Medical Devices Startups Look To Ride Healthtech Wave As Regulatory Barriers Lower !!

With the shifting market in dynamics caused by Covid-19 pandemic, pretty much everything is in overhaul mode. Within the burgeoning health tech ecosystem, the medical devices market is also witnessing a dramatic shift as policies are being changed to accommodate the high demand. But at the same time, it also becomes crucial for medical device manufacturers, hospitals, research institutions and regulators to validate medical devices thoroughly for safety, reliability and quality, thereby following stringent testing protocols, safety measures and ethical approval processes.  So the industry is currently balancing the seemingly…

A worldwide hackathon’: Hospitals turn to crowdsourcing and 3D printing amid equipment shortages !!

  Earlier this month, the CEO of an Italian 3D-printing startup learned that a hospital near the center of the coronavirus outbreak in Italy was running short on a small but crucial component: the valves that connect respirators to oxygen masks. The company that makes the valves couldn’t keep up with the demand, and doctors were in search of a solution. “When we heard about the shortage, we got in touch with the hospital immediately. We printed some prototypes. The hospital tested them and told us they worked,” the CEO,Cristain…

Tracing app challenge, Innovation Awards and more: best of the week’s news !!

In the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, South Korea had the worst outbreak outside China of Covid-19. The government seized data and immediately put together and implemented a test-and-trace system. This country of 51 million people has recorded 273 deaths to date, with only a couple in the last five days. The UK has a population of nearly 67 million – 31%  more than South Korea – and has a recorded a death toll of 40,000 (although there are another 20,000 over the seasonal average that are unaccounted for)…

Machine-learning tool could help develop tougher materials !!

For engineers developing new materials or protective coatings, there are billions of different possibilities to sort through. Lab tests or even detailed computer simulations to determine their exact properties, such as toughness, can take hours, days, or more for each variation. Now, a new artificial intelligence-based approach developed at MIT could reduce that to a matter of milliseconds, making it practical to screen vast arrays of candidate materials. The system, which MIT researchers hope could be used to develop an stronger protective coatings or structural materials — for example, to…

Big Data, Artificial Intelligence & Related Technologies with Relevance To Current Education Trends !!

As has been the case with every industry that the magic hand of Information Technology (IT) has touched, education too, is undergoing a tumultuous revolution. It is one of the fastest growing industries in recent times thanks to IT. The first & foremost aspect of this revolution is the ‘access’. The Internet has made so much information available at the simple click of a button. The old brick and mortar situation where at any given point of time the ‘guru’ knows more than the ‘sishya’ is a thing of the past….

Startups turn to venture debt funds instead of diluting equity !!

The Covid-19-forced lockdown and the resultant sluggishness in the economy have spurred startup entrepreneurs to fortify their capital structure & streamline finances. With equity funding becoming dearer, venture debt is becoming the go-to option. “Between March & May, some 180 startups approached us for funding – and a good number of them are companies in growth stage,” said Ishpreet Singh Gandhi, founder of Stride Ventures, a venture debt asset manager. Most venture debt fund managers have witnessed “a tidal wave of funding requests” in the past two months. Stride closed four deals…

Tech walks the ramp in fashion makeover !!

The phone’s has been ringing off the hook for Meghna Saraogi, cofounder of Styledotme, a tech solution that caters primarily to jewellery companies. Most of her clients, sixth or seventh-generation jewellers, have traditionally been secretive about jewellery catalogues. But Covid-19  has changed everything. “It’s much easier to sanitise an iPad on which people can virtually try on jewellery rather than every single piece after it’s tried on. Contactless selection and try-ons will be the next big thing,” said Saraogi, whose client list includes big names such as Tanishq and Hazoorilal Jewellers….

Government issues draft rules for manufacturing, using drones !!

The Civil Aviation Ministry on Friday issued draft rules for making and using drones in the country, proposing that an authorised manufacturer or importer can sell its devices only to an individual or entity approved by the aviation regulator DGCA. The draft rules have been issued at a time when the use of drones has increased due to a coronavirus lockdown, for purposes like surveillance,  disinfection & videography. The rules said each drone importer, manufacturer, trader, owner and operator will need to take the approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation….

API startup Postman in talks with Insight Partners to raise new funds at $2 billion !!

Software as a Service (SaaS) company Postman is in advanced talks with New York-based investment fund Insight Partners to raise around $150 million at a valuation of $2 billion, two people in the know of the deal details said. Postman is a collaboration platform for managing, developing and testing application programme interfaces (APIs). APIs are a set of tools for building applications used by software developers. Postman, among the buzziest Indian SaaS companies, was valued at $350 million just a year ago, and if the deal goes through it will be one of the biggest…

Extending safety net: Companies keen to continue ‘work from home’ !!

Companies in India will likely encourage most of their  employees to continue functioning from home for the next two-four months as they aren’t willing to let their guard down over Covid-19, even though lockdown curbs have been eased for offices. Most firms find the current system working well enough and don’t want to risk the health of their workers. Amazon said staff can function work  from home for another four months. “Employees who work in a role that can effectively be done from home are welcome to do so until at least…