Highlights of India First Tech startup conclave & awards 2022 : Bengaluru chapter

The Indian startup ecosystem is entering a new era. The unicorn population has increased by leaps and bounds in the last year, driving our country to third position in the globe. The All India Council for robotics and automation is exploring the spread and depth of our startup ecosystem by organizing the Bengaluru chapter of the INDIA FIRST Tech startup conclave & awards this June. The conclave is a 2-day event that is being conducted on the 8th & 9th of June 2022. The event’s goal is to provide an…

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Instagram now lets users record Reels for 90 seconds

Instagram now allows users to record Reels for 90 seconds, up from 60 seconds before. When TikTok was prohibited in India over two years ago, Instagram created Reels, and this is the first time that Instagram has extended the time duration for its short video platform Reels. Instagram has also included new designs, interactive stickers, new sound effects, and the option to input your own audio. The most recent version, which includes additional features, is now available for both iOS and Android. Users may install the update by going to…

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Apple likely to launch its own search engine to take on Google

Apple and Google are the two dominant forces that currently rule the market. The Cupertino-based behemoth may now compete with Google in another area dominated entirely by the latter, namely the search engine. No other search engine comes close to Google’s popularity, but Apple may soon make things tough for Google. According to sources, Apple is planning to launch a new user-centric online search. However, Apple intends to wait until January 2023 before launching the search engine. Tech blogger Robert Scoble has detailed the list of things that Apple is…

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Arya.ag acquires agriculture data science startup Prakshep

Arya.ag, a grain commerce platform located in Noida, has acquired agriculture data science firm Prakshep for an unknown sum. Arya strengthens its position as India’s largest integrated grain commerce platform and expands its technological capabilities to provide end-to-end solutions to its users with this acquisition. Arya.ag secured $60 million in Series C financing from Asia Impact SA and returning investors Lightrock India and Quona Capital in January of this year. The purchase, according to the business, would assist to boost Arya’s aim of providing cutting-edge AI/ML capabilities to farm digitalization,…

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Ruraltech startup Hesa raises $2.3M in a pre-Series A round led by Venture Catalysts

Hesa, a rural tech startup located in Telangana, has secured $2.3 million (Rs 17.8 crore) in a pre-Series A fundraising round headed by Venture Catalysts, with participation from Venture Catalysts US Chapter, Faad, Inflection Point Ventures, WFC, and other significant angel investors. The firm, founded in 2019 by Vamsi Udayagiri and Hema Nandiraju, will utilize the funds received to grow its geographical reach, develop its technological platform, and extend its capabilities in agri-fintech and commerce. Hesa allows for many API interfaces to deliver online, round-the-clock services in major sectors such…

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After Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg, another top executive leaves the company

Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Meta, has left the company after 14 years. In yet another blow to the company, Jerome Pesenti, Meta’s VP of AI, has announced his departure. Pesenti will leave the company in mid-June after assisting it through the early stages of the AI transformation, according to the company. Pesenti has been a member of Meta for four years. Bosworth also stated that Meta’s AI technology and community will form a new cross-functional AI leadership team led by Joelle. “We are grateful for the incredible work Jerome has…

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Binance Labs closes $500 million investment fund to boost blockchain, Web3 adoption

Binance Labs, the venture capital and incubation arm of global cryptocurrency exchange Binance, has announced the establishment of a new $500 million investment fund. The new fund will invest in ideas that will broaden the applications of cryptocurrencies and boost the adoption of Web3 and blockchain technologies. As a limited partner, it is supported by worldwide institutional investors such as DST Global Partners and Breyer Capital and other prominent private equity firms, family offices, and corporations. Changpeng Zhao ‘CZ’, Founder and CEO of Binance, said: “In a Web3 environment, the…

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SaaS firm Kovai.co charts product-led growth strategy for unicorn status

Kovai.co is aiming for unicorn status as the Software as a Service (SaaS) company pursues a product-led growth strategy, according to founder and CEO Saravana Kumar. With a leaner product portfolio, Kumar said the business is working on a customer success product — one of the fastest-growing product sectors in SaaS — that will be released this year. “We see huge potential for this product. On its own, it can reach $50 million annual revenue,” he said. He estimated Kovai.co to reach unicorn status, or privately held company with a…

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