5G network will be available in India by 2022 : Says DoT

Following speculation about the rollout of the 5G network in India, the Department of Telecommunication (DoT) confirmed on Monday that the 5G network will be available in India by 2022. The Department of Transportation stated that 13 cities across the country will receive 5G service in the beginning. Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Gandhinagar, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Jamnagar, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Pune are among these cities. Airtel, Jio, and Vi conducted 5G trials in the majority of these cities earlier this year. “Costing Rs 224 crore, the project is likely…

Indian startup funding increased 3 times in 2021

Total funding for Indian startups increased threefold over last year, reaching $39 billion by 2021. While the total number of startups founded during the period was 3,476, approximately 1,700 companies saw 2,055 funding rounds, according to the most recent data from Tracxn, a company that tracks startups and private companies. This year, 40 of India’s 76 unicorns (each worth more than $1 billion) joined the club. In 2021, approximately 40% (85) of the total number of’soonicorns’ (companies with the potential to become unicorns in the near future) were created. Companies…

Russian court fined Google 7.2 million roubles

A Moscow court fined Google 7.2 billion roubles ($98 million; £73 million) for failing to delete content deemed illegal in Russia on multiple occasions.The offending content was not specified in the court’s press service announcement. This is the first time in Russia that a technology behemoth has been fined based on its annual revenue.Google told the AFP news agency that it would study the court decision before taking any further action. Russian authorities have increased their pressure on technology companies this year, accusing them of not properly moderating their content…

This tech startup company reduced employee notice period to two weeks

Serving a notice period can be difficult for many employees for obvious reasons, but one startup is taking a different approach than its peers in the industry. At a time when many companies’ notice periods can last up to three months, Kartik Mandaville, CEO of blockchain-based HR startup Springworks, has tried to change that by announcing that his company’s notice period will be reduced to just two weeks. In a statement issued on December 23, Kartik Mandaville stated that Springworks will reduce the notice period to two weeks effective immediately….

The Gourmet Jar raises $150,000 in funding round

Apeksha Gourmet Jar Private Ltd, the parent company of The Gourmet Jar, a Noida-based company that produces artisanal spreads, dips, preserves, and sauces, has raised $150,000 in a round led by DevX Venture Fund, the investment arm of DevX Co-working & Accelerator. Existing investors also participated in the round, according to the company. The Gourmet Jar was founded in 2012 and operates a 14,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Noida with an all-female production team. DevX co-founder Umesh Uttamchandani stated, “Our investment approach largely revolves around having a strong founding team since…

This edtech startup making students future ready

Students graduating from educational institutes are finding it difficult to find a job due to the changing dynamics of job requirements in a highly competitive market. While there is a shortage of industry-ready skills and a mismatch in supply and demand, students from Tier II, III, and IV cities are also having difficulty engaging with English-language online learning content on Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and other platforms, resulting in poor learning and career outcomes. This is where NxtWave comes into play. The Hyderabad-based startup, founded in September 2020 by…

Whatsapp adding a new feature to give admins more control over groups

WhatsApp, the Meta-owned short messaging platform used by over 2 billion people around the world, is constantly updating and adding new features. The WhatsApp Messenger beta for iOS has received a new update, version 2.22.1.1. This new update includes hidden references to creating Communities in order to prepare for a future update. WhatsApp was developing a feature called Communities. This feature extends WhatsApp’s group feature, in which group admins have more control over other WhatsApp groups. A WhatsApp Community admin is said to have more power than a group admin….

CES 2022 will go on as per the schedule

Google, Microsoft, and other major technology companies have withdrawn from the CES 2022. The association, on the other hand, is unfazed by the absence of major attendees; the team as a whole has no plans to cancel the event or host it virtually. Previously, tech companies such as Twitter, Amazon, and Pinterest had withdrawn from the event due to Omicron concerns. “After reviewing the latest data on the rapidly evolving COVID environment, Microsoft has decided not to participate in-person at CES 2022,” a company spokesperson told the Verge. The company…

Swiggy to lead a funding round worth $2 Mn in rapido

Swiggy is not known for making large strategic bets, but that is about to change as the SoftBank-backed company prepares to invest in Rapido, a bike taxi company. Swiggy and Rapido have been in talks for a potential deal for several months, according to three people familiar with the details of the transaction. “The terms of the deal have been finalised wherein Swiggy would lead a $200 million round in Rapido. It’s likely to invest around $100 million whereas the remaining $100 million would come from new and existing investors,”…

Goldman Sachs arm bullish on Indian financial tech startups

With the Indian startup ecosystem rapidly expanding, a division of Wall Street investment bank Goldman Sachs announced on April 12 that it is bullish on the space and will be looking to invest up to USD 10 million in domestic financial technology companies. Goldman Sachs Principal Strategic Investments (GSPSI), which invests from the bank’s balance sheet, has two “legacy investments” in India, including the NSE and NCDEX, according to its head Alokik Advani. While GSPSI continues to manage these investments, the arm is excited about new opportunities and is looking…