All Posts by Himanshu Sheth

|In: Review|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

What is one word that you can associate with Banking? The answer would be synonymous-Endless paper work, Multiple follow-ups for account related transactions, Long queues [irrespective of the transaction] to name a few. Fast forward now, things have definitely improved and one of the driving factors that made ‘banking transactions’ less hassle-free is the smartphone revolution and rapidly growing internet penetration.

Before you further read on, we request you to re-read the previous statement again 🙂 It mentioned Banking Transactions have become hassle-free but once in a while you still need to visit the Bank !! The treatment that you would receive at a particular bank branch would also depend on whether it is your ‘Home Branch’ or not. Bank going ‘Paperless’ as well as ‘Branchless’ would be considered a highly exaggerated statement.

With the Digital India, Digital Banking and Financial Services landscape looks positive. Some of the major factors that can impact [and some are already impacting] ‘Digital Banking’ are:

  • Aadhar by UIDAI [Unique identification for every Indian resident]
  • Banking to the un-banked
  • Introduction of the ‘Digital Locker’ [Secure storage provided by the Government of India for storing your important documents]
  • Massive policy changes for incentivizing Digital Payments [as announced in Union Budget 2016]
  • Introduction of Unified Payment Interface [UPI]

Banks have been taking massive steps in order to make Banking hassle-free, environment friendly ensuring that safety & trust is not compromised (at any step). Though Online Transfers, E-Passbook, Bill payment contribute a lot to making banking more ‘Green’, opening an account in a bank still requires submission of lot of documents 🙁 This was the ‘vacuum’ in the banking sector that was required to be filled-in and DBS (Development Bank of Singapore), Singapore’s best and Asia’s safest bank has decided to take the lead to make Banking : Paperless, Hassle-free and Rewarding [via Cash-backs] with introduction of Bio-metrics authentication and account opening with only Aadhar Card.

Say hello to a new way of banking so you can live more, bank less [#livemorebankless] with Digibank. Let’s look into the salient features of Digibank and how they are embarking a new banking revolution by making the Bank truly ‘Digital Bank’ !!

Digibank is broadly divided into two sections – DigiExpress & DigiSavings.

Open new savings account in a whisker

Once you download Digibank on your smartphone, you can open an e-wallet account in less than 90 seconds. Once the account has been setup, you get a virtual VISA debit card to shop, pay utility bills, book ticket etc. In today’s time, it is very important to have an efficient ‘Partner Eco-System’ and Digibank has partnered with 10000+ e-commerce merchants so that customers get ‘Cash-back’ when they shop 🙂

You can convert your account into zero balance DigiSavings account by just submitting your Aadhar Card or PAN Card details and completing your bio-metrics authentication at their partner outlets. They have ensured that all the ‘Safety and Trust’ standards are adhered so that banking using Digibank is more secure !!

DigiSavings – Single account, multiple benefits

Compared to interest rates offered by banks on savings account, customers get high returns [7% interest on Rs. 1] when they convert their Digibank’s e-wallet account into DigiSavings account. You also get cash-back of 5~10% when you shop using Digibank on their partner websites.

You can maintain Zero balance account [with zero maintenance fees] and enjoy unlimited [& free] ATM withdrawals. This is definitely an interesting step to make e-banking more secure & hassle-free.

Easy and Secure payments

Adding a new payee or biller on the Digibank app is very simple. Digibank has a dynamic in-built security which is even more secure than the OTP. The entire transaction process is seamless yet very secure. The breezy UI just makes banking on Digibank enjoyable 🙂

24*7 Virtual Assistant, Personalized offers and Money Optimizer

Digibank comes with 24*7 Virtual Assistant that is powered by artificial intelligence. It keeps a track on your spending’s, shopping habits etc and provides you with customized alerts, bill payment reminders etc.

This ensures that customers get ‘tailor made alerts’ which are of their interest thus increasing the conversion rate. The offers do not only stop there but you also get Hyper-local offers based on your ‘shopping history’ as learnt by the virtual assistant. Get answers to all your banking queries in an instant with the 24*7 virtual assistant either via Voice or Text.

Brand Ambassador & Brand Mascot that ‘itself’ speaks for the product

Sachin Tendulkar is the brand ambassador of Digibank and being a cricket fanatic, I loved that the ‘most respected batsman’ is associated with the right products and Digibank as product has all the promise !! As a brand, it is very important that it’s mascot conveys the right message at the very first moment.

[Image Credit – Digibank on Twitter]

Digibank has played the cards right by having Digor, a dino that has adapted to change and has been evolving since pre-historic times just like the Digibank app (that has made banking more secure and seamless).

Closing Thoughts

As seen in the Digibank product launch, time has come for customers to #unbankit and switch to Digibank, India’s first mobile-only bank. You should definitely have a look at the launch video where Digor unleashes the power of DigiBank & showcasing the simplicity of DigiBank. DBS’s Digibank is an exciting step towards making banking Paperless, Signature-less without compromising the security features [thanks to extensive use of Bio-metrics] of physical banking !! We are sure that this is just the baby-step in taking banking to a whole new level by combing Bio-metrics and Aadhar Card authentication. You can find more about Digibank here

Join the Digibank revolution! You are an existing Digibank customer, please leave your experience/feedback in the comments section…

|In: Funding|Last Updated: | 0 Comments
PurpleHealth, a 360-degree “Health On Demand” platform, has raised USD 100,000 from disruptive tech investor, Katabole Technology Ventures.
Founded in 2014, PurpleHealth is a 360-degree health & wellness platform that delivers a diverse spectrum of solutions, services and products to consumers, corporates, healthcare providers and institutions. The platform empowers consumers to take active control of their health by providing a one-stop seamless interface to choose the right medical practitioners, schedule appointments, set up video & audio chats with doctors and much more, thus helping them better manage their health and wellness interactions.
Furthermore, PurpleHealth enables healthcare providers with tools and technologies that assist them to better engage with their customers. The platform currently has over 38,000 doctors and 4000 hospitals as part of its vast and growing network.
PurpleHealth Co-founders : L-R Vikram Nair, Prakash Sathyapalan, Mini Balaraman
Vikram Nair, Co-founder & CEO, PurpleHealth said
At PurpleHealth, we work with a unique ‘Total Health’ approach that focuses on meeting the country’s (and moving forward, the world’s) health-care challenges with integrated solutions through a 360-degree health platform. The Indian healthcare sector is expected to register a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.9% during 2015-20 and grow to USD 280 billion. We intend to play a substantial part in that growth story by creating a massive, positive impact on how health & wellness products and services are accessed by and delivered to every individual, corporate & institution.
We will use this round of funding to further build on the PurpleHealth.com product roadmap and strengthen the team.
Balaji Jagannathan, Founder & CEO, Katabole said
We believe that when it comes to health, people today, by and large, feel dis-empowered. They want the ability to choose and decide by themselves and they crave the right platform that will give them access to all the information they need to make their health-related decisions
What really excited us about PurpleHealth was their inclusive approach that recognizes the scale of the problems the health space presents, and looks for imaginative (and sustainable) solutions that deal with the ecosystem, and involve all stakeholders, small and big-healthcare providers, corporates, other institutions and individual consumers. With this as the backdrop, we are positively confident that PurpleHealth.com will disrupt the Health & Wellness industry. Their product roadmap is very exciting and we are looking forward to the innovations that PurpleHealth will be bringing to the market.
About PurpleHealth
PurpleHealth is a 360-degree health platform that delivers a large and diverse spectrum of solutions, services and products to consumers, healthcare providers and institutions. Currently, the Healthcare delivery ecosystem operates through individual, independent and unconnected silos. PurpleHealth aims to build collaborative healthcare distribution models with a common customer pool, through integrated technology. PurpleHealth enables consumers to take active control of their health by providing a one stop seamless interface with it’s fast growing healthcare network, which is already 38,000 Doctors and 4000 Hospitals strong. The platform empowers its users to choose the right medical practitioners, schedule appointments, set up video & audio chats with doctors, and much more. PurpleHealth’s range of products and services spans the entire spectrum of health and wellness needs. PurpleHealth believes that in order to achieve a positive impact, it is important to provide quantifiable, personalized and accessible care, services and solutions to the consumer. In addition, PurpleHealth provides bundled Health and Wellness solutions to corporates – customized at individual and group level – due to the growing incidence of chronic and preventable lifestyle ailments. The goal of these solutions is to reward healthy behaviours and positively reinforce healthy living habits amongst its users. For more information, please visit PurpleHealth
About Katabole Technology Venture
Katabole means disruption and also, laying the foundation. It is the genesis of an exciting future, seeded by technology and driven by possibility-thinking. Katabole has a simple, crystal-clear purpose: pick smart people with fresh, disruptive, technology-driven ideas and help convert those ideas into big, phenomenally big, really, really, really big businesses, worldwide that challenge and obliterate the status quo. Katabole invests in disruptive ideas across Education, Healthcare, Fintech, Digital, Security, Storage, IOT, Mobile, Social Networks and Data Analytics. For more information, please visit KataBole

|In: Mobile|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Few weeks back, we received the Swipe Elite Note, the latest in the Note series from Pune based Swipe Telecom & the journey of it’s usage has been great so far. Swipe Elite Note was launched on 26th April,2016 and it promises to be a bigger, bolder and better smartphone that provides a great experience without making a dent on pockets. Elite Note boasts of superior design, premium build quality and powerful hardware at a disruptive price point.

Today we have a detailed review of the Swipe Elite Note, so let’s get started…

Swipe Elite Note : Overview

Swipe Elite Note is a Android [5.1] Lollipop based smart-phone that runs on the Freedom OS [modified version of Android]. Freedom OS offers an extremely personalized experience. The device sports a 5.5 inches HD screen with pixel resolution of 720*1280. The screen density is 320 dpi.

Specifications*

Display : 5.5-inch HD [720*1280] display, 320 dpi
OS : Android 5.1 Lollipop with Freedom OS
CPU : 1.3 GHz quad-core Mediatek MT6735 SoC, 3 GB RAM
Storage : 32 GB storage [expandable upto 32 GB]
Cameras : 13 MP Rear Camera with f1/3.2 aperture with flash + 5 MP Front Camera f/2.0 aperture
Connectivity : Wi-Fi, 3G/4G/2G, GPS, Bluetooth 4.0, USB OTG
Battery : 3,000 mAh
Dimensions : 77.1*154*8.4 mm
Weight : 194 grams

The Swipe Elite Note is available exclusively on Flipkart (Affiliate Link) and the 16 GB version costs Rs 7,999.

Swipe Elite Note : Design

The Swipe Elite Note has a sleek 8.4 mm body that is crafted from magnesium alloy. Elite Note has premium appeal as it has the finest Sandstone Back cover that ensures a comfortable touch in hands [with Matte Gold Frame]. The processor on the device is based on the 28 nm technology. The phone weighs a bit on the heavier side [194 grams] but it is still looks comfortable to hold in one hand [and perform day to day activities like browsing, watching videos etc.]

Click to Enlarge

Swipe Elite Note fits easily in your hands and since it’s back is not slippery so there are less chances of the phone slipping out of your hands. Overall, the Swipe Elite Note looks very elegant from a design point of view.

Swipe Elite Note : Memory

As discussed earlier, the device comes with a 3 GB RAM and 16 GB ROM. Swipe Elite Note comes with a micro-SD card slot and the maximum expandable memory is 32 GB. The Freedom OS looks very breezy and there was no lag observed while using the phone. Out of the box, the available user memory is 11.35 GB. With enhanced processing power, an Elite Note user can enjoy apps and games to their full potential.

Click to enlarge

By default, the phone comes with Swipe’s proprietary launcher called the ‘Swipe Launcher’. The launcher is very similar to the Nova Launcher or the Google Launcher and hence there is no learning curve involved in getting used to the features of the Launcher.

Swipe Elite Note : Display

Swipe Elite Note sports a 5.5-inch HD IPS (720*1280) display with pixel density of 320 dpi along with Dragon trail Protection. The display is equipped with ‘MiraVision Tuning features‘ which is a set of engines to enhance the display picture quality. This interface allows for interactive tuning with real-time quality feedback, making it easy for users to tailor the picture quality based on their needs.

There are three picture modes – User Mode, Standard Mode & Vivid Mode. User Mode is for power users where you can do Basic Color Tuning [Contrast, Saturation & Change picture brightness], Advanced Tuning [Sharpness & Adjust colors according to temperature].

Click to Enlarge

It comes with 2.5D Arc Touch Screen that supports Vi-Di technology that brings a brighter, bolder, bigger world right in front of your eyes. Performing daily activities like reading e-mails, news etc. is a real pleasure on the Elite Note due to it’s excellent display quality. The viewing angles are very good [and so is the sound quality of the speakers] thus making it an ideal device for users who use their phones for watching videos, reading etc.

A visually-stunning, incredibly tough Dragon trail Glass – a lightweight, flexible and scratch-resistant glass with extraordinary strength – comes as a protective cover glass for the very stylish Elite Note, which not only enhances the phone’s style quotient, but also offers exceptional resistance to scratches and bumps of everyday use.

Swipe Elite Note : Camera

Swipe Elite Note comes with a 13 MP Rear Camera [with f1/3.2 aperture with flash] and 5 MP Front Camera with 2.0 aperture. The camera does not have in-built Image Stabilization. The camera is equipped with features like Auto Focus, Continuous Shot, Smile Shot & Face Detection.

The camera is a Sony Camera which is excellent at this particular price point. The shots from the rear camera are of decent picture quality [very much comparable with shots taken from Mi4i, Lenovo K3 Note]. During the camera testing, we did find some lag while taking continuous shots.

Some of the sample images are below:

Click to Enlarge
Click to Enlarge

Swipe Elite Note – Battery

Swipe Elite Note is packed with massive 3,000 mAh battery unit that makes it possible for the smartphone to easily last a full day’s usage. The device managed to last around 16 ~ 18 Hrs [on full charge] while using WiFi-3G and doing activities like Emailing, Reading etc.

Click to Enlarge
Click to Enlarge

However, we did observe that the device gets over-heated [with very heavy usage like WiFi, 3G, Video Playback etc.], after which we get pop-ups to shut-down the device in order for the battery to ‘Cool Down’ !! The average temperature of the device [with Display brightness 100%] and kept in Idle state was always around 41 degrees which seems on the higher side.

Swipe Elite Note – Software

The Swipe Elite Note runs on the Freedom OS [customized version of Android] though there are traces of stock Android. The launcher used on the device is the Swipe Launcher which used to show some lags when there are apps running in the background.

There are handful number of pre-installed apps on the phone – Flipkart, Bobble, DailyHunt, Magzter. On installation of Gmail, we could observe that the ‘Label Colors’ are not visible which looked very strange which was strange and it might not go-well with power Gmail users !!

The snapshot of Gmail on Swipe Elite Note and Samsung Galaxy Note are below:

Gmail on Swipe Elite Note – Labels not colored
Gmail on Galaxy Note

Though the phone comes with Swipe Launcher, we are sure that users would switch to their favourite launchers like Nova Launcher, Google Launcher etc. as there would not be any learning curve involved. On the review device, we switched to Nova Launcher and multi-tasking became very easy [and there were less lags involved]. Overall, the device scored high on performance. The AnTuTu benchmark score of the device was 24073 [snapshot below]

Click to Enlarge

Swipe Elite Note – Connectivity

The Swipe Elite Note comes with Dual-SIM 4G LTE support. It has WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity and has in-built IR Blaster. We tested the IR blaster by using the in-built app Z-Remote on LG TV and worked like a charm 🙂 It supports all kinds of TV. The IR sensor gives a user complete and overall control for multiple electronic appliances like Air-conditioner, Television, Set-Top boxes etc The USB port on the device is OTG complaint which means it can act as a Host and can be used to charge other devices.

The device comes with Accelerometer, Proximity Sensor, Light Sensor, G-Sensor. It also has the HALL sensor [or the proximity sensor]. We were able to use the device for 12~14 hours while on 3G with stable network conditions. There were no call-drops observed when 3G Data was ON while the calls are active [which made 3G much more usable].

Swipe Elite Note – Verdict

Vibrant display quality, decent camera unit and great battery backup makes Swipe Elite Note a good buy at Rs. 7,999. Given that the device comes with micro-SD card slot [expandable upto 32 GB] ensures that the user is left with more internal memory 🙂

As discussed earlier, after disabling Swipe Launcher, Force Closing some in-built apps; performance of the Swipe Elite Note was even better !! If Swipe is able to woo users with good after-sales service, than chances of Swipe Elite Note clicking with users [in sub 10K range] is even higher.

We did receive a Wireless Update couple of days back that indicates that Swipe is taking effort to make experience better for existing users of Swipe Elite Note. If you are planning to go for a 4G phone with excellent battery backup & great display, we definitely recommend Swipe Elite Note.

Barring aside couple of minor issues, Swipe Elite Note is definitely worth a buy !!!

Source* – 1

|In: Mobile|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

As part of the ongoing campaign Game On, Selfie On to raise awareness on cancer, OPPO, the leading technology brand invited 17 cancer survivor children from Delhi’s Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute & Research Centre [RGCIRC] along with YouWeCan Foundation to witness Yuvraj Singh’s home ground match on Sunday in Mohali. The ace cricketer Yuvraj Singh met the children before the match started and spent quality time with them. This is OPPO and ‘YouWeCan’ Foundation’s second initiative to raise awareness on cancer survivor children.

YouWeCan

OPPO’s initiative was designed to instil hope and confidence among children who have gone through the ordeal of cancer and survived. For children, who got an opportunity to meet with cricketing icon Yuvraj, this was a dream come true, which they would relish forever. YouWeCan Foundation along with RGCIRC is also running a program “TogetherWeCan” where education of 100 cancer survivor kids for 5 years shall be taken care of.

Yuvraj Singh, OPPO’s First Sports Ambassador for this cricket season said

I have had such a wonderful experience interacting with the kids and be a witness to their strength, courage and energy which is almost viral, and as I have inspired many they have inspired me in the same way.

Sky Li, OPPO VP, Managing Director of International Mobile Business and President of OPPO India, said

Our initiative has only gone bigger than what it was since its inception. We are grateful to “YouWeCan” Foundation for joining hands and trusting in us to help build awareness and facilitate cancer cured and create a difference.

Dr Gauri Kapoor, Director Paediatric Hemato-Oncology, RGCIRC said

For children, this experience is rewarding and would give them further strength to move on. YouWeCan is contributing immensely on creating awareness about cancer and we are glad to join hands with the Foundation in the same.

OPPO’s ongoing Game On, Selfie On campaign aims to generate sustainable conversations on social media platforms and push audience, especially millennials, in spreading awareness through its creative campaign. It was launched with a series of social media posts on facts about cancer on 30th April. The more these posts are shared by users on their personal networks, more will be the level of awareness. OPPO will donate Rs. 50* (*Rules have changed from 2nd post on social media from Rs 10 to Rs 50 per share) or every single ‘Share’ of the post to ‘YouWeCan’ Foundation.  On hitting a landmark of 20,000 ‘Shares’ per post, OPPO will donate a maximum amount of Rs. 10 Lakh to YouWeCan Foundation. There’s also a surprise for the fans. Every week lucky fans stand a chance to win one OPPO F1 Plus [autographed by OPPO’s first sports ambassador for this cricket season, Yuvraj Singh] and one OPPO F1.

About OPPO

OPPO is a leading global technology brand dedicated to providing consumers across the Americas, Africa, Europe, Oceania, and Asia with pioneering products that never fail to inspire and excite. Founded in 2004, OPPO quickly proved itself in the market with its intense obsession to details. For more information, please visit OPPO

|In: Personal|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Buying a house is an investment for life. When we were looking out to buy a flat in Bengaluru, we looked at many factors – Reputation of the builder, locality of the apartment, amenities, safety, and the distance from various important locations. Wait! Did I miss a very important factor? 🙂 Yes, I did miss the first and foremost thing that we look into while purchasing any property – Cost of the house vis-a-vis budget.

Buying a house is one of the biggest decisions in your life. Depending on the factors mentioned above, we shortlisted a couple of properties from reputed builders; had a look at their feedback on the internet and visited a couple of properties to have a look at the demo flat. Along with the facilities available, we also checked if the CRM team was pro-active in email communications and whether they are customer-friendly.

Raising capital to reduce loan burden

Before we had shortlisted the property and decided to purchase flat with a reputed builder, we had a look at factors like:

  • How much down-payment should pay to the builder?
  • Which banks offer loan at a lower interest rate?
  • Can we borrow some money from Family, Friends and well-wishers?

Once you have calculated the total amount of how much you have in-hand, than you should visit a reputed loan financer.

Choosing Right Home Loan

When it comes to Home Loans, apart from the Public Sector banks, you also have the option of Private Sector Banks. You need to look into options like flexible interest rates, options of reduced interest for female borrowers (if she is the first owner of the property), ease of loan process, pre-payment charges, and early closing charges.

Paper Work, more Paper Work

Applying for loan is just the beginning of the loan process. The real fun starts with the submission of the documents – Salary Slip, Statement of Bank Account/Pass Book for last six months, Residence Proof, ID Proof, Personal Assets and Liabilities statement etc. These documents are only for the Loan applicant and as we had rightly guessed, we had to frequently visit the bank since there used to be some minor mistakes in the papers and in time, the bank became our second home 🙁

The entire loan approval process took couple of months after which we could breathe a sigh of relief!! There is one thing that we could not figure out. Home Loan providers never take into account about the ambitions of the borrower, his capability to repay the loan from income coming from other sources. We understood that just submitting the salary documents does not indicate your loan eligibility and loan repayment capability.

Time to Know Your Worth

Though I was done with my loan formalities, when this matter was being discussed with friends; they pointed out the same thing – Banks should take various other factors (apart from normal routine documents) in order to consider whether a person is eligible for a loan or not. This is where the discussion about ‘What is your True Worth’ started. Apart from choosing the right home it is of prime importance to choose the right institution that can provide loan.

It is time to Know your True Worth – http://www.trueworth.co.in and since the words sounded familiar, the discussion swayed in the direction of the Aditya Birla Finance Home Loans. A friend of mine is an engineer but since he has a spirit of entrepreneurship within him, he wanted to tap into the booming taxi industry (likes of Ola, Uber). He has a taxi that he has partnered with Uber and makes a handsome amount of money from it. However, other banks did not accept Uber earning along with his corporate job earning. This was important for him since he required a Loan which was more than his ‘Salary’ eligibility.

He finally approached Aditya Birla Finance Home Loans (ABFHL) after he got good feedback from his friends. It’s important that you know exactly how much you can make as down payment and the amount of loan you require.  This is what they call as knowing your ‘True Worth‘.

Time to Know Your Worth – Unique Proposition

As mentioned earlier, loan approval is a painstaking process. However, ABFHL follows a completely different rule for application and approval. Unlike other financial institutions, they assure you of a loan eligibility which is holistic in nature – they take into account your ambitions to grow and will take cognizance of income from all sources which can be used to repay your loan well in time. This is a win-win situation for both the Financial Institution as well as the Loan Applicant.

Less paper Work (More action, less drama)

The documents that you require for applying for a home loan with ABFHL are:

  • Proof of Identity and Address
  • Proof of income
  • Bank statement (where salary is credited)
  • Proof of Income
  • Proof of other Income

The loan approval process is also very speedy since there is one representative from ABFHL who would be in touch with you throughout the entire loan process. They have very good Home Loan options that look very promising.

They re-directed us to ‘Know Your Worth’ TVC that made him to look at ABFHL for a home loan. He closed the discussion by mentioning that ‘For many, applying for Home Loan might be a nightmare but for ABFHL customers, applying for Home Loan is a Dream since it gets approved in such a short amount of time’.

As mentioned on Know Your Worth website,

If you are working this hard to buy your dream home, the least we can do is recognize our true worth. Don’t settle for less. Know your true worth and get the home your truly deserve!

It’s about time, You Know Your Worth#TheHomeLoanIDeserve

|In: Guest Blogging|Last Updated: | 1 Comment

Start Up is an ultimate dream of any young college graduate. These day’s students coming out of IIT’s (and also other colleges) are venturing into Start Ups rather being hired by some corporation. Start Up sounds very fascinating however it has other side also. Start Ups could make or break things.

In this article we try to figure out advantages as well as disadvantages of Start Up business in India. If you live here then you have to consider both sides of the picture. You can’t just see the rosy side of the story and ignore the underbelly of a start up business in India. Let us first look at some of the major advantages of Start Ups in India.

[Image Credit - Indian Startups]
[Image Courtesy* – Indian Startups]

Advantages of Start Up Business in India

Sky is the Limit When it Comes to Innovation

One of the biggest advantages of a Start Up is that you are full of energy and willing to experiment something new. You are not afraid of failure or breaking the rules because you can conceive and implement whatever you like.

This kind of freedom is missing if you are working for a regular company. You can take innovation to a new level and create products that no one has done before. A fearless mind, the energy and the excitement you can only find in a Start Up and not if you are working for some other company.

Create Your Own Rule, You’re the Boss

This is true for any other country. In a startup you don’t have to listen to your clients because you are in the driving seat. Usually if you are working for some other company then you have issues where you have to listen to management and make changes accordingly.

However in a startup you can take risk and make your own rule although this has its own risk. Here you are not following any fixed formula but still you can do it in a startup.

No Dearth of Seed Funding if the Start Up is Promising

If your idea is solid then you don’t have to worry about the funding. Today there are multiple seed investors in the country and outside who are ready to fund as much as they like.

There is no limit to capital that you can access. However your new startup has to convince them that the idea is really great and it is going to give returns on every penny they are investing. Recently Tata invested into an online car portal named CarDekho.com, the exact amount is unknown.

Start Ups Better at Pricing then Corporations

Start Ups can offer really competitive price to their customers. Why so many start ups are successful because price of their products are very competitive.

Start Up gives you complete control over designing and setting price of your new product. This is absolutely not possible if you are working for another company because they usually stick to a formula.

Availability of Start Up Eco System

The eco system is very important. Although in India you do have a developed ecosystem for certain kind of startups. If your startup is all about online shopping or anything to do with e-commerce then it is quite successful.

So you have the right kind of mentors who are ready to guide you through the tough times. So these were few advantages of a startup in India and elsewhere.

You also need to see other side of the picture because a startup in India could land in many troubles.

Disadvantages of Start Up Business in India

Higher Cost, Tax and Regulations for a Start Up in India

Starting up in India isn’t that easy because the cost is very higher compared to other parts of the world. The taxes are higher and there are regulations from the government that makes things more difficult.

The upfront cost before you start your venture could go up to $2000. You have to pay huge cost if you want to close your start up and move one.

No Seed Funding Unless the Start Up is Exceptionally Promising

Well you do get seed funding only when your start up is exceptionally promising. Previously in the article I mentioned how Tata has funded CarDekho an online car portal.

When Tata gave funds to CarDekho the company already was priced at over $100 million. This is not possible with every other startup. Forget about $100 million, only few startups are able to raise $1 million. So how a mediocre entrepreneur is going to raise funds for their startup without any seed funding?

Ecosystem Still Not Very Developed

Ecosystem is developed for only few kinds of startups like e-commerce. If you are venturing into something very technical in nature (like hardware startups) then you will face problems because there is no one around to guide you.

You will not find mentors in India if your startup is not about e-commerce (or if it is not an online venture). That is why most of the startups move to Silicon Valley.

Hiring New Employees Could Be a Challenge

The last but not the least problem is human resource. Not very people are interested working in a startup. Usually they find problems working in a startup so they avoid it and join an established company because that is important for their career.

They don’t trust startup because they don’t know whether they are going to succeed or not. So hiring employees could be a challenge.

Whether you Should go for it or not?
You might be confused by reading advantages and disadvantages of a startup. There are advantages as well as disadvantages. But if you really believe you have a great idea that can change the marketplace and give tough competition to its competitors then go for it.

You really worth a shot as it may turn out to be the next $100 million company.

However if you aren’t sure about the product then you better lie low. You need to develop your product first and then think of venturing out.

Without any plan you can fail and it will cost you heavily. Remember 9 out 10 startups fail.

About the author

Priya Nagrale is the Co-founder of SureJob, a job listing portal and can be contacted at admin@surejob.in

|In: India|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

The online hiring sentiments for the month of April 2016 exhibited a sluggish year-on-year growth rate at 28 percent down from 42 percent in March 2016, according to the latest Monster Employment Index [MEI].

The backbone of the Indian economy, Production and Manufacturing sector, according to the latest MEI, is going through a fragile state of affairs. Online recruitment activities in this sector have been charting a negative six-month growth consistently since January 2016; this month’s growth being a negative 7 percent. The year-on-year growth rate has declined from a dramatic 112 percent in October 2015 to 15 percent in April 2016.

While hiring in the IT sector continues to steer ahead of all the industries with a 63 percent growth. The IT sector was closely followed by Printing and Packaging industry with a growth of 60 percent since 2015. Though the Media and Entertainment sector maintained a steady growth of 47 percent, but the industry took a significant nose dive from 71 per cent in March, 2016.

Highlights of the Monster Employment Index

  • IT – Hardware, Software continues to chart the steepest year-on-year growth.
  • Y-o-Y growth rate in production & manufacturing has dropped from 112 percent in October 2015 to 15 percent in April 2016.
  • Marketing & Communications and Health Care is the most sought after job role.
  • Chandigarh, followed by Bangalore leads all cities by the way of long-term growth.

Commenting on the latest trends and developments in various sectors, Sanjay Modi, MD, Monster.com said

The MEI reveals a relative slowdown in the pace of online hiring. While the numbers are still good there is a drop from a robust 42 percent in March to 28 percent in April, 2016. We as a nation are definitely heading in the right direction for a long term gain with more streamlined employment generation initiatives and strongly driven Skill India by PM Modi with an aim to enhance employment. However, currently the scenario is a bit cautious when it comes to hiring. The Production and Manufacturing industry is yet to see the hay day but the concept of Make in India is appropriately towards greater employability.

Further on, Sanjay Modi added

Although, the IT sector continues to lead across all segments, the industry is low on the earlier vigor. The bearish response towards recruitment activities can be attributed to the shift from dependence on manpower to increase reliability on mechanization at the lower levels, especially in the IT sector. The  start-up ecosystem is currently going through a stage of healthy re calibration which is a positive trend from a long term perspective. We are optimistic that this dip is temporary and will soon fade away.

Monster Employment Index India results for the past 18 months are as follows

Industry Year-over-year Trends

All 27 industry sectors monitored by the Index exhibited improved e-recruitment activity from the year-ago.

  • IT – Hardware, Software [up 63 percent] was the leading sector in terms of growth on the year for the sixth month straight. The pace of growth year-on-year, nevertheless, eased 13 percentage points between March and April 2016. At the same time the sector registered no growth on the month. Similarly, in the BPO/ITES sector, the growth momentum slowed 19 percentage points between March [up 39 percent] and April [up 20 percent] 2016
  • Manufacturing & Commerce is growing at a significantly moderated pace. E-recruitment activity in Production and Manufacturing has slowed in the past months. The sector has been charting negative six-month growth consistently since January 2016; this month’s growth being negative seven percent. The year-on-year growth rate has declined from a dramatic 112 percent in October 2015 to 15 percent in April 2016. Logistics, Courier/Freight/Transportation, however, recorded a 15 percent growth from the year-ago level; four points higher that March 2016
  • Education [up 57 percent]; Media & Entertainment [up 47 percent]; Healthcare, Bio Technology & Life Sciences, Pharmaceuticals [up 40 percent] have registered some of the steepest year-on-year growth percentages this month. The growth momentum vis-a-vis March 2016 has eased in each of these sectors nevertheless. Printing/Packaging sector was second from the top in the long-term growth chart with a 60 percent growth in opportunities from the year-ago
  • Retail sector witnessed a nine percent growth from the year-ago level; 31 points lower than March 2016. It is notable that the sector has been growing in double-digits since March 2015 and this is the lowest annual growth recorded since that time.
  • Year-on-year, online recruitment activity in Import/Export [up 7 percent] and Shipping/Marine [up 8 percent] was positive this month following low levels in March 2016. Real Estate [up 4 percent] exhibited the most controlled annual growth among all monitored industry groups

E-Commerce

E-commerce sector continued to grow at an eased up pace vis-a-vis the past months. Both three-month and six-month growth rate moderated further while there was no growth on the month. It is notable however that the sector is going strong on an annual basis. E-recruitment activity in the sector exceeded the corresponding period a year-ago by a robust 34 percent

Occupation Year-over-year Trends

All 13 occupation groups monitored by the Index continued to exhibit improved demand on the year

  • There continues to be high call at the Senior Management level. Online demand this month is 79 percent higher than April 2015 despite marginal slowdown in pace between March & April 2016
  • While growth momentum [YoY] slowed for all the monitored job roles, Marketing & Communications [up 47 percent];Health Care [up 45 percent]; Software, Hardware, Telecom [up 43 percent] saw the steepest growth in demand. Demand for Finance & Accounts [up 26 percent] slipped one percent below the six-month [October 2015] level.
  • Online demand for Hospitality & Travel [up 4 percent] personnel was the most restrained as the year-on-year growth rate moderated further from 15 percent in March 2016

Geographic year-over-year Trends

All 13 cities monitored by the Index registered positive growth on the year even this month. The pace of growth eased in all 13 cities

  • Chandigarh [up 53 percent] supplanted Bangalore [up 47 percent] to lead all monitored cities by the way of long-term growth. Bangalore witnessed a two percent decline in opportunities on the month while the annual growth rate was 17 points lower than March 2016 [up 64 percent]
  • Delhi-NCR [up 23 percent] saw annual growth rate one percentage point lower than March 2016 [24 percent]. The growth momentum in Delhi-NCR has not fluctuated significantly since November 2015
  • Year-on-year growth rate plunged the most in Kochi [up four percent]. Online recruitment activity in Kochi has dipped in the past months reflected in negative three-month growth rates since January 2016. This month the Index for the series slipped four percent below the six-month ago [October 2015] level

About the Monster Employment Index
Launched in May 2010 with data collected since October 2009, the Monster Employment Index is a broad and comprehensive monthly analysis of online job posting activity in India conducted by Monster India. Based on a real-time review of millions of employer job opportunities culled from a large, representative selection of online career outlets, including Monster India, the MEI presents a snapshot of employer online recruitment activity nationwide.

MEI’s underlying data is validated for accuracy by Research America, Inc. – an independent, third-party auditing firm – to ensure that measured national online job recruitment activity is within a margin of error of +/- 1.05%. For more information, please visit Monster Employment Index

|In: Mobile|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

CleverTap, a next generation mobile engagement platform, with more than 1500 customers globally announced a global partnership with App Promo an award wining app marketing and promotional agency that help developers succeed in the discovery, downloads and monetization of mobile applications.

The partnership will give access to all of App Promo clients CleverTap’s mobile engagement platform.  Developers will now have immediate access to CleverTap’s world-class analytics to create more personalized mobile experiences and increase user engagement.

Sunil Thomas, Co-Founder & CEO, CleverTap said

With developers creating apps from all around the world, it was key to find an app marketing agency that is able to help market their applications not just in the US App Store but from a global perspective,” said . “For us, partnering with App Promo is a great way to help developers with a full 360 approach to app marketing from discovery to download to engagement

Gary Yentin, CEO of App Promo added

For App Promo, the partnership significantly enhances App Promo’s post app launch marketing, guiding clients to focus on engagement and retention. Offering our clients the CleverTap’s SDK now allows them up to 1 Million monthly events at No Charge, with unlimited messaging and MAUs. Now we can help developers not only with the launch of the application but also follow up with post launch engagement, retention and monetization strategies – focusing on the business of the application.

About CleverTap

CleverTap is the next generation mobile engagement platform. It enables marketers to identify, engage and retain users and provides developers with unprecedented code-level access to build dynamic app experiences for user groups. CleverTap includes out-of-the-box prescriptive campaigns, omni-channel messaging, un-install data and the industry’s largest free messaging tier. To learn more about CleverTap please visit clevertap.com

About App Promo

Since App Promo’s launch in 2010, App Promo has helped hundreds of app developers, brands, advertisers and content providers in the business of mobile applications, taking their apps to the next level. App Promo creates custom marketing and advertising solutions to ensure that apps are discovered, downloaded, engaged with and monetized. For more information please visit www.app-promo.com