Business Bureau

Scapia, a fintech company aiming to make travel accessible through its suite of financial products, has raised $23 million in its Series A funding round, led by Elevation Capital and 3STATE Ventures. The funds will be used to grow the customer base, add more banking partners, and enhance the product offerings. Scapia's $23 million Series A fund-raise is a testament to the customers' love for its co-branded credit card and app experience. Within five months of launch, Scapia has gained widespread popularity and distributed its card in over 7500 pin codes. 40% of Scapia's users are from beyond the top…

Samsung has upskilled 3,000 less-privileged students from eight Indian cities in future tech domains such as Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Big Data, and Coding and programming under its flagship program, Samsung Innovation Campus.  The program, executed by the Electronics Sectors Skills Council of India (ESSCI) through its nationwide network of approved training and education partners, aims to empower the country's youth and strengthen Digital India. The final batch of 120 students, from Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University in Lucknow, were felicitated and given certificates at a ceremony in Lucknow. Around a third of the 3,000 students trained under the program…

The Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) and MakeMyTrip have partnered to launch "Project Maitri," a program aimed at supporting women's entrepreneurship and self-reliance in India's North-Eastern region. The initiative, launched at the Dorjee Khandu State Convention Center in Itanagar, aims to empower and inspire homestay owners across all northeastern states.  The program will provide specialized training in hospitality, safety, digital marketing, and compliance, and recognize the top three homestay owners with awards. The initiative aligns with national goals of gender equality and economic development, with the potential to deliver long-term dividends as homestays in India can become a viable and lucrative…

TiE Delhi-NCR and Prayatna are partnering to host an IT-enabled innovation-based Hackfest, 'Malaria Hackfest - Predict, Plan & Prevent', powered by Mortein. The initiative aims to address gaps in surveillance, location spotting, and forecasting malaria outbreaks. The hackfest will invite top tech schools in India, including IITs, NITs, and IIITs, to scout for start-ups to address these gaps. The winner will receive up to INR 5 lakhs in awards. The major areas of concern for malaria improvement through IT-enabled innovation in India include real-time surveillance systems, forecasting increased mosquito infestations and malaria outbreaks, gradient heat mapping of hotspot areas of…

BITS Pilani’s technology business incubator, Pilani Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Society (PIEDS) has launched its start-up program, 'Womenpreneur for Bharat 1.0,' in partnership with the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) and supported by Aditya Birla Capital Foundation, the CSR arm of Aditya Birla Capital Limited. The program, which has Mrs. Rajashree Birla as its mentor and Mrs. Vishakha Mulye, Dr. Pragnya Ram, and Mr. Subhro Bhaduri as its board directors, aims to support women entrepreneurs in BITS Pilani. The Arunachal Pradesh government and the Women Entrepreneurship Platform announced a partnership at a workshop on 'Enabling Women-Led Development through Entrepreneurship'. The initiative,…

Amazon India has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) to enable micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and boost e-commerce exports in India. The MoU aims to co-create capacity building sessions, training, and workshops for MSMEs across 75 districts, part of the Districts as Export Hubs initiative outlined in the Foreign Trade Policy. The initiative aims to link local producers in rural and remote districts with global supply chains. The MoU was signed in the presence of Shri. Santosh Sarangi (Additional Secretary and Director General of DGFT), Chetan Krishnaswamy (Vice President, Public…

HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, has emerged as the undisputed leader in the feature phone market, securing the top position in market share by value and securing the second position by volume, according to the latest IDC Q3'23 report, yet again. The IDC report indicates that HMD Global has a significant increase of 4.2% in its market share, reaching 30.7% by value. In terms of volume, the brand holds a commendable 22.4% market share, marking a notable growth of 2.3% compared to the previous quarter. Nokia's performance in the feature phone market is attributed to strategic initiatives such…

Nissan announces second and third new electric vehicles for UK production. Nissan has announced that all three models produced at its UK plant will be 100% electric. The EV36Zero hub in Sunderland will consist of three electric vehicles (EVs), three gigafactories, and up to £3bn investment. This commitment will support Nissan's largest car plant in the UK, which will employ 7,000 UK employees and support 30,000 jobs in the supply chain. The transformational project includes future all-electric versions of Nissan's Qashqai and JUKE crossovers, as well as the next-generation Nissan LEAF. Both vehicle and battery manufacturing will be powered by…

Flipkart has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the North Eastern Handicrafts & Handloom Development Corporation Ltd., Guwahati to strengthen its commitment to socio-economic growth in the Northeastern States. The MoU aims to enable national market access for women self-help groups from the Northeastern States and positively impact the livelihood of 1.5 million artisans, weavers, and Indian handicrafts. The MoU aims to create shared value for all stakeholders in the Northeast region, empowering artisans, increasing opportunities for handloom and handicrafts businesses, and enabling inclusion opportunities for women's self-help groups. NEHHDC, established in 1977, aims to develop and promote indigenous…

Eicher has launched the Non-Stop Series of Heavy-Duty Trucks, designed for fast-haul transportation in the country. The series includes four new trucks, each equipped with powerful and fuel-efficient engines. The Eicher Pro 6019XPT, Tipper, Eicher Pro 6048XP, haulage truck, Eicher Pro 6055XP, and the Eicher Pro 6055XP 4x2 tractor-trucks are part of Eicher's extensive line-up of Heavy, Medium, and Light Duty trucks and buses. The Eicher Pro 6048XP, with a 48-tonne GVW, is powered by a fuel-efficient VEDX8 engine that delivers a high power of 300 hp and a high engine torque of 1200 Nm. The Eicher Pro 6055XP and…