From a cross category classifieds business, Quikr has now ventures into the entertainment industry, partnering with filmmakers. It has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with filmmaker Vivek Bohra and casting director Aadore Mukherjee, to launch a platform for actors, casting directors, and production houses. The new platform will unite the different entities which will o help meet the needs of the entertainment industry.
Grofers has wrapped up a $120 million (Rs.800 crore) funding led by Japan’s SoftBank, thus taking the ecommerce stores to a valuation of $400 million. Other investors included Apoletto Asia, the personal investment vehicle of DST Global’s partners, Russian billionaire Yuri Milner, along with existing backers Tiger Global Management and Sequoia Capital India, according to Grofers CEO Albinder Dhindsa.
I experience Riddle Room, a live escape room, a form of physical real life interactive game in which players are locked inside a room and have to unearth clues, examine unassuming objects and discard decoys to successfully make it out within 60 minutes.
Uber’s taking rapid steps towards setting up its Hyderabad office. After announcing plans of setting up its largest non-US office in the city in July, the company announced that it has leased 150,000 square feet for its Hyderabad office.
If Flipkart does it, can Snapdeal be far behind? After Flipkart had launched its image search tool this July, Snapdeal has also come out with its own version. Called SnapSearch, the tool will allow desktop users to upload pictures of clothes they fancy, and will show up suggestions of similar products available on Snapdeal.
Flipkart CEO tweeted in defence of Snapdeal, saying that Snapdeal wasn’t responsible for Khan’s comments, and shouldn’t have had to face the backlash it did. Users had submitted hundreds of 1-star reviews on Snapdeal’s app on the Google Playstore, demanding that Khan be fired as Brand Ambassador following his comments about rising intolerance levels in the country.
A team of entrepreneurs which include founders of companies like Cognizant’s Lakshmi Narayanan and Arun Jain of Polaris are in talks with the Tamil Nadu state authorities to conceive a plan that will help startups reduce registration time. This initiative is in alignment with the Centre’s plan to help startups speed their registration and other processes enabling them to go-to-market sooner.
Foodpanda has tied up with Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), which handles catering, tourism and online ticketing operations for Indian Railways to make it convenient for traveling passengers to order their choice of food online.
With venture capitalists in India being more circumspect with their investments and demanding better scrutiny of valuations and justification of capital utilization, a group of Chinese startups seem to have entered the field, which gives hope to Indian entrepreneurs.