|In: Interviews|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

How many times have you found that the short poem or quote you posted on Facebook or Twitter was copied by someone else and no due credit was given to the creator 🙁 Wouldn’t it be great if your work was recognized including the one-liners [or quotes] which you felt would be liked by others!

Whether it is a one-liner/poem/stories, with YourQuote you can showcase your work to the online fraternity with the credit given to you. YourQuote is a mobile-first micro-blogging platform for writers that is created with a vision to empower every person who writes to have their writings one Google search away.

Today we have a discussion with Harsh Snehanshu, Co-founder & CEO of YourQuote where we discuss about journey of YourQuote, learnings for entrepreneurs, Hiring for startups, etc.

So, let’s get started with the Q&A….

Image Source – YourQuote

How was the idea of YourQuote born ?

The idea came primarily because one of us is a writer and felt the dearth of any good writing app. We being two co-founders, Ashish Singh & Harsh Snehanshu,

IIT Delhi graduates of 2011. While Ashish is the tech-whiz, Harsh is a writer [having published books & freelanced for all major magazines] and a marketeer. As a writer, Harsh felt there was no way to inspire the layman to get into the fulfilling habit of writing everyday. YourQuote merges brevity and beauty to make it the perfect app to write short pieces [~1200 characters] everyday.
Our website is search engine optimized in such a way that every time a user posts anything, it gets searchable on Google [by “Your Name Quotes”]. Our vision is to empower every common person who writes to have their writings one Google search away. Imagine how people search for Abraham Lincoln quotes, they will find your name quotes on Google. It’s already in action. You can see “Harsh Snehanshu Quotes” or “Ashish Singh Quotes” on Google.

Can you give a small background about you, your start-up and it’s founders ?

We are two IIT Delhi grads of 2011 batch. Ashish Singh is the Co-founder and CTO, Harsh Snehanshu is the Co-founder and CEO. Harsh is also a writer, with 6 books and 36 magazine features in his portfolio.

What were some of the crucial learnings for you [as an entrepreneur] when you started WhereAbout [then later moved to found YourQuote] ?

Major learning was to not start-up in a domain where we lacked key insight. For YourQuote, I as a writer for the past ten years had a lot of behavioural and psychological insight as in what do writers want. For Whereabout, we lacked any key insight. Everything was based on hypothesis.

Please walk us through the Business Model of YourQuote ?

Right now, our focus is on community building instead of revenue model. However, we run marketing campaigns for brands where brands crowd-source creative content using our app.

How does your team ensure that there is no Content Infringement of the Quotes used by your users ?

Every quote has a flag button. You can flag a quote for abuse/spam/plagiarism and our community values the original content. So if you post anything copied, the community will flag it immediately.

YourQuote Co-founders – Harsh Snehanshu [L], Ashish Singh [R]

Your startup recently re-located to the Himalaya’s, what are some of the pros [and cons] w.r.t hiring, scaling, etc. or any other points that you would like to share ?

Pros are many, especially if your team is small. It’s a distraction free environment and you get a lot of work done. You need to have a team that’s eager to move to contemplate going to a smaller town. In our case, we had. For a bigger team, it might get a little difficult. I wrote an elaborate article on our learnings for YourStory and the link is here

Just like Twitter, would YourQuote remain free to use or there is any freemium model planned for YourQuote ?

Yes, it will remain free. We will make revenue by running branding contests for corporates.

Any plans of launching YourQuote Ads or YourQuote for brands ?

Too soon to monetize. We are a social product. We will rather focus on community building right now.

Please share some insights into hiring for startups [especially from the backdrop of WhereAbout] ?

Hiring requires people whose values match with yours. We are very lean, flexible and don’t fear dirtying our hands if need be. We look for such people. Generally, anyone who has run a start-up before or scaled or built a product before.

Is YourQuote available only for Android or is it available for iOS users as well ?

YourQuote is also available on iOS and Desktop.

Is YourQuote bootstrapped, are you planning to raise external funding

Yes, we are currently in talks with investors.

Are there any existing competitors of YourQuote, how has the response been so far from the users ?

Response has been great. Textgram, lettrs are our competitors.

What are the initial challenges that you faced once you started working on the idea [or turned an entrepreneur] ?

Finding good talent at less cost was quite a challenge. Moving to the Himalayas helped.

What are some of the growth hacking techniques that are being used for YourQuote and some tips for our readers.

Building the right product. Making the user feel good about themselves also works like a charm.

YourQuote has not yet raised external funding, when according to you should an entrepreneur look out for external funding ?

After reaching product market fit, in the current market.

Some tips for aspiring entrepreneurs and something that keeps you motivated everyday for your startup ?

I would like to advise young entrepreneur the best advice I got from my mentor, Ashish Tulsian [CEO, Posist], and that is – Don’t startup if you are not mentally prepared to bootstrap for at least 2 years.

If you are a writer or aspiring to be one, then you can download the YourQuote app for Android or YourQuote for iOS. You can leave your feedback for the app in the comments section. If you have any further questions for YourQuote team, please leave them in the comments section or shoot a mail to himanshu.sheth@gmail.com and we would get it answered for you..

|In: Mobile|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

An awareness programme was organized under the aegis of Ministry of Communications on Electromagnetic Field (EMF) Emissions and Mobile Towers. This is the part of a nationwide programme to facilitate digital India initiative. Honourable Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Communications, Shri Manoj Sinha graced the occasion as Chief Guest in the inaugural session of this programme and delivered the inaugural address.

Shri O.P. Meena, Chief Secretary, Government of Rajasthan participated as a Special Guest in the inaugural session of this programme along with Shri J.S. Deepak, Secretary, DoT, DDG TERM, DoT and others senior officials of the Government of Rajasthan in the panel. Shri Rajpal Singh Shekhwat, Minister of Industry, Government of Rajasthan also graced the occasion and supported the initiative. The panel comprised of senior members of the DoT, Principal Secretaries, Govt of Rajasthan, Advisor of Health Ministry and medical experts and professor of IIT Bombay. Shri Meena while delivering the address supported the idea of such initiatives to educate the masses on EMF and clearing the air on the misconceptions associated with it.

Shri JS Deepak, IAS, Secretary, DoT (5th from left) with senior DoT officials and expert panel of Doctors during the ‘Awarness Program on EMF Emissions and Telecom Towers’ held in Jaipur on 17th Dec. 2016

This initiative is aimed at bridging the communication gap and equipping various stakeholders like citizens & residents, chiefs of municipal bodies, government officers, municipal councillors and office bearers of Residential Welfare Associations with scientific evidences and facts on EMF which clearly prove that non ionising radiation from mobile towers are not harmful or hazardous for human health. The government of India norms are stricter and are rigorously implemented ensuring that emissions from mobile towers remain within the permissible limit and government guidelines are strictly adhered too. The panel also presented the body of scientific evidence and research where it was clearly established that no correlation has been found between these emissions from mobile towers and human health diseases.

Delivering the inaugural address, Hon’ble Minister of State [Independent Charge] for Communications, Shri Manoj Sinha, said

Telecom is a key source of communication & empowerment of citizens and an effective tool for socio-economic development of a nation. It is the backbone for growth and modernization of various sectors. The delivery of voice and data services to those who are at the bottom of the pyramid in India, can be done through mobile networks only, which has been a game changer by expanding connectivity in the last decade. A conducive ecosystem for infrastructure rollouts is essential to take the country on the path to progress and we should continue to encourage a scientific temper in the country with no place for myths around towers.

Shri Manoj Sinha, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Min. of Communication addresses during the ‘Awarness Program on EMF Emissions and Telecom Towers’ held in Jaipur on 17th Dec. 2016

Shri J.S. Deepak, Secretary, Telecom Commission, DoT, during his welcome address said

The Government recognizes the challenges for the sector and the people at large and is striving to empower the citizens with facts that help them make informed decisions. We are absolutely committed to protect the health of our citizens, the standards for Electromagnetic Radiation limit that DoT have prescribed for emission from mobile towers are ten times stricter than the international standards prescribed by ICNIRP and recommended by WHO. Indian Government has taken adequate steps to ensure that Telecommunications Service Providers (TSPs) strictly adhere to these norms. We want to continue working together to create a fully connected and empowered India and for them we need more towers.

Dr. R.M. Chaturvedi, DDG-CS, DoT, pointed out that based on around 30 years of research and 25,000 studies conducted around the world, the WHO arrived at the conclusion

Despite the feeling of some people that more research needs to be done, scientific knowledge in this area is now more extensive than for most chemicals. Current evidence does not confirm any correlation between health ailments and exposure to low-level electromagnetic fields.” He also referred to the WHO-led EMF Project, involving over 50 national authorities and 8 international organizations. Together, since 1996, they have been reviewing scientific information to provide scientifically sound and objective answers to public concerns about possible hazards of low-level electromagnetic fields. Despite extensive research, to date, there is no evidence to conclude that exposure to low level electromagnetic fields is harmful to human health

A Committee, formed at the behest of the Hon’ble Allahabad High Court comprising experts from five IITs, AIIMS (Delhi), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow has also on the basis of scientific evidences, studies and reports available, found that there is no conclusive evidence about the stated dangers of EMF radiation from mobile BTS tower.

Throwing more light on this crucial aspect of EMF radiation, Dr. Arun Chougule, Professor & Head, Department of Radiological Physics, SMS Medical College, Jaipur, explained to the audience that the radiation from cell towers are well within the safety limit and have no detrimental effect on human health.

While demystifying the notions associated with EMF, Dr. Chougule mentioned

A lot of research and many scientific studies have already been done to find the possible link between EMF emission and human health, but nothing so far proves any correlation between them. Experts in healthcare agree that there is nothing that substantiates the belief that EMF emissions can cause severe health hazards.

Shri Ram Narain, Senior DDG, Telecom Enforcement Resource & Monitoring (TERM) unit detailed the staunch monitoring and enforcement mechanism maintained by DoT for EMF related compliances. A penalty of Rs. 10 lakh per incidence is imposed in case any BTS site is found to violate the prescribed EMF norms. If the violation persists, sites can also be closed down.

Several Indian Courts, including the High Courts of Punjab & Haryana, Madras, Kerala, Gujarat and Allahabad hearing cases related to effects of radiation from cellphone towers, have delivered verdicts dismissing petitions raising concerns against mobile tower installations on grounds that they posed risk to people’s health.

The Government has endeavoured to clear misconceptions around the issue of mobile tower emissions. It has sought advice from various scientific and research organisations to substantiate safety of mobile communications. To further instil confidence in the public, the Government of India has taken the step of allowing towers to be installed atop Central government offices. The effort to drive awareness about the truth of mobile tower emissions will continue. But it will also need the people to open up their minds to be able to distinguish reality from myth. Only then will seamless connectivity be possible.

About the Department of Telecommunication (DoT)

The Department of Telecommunications, abbreviated to DoT, is part of the Ministry of Communications of the executive branch of the Government of India. Its mission is to develop a robust and secure state-of-the-art telecommunication network providing seamless coverage with special focus on rural and remote areas for bridging the digital divide and thereby facilitate socio-economic development; create an inclusive knowledge society through proliferation of affordable and high quality broadband services across the nation; reposition the mobile device as an instrument of socio-economic empowerment of  citizens; make India a global hub for telecom equipment manufacturing; promote development of new standards to meet national requirements; attract investment, both domestic and foreign and promote creation of jobs. For more information, please visit DOT

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

ValueShipr, an online logistics marketplace platform [Decker Logistics Pvt. Ltd] has activated its presence in Goa making their services available in twelve locations across India. With a foothold gathered in Goa, ValueShipr fortifies the company presence across locations with the objective to bring together multi modal logistics solutions (Surface, Ocean, Rail, and Air) for cargo movement for consignors, consignees, fleet owners, transport companies, warehouse owners as well as agencies all on one common platform.

Headquartered in Mumbai and launched in October 2016, the ValueShipr logistics platform, is strongly forging ahead with its smart and simple technology platform with the aim to organize, change, institutionalize and bring the much necessary change in the logistics sector. The company caters to over 50+ lanes inter-city with over 700 plus trucks/container between all these 12 main centers. The company enjoys a pan India presence including offices in Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai.

With focus and emphasis on express logistics and inter city transportation, the ValueShipr platform offers omni-channel experience, two different mobile apps (catering to transporters and shippers separately) and a call center facility for accessibility at all times. All services when integrated together allows a unified and seamless experience to both the transporter as well as the shipper. Users can enjoy a wholesome and smooth experience while attaining their logistical requirements owing to a pervasive cloud based enterprise, that allows bidding and load matching, IOT and GPS tracking enabled, event based alerts, security and payments. Customers can book an instant shipment, to-pay shipment, contractual loads on the platform. The ValueShipr team’s process sensitivity additionally of getting involved in each leg of the shipment, is another force multiplier and re-assurance to quality in the overall offerings to the users.

Speaking on this occasion Jyotheesh Kumar, Co-founder & CEO shared

The sole focus of ValueShipr is to overcome the identified challenges of the Logistics stakeholders through introduction of pioneering technology applications in line with the consumer’s requirement. Post the introduction of the platform, in a very short span of time, the response we have received from the customers has been very enthusiastic and we have seen accelerated growth of transactions and volumes coming in across our platforms. The current currency scenario has also given a fillip to the transactions.  By early February 2017 we would be active across 25 centres in India and will introduce newer products and multiply operational lanes for customers. We most definitely see mobile technology as a future harbinger for growth for our offerings.

ValueShipr will be one of the pioneers in South East Asia, leading the emerging trend in the developed nations with near similar online network platforms that add value, create efficiencies and bring seamlessness to transactions in the transportation and logistics sector.

About ValueShipr

The company founded and based out of Mumbai, ValueShipr is heralding in an innovative logistics platform ecosystem on ‘On-Demand Logistics’ marketplace by aggregating, organizing and bringing ‘Transporter Partners’ and ‘Clients-Shippers’ to harmoniously conduct business. The company is founded by Jyotheesh Kumar who brings in close to 20 years of experience in diverse and varied business roles. The company has received seed funding in 2016.

The platform focuses on Multi Modal Logistics Solutions (Surface, Ocean, Rail, and Air) for cargo movement and brings together consignors, consignees, fleet owners, transport companies, warehouse owners as well as agencies on one common platform and enable them to transact and manage their business. For more information, please visit ValueShipr

|In: Android|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Swipe Technologies launched Elite Max, its premium flagship smartphone that sports 4 GB RAM and is powered by Octa-Core Snapdragon Processor. Redefining the traditional class-apart, the elevated level of craftsmanship supports power-packed features in an aesthetically-designed stylish and sleek glass body. Featuring a 5.5 inches Full HD IPS Display, the Swipe Elite Max is available in Onyx Black variant.

Announcing the launch of Swipe’s most advanced offering till date, Shripal Gandhi, Founder & CEO of Swipe Technologies, said

It is Swipe’s stated goal to make the latest mobile technologies available to aspiring Indian youth at affordable costs and Elite Max promises to live up to Swipe’s stated goals. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, an Octa-Core CPU, 64-bit capabilities and compatible with the ultra-fast 4G LTE networks, Elite Max lets the user reach new levels of performance for video, photography and gaming. With its powerful and aesthetically-superior specifications, Elite Max is going to be an ideal choice for youth, fashion-savvy women and professionals who are constantly connected, mobile-centric and aware of latest trends.

Speaking on the launch Ajay Yadav, VP-Mobiles at Flipkart, said

Flipkart is the largest and most preferred platform for smartphones in India, and we are constantly innovating to build on that. Our association with Swipe mobile is an extension of our philosophy of creating market disruptions through new innovations and valuable partnerships. After the overwhelming response to Swipe Elite Star, that was launched few days back, we are positive that Swipe Elite Max will be a blockbuster hit among smartphone customers.

Elite Max is Swipe’s flagship offering-in terms of design, form factor, performance and utility. Swipe Elite Max sports a large 5.5 inch FHD IPS display for absolutely comfortable viewing. Powered by an enormous 4 GB RAM, Elite Max is capable of running heavy apps easily and makes multi-tasking a way of life while helping gamers to play graphic-heavy games without any lag. Elite Max comes with an internal memory of 32 GB, which is expandable up to further 32 GB for users to store all the pictures, videos, music, document and more.

The phone draws power from the Qualcomm Snapdragon Processor that supports fast downloads and uploads, stunning graphics and photos while ensuring a lag-free multi-tasking smartphone experience.

Users of Elite Max get unprecedented control with integrated fingertip sensor that supports intuitive unlock feature. For the users to be able to enjoy superior Android experience, the Elite Max comes with the latest Android Marshmallow 6.0 for the best performance.

Elite Max is powered by Zip Charge attribute providing enough power to users through the day & beyond. With zip charge, a user can charge for 15 minutes and talk for 120 minutes. The new phone gives an extended company to the user with its mammoth 3000 mAh battery, which is installed keeping in mind the daily lifestyles and usage patterns of young smartphone users. Also, its Dual-SIM 4G-connectivity provides an effortless share-and-up.

Swipe Elite Max promises the ultimate multimedia experience with great sound and better picture quality. Its stereo max speaker lets the user enjoy sound in incredible detail and clarity. Its high resolution Audio reproduces high-frequency sound for a studio-quality experience.

Click to zoom

Faster than a blink of an eye, Elite Max’s 13 MP rear camera is capable of auto-focusing in just 0.2 second for taking great-quality pictures. With power to preserve spontaneous action in real-time, Elite Max comes with the PDAF-support for better light path and finding the exact distance. The Selfie-enthusiasts can rejoice by taking incredible Selfies instantly and effortlessly with Elite Max’s 8MP Front Camera. Elite Max consistently takes high-quality images – quicker, clearer and crisper – wherever they are snapped.

Its stunning Onyx Black form factor makes Elite Max exceptionally elegant and expressive for any personal style statement.  And despite so many upgrades, Elite Max is surprisingly thinner and fits comfortably in hands. At 7.7 mm, Elite Max is one of the slimmest phones with comparable features making it India’s most affordable 4 GB phone.

Swipe Elite Max is priced at Rs. 10,999 and will be available online exclusively on Flipkart from 16th December 2016.

About Swipe Technologies

Swipe Technologies is an innovation-centric mobility solutions company, having started its operations in July 2012. Within a short span of time, Swipe has become the leading tablet and Smartphone maker in India. Swipe was started with an aim to bring exciting devices in the growing Indian market and today, it is the leading consumer brand with key innovations across products, pricing and customer support.

Founded by technocrat Shripal Gandhi, Swipe raised $5 million in May 2014 from the Venture Capital firm Kalaari Capital. For more details, please visit JustSwipe

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

The term Demonetization has become a household name since the Government pulled the old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes out of circulation. While the unprecedented action by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi comes with both short-term and long-term implications for the e-commerce industry, but has there been an impact on the consumers and their shopping behaviour.

CashKaro-India’s largest Cashback & Coupons site did a Survey recently to understand the Effects of Demonetization on Online Shopping. Over 1000 people across India participated in the survey.

Major findings from the CashKaro survey

The survey stated that Online shopping has seen a surge; Paytm wallet & CoD payments via bank cards are most preferred amongst shoppers.

Demonetization has given a boost to digital payments and is encouraging people to shop online more. While as a business CashKaro’s transactions fell 20% post the announcement but now things are stabilizing.

The announcement has bought a lot of value consciousness amongst shoppers and as a result, users are looking for more Cashback deals on basic items like groceries, consumables etc.

CashKaro is seeing an increase in the number of people clicking through our site and going to their partner retailers to purchase such daily essentials. Retailers too are offering incentives to promote the ‘Go Cashless’ movement.

Looking ahead, with increased adoption of cashless payment methods CashKaro will be able to drive more sales to partner e-tailers including Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal and more.

Infographic Source – CashKaro

For more detailed information and statistics, please refer CashKaro’s Blog on demonetization effects on Online Shopping

|In: Technology|Last Updated: | 4 Comments

A game of skill is explained as a game where the outcome is determined by the superior knowledge, intellectual skill, attention and experience rather than by chance. Though the element of chance cannot be entirely neglected but the skill factor is considered as a predominant element over chance.

The Supreme Court of India stated that A game of skill is one in which success depends principally upon the superior knowledge, training, attention, experience and adroitness of the player.

It is also worthwhile to note that-

  • Sikkim was the first state to legalize online gaming in India after the Sikkim online gaming (Regulation) Act, 2008 was passed.
  • Nagaland also facilitates online gaming as legal but specifically focuses only on “game of skill” rather than chance.

Is Rummy a Game of Skill under Indian Laws ?

Game of Skill or Mere Skill have been exempted under various state laws and the Supreme Court on this subject decisively settled that the game of rummy is not a game of entire chance, it is mainly preponderantly a game of Skill.

Rummy requires a certain amount of skill because the fall of the cards has to be remembered and building up the rummy sequences require real time skill in holding, arranging and discarding the cards. When 13 cards are dealt, the player needs to arrange these cards into proper sequences of 4 groups in which 1 pure life is a mandatory set. We cannot, therefore, say that the game of Rummy is a game of entire chance. It is mainly and preponderantly a game of skill.

Is it Legal to Play for cash at Ace2Three.com ?

The various Supreme Court rulings and the Gaming Acts of India imply the following:

  • Games based on skills are excluded from the most gambling acts. Being a game of skill, Rummy doesn’t come under betting or gambling and it’s legal to play.
  • Rummy unveils that Skill is a predominant factor than Chance
  • Rummy is a skill based game where players show their real-time skills at the table by arranging the 13 cards in the valid sequences or sets.

The Supreme Court of India has declared the games where the outcome depends upon the substantial degree of skills cannot be considered as gambling. Rummy is a preponderantly a game of skill with some element of chance, it would nevertheless be a game of ‘mere skill’. With all such inferences, it is concluded that skill based games are legal to play and hence the online rummy card game is.

Ace2Three – A Safe Destination for Online Rummy!

A trusted community of more than 7 million players who are satisfied by the gaming services and happily playing at Ace2Three. The secure platform offers a wide range of rummy games and tournaments online to add double fun, thrill and excitement.

  • The shuffling of cards are done by Random Number Generator and the card sequences are unpredictable, non-repeatable and uniformly distributed.
  • Seating is random and there is no prior selection over it. Players who are logged in from the same IP addresses are allocated different seats.
  • Information about the playing cards are encrypted and cannot be viewed by any third party.
  • Every move of the players (card selection, discard, meld, and show) are tracked by the anti-fraud algorithm.
  • Games are monitored round the clock & players suspected of collusion are blocked from playing.
  • The transactions are done smoothly and are encrypted with 2048-bit SSL.

They have extended our services to not only an online website but to App downloads as well. Now you can play 13 cards rummy on the go through the Indian Rummy App!

However, Ace2Three does not allow players from Assam, Orissa and Nagaland to play on their website. For further queries, you can write to them at enquiry@ace2three.com

Note – This is a guest article by Swati Gupta from Ace2Three

|In: Funding|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

SERV’D, a fin-tech platform, which seeks to bring the unorganised workforce in the ambit of the organised sector and financially empower them, has received funding worth USD 1 lakh from the Digital Financial Service Lab (DFS Lab), a fintech incubator fully backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

SERV’D had participated in a boot camp organised by the DFS Lab, a global initiative that seeks to bring together promising entrepreneurs working towards digital inclusion of the least served communities among developing economies.

The 7-day boot camp, attended by 20 organisations from 10 countries, provided them an opportunity to benefit from hands-on advice, mentorship and strategic counsel from industry stalwarts, as well as the chance to be awarded a share of USD $2 million of total investment and a further six months of intensive mentorship.

The DFS Lab did an extensive search for startups around the world. Out of the 700 applicants, 225 were evaluated and SERV’D is among four organisations that have received a grant from DFS labs.

Jatin Agarwal, Co-founder, SERV’D said

We are honoured to be among the four organisations chosen by DFS to receive this grant of USD 100000. The funds will be utilized to develop tech for new roles as well as drive activation for the existing product.

DFS Lab Director, Dr Jake Kendall said

Digital financial services have the power to transform developing country economies, profitably and at scale. We are looking for breakthrough ideas with the potential to bring low income households from the cash economy into the digital financial realm and give them tools to improve their lives.

The entrepreneurs were a very diverse and talented group from all over the world. Their different skills, perspectives and levels of experience produced valuable insights and led to dynamic, highly productive collaborations. We are very proud to be able to play a part in helping them reach their full potential. We are looking at funding the next multi-million dollar and potentially the next billion dollar startup in this space.

About SERV’D

SERV’D Tech Pvt. Ltd (SERV’D) is a fin-tech platform that aims at ‘organizing’ the unorganized workforce, which includes millions of ‘unregistered’ workers in a typical household-maids/ housekeepers, cooks, nannies, drivers and more. This service aims to bring accountability, professionalism and discipline to this sector by ensuring the service providers are registered and documented; and therefore over time, creating a legitimate legal work history for them that enables them to assimilate into the mainstream via financial inclusion. In the long turn, this initiative will enable them access to financial loans thus removing the need for Service Consumers to be the Service Provider’s personal banker. For more information, please visit SERV’D

|In: startups|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Express Bike Works (EBW), India’s first and fastest automated bike wash system, in association with Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), opened its first franchisee outlet at their COCO Sahar petrol pump in Mumbai.

The store opening was done in the presence of Shri. Sanjeev Ralli, Dy. General Manager, Maharashtra State Office, Shri. N A Gangakhedkar, Manager (RS-NFR), Maharashtra State Office,Chief Divisional Retail Sales Manager, Mumbai Divisional Office, Shri. Sunil Mishra, Manager (retail Sales), Mumbai Divisional Office, Shri. Prasad Gawade, Business Manager, COCO Sahar along with dealers and other industry people.

This is Express Bike Work’s first outlet at an IOCL station in Mumbai; the other one being in Bengaluru which was opened recently.

As a part of the launch, EBW is giving out free washes to first 50 bikers for the first two days and thereafter, free wash for people buying premium petrol from the same IOCL pump worth Rs. 200 or more. This offer will be valid till 31st December, 2016.

Sahar Village is a high density area with International airport and top five star hotel chains having their properties in the same vicinity. With this EBW gets the opportunity to expand its reach to all the bikers and two-wheeler owners who visit the station for fuel and air services.

Niraj Taksande, Co-founder, Express Bike Works said

IOCL is the market leader in petrol pumps in India and has the largest number of stations across country. We are fortunate to be partnering with them and catering to their clients. COCO Sahar station in Sahar Village is a high density station giving us access to a large number of two-wheeler riders. Services available at the IOCL station will include 2-minute automated motorcycle washing, detailing, health check-up, express maintenance and on-road assistance anywhere in India.

Express Bike Works will also be launching franchisees at IOCL retail outlets and stand alones, across Pune, Surat, Hyderabad, Cochin, Nagpur, Delhi, Coimbatore and Mysore in the coming year.

Sanjeev Ralli, Dy. General Manager, Maharashtra State Office said

It is a very fast service for two wheeler owners. A wash in 2-5 mins with additional services like polish and Teflon will be appreciated by two wheeler owners. It should be expanded at more outlets so that customers can find this facility in the nearby IOCL pump.

N A Gangakhedkar, Manager (RS-NFR), Maharashtra State Office said

It is the need of the hour considering everybody lives in a busy world today and for everybody time is important. Everybody wants to keep their bike in best condition. Having a bike which is clean and neat in a short span of time, gives the customer more confidence to drive. So, all that put together, I think this is the best thing that can happen.

Express Bike Works uses smart cloud based technologies to remotely monitor the operations of the centre. The technology enables them to keep a track of the number of washes that happen in a day, billing and consumables, thus making the stores self-reliant. Installation of EBW machine is as simple as plug and play and it is a mobile unit that can be installed anywhere.

The EBW machines are regularly and rigorously tested by Hero Moto Corp and other OEMs and have successfully catered to more than 2,30,000+ bikers till date.The machine is capable of washing even the dirtiest of motorcycle within 5 minutes, which is the fastest in the world. It is extremely efficient in conserving water and power and requires one-fifth of the water a conventional wash care requires. Conventional wash takes 50-60 litres while EBW takes 10 litres only. Furthermore, the water is recycled for constant use until it is deemed unfit for wash care, which then can be used for gardening purpose. Also, the price to customer for a wash at EBW is equal to the amount one would spend at any local bike wash centre and that too in lesser time. EBW stores delivers touch free, scratch free, shining bikes with no waiting time to their customers along with offering them a world class bike care experience.

About Express Bike Works (EBW)

Founded in early 2013, Express Bike Works is a brand of Entropy Innovations, an engineering innovations company that has disrupted the two wheeler service industry. The team, alumni of IIT & IIM, has designed and manufactured India’s first fully automated motorcycle wash machine that addresses multitude of problems faced by an individual owner as well as a service station. The machine is capable of washing even the dirtiest of motorcycle within 2-5 minutes, which is the fastest in the world, capable of washing over 230 bikes in under 10 hours.  Starting with a few retail touch points in Mumbai under the name – ‘The EBW Store’ the company has now forayed into international markets. The company has one manufacturing unit in Mumbai. For more information, please visit Express Bike Works (EBW)