Flying taxi co eyes 2023 commercial prototype launch

The ePlane Company, a 2017 startup established at IIT-Madras, plans to build a commercial prototype of a flying taxi next year. The ePlane Company, founded by IIT-Madras professor Satya Chakravarthy and IIT alumni Pranjal Mehta, is developing a first prototype of an electric flying taxi called the e200 that it hopes to sell by 2024. The e200 is a two-seater plane with a maximum payload of 200 kilogrammes and a range of 200 kilometres. It can take off and land vertically. It features two propeller sets. One pair permits it…

Fintech startup iTribe raises $1 million in funding from Eximius Ventures, Cred’s Kunal Shah, others

Bengaluru-based fintech startup, iTribe has raised $1 million in a funding round from investors such as Eximius Ventures, Kunal Shah (Cred), Incisive Ventures, and several angel investors. The Cred leadership team (Harish, Swami, Sreeni, Ketan), Pearl Agarwal (Eximius Ventures), and angel investors such as Aravind Sanka, Pavan Guntupalli, and Rishikesh SR (founders of Rapido), Reeju Datta (founder of Cashfree), Gaurav Dahake (founder of Cashfree) took part in the investment round (founder of BitBns). According to a prepared corporate statement, iTribe wants to use the funding to develop new technology solutions…

Where Are The Drone Delivery Startups Now?

We heard about various drone startups talking about bringing a revolution in delivering medicines, vaccines, and groceries when the struggle against Covid-19 was in full swing last year. Drone delivery startups have made headlines in India, with claims that they are the next big thing. Swiggy to lead India’s drone delivery revolution and how easy food delivery apps can ‘fly’ steaming hot pasta to your balcony practically flooded our social media feeds. However, whenever there is a situation where drone delivery may make a real impact, these firms are nowhere…

Phablecare raises ₹187 cr in funding round led by Kalaari Capital

Phablecare, a chronic disease management firm, announced on Monday that it has secured 187 crore in a funding round headed by Kalaari Capital, with Aflac Ventures, Digital Horizon, and Stride Ventures joining current backers Omron Ventures, SOSV, Social Starts, and Fresco Capital as well. The funds will be used to establish a chronic care ecosystem, market expansion, and customer acquisition, according to the company. The additional monies will be used to develop other revenue streams as well. The company stated that it is considering purchasing other competitors in the market…

Deepfake faces are even more trustworthy than real people, study warns

Fake faces made by artificial intelligence appear more trustworthy to humans than genuine people. Artificial intelligence and deep learning — an algorithmic learning process used to educate computers – are utilised to create a human who appears authentic, a technology known as a ‘deepfake.’ Participants were asked to classify faces created by the StyleGAN2 algorithm as authentic or artificial in an experiment. The participants’ success percentage was 48%, which was somewhat lower than flipping a coin. Participants were trained on how to spot deepfakes using the same data set in…

Ola board approves acquisition of Avail Finance

The board of ANI Technologies, the parent company of ride-hailing business Ola, has authorised the acquisition of Avail Finance. They stated that the deal’s formal documentation was in the works. According to sources, Avail Finance cofounder Ankush Aggarwal has informed some of the company’s investors about the deal’s development informally. According to a source familiar with the situation, Aggarwal is anticipated to manage the business of Ola Financial Services, the ride-hailing company’s fintech subsidiary. Bhavish Aggarwal, the cofounder and CEO of Ola, has a brother named Ankush Aggarwal. On March…

China says it will send government officials to inspect Big Tech firms over their use of algorithms

China has retaliated against what it sees as probable algorithmic misuse by its internet behemoths, announcing that government officials will undertake in-person inspections. China’s state-controlled internet regulator, the Cyberspace Administration of China, said in a statement Friday that it will target “large-scale websites, platforms, and products with significant influence,” but did not name any specific companies. Bloomberg broke the story to us first. According to a Google Translate version of the regulator’s announcement, the agency wants Chinese IT businesses to submit their algorithms for evaluation in order to prevent “abuse”…

Centre Preparing New Data Governance Framework for More Efficient Exchange Among Govt Agencies

The central government is planning to develop a new data governance framework to allow for the flow of enormous volumes of data between government departments, a strategy that would improve governance efficiency, transparency, and accountability. The draught national data governance framework and policy will establish protocols and standards for how government entities process, store, and disseminate data within the larger government ecosystem. According to reports, Minister of State (MoS) for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said: “As we are increasing the digitisation of government, we need to create a…

Elon Musk will not join Twitter board, says CEO Parag Agrawal

Twitter’s CEO announced last week that billionaire Elon Musk would join the company’s board of directors. In the week since then, Parag Agrawal has stated that Musk does not want to be a member of Twitter’s board of directors, but will continue to play an important role in the company’s development. In a recent tweet, Agrawal stated, “Elon is our largest shareholder, and we will stay open to his feedback.” “Elon Musk has decided not to join our board. Here’s what I can share about what happened. The Board and…

Startup sector to remain attractive for jobseekers

Despite an approaching downturn in the record-breaking pace of investment, which is expected to lead to cost-cutting and layoffs at several renowned businesses such as Unacademy, Trell, and Lido Learning, founders, recruiting experts, and consultants say startups will continue to be attractive to job seekers. According to industry insiders, astronomical raises to recruit talent will likely see a correction in the next quarters, but the sector will continue to attract professionals for its wealth generating potential, intellectual stimulation, and as a learning ground for prospective entrepreneurs. “In the coming months,…