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…

SBI Profit Jumps Over Four-Fold To Rs 3,581 Crore In March Quarter !!

State Bank of India (SBI) – the country’s largest lender by assets – on Friday reported a net profit of Rs 3,580.81 crore for the quarter ended March 31. That marked a surge of more than four times compared to its profit of Rs 838.40 crore in the corresponding to period of a year ago. The financial results by State Bank of India (SBI) come at a time when the country is in the 5th  phase of a nationwide lockdown to battle the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, which has battered the…

Government In Talks With Banks To Provide Loans To Small Businesses At Up To 8% Interest !!

The government is negotiating with banks to give loans to the small businesses at a lower interest rate of around 7.5-8 %, Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Singh Thakur said on Friday. He was interacting with the MCCI members on a webinar where he heard the concerns of the members about overcoming the COVID-19 induced crisis on the economy and human lives. Adequate & cheaper credit is the mainline demand of the industry in these difficult times. Regarding schemes of the government where it provides a…

Jio Platforms to raise Rs 13,640 crore more from Mubadala, Silver Lake !!

Jio Platforms is set to raise Rs 13,640.4 crore by selling a 1.85 Per cent stake to Mubadala Investment Co., Abu Dhabi’s second-largest sovereign investor, and an additional 0.93 Per cent stake to US private equity player Silver Lake  and its co-investors. This is the sixth tranche of investments in six weeks for the digital and telecom business unit of Reliance Industries. The investment of Rs 9,093.6 crore from Mubadala is a fresh one and was announced early on Friday, and helped push the shares of RIL to an all-time high….