Nearly 1000 startups expected to be funded in 2016: Report

The forecast depends on the run-rate seen in Q1 2016, and the contribution from first quarter to the yearly deal volume. There have been 255 deals till mid-April this year, said the report. 

2016 will keep on being the year for startups as investment funds keep the money desiring a generally cash-compelled ecosystem. While financial speculators will keep subsidizing the startups, 'little is protected' is liable to be the characterizing theme for startup subsidizing, as deal size is relied upon to be much littler in contrast with the hyper subsidizing as of late, claims VCCEdge Q1CY2016 Startup India Funding Report. 

The year 2016, consequently, will be the year of solidification with startup valuations getting trimmed, early-stage financial specialists turning mindful and a general fixing of purse strings. 

The report characterizes startups as organizations that have reported raising an Angel or Seed-stage subsidizing, or a Venture Capital Round An or Round B in the course of recent years. 

On a quarter on quarter premise, startup financing deals have taken a hit of no less than half, with deal esteem tumbling from $611 mn. in Q1 CY2015 to $301 mn. in Q1 CY2016. 

While deal esteem has traveled south, startup subsidizing deal volume has remained genuinely unaltered with 234 deals in Q1 CY2016 as against 232 deals in Q1 CY2015. 

Angel, Seed, Series An and Series B stage wander financing transactions that crested with 287 deals, or one at regular intervals, in the quarter October-December 2015, have snuck past 19% to 234 deals in quarter January-March 2016. 

In quality terms, the slide is 41%, to $301.5 mn toward the end of January-March quarter finished 2016 when contrasted and the past quarter. 

While volumes of Angel and Seed subsidizing have risen by 33% from 142 in Q1 CY2015 to 189 in Q1 CY2016, financing has decreased by 35% in quality terms from $91 mn. in Q1 CY2015 to $59 mn. in Q1 CY2016. 

Investment Series A subsidizing volumes have dropped 52% from 67 deals in Q1 CY2015 to 32 in Q1 CY2016, while in worth terms, there has been a 56% drop from $240 mn. to $105 mn. in the same period. 

Investment Series B financing has seen a decrease from $281 mn. in Q1 CY 2015 to $137 mn. in Q1 CY 2016, a drop of 51%. In volume terms as well, there has been a fall of 46% from 24 deals in Q1 CY 2015 to 13 deals in Q1 CY 2016. 

Offer of startups in the general private investment pie is on the rise. By volume, startups represented 70% of the aggregate transactions in 2015, up from 62% in 2014. While the contribution of the startup deal esteem too has been on the rise, moving from 7% in 2011 to 11% in 2015, it has slipped in 2016YTD to 6%. 

Each fourth startup investment is in Bengaluru. Bengaluru keeps on contributing around 25% of the aggregate startups deal volume in India in the last five years. 

"The decrease in Series A deals or the primary institutional level of endeavor financing for startups is especially stressing, along these lines making it fundamental for them to embrace the strategy of 'Monitor and Grow," Nita Kapoor, Head – India, News Corp said in an announcement. 

Why odd-even doesn’t seem to be working this time?

The odd-even traffic policy has been actualized for the second time in the midst of huge public support for the first edition in January when residents of Delhi witnessed sliced traffic on Delhi's busiest stretches even however the impact on pollution has been sketchy. 

This time, be that as it may, things have not been as smooth even in the underlying stages. Huge traffic jams were witnessed on Monday on arterial stretches, for example, Akshardham, South Extension, Bhairon Marg, Azadpur, ITO (towards Vikas Marg), India Gate, Dhaula Kuan, Patel Nagar, Punjabi Bagh, Delhi-Gurgaon Road, and the Ashram crossing point in the morning surge hours. 

Top five possible reasons why the road rationing policy is not as powerful this time: 

1. Schools 

In the first phase, schools in the city were closed which implied less cars on the roads. This time, the schools are open and with private cars utilizing on exchange days, there are more school transports on roads. 

In around 1300 private unaided schools in the city, every school has a minimum of 5-10 school transports. In the first phase, the Aam Aadmi Party government had requested that schools give their transports to be utilized for public transport and just a couple transports close to 300 were given on loan. At that point the government had said close to 2500 private school transports were enrolled. 

In the second phase, every one of these transports are on the road. 

It is not just these school transports that are adding to the traffic however private school vans which are utilized for transporting children are additionally on the roads. Most schools have no under 25-30 such vans which drop and pick children. These numbers are just from private schools and after that there are taxicab administrations in every one of the 1100 government schools in the city. 

Parents, who drop their children to schools, are confronting an issue as the government has given exclusion just to those whose auto has a tyke in uniform to keep running on the roads before 8am when the limitations kick in. 

"It has turned out to be exceptionally hazardous when we need to go pick the tyke. At that time, there is no tyke in uniform. The main choice left is to convey the tyke's identity card and appear in the event that we get got. The second phase could have been effortlessly done amid the late spring break," Anurag Gupta, whose child learns at a private school in south Delhi, said. 

Even government sources on Tuesday said incorporating kids in odd-even this time has exploded backward. 

2. The heat 

The city woke up to a hot morning even on Tuesday. In the underlying days of odd-even, this has been a trend with the mercury timing 40 all the time. 

The minimum temperature took off to 26 degrees Celsius four indents over the season's normal. The greatest temperature is relied upon to settle around 40 degrees Celsius. 

Amid the first phase of the road rationing framework, which was in the first week of January, the climate conditions were wonderful and more individuals enthusiastically took to public transport. 

"In this heat, it is hard to take a transport or an auto to work. So two cars for exchange odd and even days," Balbir Singh, an occupant of Bhogal who drives to his work environment in Vasant Kunj, said. 

3. Less number of traffic cops? 

On Monday, which saw the first genuine test of the odd-even plan, a riotous traffic circumstance developed, with numerous bustling stretches seeing jams. Authorization organizations now claim to have fixed sending. 

Delhi Traffic police authorities said that more faculty have been put on obligation amid the crest hours. The arrangement was moved from the outskirts to the city on Tuesday and the quantity of staff was additionally expanded from 800 to 1000. 

"We have not got any dissension of serious jams since morning and that will be out as the day progressed. Despite the fact that there are less vehicles on the road, the trap will be to oversee them productively," a senior traffic official said. 

4. Breakdown making growls 

On Monday, 15 government transports separated over the city, refuting the advantages of squeezing extra transports to expand the Capital's lacking public transport framework. Delhi government has an armada of 4705 Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) transports and 1500 private transports while 680 extra transports were conveyed amid the odd-even period. 

"Most breakdowns were accounted for from south Delhi. Four transports separated in the Delhi Cantonment territory alone, moderating traffic development along that extend. The low floor transports can be evacuated just by particular cranes. So growls proceeded till a crane arrived and towed away the transport," a traffic officer said. 

The advantage of less traffic was invalidated at focuses on account of growls because of these breakdowns. 

5. Progressing construction works 

Progressing construction works crosswise over different focuses in the city likewise brought about traffic tumult. As a result of the remodel of water channels by the Delhi Jal Board, one and only carriageway of the Ring Road was opened. 

At Shahadra in upper east Delhi, a comparable DJB construction work postponed traffic. 

In south Delhi, the disassembling of the BRT postponed workers at Defense Colony and Andrews Ganj. 

Traffic police have additionally issued an admonitory about the PWD construction business related to the repair deal with the Nehru Place flyover. 

Are you Water Literate? Why its important?

Water Literacy implies knowing where your water originates from and how you utilize it 

It's a basic concept yet information about how all your water is supplied can be exceptionally mind boggling. To begin with, conveying water to you is not simply conveying stream to the tap and toilet. Each thing in your house obliged water to be made, so you are encompassed by their embedded water cost. Food, clothes, furniture, electronics – everything costs water to produce. 

For instance, creating electricity is extremely water escalated. Dams require solid streaming rivers, coal and nuclear plants need billions of gallons to operate. Indeed, even solar panels oblige water to be produced. Contingent upon where your electricity originates from, it takes 6 to 12 gallons of water to produce one hour of force for a single 60 watt light. 

Water Literacy sets standards for water information that each young adult ought to know by age 18 as essential knowledge for healthy and feasible living in the 21st century. 

Being Water Literate means having an essential comprehension of: 

• - Water footprints and how to calculate them. 
• - Virtual water – the embedded water footprint of imported items and food. How water travels far and wide to take care of demand 
• - Groundwater and healthy watersheds. Incorporated water cycles with human demand as a component of the system. Groundwater recharge and results of overdrafting. Avant-garde research on contaminants and how they go through the water supply. 
• - Base: how we move and control surface water, process waste water. 
• - The vitality water association. 
• - Water, wellbeing and sanitation. 

Moreover, lessons and examination questions on the accompanying worldwide water themes will be accessible for educators who wish to investigate water instruction in more prominent profundity: 

• - Contending demands: horticulture, industry, developing populations in urban focuses, wildlife. 
• - Responsibility for: worldwide trends and issues. 
• - Water lack: expectations and effects on food supplies. 
• - Water preservation decisions. Emerging practices and innovation. 

All that you touch has a water history 

No food or items could exist in your existence without water to make them. Knowing their water footprints will get to be as regular as knowing the calories and fat grams in the foods we eat. There is a social movement happening now as knowledge about water supplies turns out to be a piece of our national dialog. 

Fresh water is our most precious national heritage. Seeing how you utilize water helps you settle on insightful decisions for a practical way of life. Turned out to be a piece of the developing water discussion! 

Supplies of clean water characterize a general public's needs 

"Everyone comprehends that water is crucial to life. However, numerous are just barely now starting to handle that it is so vital to everything in life – food, vitality, transportation, nature, recreation, personality, society, social standards, and virtually every one of the items utilized once a day." — World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) 

Your supply of fresh water is going to choose your future. It will impact the occupations you will have, the food you eat, the items you purchase, whether you may come down with a sickness and significantly whether there's electricity for this PC. 

Take control of what you have to know for your future and find out about water! 

United Payment Interface (UPI): How Will it Make Life Simpler for You?

India drew a stage nearer towards turning into a cashless economy with the launch of National Payments Corporation of India's (NPCI's) Unified Payment Interface (UPI) on Monday. 

The NCPI works the Rupay payments infrastructure that – like Visa and MasterCard – permits distinctive banks to interconnect and transfer funds. The UPI can be considered as a digital framework to do likewise – the thought being that every single financial instrument can be given a unique identity on the UPI, which can then be utilized to rapidly and effortlessly complete online payments. 

With UPI, will we at long last see the tide move in the opposite direction of money towards digital money? There are numerous motivations to seek after this, as digital frameworks can be utilized to decrease the haziness of money, and to manufacture a man's financial history, which will be a vital device for financial incorporation. 

What is Unified Payment Interface (UPI) about? 

With the usage of UPI, clients can transfer money between various banks, or even do an online exchange without hardly lifting a finger. The NCPI cases it's as basic as sending a text message. 

Not at all like the present situation when you require an IFSC code and expansion of a recipient, with UPI the exchanges/purchases made are connected to a unique number which goes about as your virtual address number for all payments. 

What Will UPI Work on? 

It is a portable interface and will take a shot at cell phones as it were. 

One-Click Secured Payment is Here 

Rather than an internet banking password, trailed by an OTP code, now clients need to simply put in their single-access code for all exchanges. This procedure at long last gives you a solitary click payment system however in the two-variable verification mode - you require both a phone with an enrolled application, and your password, to acknowledge a payment - this implies it's a protected technique for payments as well. 

Since it doesn't depend on individuals having charge or Visas by any stretch of the imagination, and improves net-banking rather, the UPI could open up online payments for an immense number of individuals. 

How Does One Start Using UPI? 

A few banks have incorporated UPI into their existing applications. Some have launched new ones for it. Clients can download the application and register - the vital piece of this is a virtual ID and a versatile pin or MPIN. 

Password is Your License to Buy 

Individuals can send you money utilizing the virtual ID, and you can shop utilizing this ID. 

You can pay for your taxicab or online staple without sharing your bank points of interest. You should simply share your virtual address gave to you by the bank. The individual on the flip side will then demand you to make the payment, which can be finished once you authenticate the payment by writing in your password. 

One should likewise take note of that the UPI will be accessible to clients 24x7 as it depends on the Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) stage, right now utilized for internet banking exchanges. 

Who Needs E-Wallets? 

The UPI could make it less demanding to refill your virtual wallet and use it - however it could likewise get to be simpler to specifically execute with a merchant. All things considered, would individuals still require digital wallets? 

Mobile wallet organizations like PayTM, PayU and ItzCash say they are more than alright with the UPI coming into power. 

What's more, it appears to be enormous players like Flipkart, Snapdeal and Amazon have been preparing for it too. 

Not long ago, Flipkart purchased PhonePe which is said to be chipping away at an item in light of UPI system. Snapdeal as of now has FreeCharge under its wings and Amazon could make its turn in the coming months. 

The impact of UPI on electronic wallets is to be seen. A few individuals say it could mean the end for wallets—a passing stride between traditional payments mechanisms and a full-fledged digital one, for example, UPI—while others say it will essentially make it simpler to possess and work wallets. 

Driverless Shuttle Hogs The Limelight At Defence Expo 2016

The Defexpo India 2016, which is the ninth biennial Land, Naval and Internal Homeland Security Systems Exhibition, is being held at Naqueri Quitol in Quepem Taluka of South Goa, India. This edition of Defexpo has received an overwhelming and unprecedented national and international response. Though the scenario is changing now, if we take a stock of private involvement in Defense related technologies, we would find out that there were very limited numbers of player in the domestic scenario till the last decade or so. It is a matter of happiness that with the various schemes of the government say the Make in India etc even the defense sector has got an impetus. The change in scenario is bound to instill a renewed sense of pride in Indian industry by exhibiting the potential of design, innovation and sustainability across India's manufacturing sectors in the coming decade.

More than 1,000 companies, both foreign and Indian, are taking part in the exhibition this year. With a total of 510 companies, participation by Indian companies has doubled since 2014 which saw a participation by 256 companies. A total of 490 foreign companies are participating this year against 368 in DefExpo 2014.

The vehicle which caught the fancy of visitors at the Expo was the Novus-Drive, a driver less Shuttle manufactured by The Hi-Tech Robotic Systemz Ltd. (THRSL). It is India’s first driver less vehicle and it works on the technology of Artificial Intelligence. The path planning and obstacle avoidance is achieved through machine driven algorithms. It has the capacity to carry 14 people at a time.

Astha Lokhande, a visitor, who came all the way from Mumbai was delighted to see the vehicle and said, “Novus – Drive is State of the Art Artificial Intelligence in action and I was thrilled to take a ride on India’s first driverless shuttle. I am delighted that this has been innovated and made in its entirety in India.”

Novus-Drive is the first driverless shuttle in the country. The vehicle has the capacity to seat 14 people, it can autonomously navigate on its own with its high fidelity sensors and robust algorithms for path planning and navigation. The vehicle is indigenously manufactured at the THRSL’s Gurgaon facility. It’s a complete made in India product with all its research and development having taken place in Gurgaon.

Among other features , a feature which makes it a favourite is its battery run mechanism i.e. the vehicle is 100% environment friendly and runs 150 kilometers per charge. The safety features include autonomous emergency braking.

The vehicle is having 3 dimensional LiDAR sensors along with stereo vision cameras and GPS INS. The 3D Lidar maps the entire environment and creates a 3D reconstruction of the environment to take decisions for autonomous navigation and path planning. The stereo camera vision also creates video feeds with depth information for making out the traversable and non-traversable path. The vehicle autonomously navigates by creating an obstacle map, which further detects the roads, pavements, pedestrians and other vehicles on the path. This information is used by the plan the path of the vehicle with AI based path planners of the vehicle to dynamically and completely autonomously. The user can enter the destination over a tablet mounted on the vehicle. Once the destination is entered the vehicle starts its journey. It reaches the destination without any hiccups, pausing and moving according to the direction and road congestion.

These vehicles have been manufactured mainly for commuting in controlled atmosphere and is best suited for Intra-university travel, large office campus, elderly health care communities, trade fair and theme parks along with the upcoming smart cities. The vehicle is a first of its kind manufactured in India. The Hi-Tech Robotic Systems Limited (THRSL) was founded in late 2004. THRSL is India's pioneering company in the field of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence.The Company has successfully developed and commercialized a wide range of robotic products catering to the needs of Defence, homeland security & Industrial Sectors. Over the last few years, a talent pool from premier institutes of the world is working in THRSL. The company has invested an undisclosed huge amount in R&D for developing Industrial Robots, Defence Robots and Driverless Vehicles.

A visibly pleased Senior Defence Personnel said, "I am delighted to witness this driver less vehicle. This vehicle is not only a made in India vehicle but it also addresses the environmental concerns. It gives me immense pleasure to see that the young generation is involved in the R&D of this project, I wish them luck for their future endeavor.

Talking about the success story of THRSL and Novus Drive, Mr. Anuj Kapuria, Director & CEO, The Hi-Tech Robotic Systemz Limited (THRSL) said, ‘I left my PHD midway to form this company in India, Robotics and automation were my passion and I chose them to be my profession. We have brought out is the first driver-less vehicle which is completely made in India from research to technology and Novus Drive would revolutionize the transport in large campuses and townships. Its success will pave for more driver-less vehicles from us.”

Smartron makes a foray into becoming india’s premier global technology oem brand

Smartron, India’s first true global IoT brand with “designed and engineered” in India for India and the world, today announced the launch of its first ever range of products, t.book, the impressive high performance Ultrabook convertible, t.phone, the lightest 5.5” Smartphone, and tron.x, its unique Smartron experience. On the occasion, Sachin Tendulkar legendary cricketer, shareholder and brand ambassador of Smartronalong with Mahesh Lingareddy, Founder & Chairmanunveiled these devices, platforms and services in the presence Narsi Reddy, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Rohit Rathi, Co- Founder & President, Smartron and its global partners, customers and vendors.

(L-R Narsi Reddy,Co-Founder & Managing Director, legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, Mahesh Lingareddy, Founder & Chairman, Rohit Rathi, Co-Founder & President unveiling the tbook and the tphone)

These next generation of smart IoT devices, platforms and services from Smartron are built on the breakthrough concept of Internet of TronsTM (IoT) to deliver truly amazing “tronxperience” for the discerning customer at home or on the go or at office or in the car. Tron.x seamlessly integrates all the devices, software, cloud, crowd, hub, services and care platforms to deliver highly intelligent and personalized experience through hubtron. Hubtron comes with every Smartron device and customer can access all his or her profile, data like documents, content like pictures and music, services like professional and payment, care, community as well as can manage all other IoT devices.

Smartron t.book, the perfect mobile workstation will go on sale exclusively on Gadget360.com starting April 8th, 2016 and the t.phone booking will start on April 18th, 2016. All Smartron devices come with hubtron to enjoy the amazing tronxperience (tron.x).

Smartron believes that it is the right time to size up the opportunity of Internet of Things (IoT) and design products in India with an impressive technology for a global audience. Positioned as “We are Engineers at Heart” “building Smart things to life”Smartron aims to create a network of integrated smart devices for seamless communication.

Speaking on the occasion, Sachin said, “We are moving towards Internet driven experiences and Smartron’s vision in unlocking the potential of IoT will bring compelling experiences to people, making their life more productive, safe, intelligent and convenient. An Indian brand making a great leap into technology product innovation is commendable. I am delighted to be associated with Smartron, a global technology brand from India.”

Speaking at the launch, Mahesh said, ‘The success formula for making India globally competitive and respected is to ensure a holistic approach to the products and services and ensure they go hand-in-hand. Realizing the need for developing products and global brands from India for a global market, Smartron aims at innovating in this sphere’’.

On the product line up, he further said, “we have an exciting line up of products for 2016, beyond smartphone and ultrabook segments across mobile, home, auto, enterprise and infrastructure markets. Our aim is to make customer’s life simpler, smarter, and safer using Smartron products”.

Smartron commissioned its operations in Hyderabad and Bengaluru in August 2014. The company has so far invested over $10 Million to support the R&D activities and plans to spend $ 100 million over the next couple of years to establish Smartron as a global brand. Striving to innovate in the smart devices and IoT segment, the launch of the first two products, t.book and t.phone coupled with tron.x is the first step towards achieving this goal.

Powered by Intel® Core™ M processor and a Microsoft Windows 10 Operating System, the t.book aims at enhancing the user experience. The device comes with Hubtron, a one-stop destination to access all the data, content, services and care and to shop for all other devices and accessories and to be participate in the community and to enjoy the amazing tronxperience. Hubtron will be active across all Smartron devices. Apart from this, the t.cloud feature will enable Smartron users with free unlimited storage and the data can be accessed across all devices using Hubtron. The Smartron customer service, which is known as t.care, will offer online and offline support. The offline support will be present across 100 cities and with doorstep services making it hassle free.

The premium built t.phone is designed to be the world’s lightest 5.5” smartphone. More details will be announced in a separate event in April 3rd week this year.

About Smartron

Led by experienced management and passionate engineering teams and funded by investors from US, India, Middle East and others, Smartron started as a global organization from day one with R&D centres in Hyderabad and Bengaluru and teams around the globe to enable global technology sourcing, marketing and sales. Smartron has been working closely with vendors, partners and customers to co-create and collaborate in building a strong product ecosystem.

Govt grants 100 per cent FDI in Online E-commerce Market place

In a move that is required to help Foreign Investments in the e-commerce space, the government on Tuesday elucidated its position on foreign investment in e-commerce and allowed 100 per cent FDI in the marketplace configuration of e-commerce retailing under the automatic course. 

While FDI has not been allowed in stock based model of e-commerce, the government extended the meaning of marketplace to incorporate bolster administrations to sellers as for warehousing, logistics, order satisfaction, call center, payment accumulation and different administrations. 

In spite of the fact that the elucidation comes without clear FDI guidelines on different online retail models, the online marketplaces in India have as of now seen substantial outside ventures by a few worldwide players, (for example, Amazon) and into homegrown players, (for example, Flipkart and Snapdeal) who are working in the space. 

To bring clarity, the DIPP has additionally turned out with the meaning of 'e-commerce', 'stock based model' and 'marketplace model'. 

Marketplace model of e-commerce implies giving of an IT stage by an e-commerce element on a digital and electronic system to go about as a facilitator in the middle of buyer and seller. 

The stock based model of e-commerce implies an e-commerce movement where stock of merchandise and administrations is possessed by e-commerce element and is sold to shoppers specifically, as indicated by the guidelines. 

A marketplace substance will be allowed to go into exchanges with sellers enlisted on its stage on business-to-business premise, DIPP said. 

It said that an e-commerce firm, notwithstanding, won't be allowed to offer more than 25% of the deals influenced through its marketplace from one vendor or their gathering companies. 

"So as to give clarity to the surviving strategy, guidelines for FDI on e-commerce part have been planned," DIPP said. 

The government has as of now permitted 100% FDI in business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce.

Prachi Garg’s ‘Superwomen’ showcases inspiring stories of 20 women entrepreneurs

Superwomen by Prachi Garg is a recent release by Srishti Publishers, one of the leading names in Indian publishing. It endorses the idea that entrepreneurship is inherent in women and describes how they have a tremendous capacity to take risks in everything in their life, and how all they need is just a trigger!

These twenty women entrepreneurs nurtured their innate quality of entrepreneurship and made real what remains a far-fetched dream for most. These ladies come from the age group of 20-30 years as this is most crucial age when women go through tremendous societal pressure of marriage/kids/jobs. The USP of the book is the spirit with which these women have fought all odds as well as the society to reach where they have.

Their innovative ventures encompass a varied range of services in social to retail/ e-tail to educational to sustainability genres – from supporting victims of acid attacks, to providing free skin care solutions; from online retail of lingerie, handmade bags and fashion accessories, to eco-friendly products of everyday utility; from pet care products, to quirky merchandise; from empowering folk artists, to providing clinical assistance to those going through tough times; from image consulting to house hunting; from arty solutions, to innovative marketing and corporate communication; from creating happy readers to making religious ceremonies simpler – these entrepreneurs have opened avenues formerly unexplored.

Superwomen is an interesting journey of how they played all their roles to perfection, aligning their families with their ambitions, showing the world their true mettle.

About Prachi Garg

Prachi Garg is a writer, avid traveler and entrepreneur. She started ghoomophiro.com, an enterprise where the team organizes corporate tours based on the customers’ requirements, budget and provide them with a bouquet of options. This initiative was taken up by her during college days. She also delivered workshops on entrepreneurship and has been part of panel discussions related to entrepreneurship. A computer science graduate from Miranda House, University of Delhi, and an MBA from Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai. 

Team DP2Web's best wishes are always with Prachi Garg and all women entrepreneurs. You can order your copy of SuperWomen from Amazon.

Image Source: Facebook

Wolfgang & Company: It's Adventure in the Kitchen [Grub Festival]

The foodie in us had one of the most amazing weekends at the Grub Fest. Among other things, a major highlight for us was the Wolfgang & Company. Though yet to open in Outer Circle Connaught Place, the place was already buzzing with people and brimming with some scrumptious food.

The stall displayed a part of the menu and believe you me, they have really set the standards high. Whether it is for the aesthetic sense or the quality of food or the vibe of the place, Wolfgang & Company has been successful in striking the right chord.

We were welcomed with some refreshing non-alcoholic shots. I totally loved them for the simple fact that such cute things on a hot summer evening are a great way to brighten you up. The chef's done a great job with the flavours. :)

Read the complete review here.

5 Ways to Reduce Your Fuel Costs, NOW!

Every penny saved is every penny earned, they say. If you invest in smart every day practises and indulge in proper upkeep of your vehicle, you’ll be surprised at the fuel economy you can achieve. Even though you might not be able to avoid some things, such as actually combining your routine tasks so you don’t take your vehicle out multiple times, there are small measures that you can consciously adopt so you aren’t burning excess fuel – and mounting on running costs. Here’s how to optimise consumption without developing big, ambitious plans. 

Avoid rush hour drives: Not only does constant clutch-brake tire you out, it takes a toll on the wellbeing of your vehicle. Every time you turn the engine on, it needs a huge amount of fuel to kick start your car. Driving in first and second gear are equally bad because it wastes a lot of fuel. In this sense, you can also bring about less wear and tear by keeping at a low but steady pace. The jerks to your car when you accelerate and halt suddenly burn excess fuel. So, if you can’t avoid going out when traffic jams are unavoidable, keep the drive slow and smooth – maintain a safe distance from the car in front so you’re covered in stop/start traffic conditions too.

Shut those windows at high speeds: The law of aerodynamics claims that every time your car witnesses the wind sound is when it’s struggling. Even though car engineers invest a lot in designing a car so it can withstand pressure, it’s possible that you might be stretching it beyond the limits. For instance, if the car feels a “drag” when running on high speeds, it’s time to roll up the windows to keep the running expense on your vehicle low.

Check the tyre pressure: Make sure that your tyre pressure is in line with what’s recommended by the manufacturer – anything lower can exert additional pressure on the car to trudge along and fuel economy can take a serious hit. It also pays to ensure that the tyres are well-aligned.

Switch gears on time: Driving your car up an inclined plane or on corners on a high gear is a sureshot recipe for fuel wastage. In an ideal scenario, switch to a higher gear much before your engine starts to labour. The key is to upgrade as soon as the car is comfortable in a higher gear without having to accelerate too much.

The aircon rule: In general, you can save up to 10% fuel when the A/C is turned off. This, however, changes if the car is driving at more than 80kmph. Rolling the windows down at this speed will cause an aerodynamic drag and actually make it more efficient to run the car with the air-conditioning on.

Get your budget friendly meals with these apps

Budget has been already announced and everyone already planned to move in Save Money Mode. While some will be planning to cut their expenses, other will be planning to invest it smartly. But before the tension of budget nudges you, prepare your wallet for a budget friendly meals by having these 5 apps:

BiteClub: Feeling home sick? Missing home-cooked food. Now delete away your worries by downloading BiteClub app in your phone. Order your favourite home styled cooked meal from ​their daily menu of lunch and dinner which is designed
​by ​home chefs. BiteClub not only assures healthy option but also is a better alternative for restaurants.

TravelKhana: If you love the rush of travelling in trains but aren't sure what kind of food you will get while travelling, do not worry! TravelKhana is here to serve you. If you are interested in going on a long or short trip but worried about the food you will get, TravelKhana will surprise for you with their affordable meals.

Faasos Bored with the regular food? Try something new with Faasos by ordering a variety of meals such as wraps, all day breakfasts and rice & biryani at pocket friendly prices from their personal kitchen. Serving all 4 meals, 365 days a year & within minutes!

FoodPanda: Want to explore the world on your plate? But can't due to limited budget? Google your favourite nearby restaurant on FoodPanda and get delicious meals which suits your pocket.

HolaChefs: Want to try chef prepared meals from the personal kitchen? Go Holachef! Try a number of healthy and exotic meals with the blend of fresh ingredients and expertise of select chefs.

The Grub Festival:Entry to the biggest and most happening food and music event. Book Now!

Following an effective debut a year ago, Grub Fest is back once more hosting food lovers at two venues in the city and is outfitting to make its debut in Pune towards the month end. 

Grub Fest, a brainchild of foodies such as Aman Kumar, Arjun Jain, Chaitanya Mathur and Mani Singh is executing three fests - with the pilot launch at DLF CyberHub from March 3-5 with another idea called the 'Grub Mile' that offered a preview of the Fest. 

The celebration would make a beeline for its base Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium from March 18 to March 20 with an intend to showcase a greater, more delicious and exciting celebration in comparison to their first celebration held a year ago in April. 

The celebration would see the involvement of best of restaurants, artists and chefs of the city with documentary screenings, talks by top food experts, cook offs for sprouting chefs, and an all new form of Grub Stories. 

The organising team aim to host nourishment lovers, devotees and authorities of India and unite them on one sustenance, fun and amusement filled stage. 

"We concentrate on showcasing new and up and coming cuisines, chefs and brands and allow to the foodies to appreciate the unique taste of Old Delhi. We plan to present new distinctive idea inside of the celebration," Chaitanya Mathur, fellow benefactor, Grub Fest said. 

The coordinators plan to take the fest to different urban communities in the nation after the second season. 

"We will be curating and arranging our April 2016-17 schedule. Arrangements are to take the celebration to urban areas such as Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chandigarh and abroad also," Aman Kumar, fellow benefactor, Grub Fest said. 

More than 50 restaurants including Social, ATM-PCO, Indigo Deli, Flyp at MTV, Depot 29, No Filter, Big Fat Sandwich would be a part of the Fest. 

Setting out on its nationwide journey, the 'Grub Fest' likewise goes to Pune from March 25 to March 27 at Royal Palms in Koregaon Park. 

"The city is extraordinary, it's dynamic, heaps of understudies and adolescents. Along these lines we knew it would be an incredible idea to begin our all inclusive journey with Pune and acquaint the nourishment celebration scene with the exquisite Puneites," Kumar said. 

Artists like Raghu Dixit, Vir Das, Nikhil Chinappa, Nucleya, Hari and Sukhmani would entrall the group of onlookers with live performances in Pune. 

Date: 18th, 19th, 20th March 2016 
Event Timings: 12 PM to 10 PM. Entry By Gate No 14 
Unique experience: India’s first multi storied pop- up restaurant, Grub Stories 
Ticket Amount: INR 250 (Ticket Valid on the date of event purchased for)

For Ticket (along with exciting Cashbacks), Visit Paytm Entertainment

seeDoc launches a revolutionary new medical service changing the way people consult Doctors

seeDoc launches a revolutionary new medical service that is changing the way people consult Doctors and access medical care from the comfort of their homes or office, providing unparalleled convenience and quality of service. Employing India’s leading Doctors from top institutions with years of experience in General Medicine, Internal medicine, Sexual Health, Dermatology, Diabetes, Psychiatry, Pediatrics, Gynecology and other key areas enables the company to ensure a high quality of service. The convenience of consulting Doctors 7 days a week from the comfort of your home or office is of immense value to patients.

seeDoc users can opt for either an immediate high quality paid video consultation or ask a free question from leading specialists and doctors, which gets answered within 48 hours. With over 300,000 users already and growing rapidly, seeDoc is serving upto 500 video consultations daily originating all across the nation, making it India’s #1 video consult company. It is led by one of India’s strongest team in the Internet Industry and currently has over 50 employees and doctors who are 100% utilized and who have contributed in establishing this market leadership position.

The strong technology experience of the founders, Jaideep Singh and Vivek Bansal, who have created over $2 Billion of startup value as entrepreneurs in the US, has enabled seeDoc to create useful and unique technology in areas such as low bandwidth video, audio, analog voice to make sure the service works in India. Additionally the company is focused on creating artificial intelligence allowing Doctors to make fewer errors, reducing misdiagnosis and therefore provide the highest quality of care possible at a global level. Speaking at the launch Mr. Vivek Bansal, a founder of seeDoc said “One of the founding principles at seeDoc is transparency. Transparency at each step ensures that patients receive the highest quality of care at affordable prices. There is an acute shortage of quality medical care, and seeDoc is witnessing unprecedented demand as it fills that vacuum perfectly.”

seeDoc integrates physical examinations at Doctors’ clinics, delivery of medicine through local chemists, and lab and diagnostic tests via India’s leading providers in a few select cities. There will be a lot more to come in this area, and the company will have a major announcement in the next 30 days.

“Our team of doctors has been handpicked from the best in the medical fraternity. They are MCI and state registered from top medical institutions and colleges such as AIIMS, Fortis, Medanta, Max, AFMC, MAMC, and Manipal. We have combined the best medical practices from the NHS in the UK, and from India, to make sure that patients receive the highest quality of medical care. Not only can patients rely on us when needed, Doctors love working with us too as their time is fully utilized, they can provide care conveniently, and they earn significantly higher income. This makes our model powerful and unique in the world. Our doctors are currently available 7 days a week and the service will soon be available 24x7,” said Dr. Anuj Agarwal, Chief Medical Officer & co-founder at seeDoc.

About seeDoc

seeDoc, India’s fastest growing online medical consultation company, is founded by two Silicon Valley serial-entrepreneurs Jaideep Singh and Vivek Bansal. seeDoc combines advanced video, voice, mobile, and artificial intelligence with the medical knowledge and experience of India’s leading Doctors. It focuses its practice on providing the highest quality of medical care in a transparent and trustworthy manner, while integrating delivery of medicines and lab tests giving unparalleled convenience to patients. 

Click here to download the seedoc App now.

O Captain! My Captain! #IStandWithAmitSengupta

"O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,

The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won,

The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,

While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring"

Two of my friends from the 2013-14 batch of IIMC Dhenkanal aptly described him, 'O Captain! My Captain!. Amit Sengupta, the man needs no introduction. As one of my friends and his former students says, "His life speaks for itself". 

The past few days have been quite eventful for the students in this country. Unfortunately, for all the sad reasons. While these incidents have been disturbing me, the resignation of Amit Sir came in as a shock. For this man changed my perspective towards life. The ease with which he would transfer his unwavering strength of thoughts to his students is unparalleled. A teacher who always stood for the freedom of thoughts and expression. A friend, philosopher, guide.

"No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world" said John Keating in the Dead Poets Society but I understood it from you Sir. And when today my Kafka decides to move out of this ghetto, I would like to thank him for making us believe in the power of our dreams. 

When I see some people denouncing your decision as a disgraceful act I feel agitated. But what makes me your proud student is the fact that your students have decided to shield you Captain. Such is the grandeur of your influence. As Priya rightly said,"His ideas, his energy level, his mere presence is capable enough to undermine the brightest of minds that we have in our IIMC faculty today."

I still remember the day you appreciated me for an article I had written in the daily newspaper. This was a fresh surprise for a young student, who had been reading the pink papers for eight months without any hopes of guidance, let alone appreciation. Sir for you it might have been natural but for students like me it wasn't. I still remember the way students wanted you to read their articles. The only reason why we would flock around you was because nobody had ever validated our thoughts. Not that we ever wanted any but at that tender age all we wanted was a guiding star. Probably, we were a bunch of 40 young minds waiting for a twilight. And today, we have 'sparked an inferno'. For in this fight of grace and disgrace, we are sure of one truth that our guiding star can't be heading in a wrong direction. We stand with you Sir. And I know you don't need to prove your metal to spineless arguments. You must be really proud when you see that your students have decided to speak. "I am his student. Tonight, let me bask in his glory. My radiant professor. Ever heard him say "beautiful"? No? And you claim to know what beautiful stands for?," read one of the Facebook updates by Sourav, another proud student of yours.

As Ishani aptly quoted,"Our real comrade, Amit Sir ! When he sat with us in the computer lab before the annual magazine and edited word by word without getting impatient at us. For hours, he kept editing and then after finishing it, he smiled at all of us and said, 'You all write really well'...He is an epitome of a 'real teacher' and a 'comrade' who makes us learn and not judge at things."

My dad who is a teacher himself says 'the success of a teacher is determined by the way he is treated by his students once they part their ways from the formal structure of the institution. That is the true report card of a teacher.' If this is true than Sir you have passed the exam with flying colors. :)

"That the powerful play goes on and you may contribute your verse" I choose to #StandWithAmitSengupta.

TiccleConnect a smart mobile app today is transforming the way ‘safety’ is defined

TiccleConnect - a smart app aids people to monitor/watch over everything around the globe right from your loved one to your priced possessions through real time location information. Making this possible is the SIM based monitoring application that makes you travel along with no boundaries to stop you – not even GPS. Yes, the end user can continue to monitor the movement without his/her GPS on. TiccleConnect a classy app has been crafted in such a way that the need for a high-end mobile is only for the user who is monitoring the other person/possession – making it truly cost effective. Having said that TiccleConnect provides Real Time Location Information of Idea SIM user along with Location based information and history to safeguard the well-being of common public.

In a time where safety has become an issue of uncertainty, TiccleConnect has rightly stepped in offering the public a way to break their anxiety and once again fill their life with serenity and safety. With global search option TiccleConnect allows monitoring people/ belongings from across the map breaking the boundaries. Keeping it simple and smart, TiccleConnect has its registration process to usage of this app simplified to an extent where people of all age groups can find it easy. TiccleConnect allows users to create infinite geo fence upto a radius of 300 m making the process straightforward and smooth.

This application is designed carefully to help easy access to people of all age groups and introducing to the world of technology in an effortless manner.

To have a first-hand experience of this App, Visit Google play store to download the App.

Big Data: A Great Boon to Chief Manager to Boost Sales

Big Data has created a lot of hype in tech market. What creates Big Data? Big Data is actually a large pool of structured, semi-structured and unstructured information available via social media, CRM solutions, websites, news feeds etc.

By using cutting-edge tools to make right sense of Big Data, chief managers can give a significant boost to their business. Big Data equips managers with understanding of customer behavior and ability to take informed business decisions.
Once it is known that a particular person has searched for a product that your company offers, the person becomes a prospective customer for your business. The prospective customer can be easily approached using retargeting and remarketing strategies, which increases conversion chances by many folds.

Many big firms have begun to invest in Big Data Solutions to take their businesses to new heights. So far, IBM and Cloudera have dominated the market as top Big Data Solution providers.

A big lot of leads is of no use until there is clarity over which customers are interested and likely to buy your products. Lack of Big Data often creates a situation wherein managers target a lot of customers with products that many do not want to buy, a big factor in low conversion rates. With Big Data, it’s easy to separate prospective customers from long list of leads. After genuine prospects are reached via phone, mails, social channels etc., chances become high for them to make a purchase a product they previously failed to complete.

Please check out the infographics below for some cool Big Data Impacts on Sales.

Thanks to FindNerd, a social community for tech nerds and an online project management toolsplatform and an active collaborative network for tech nerds for providing such info-graphics.

Create a Paperless Office: Reduce Paper Use and Increase Productivity

Ask yourself — why has the concept of the paperless office received so much fanbase? For some, it brings the promise of helping to save the environment by killing fewer trees. I live in a city where plastic bags are banned in grocery stores, so I fully embrace the environmental benefits, but they really aren’t the primary driver behind the paperless office. Rather, it’s because organizations are constantly facing pressure to improve efficiencies, optimize business processes, and reduce costs.

When many organizations first began to transition from paper to electronic documents in the 1980’s, there was an initial reduction in the amount of physical paper used, but the truth is that we use more paper today than during the days of the Pet Rock. Consider these statistics:

• - Each day, one billion photocopies are made (Source: Forrester Research)
• - The annual growth rate for the amount of paper produced by the average company is 25%. (Source: Gartner)

We finally have the technology to create a paperless office - at this point it's a matter of embracing the new technology and providing training and encouragement for new business practices. This will save money and time, improve the security of documents and increase customer satisfaction.

As Businesses are evolving, the demand for document management solutions accelerates, developing from the need for more accessibility to information. Enterprises capable of delivering cost and time effective solutions thereby will emerge as the survivors of the race. DigiDocs based on the concept of EARTH- Eco-friendly Application of Resources and Technology for Humans, facilitates the entire replacement of traditional paper documents and files in offices.

Retrieving information and data is one of the most imperative parts of any process operation. This involves facets such as time, accuracy as well as integrity of records and information, affecting the whole process in terms of resource, labour and money. DigiDocs is built on Google’s Tesseract technology, which possesses superior OCR tool and image detection capabilities .With its Linux core and PHP front end, DigiDocs has no perimeter in its scalability and customization. These features synergize effectiveness and efficiency of supporting services across organizations, thereby providing extensive tools and techniques for data retrieval too.
Speaking about the evolution of the concept, Pratik Jhaveri, CEO- Ksmart group said, "Back in 2003-2004, the US government came out with a law for all the hospitals and medical entities to keep only electronic medical records for their patients. With this there was a demand for digitization for storage of documents. Looking at this demand we developed the software that could store any medical paperwork and retrieve them according to the doctor or the patient while decreasing the human intervention significantly during the scanning or the entry process. Hence, DigiDocs evolved.”

Key features-DigiDocs:

• - Saves Money: With an unlimited OCR tool, the need to pay per page is now redundant.
• - Saves Time: The exclusive auto-categorization will replace the manual effort of sorting the documents, thereby saving time considerably.
• - Saves Space: Reclaim the space used to store physical documents.
• - Multiple Document Support: Manage all types and formats of documents
• - Easy Access: Access documents from any machine on the LAN or from anywhere in the world via the internet and Smart Phones
• - User Friendly: Single mechanism to manage both, electronic and paper documents
• - Security: With Features like Access Control, Version Control, Print Control, documents are always safe and remain confidential and cannot be tampered
• - Advanced Search Capability: Comprehensive search capabilities, including quick search, advanced search and full text search with mouse over thumbnail allows easy identification of documents
• - Multi User Support: Multi-user capabilities enable many users on network to access, store and share documents for faster turnaround and help increase productivity

“With the launch of DigiDocs, we look forward to redefine the functioning of end to end processes in organizations. Further customization that we offer along with our solution to match client requirements could possibly bring about transformation in transactional processing, thereby enhancing overall scalability and efficiency in organizations”, added Monika Jhaveri, CMO, KSmart Group.