|In: Technology|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. have announced an exclusive partnership for the Indian market with Screenz, the most powerful platform for entertainment-based interactivity used by world’s top broadcasters and format owners. The partnership will add to Jio’s existing platform for gamification, which has proven itself time and again, as seen during the on-going Jio Cricket Play Along, where it has enrolled over 65 million unique users already, who are consistently playing the game as well as the Jio Kaun Banega Crorepati Play Along game, where it took KBC to every home and therefore in the common man’s reach.

With this exclusive partnership, Jio Screenz will become the largest platform and one of the only integrated providers of entertainment-based gamification in India. This will empower broadcasters and publishers to create engaging content with robust scalability. The features on this platform are highly adaptable for varied content, allowing for live, real-time interactions between broadcasters and viewers, keeping them watching and engaged.

Jio Screenz platform will provide increased engagement and new advertising opportunities due to its advanced abilities to create differentiated interactions utilizing distinct and specific profiles of individual viewers. Industry experts believe that this dual-screen experience is the next game-changer and will redefine passive advertising on television and mobile.

This is the second such innovative brand-engagement platform launched by Jio in the last few days. Last week, Jio announced the launch of the world’s first artificial intelligence-based brand engagement platform called JioInteract.

Features of the Jio Screenz platform

  • Jio Screenz Platform allows a real time two-way conversation between broadcasters and viewers in form of quizzes, polls and votes during a TV show.
  • It provides an easy to use Content Management System [CMS] that enables broadcasters to design, create and launch interactive engagements.
  • This can be enabled on any digital App using SDK with support on Android, iOS and Jio Kai-OS
  • Jio Screenz supports various social networks namely Google, Facebook, Twitter and more.
  • To ensure a continuous learning and feedback loop, it supports rich data reporting and creates unique profiles for each user, hence enabling targeted advertisement.

About Screenz

Screenz, a portfolio company of The Box Group, is a leading digital entertainment company comprised of an award winning platform and interactive original content. At the core of Screenz is a robust SAAS platform, enabling a real-time conversation between content and viewers. Screenz empowers broadcasters and publishers to manage content and create highly adaptable audience engagement through live, real-time interactions. Screenz has a partnership with Google, and customers such as ABC, Fox, Sony, Globo, Univision and more. For more information, please visit Screenz

|In: Funding|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

mfine, an app-based on-demand healthcare service, announced it has raised $4.2 Million in Series A funding. Prime Venture Partners led the round alongside existing investors, Stellaris Venture Partners and healthcare entrepreneur, Mayur Abhaya. The company will use the fresh funds to build the hospital network across cities, and further strengthen the technology team. The company is planning to achieve over One Lakh consultations by the end of 2018 and also partner with more than 50 top hospitals across the country.

Launched in December 2017, mfine follows a unique model of partnering with leading and trusted hospitals instead of aggregating individual doctors on the platform. Hospital partnerships enable mfine to make high-quality care of trusted doctors available on a digital channel – for the first time in the country.

Top doctors from more than 15 leading and reputed hospitals in Bengaluru such as CloudNine, Aster, and Ovum consult with patients across nine specialties. For the hospitals, mfine is their new center on the cloud bringing in more patients and offering premium services, long-term care programs, super specialties without any upfront investments.

Within the first five months of launch, mfine has clocked more than 10,000 consultations. mfine’s platform ensures that patients can reach the doctors on the network within 60 secs and start the consultation. Users get access to the same doctors and other integrated experiences as visiting a hospital, virtually and when they need. mfine will soon launch additional services such as monitoring of vitals, collection of sample for lab tests and medicine delivery at home.

mfine has built an AI-powered technology system that improves doctors’ efficiency & effectiveness dramatically. The system is built on the foundation of standard medical ontologies and protocols and is able to learn and replicate high quality diagnosis and treatment methods. The system takes care of structured data collection, reminders for follow up based on signs/symptoms and execution of care protocols for chronic conditions, thereby building a platform that’s unique and globally competitive. 

mfine was founded in February 2017 by Ashutosh Lawania [Myntra Co-founder] and Prasad Kompalli, a former business head at Myntra. The founders were later joined by Ajit Narayanan, ex-Myntra CTO, Arjun Chaudhary, ex-Myntra head of growth marketing and Dr. Jagadish Prasad, an interventional neuroradiologist, and founder of Femiint Health, a hospital in Bengaluru. Including the current funding round, the startup has raised over $6 million and has 50 employees in Bengaluru.

[L-R] Prasad Kompalli [CEO & Co-Founder], Ashutosh Lawania (Co-Founder]

Prasad Kompalli, CEO and Co-Founder, mfine said

We see a huge opportunity to bring the much needed, tech-driven transformation in the $50B primary healthcare delivery. With our deeply tech driven approach and working with reputed providers, we are effectively creating a ‘cloud clinic’ where quality healthcare can be accessed on demand from anywhere. We believe we can scale this across the country and beyond and help people gain much more control over their health.

Shripati Acharya, Managing Partner, Prime Venture Partners said

Teleconsult and on-demand healthcare is poised to fundamentally transform healthcare delivery in India. mfine has taken an innovative hospital-first approach where experienced doctors and specialists from established hospital brands are available directly on the app. It is backed by a stellar team with passionate founders who have deep experience building startups and getting them to scale and succeed.

Ritesh Banglani, Partner, Stellaris Venture Partners said

We are pretty excited about what mfine has built up so far both in the product and the provider network. The impressive consumer traction they have achieved in a short time reinforces our belief in this space and mfine’s differentiated approach. We are excited to back them in their journey to create large and impactful health-tech business.

Rohit M A, Co-founder & MD, Cloudnine Group of Hospitals said

Digital health is the future of primary health care as it offers much more convenience and continuity to the couples in our care. Mfine’s connected care platform augers very well into the Digital Engagement strategy at Cloudnine and we are excited about the new reach and the extended clinical care programs for fulfilling varied needs of our customers.

Dr. Adarsh, Chairman and Medical Director Ovum Hospitals, Ovum Hospitals

With mfine video consultation, I can meet my patients virtually and that makes online consultation much more easy and safe. mfine app is super simple to use with almost zero typing. I can provide much detailed prescriptions on mfine including nutrition and growth chart.

The mfine app is currently available in English on Google Playstore & Appstore and can be downloaded from here.

|In: CryptoCurrency|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Driven with a mission to bring transparency and simplicity in the trade of crypto-assets, Bengaluru-based CoinSwitch has launched its operations in India. CoinSwitch is a blockchain-based crypto-currency exchange aggregator platform that presents users with a one-stop solution for buying, selling or converting crypto-currencies across all partner exchanges. CoinSwitch users need not sign-up at multiple exchanges and yet, compare different prices and strike the best bargains.

Image Source – Coin Switch

The aggregator platform further helps users diversify their investments in various leading crypto-assets by supporting over 100 cryptocurrencies in India and 300 across the globe including altcoins, tokens like Bitcoin [BTC], Ethereum [ETH], Ripple [XRP], Litecoin [LTC], etc. Users can access CoinSwitch to also convert their existing crypto-asset in other pairs. The platform currently supports over 7,000 currency pairs in India and over 45,000 across the globe. Owing to its diverse offering, CoinSwitch has been successful in clocking in daily trade volumes worth over USD 1 Million.

Commenting on the milestones achieved by the company, Ashish Singhal, Co-Founder & CEO of CoinSwitch said

We have started CoinSwitch with a vision of making it easier for everyone to transact in crypto-currencies. We are further driven to bring transparency and trust in such transactions, giving the ultimate decision-making power to the consumers, aiding them with real-time charts and crypto-currency prices. The same reflects in the daily volumes that we are able to clock-in, spanning over 1 Mn per day. We owe this success to our partners and users who have decided to put their faith in our platform and are hoping for a positive response in years to come as well.

The founding team of CoinSwitch hails from established tech conglomerates like Microsoft, Amazon and Zynga.

About CoinSwitch

Headquartered in Bengaluru, CoinSwitch is a blockchain-based cryptocurrency exchange aggregator platform that supports transactions in over 100 cryptocurrencies in India and 300 across the globe like altcoins, tokens like Bitcoin [BTC], Ethereum [ETH], Ripple [XRP], Litecoin [LTC], etc. Given its diverse offering, CoinSwitch has been driving daily sales volumes upwards of USD 1 Mn.

CoinSwitch aggregates multiple exchanges, facilitating transactions in all coins that are available with partner exchanges. For more information, please visit CoinSwitch

|In: Food-Commerce|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Uber Eats, the on-demand food delivery app has completed its first successful year of operations in India. Launched in Mumbai in May 2017, Uber Eats has grown its presence in India by expanding to 13 cities in India and adding more than 40 restaurants daily onto its platform. Uber Eats is now focused on taking the service to tier 2 markets.

Image Source – Uber Eats

The platform is also experiencing nearly 50% MoM growth, in its first year of operations. It has more than doubled in terms of number of orders in the last 3 months.  Uber Eats is currently present in 13 cities across the country namely – Mumbai, Gurgaon, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chennai, Coimbatore, Vizag, Jaipur, Kochi, Pune and Chandigarh and is focused on expanding its footprint to additional tier 2 markets in the coming month.

Bhavik Rathod, Head of Uber Eats, India, said

It has been an exciting journey for Uber Eats and we’re happy to celebrate this milestone today as we complete a year in India. We are confident to grow furthermore in the coming years. Today, India is a huge sea of opportunities for startups and new age businesses like Uber Eats. We thank all our restaurant and delivery partners, all our happy consumers and look forward to your continuous support.

Uber Eats has gained great momentum in India and is one of its fastest growing markets in the Asia Pacific region. We look forward to accelerating this growth further on and India has huge opportunities to offer. Increased aspirations, a land of millennials, sky rocketing number of consumers going online, and fast paced internet and mobile penetration – it is a perfect concoction for Uber Eats to invest in India and tap on smaller yet upcoming educational and business hubs. And that’s the next step for Uber Eats.

Uber Eats Growth Story

Uber Eats Milestones

  • Launched in Mumbai in May 2017; India is the fastest growing market in APAC and has expanded to 13 cities in 12 months.
  • Appointed Bhavik Rathod, as the Head of Uber Eats for India, one of the almost five years back.
  • Shiv Sagar, Chaayos, The Bohri Kitchen were some of the first restaurants that were on-boarded on the platform. Today there are over 12000 restaurant partners across the 13 cities in India.
  • Pooja Rani from Chandigarh was the first woman to join Uber Eats as a female delivery partner.

What India Eats

This past year, Uber Eats has discovered some interesting food habits of Indians, let’s take a tasty trip down memory lane:

  • Winner, winner Chicken dinner? Across north and the south and the diversity in between, Indians expressed one common dish that they just couldn’t resist – the Chicken biryani was the hot favourite dish amongst Indians was the most ordered item in India on Uber Eats
  • Think you splurge way too much to fulfill your sugar cravings? Think again. An eater in Bangalore ordered ice-cream worth INR 11,341.
  • Keeping up with the ongoing cricket fever, 15th April 2018 was the hungriest day for all our Eaters in India as Uber Eats made the maximum trips in a single day.
  • The most gigantic order delivered by Uber Eats was on 10th March 2018, when a consumer called for 143 pieces of Rawa masala dosa, taking our delivery services to newer heights.

|In: startups|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

New app-based service S3 Cabs have been rolled out in Mumbai and were inaugurated by Sudhakar Deshmukh, Hon. MLA for Nagpur West. The service is an initiative by the Bharat Freight, a logistics company.

Image Source – S3 Cabs

S3 service does not have surge pricing or night charges; the cabs are available at a flat rate. Sahayadri Smart Safe Private Limited – the company behind the cab services thought that flat pricing will be a good respite for riders traveling in the peak hours and for regular and corporate travelers. Also, passengers who do not have the application downloaded or without a smartphone, have the option of booking the cab through service representatives designated at different parts of the Mumbai region and also through a phone call.

A separate service application has been developed to enable this service. New and innovative ways of deploying SOS service has been planned for the safety of passengers. Not only SOS but the riders will also be able to customize the trip using language options, tourist guide option, etc. At the time when complaints are rampant from drivers against other dominant players of the cab service industry for various reasons, S3 has already drawn strategies around the pain points.

Sohel Kazani, Director, Sahayadri Smart Safe Pvt. Ltd. also said the service gave a higher commission to drivers and took their safety and well-being seriously.

Both the drivers and the riders are offered 24/7 phone support, and that drivers are not allowed to spend more than 10 hours driving for S3, in order to prevent driver fatigue. In-cab entertainment options are also being explored and will be rolled out soon.

Sudhakar Deshmukh, Hon. MLA for Nagpur West, speaking on the development said

Government was trying to create a similar application and that I am very happy to know Bharat Freight Company has taken a CSR initiative and the state will extend its full support for the same. I am also of that opinion that we should give sufficient training to drivers to enhance the standard of taxis and improve the quality of life of the drivers and their families. The company should explore our skill development program to meet the desired objectives.

Actor, screenwriter, producer and director Akbar Khan were also there for the launch along with corporator Mrs. Harshala More. The idea was the brainchild of Prafulla Shinde, son of a retired police officer from the Mumbai Police. Prafulla is now a director with Sahayadari Smart Safe Pvt. Ltd.

Prafulla exclaimed

We are going to charge 3% towards facility charges from drivers on a daily earning of up to INR 1,500 INR 2,000 and 10% on any amount above it, as opposed to 20-25% charged by others. We have set up a call center. Complaints can be made via mail, WhatsApp, and on the helpline number. Drivers can also be rated.

The app is available on Android and iOS platforms. S3 also developed a service app for restaurants, hotels, bars, etc. who can use it to book cabs for their customers. Shinde said S3 also plans to launch a parcel service in July and they are already in talks with two online shopping companies.

S3 has deployed the most updated technology platform that will greatly reduce the booking v/s delivery turnaround time for customers. It will also minimize the response time for customer calls. The chauffeurs are called, are well-trained in the use of the technology and soft skills. The venture is expected to generate 5,000 direct jobs.

|In: Finance|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Financial markets are subjects to volatility. The price of securities, commodities, and currencies, among others, fluctuate due to the market volatility. In order to combat these fluctuations effectively, investors deploy numerous strategies to avoid losses. One of the most popular strategies to reduce the risk of market volatility is hedging.

Image Source – Derivatives

It is a known fact that derivatives are widely used for hedging. The value of this financial security is obtained because of an underlying asset or a group of assets. Based on the price fluctuations of the underlying asset, the value of the derivative also changes.

A major benefit of derivatives is the minimization of risk. It transfers risk from those opposed to the risk to high-risk individuals. Besides, it helps determine current and future prices. Moreover, you may enjoy increased savings and investments in the future.

Types of derivatives

It is important to understand the various types available in the derivatives market. Following are the four most common types.

Future contracts

Simply put, future trading is a contract to sell or purchase a security at a predetermined price at a specified time at a later date. Based on the underlying asset that is being traded, future contracts detail the quantity and quality of the security. Future contracts trade on futures markets and are subject to a daily settlement procedure.

Options contracts

Options trading is a contract wherein the buyer does not have the obligation, but the right, to sell or purchase a security at a pre-determined price on a particular date or during a certain period of time. There are of two types of options – put option and call option. Call options offer the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to purchase a security at a pre-determined price during a certain period of time or on a specific date. Puts, on the other hand, offer the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to sell a security at a pre-determined price during a certain period of time or on a specific date.

Swaps

Swap is a contract to exchange future cash flows based on a prearranged formula. There are two common types of swaps, namely interest rate and currency swaps. As the name suggests, interest rate swaps indicate swapping the interest cash flows of the same currency. Currency swaps, on the other hand, involves swapping the interest and the principal of equal value in another currency.

Forward contracts

A forward contract is a customized contract between a buyer and seller, where they buy or sell a security or commodity at a later date at a price agreed upon today. Securities traded in a forward contract generally include precious metals, commodities, and natural gas, among others.

You may, therefore, use the above-mentioned types to tackle hedging effectively. You may use futures and options, the two most common types of financial contracts, to trade on the stock exchange market.

|In: e-commerce|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

While online platforms selling movie tickets have gained much popularity among movie-buffs, a humble startup is silently capturing a substantial share in the ticketing market and has become quite a known name amongst college goers. TheCollegeFever [TCF] is the first platform to have sold online a total of 4 lakh college event tickets so far. This is the go-to destination for booking events of IITs, IIMs and many prestigious colleges. Gross Ticket Value earned so far exceeds INR 10 Crore.

Image Source – TheCollegeFever

TCF helps plan, propagate and get sponsorship’s for college events, seminars and workshops. Quite popular among college cultural groups and committees of major Indian institutions, the platform’s undeviated focus on its target audience – youngsters and college goers – is paying dividends. The startup has registered 100 per cent growth YoY, since its inception in 2016. That’s been a constant for last three years and remains the target for the year 2018 as well.

The reach and footprint of the Bengaluru-based startup is also growing swiftly. From working with less than 1000 colleges in 2016, more than 2100 colleges now organize events and sell tickets through TheCollegeFever.

Talking about the growth story, Kushal Aralihalli, Founder – TheCollegeFever said

Our consistent strategic partnerships with prestigious college events of IIT Bombay, IIT BHU, IIT Rajasthan, IIM Bangalore, IIM Indore, NIT Tirchy and others prove that TheCollegeFever delivers value to college event organizers. Unlike other general event technology platforms, we have created a niche product that is customised to college event organisers. That’s our biggest asset.

Funded by Mumbai-based VC 11.2 Advisors, TheCollegeFever raised $250,000 last year.

Kushal Aralihalli, Founder – TheCollegeFever added

Being a strong believer of a good product, I allocated a major sum for product development. And the strategy worked. With a seamless UI experience, the platform has become a big hit amongst youngsters. Colleges are using the features on offer and creating some of the most-talked about campus events in the country.

With almost 2100+ colleges partnered, 6000+ events organized and 4,00,000+ tickets sold over two years, the startup is an undisputed leader when it comes to college events’ ticketing.

Looking at the future, the company aims to grow by another 100% this year. The growth is targeted to be reflective in all terms including the reach, number of events, revenue and profits.

About TheCollegeFever

TheCollegeFever is a Bengaluru based platform for student communities based on college life and similar interests and helps them in Coordinating Fests, Conducting Workshops and Promotion for wide coverage and sponsorship’s. Founded by Kushal Arallihali, the platform has helped all the IITs, IIMs and various premium Universities and Campuses in better event management. For more information, please visit TheCollegeFever

|In: Guest Blogging|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Lead generation is the process of attracting and converting strangers and prospects into company’s product or service and it describes the marketing process of stimulating and capturing interest in a product or service for the purpose of developing sales pipeline. Prospects can come in the form of names and addresses, names and phone numbers, email addresses and fax numbers.

Why Lead Generation is Important ?

Lead generation is the fundamental way to provide channels of revenue into any company. In order to effectively make sales, you have to have qualified leads and it is incredibly important in keeping your sales and marketing pipeline alive. Lead generation is a win-win for both the buyer and seller.

Following are the 7 Essential Steps that marketers can use to Improve B2B Lead Generation.

Developing Better Marketing Content – Every content marketing strategy starts with the goal. How are you going to measure the success of your campaign? Is it with traffic? New subscribers? Social shares & engagement? Sales? Your content should be integrated in such a way that it helps you achieve your organizational goals. A content marketing strategy is a road-map that not only tells you what you are going to create, distribute it, and ultimately how to use it to attract and convert readers into buyers.

Greater Personalization – Marketing is all about delivering valuable information about a product or service at the right place and the right time. Personalized marketing is a strategy of its own that you can integrate into your different types of marketing mediums to generate better results. The main benefit of personalized marketing is the ability it gives you to reach specific audiences or prospects.

Personalization depends on

  • Demographics – Age, gender, location, career and more. This also includes their problems, needs, and wants.
  • Behaviors – Data includes the type of content they digest, where they spend their time, how they shop, what kind of information they are looking for.
  • Sources – Defines how your leads find you, or how you are generating and acquiring new customers. Is it campaigns you run? Referral programs? Social activity?

Create irresistible lead magnets – A lead magnet is a tool that you use to incentivize potential leads to interact with your brand. In other words, you’re trading the valuable piece of content for something you want, like the user’s email address. The best lead magnets offer value far and beyond what you might post on your blog. Ideally, they’re immediately useful for your target audience. Whatever you choose, make sure you can pinpoint its value during the lead-generation process.

Some of the most effective lead magnets include the following

  • E-books
  • In-depth case studies
  • Tools and calculators
  • Free demos for your app
  • Free trials for your software
  • Report or white paper

Link your Call To Action [CTA] to a dedicated landing page – The call to action is a core component of B2B lead generation. Call to Actions may have changed over the years, but the goal hasn’t changed: Put the right message in front of the right people at the right time.If you focus on your email newsletter to educate customers, including the call to action is a great opportunity to present them with relevant offers to generate leads and Website visits. Linking your call to action to the exact landing page will improve your customer engagement and number of leads.

Creating word-of-mouth referrals – Word of mouth marketing is not just about creating a message it’s about delivering real human experiences to the masses. Word-of-mouth marketing isn’t easy, but with a little tactical planning, any business can create a real buzz in their local community. According marketing survey 92% of prospects trust referrals from people they know or their relatives, and 80% of consumers are more likely to buy a new product when learning about it from friends or family.

Be Active on Social Media for lead generation – With recent updates, many social media platforms are becoming more important than ever.  Creating great content directly to your followers is one of the easiest ways to gather detailed information about prospects using social media. Social media is great for not only spreading brand awareness but also converting followers into leads. Believe it or not, the tools you already use to establish and promote your brand can become B2B lead-generating machines.

However, don’t discount other social platforms, including the following:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

Chat with your users with live chat – Going live is a great way to directly interact with your prospects or customers and engage with them in real-time. By answering questions and generating awareness about your products or services, live chats give you the opportunity to position your brand as an expert in the industry. You can also drive cross-channel traffic by directing participants to branded content, creating promotional images or banners, landing pages, and offerings.

Final Thoughts

Lead generation is essential for all businesses that wish to drive higher profits and ROI. It plays a role in every business’s marketing strategy. The lead generation funnel allows brands to reach their best leads, nurture that interest, and capture necessary data before delivering truly qualified leads to sales. Hope these tips will increase the effectiveness of your outreach effort.

About the Author

Michael Anthony works as a Content Marketer for USAExeList, a high-end B2B Email Lists provider based in Addison, Texas. He has been promoting high-quality content in select niches for his clients.