyword id="21354516" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="startup-landscape" source="keywords">startup landscape</keyword>, even as global market conditions remain cautious. An analysis of GlobalData's Deals Database reveals that during the same period in 2023, India saw 664 VC deals with a disclosed funding value of USD 4.4 billion. Aurojyoti Bose, Lead Analyst at GlobalData, commented on the findings and said, "The massive jump in funding value, despite a modest 1.2 per cent growth in deal volume, can be attributed to some of the big-ticket deals announced during the review period. This also proves that even though VC investors remain cautious there is no dearth of money for promising startups." Some of the most notable <keyword id="20948843" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="VC-funding" source="keywords">VC funding</keyword> deals in India during January-July 2024 include USD 665 million raised by Zepto, USD 300 million by Meesho, USD 216 million by PharmEasy, USD 150 million by Radiance, USD 148 million by Kogta Financial, and USD 120 million by Rapido. India continues to stand out as a key player in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region for VC funding, trailing only China. It is also among the top five global markets in terms of both VC deal volume and value. During the January-July 2024 period, India accounted for 7 per cent of the total VC deals announced worldwide, while its share of the disclosed funding value was 4.3 per cent. Bose concluded, "Despite global economic uncertainties, India remains a pivotal market for VC activity, driven by a robust pipeline of promising startups that continue to attract significant capital. This trend reinforces India's position as a critical player in the global venture ecosystem, demonstrating resilience and growth even amid cautious investment sentiment."

First 7 months of FY25 see significant surge in VC funding to India's startups: GlobalData

<ul><li>Delhi HC stays <keyword id="701249" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="transport-dept" source="Orion">Transport Dept</keyword>'s notice, saving Ola, <keyword id="1042120" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="uber" source="Orion">Uber</keyword>, and Rapido from suspension of ride-sharing services.</li><li>A division bench of Justices Suresh <keyword id="15491952" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="kumar-kait" source="Orion">Kumar Kait</keyword> and <keyword id="2581533" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="neena-bansal-krishna" source="Orion">Neena Bansal Krishna</keyword> directed the <keyword id="62110" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="transport-department" source="Orion">Transport Department</keyword> to refrain from taking any coercive measures against Rapido and other ride-sharing platforms.</li></ul>New Delhi, In a major relief to Ola, Uber, and Rapido, the Delhi High Court on Friday put a stay on the public notice and show cause notice issued by the city Transport Department, halting the ride-sharing platforms. A division bench of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Neena Bansal Krishna directed the Transport Department to refrain from taking any coercive measures against Rapido and other ride-sharing platforms until a comprehensive policy is formulated. In February, the app-based aggregators were prevented from plying bike taxis on the road without commercial permits. The Transport Department, ordering an immediate halt to the bike taxi services provided by these platforms, had warned that any violation will result in penal action. The public notice by the Transport Department said that the companies defying the orders will be fined up to Rs 1 lakh, as the use of bikes for commercial purposes violated the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. Following the High Court decision, Uber has expressed its gratitude towards the court's order providing protection to the company against coercive actions regarding its bike taxi service in the capital city. "We welcome the High Court's order to give Uber protection from coercive action on bike taxis in Delhi. This will bring relief to drivers on our platform whose livelihood had been impacted by the ban as also to the hundreds and thousands of riders who choose to ride on Moto for affordability and last mile connectivity. We are committed to serving the city and being the platform of choice for riders and drivers alike," said Uber in a statement. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/is-whatsapp-secretly-listening-to-your-private-conversations-heres-how-to-check/articleshow/100155980.cms">Is WhatsApp secretly listening to your private conversations? Here’s how to check</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/google-pixel-6a-vs-pixel-7a-smartphone-comparison-with-price-and-features/articleshow/100177889.cms">Google Pixel 6a vs Pixel 7a: Is Google's latest mid-ranger worth the extra ₹12,000?</a>

Relief for ride-sharing platforms as Delhi HC put stays on Transport Department notice

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The US Army lacks the equipment and experience to successfully attack across a river.</li><li>These capabilities have atrophied and need an overhaul, an Army major argued.</li></ul>Assaulting across a river is among the most dangerous military operations. Yet if the US Army went to war tomorrow, it would lack the equipment, doctrine and experience to launch an attack across a defended river, according to one Army engineer."The Army has not conducted such an operation since World War II," wrote Maj. Aditya Iyer, an Army engineer, in an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ausa.org/publications/bridging-through-time-river-crossing-world-war-ii-wet-gap-crossing-today-and-future">essay</a> for the Association of the United States Army. For example, Army divisions don't have adequate bridging capabilities of their own to conduct what the Army calls "wet gap" attacks, and would need support from corps-level units that might not be available."The current wet-gap crossing doctrine, organization, materiel and leadership are ineffective for division-level wet-gap crossing operations independent from the corps," Iyer warned. River crossings are especially dangerous because the massed vehicles can be targeted as they funnel across or even become stranded on the far bank against a larger enemy.As an example of neglecting river assaults, Iyer points to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russia-putin-soldiers-siverskyi-donets-b2077244.html">fiasco</a> of Russia's May 2022 attempt to cross the Siverskyi Donets River, which the 74th Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade tried to storm using mobile pontoon bridges. The result was an estimated 500 casualties and dozens of tanks lost.Iyer lists multiple mistakes by Russian commanders, including attacking at only one point on the river, lack of prior reconnaissance, and attacking in daytime instead of night. "In contrast, the Ukrainian forces had accurate intelligence that showed the Russian troops massing along the river," Iyer said. "The Ukrainian engineer reconnaissance teams had also identified potential river crossings and had pre-coordinated artillery targets on the crossing sites, and they were right; Russian forces did indeed use those sites."To be fair, the US Army also has a checkered history with river assaults. At the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.historynet.com/battle-of-fredericksburg/">Battle of Fredericksburg</a> in December 1862, the Union Army made a foolish and bloody attempt to <a target="_blank" href="https://4thmichigan.wordpress.com/the-battle-of-fredericksburg/">cross the Rappahannock River</a> against entrenched Confederate defenders. In January 1944, the US 36th Infantry Division launched an ill-prepared and disastrous night assault across the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.historynet.com/rage-over-the-rapido/">Rapido River</a> in Italy that cost almost 2,000 casualties (the furious survivors spurred a congressional investigation after the war).Indeed, the Army was unprepared for river crossings at the start of World War II. Divisions lacked sufficient bridging equipment — including bridges robust enough to bear the weight of tanks — which made them dependent on corps-level assets. Nor was there a centralized authority to coordinate complex crossing operations. However, by the time of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/story/Article/2121882/last-major-allied-operations-in-europe-launched-75-years-ago/">Operation Plunder</a> — the massive assault across the Rhine River in 1945, involving a million men and nearly 6,000 artillery pieces — many of these problems had been rectified. The Rhine crossing even used <a target="_blank" href="https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/wars-conflicts-and-operations/world-war-ii/1945/operation-plunder.html">US Navy landing craft</a> normally used for amphibious assaults on the ocean.If anything, river crossings are even harder nowadays. The ruses that commanders like Napoleon used — such as surprise descents on a weakly held point, or feints to mask the real crossing point — are much harder when drones are constantly overhead as in Ukraine. If the enemy can spot the crossing, they can blanket the bridgehead with long-range missile and artillery strikes.This wasn't such a problem in counterinsurgency operations in the mountains and deserts of Afghanistan and Iraq. Major combat operations against Russia and China would be different, especially in regions like Eastern Europe, where there are plenty of rivers and canals. "The Russo-Ukrainian War has highlighted that military technologies have evolved in recent decades and that the U.S. military must be prepared to conduct wet-gap crossing operations against a well-organized and technologically advanced force," said Iyer.<div type="image" title="A 3rd Infantry Division Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle drives off of a 497th Multi-Role Bridge Company, 92nd Engineer Battalion barge on Sept. 21, 2023." height="1500" width="2000" msid="109268782" hostid="261" sizebytes="401308"></div>The Army's current wet gap deficiencies resemble those of World War II. Divisions, and the engineer battalions in brigade combat teams, don't have sufficient bridging capabilities of their own. The division is supposed to use at least four Multi-Role Bridge Companies to cross a 400-meter (1,312-foot) river. But those special bridging companies are controlled by corps headquarters."Divisions rely on the corps augmentation for wet-gap crossing operations, including other enablers, such as military police and smoke," Iyer noted. Nor does the Army have enough Multi-Role Bridge Companies to support all its divisions.What's more, many of the Army's bridges, such as the Improved Ribbon Bridge, aren't strong enough to bear the weight of heavy vehicles such as the 70-ton M1 Abrams tank. "The current bridging equipment has the same capability shortfalls that we had in World War II," said Iyer.The Army also needs a centralized doctrine for river crossing operations that goes beyond merely building the bridge itself, and not how to seize and secure a bridgehead. "Publications remain technically focused on engineer considerations and calculations to execute a crossing," Iyer said.Simply having the engineering capability to quickly build a bridge across a mile-long river is no minor feat. The question is whether it can be done if the enemy objects.Michael Peck is a defense writer whose work has appeared in Forbes, Defense News, Foreign Policy magazine, and other publications. He holds an MA in political science from Rutgers Univ. Follow him on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.twitter.com/@mipeck1">Twitter</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mipeck/">LinkedIn</a>.

The US Army isn't ready to attack across rivers 

New Delhi [India], May 16 (ANI): <keyword id="9766785" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Lok-Sabha-elections-2024" source="Orion">Lok Sabha elections 2024</keyword> have seen a <keyword id="20108198" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="voter-turnout" source="keywords">voter turnout</keyword> at polling stations of about 66.95 per cent so far, as approximately 451 million people have voted during the first four phases of ongoing general elections. In a bid to encourage voters to exercise their franchise in large numbers, ECI has enhanced its targeted interventions to reach out to every eligible voter. The Commission led by CEC Rajiv Kumar along with ECs Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, further directed CEOs of the states going to poll in the fifth, sixth and seventh phases to timely distribute voter information slips to all electors and enhance outreach activities. "Commission strongly believes that partnership and collaboration are essential pillars of the voter awareness programme. It's heartening to see that, at the Commission's request, different institutions, influencers and celebrities with significant reach are working enthusiastically on a pro-bono basis," Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said. Further, he added that a higher voter turnout would be a message from Indian voters to the world, about the strength of Indian Democracy. He urges all the voters to cast their vote in huge numbers, as voting day is not a holiday but a day of pride, by participating in the festival of democracy. According to an official release, various <keyword id="21686177" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="voter-awareness-drives" source="keywords">voter awareness drives</keyword> and campaigns have been carried out by stakeholders in collaboration with ECI. Telecom Service Providers such as Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, Bharti Airtel Limited, Jio Telecommunication, and Vodafone-Idea Limited are reaching out to every mobile user in the respective parliamentary constituency through push SMS/Flash SMSs, outbound dialling calls to mobile users, RCS (Rich Communication Services) messaging and WhatsApp messages/alerts. These activities are carried out two/three days before the poll and even on the poll day, in regional languages, with an appeal to vote. ECI has collaborated with BCCI for voter awareness activities during the ongoing IPL season. The voter awareness messages and songs are being played at different stadiums during the cricket matches. The most innovative aspect of this campaign is the administration of voter's pledges by cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar in a pre-recorded video message, at various IPL venues. Further, voter awareness messages are integrated into cricket commentary. Cricketers from 10 IPL teams have encouraged voters to participate in the <keyword id="19895394" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="lok-sabha" source="keywords">Lok Sabha</keyword> elections in 2024 with their recorded voter awareness messages. A voting day alert was sent to all Facebook users pan India to inform and inform the voters about the general elections and to nudge them to participate in the festival of democracy, the release mentioned. The release further stated that WhatsApp personalised messages have begun on polling day. Google India is contributing through its iconic feature of Google Doodle on poll days and banners appearing on YouTube, Google Pat and other Google platforms. The Retail Association of India has been actively engaging with voter awareness activities, through their retail network, whereby retail chains are encouraged to celebrate the election as a festival. The vast network of post offices and banking institutions was utilised by ECI to reach out to a wide and diverse audience across the length and breadth of the country. In collaboration with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the parliamentary elections campaign logo "Chunav ka Parv, Desh ka Garv" has been integrated with the IRCTC portal and tickets. Voter awareness announcements have been integrated with the public address system at all railway stations. The logo stickers are used on coaches of the superfast trains. In collaboration with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, hoardings on voter awareness have been installed in about 16,000 retail outlets. In collaboration with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, airlines are making an inflight announcement with an appeal message to participate in the ensuing elections. Voter guides are being kept in aircraft seat pockets. Apart from this, many airports are providing space for the display of voter awareness messages. Selfie points have been installed at airports in 10 major cities viz. Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Patna, Chandigarh, and Pune. Cinema theatres across the country are playing ECI voter awareness films and ECI Song Main Bharat Hoon, Hum Bharat Ke Matdata Hai, at regular intervals, as a part of the Public Service Awareness (PSA) film. Sansad TV is creating short films on Unique Polling Stations set up in remote corners of the country by the election machinery after navigating difficult terrains to demonstrate the challenges in ensuring voting at the last mile. AMUL, Mother Dairy and other milk co-operatives have started branding their milk pouches with the message 'Chunav Ka Parv, Desh ka Garv' and encouraging voters through social media platforms. AMUL is also encouraging voters with its unique messaging through AMUL Girl Topical advertisements in newspapers. Prasar Bharati: Doordarshan has produced, various short films, including appeals from constitutional functionaries like President of India, Vice President of India, and Chief Justice of India, among others. Further, unique polling stations are being covered by the regional Kendra's audio-visual documentation. Music App Spotify is running a campaign called 'Play Your Part', and they have issued print advertisements, and curated the playlists for the elections, on their app. Payments app PhonePe has integrated voter awareness message into their app and is actively encouraging voters. BookMyShow has launched an integrated campaign, titled "Aaj Picture Nahi, Bigger Picture Dekho," to raise awareness among voters. MakeMyTrip is running a campaign titled 'MyVoteWalaTrip', whereby discounts are offered to citizens going to vote. Food delivery platforms such as Zomato and Swiggy are disseminating voter awareness messages through their platforms and social media activities. Grocery App Blinkit changed its logo to "Inkit" for the elections, incorporating a message encouraging people to "Go out and Vote" as a tagline. Uber India is reaching out to voters through multi-channel messaging (in-app, emails, push notifications), offering discounts for rides to polling stations, and amplifying voter awareness messages on social media platforms. Bike app Rapido has been encouraging voters with a free ride to vote. Urban Company has launched 'I Have Voted Campaign' to encourage voters. Tata Neu app, serving as the Tata Group's group-wide consumer-facing mobile app, prominently features the "Cast Your Vote" animated banner on its homepage, with additional initiatives currently underway. Truecaller is enhancing its layout by displaying voter awareness message during outbound calls Some other independent initiatives are Mankind Pharma #VotingVirgin campaign, clothing brand Neeru's "Vote ki Taiyaari" TVC, Tinder's "Every Single Vote Counts" campaign, creatively curated social media post by Matrimonial sites like Jeevansathi.com, etc and discounts for voting by popular brands such as Shoppers' Stop, MakeMyTrip, Chroma and many more. Four phases of Lok Sabha polls have been held and the voting will conclude on June 1 with results on June 4. The remaining phases will be held on May 20, May 25, and June 1.

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