|In: Hyperlocal|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

As India gets hang of personal concierge services apps, they are rightly utilising them this wedding season. Helpchat, the chat-based personal assistant app that helps you get more things done is receiving an overwhelming response this ‘Wedding Season’. Over 10,000 queries daily are being received regarding wedding planning and related areas. Of all the queries related to wedding, 32% queries are on wedding planners, 26% on venue options and 22% on pre-bridal packages.

Ankur Singla, Founder and CEO, Helpchat said

Assistance is always welcomed and when it comes handy while planning a wedding then nothing like it. We are extremely elated that our platform is receiving great response during wedding season as well. Consumer queries are very diverse and our assistance team is at their disposal.

About 47% of the request on Helpchat have come from Tier 1 geographies like Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore and  Hyderabad. More than 68% of the users belong to the age bracket of 25-35 years of age and almost 55% of them are female.

Besides venue and bridal packages queries, the other areas that witnessed queries from included Bridal Make-up artists, Catering and Decoration, Mehendi Artists, Places to get Bridal Jewellery on rent and others like Band Group, Ghodiwala, queries related to wedding outfits etc.

About Helpchat

Helpchat [earlier called Akosha] launched it’s personal assistant chat app in January 2015 and raised Rs. 100 crores from Sequoia Capital in June 2015. It recently opened a Bangalore office to add more engineers and product people to its team. Be it anything, from recharging your phone to tech support, from travel booking to holiday guidance, from grocery to food ordering, from shopping assistance to finding deals & coupons, from finding gifts to suggesting the best electronic item, from doing a web check-in to getting your laundry done – Helpchat can get all of them done for you.

|In: Technology|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Accenture is teaming with Code.org to support global participation in Hour of Code, one of the world’s largest educational events, designed to prove anyone can learn the basics of coding, have fun doing it, then continue learning beyond one hour.

Thousands of Accenture employees around the world have pledged to complete nearly 8,000 Hours of Code during Computer Science Education Week [December 7-13]. This number is expected to grow as Accenture employees commit to an Hour of Code and volunteer to work with teachers and Code.org to help students learn the basics of computer science at local schools and events through fun, game-like online lessons.

Organized by Code.org, the Hour of Code brings together more than 350 partner organizations and tens of millions of students in every country around the world.  The campaign culminates with a massive coding event the week of Dec 7-13, with 191,000 registered participants. The goal of the grassroots movement is to empower every student in every school with the opportunity to learn computer science. By starting early, students will have a foundation for success in any 21st-century career path.

Speaking at the occasion, Paul Daugherty, Accenture’s chief technology officer said

We are aligned with Code.org’s mission and vision that exposure to coding is important to the success of every student, regardless of what field they choose to pursue. We must all do more to encourage greater interest in computer science in schools, especially for girls and under-represented students of color. Armed with coding skills they develop throughout their academic careers, students will be much better prepared to fill key roles in the digital businesses of the future.  I am impressed with the passion and energy that our Accenture people are showing in their commitment to this important cause.

Roxanne Taylor, Accenture’s chief marketing and communications officer added

The need for people with STEM skills has never been greater. By 2020, there will be 1.2 million jobs requiring computer-related skills in the U.S. alone. Yet the pipeline of graduates with technology skills is lacking, especially among women. Code.org is helping to reverse this trend by addressing the issue early in the education cycle. We need to get young people excited about computer science long before they enter college. Hour of Code is an amazing campaign that does just that.

As part of its collaboration with Code.org, senior Accenture leaders will join with employees in 186 cities across 56 countries to participate in Hour of Code activities including

  • Paul Daugherty, Accenture Chief Technology Officer, will join Code.org Co-founder and CEO Hadi Partovi at Fort Greene Preparatory Academy, Brooklyn, NY, US
  • Ellyn Shook, Accenture Chief Human Resources Officer, at Oakridge International School, Bangalore, India
  • Julie Sweet, Accenture Group Chief Executive—North America, at The National Center for Children and Families, Washington, D.C., US
  • Emma McGuigan, Senior Managing Director, Accenture’s UK and Ireland Technology Group, at STEM organization, London, UK
  • Jane Livesey, Managing Director, Accenture’s Australia and New Zealand Technology Lead , at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour School in Sydney, Australia
  • Marc Carrel-Billiard, Managing Director, Accenture Technology, Global Technology R&D, at Fremont High School in Oakland, California, US

Hadi Partovi, Co-founder & CEO, Code.org said

Accenture is leading by example in their efforts to support computer science education with a company-wide commitment to help students start learning skills that will prepare them for the best opportunities in any future career path. By not only looking inward into their own organization, Accenture’s support in classrooms & Code.org events around the world will address some of the biggest issues faced by the technology industry, helping make it more diverse, inclusive and available to all people.

About Code.org

Code.org is a public non-profit dedicated to expanding access to computer science and increasing participation by women and under-represented students of color. After launching in 2013, Code.org organized the Hour of Code campaign – which has introduced over 100 million students to computer science to date – and partnered with 90 public school districts nationwide to expand computer science programs. Code.org is supported by philanthropic donations from corporations, foundations and generous individuals, including Ballmer Family Giving, Google, Infosys Foundation USA, Microsoft, Omidyar Network and others. For more information, please visit Code.org

[Image Credit* – NYTimes]

|In: Mobile|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

With the vision of tapping into the highly potent app market in India, Plobal Apps announced the launch of its Do It Yourself [DIY] mobile app development platform.

Today, not just the startups but also most of the established names in the retail industry are looking to build a strong mobile presence to cater to the needs of customers who are increasingly going mobile. However, developing an app can be expensive and often involves a lot of time.

Plobal Apps promises to revolutionize the app building process by providing its customers an app in as less as 5 minutes. The entire concept revolves around the essence of DIY – Do It Yourself, which enables technology experts as well as non-techies to create their own apps in a few simple steps! Plobal Apps has already helped more than 500 businesses across industries like Hospitality, Entertainment and Lifestyle to build and launch their mobile apps.

India, a highly diverse and dynamic market, sees many SMBs coming up every day. Adding to that the huge number of already existing SMBs and you have a scenario where 77% of the market leaders agree that customers now expect businesses to have a mobile presence. Approximately 75% of emerging market SMEs surveyed report that mobile has helped them grow revenue, become more efficient, and be more innovative.

Plobal Apps also has a channel partner program that enables advertising agencies, digital marketing agencies, social media agencies and web development companies to create fully native apps on both Android and iOS Mobile Platforms for their clients using the company platform. Plobal Apps, one of the fastest growing and most promising M-commerce startups in India, provides just the right solution with unique features that cater to the needs of the current market.

USPs of using Plobal Apps DIY Platform

  • No technical knowledge or coding skills required
  • Can build and publish apps in under 5 minutes
  • Fully Native apps for iOS and Android platforms
  • Extremely affordable pricing plans
  • Platform designed for multiple industries

Talking about the technology Atul Poharkar, Co-Founder & CEO, Plobal Apps said

We have built Plobal Apps with a vision of providing quick, affordable and easy app development solutions to SMBs. Today every business needs a mobile app and we feel our platform will help SMBs break the barrier of technology and compete with the biggest names in the industry. This is a first of its kind attempt in India, as DIY apps industry is at a very nascent stage here. We look forward to revolutionizing the mobile app space in India.

About Plobal Apps

Plobal Apps is India’s only technology platform to provide SMBs with mobile apps and integrated business solutions. It is a two-year-old start-up founded by 4 young entrepreneurs who set out to create a technology platform with an aim to allow users with no programming skills to create applications for smartphones.

Plobal Apps also offers a channel partner program to enable advertising agencies, digital marketing agencies, social media agencies and web development companies to create fully native apps on both Android and iOS Mobile Platforms for their clients using the company platform. For more information, please visit Plobal Apps

|In: startups|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

In an effort to accelerate digital transformation at the start-up level, NASSCOM in partnership with IBM, launched Techstartup.in Delhi on IBM Cloud.

Techstartup.in was first launched in Bangalore in October 2015. The new, localized Delhi version of the site is designed to help stimulate innovation in Delhi while spurring growth within the entire Indian start-up economy. The portal is a first-of-its-kind online platform that will serve as a centralized hub for India’s tech ecosystem city by city providing information and resources to help turn ideas into businesses, deliver valuable tools for tech startups, and connect citizen entrepreneurs to opportunities in the tech ecosystem.

This is a platform for the entire Indian start-up & product ecosystem to network, stimulate local innovation and grow the economy.

The Indian technology start-ups landscape has seen a remarkable growth towards creation of innovative start-ups. India, a home to a new breed of young start-ups, has clearly evolved to become the third largest base of technology start-ups in the world. As per NASSCOM Start-up Report 2015, within one year, the number of start-ups in India has grown by 40 per cent, and this number is expected to cross 4,200 by the end of 2015. With over 100 per cent growth in number of PE/VCs/Angel investors along with a 125 per cent growth in funding over last year, the Indian start-up ecosystem has risen to the next level. The total funding in the India based start-ups is estimated to be nearly $5 billion by the end of 2015.

This growth will only increase as thousands of start-ups are expected to establish themselves in India, generating employment opportunities for hundreds of thousands of people. This will not only pave the way for innovative services, but will also act as a major booster for the development and the progress of the Indian economy.

Mr. Rajat Tandon, Vice President, NASSCOM 10,000 Start-ups, said

With Techstartup.in we want to democratize access to key resources and information across the country digitally connecting India’s expanding tech-preneurs. Building it together in support with IBM, it will be a personification of a united commitment to increase jobs, train the workforce of the future, support new startups, and ultimately ensure India is at the centre of technology innovation

Built on IBM Cloud, TechStartup.in will be updated regularly using tools from Bluemix, IBM’s cloud platform that includes tools for social, mobile, analytics, cloud integration, Internet of Things, Watson cognitive computing and more.

Additionally, as part of its commitment to the global startup community, IBM will offer up to $120,000 of free IBM Cloud credits for local qualified startups to use as they build their businesses on IBM Cloud.

Ms. Sandy Carter, General Manager, Cloud Ecosystem and Developers, IBM, said

Our collaboration with NASSCOM helps IBM deliver on its commitment to empower entrepreneurs on both the local and global levels. Techstartup.in allows Indian start-up communities to experience first-hand the benefits of IBM Cloud, while providing a supportive environment for the entire start-up ecosystem to connect, learn, network and thrive in both the local and global marketplaces.

Techstartup.in, a playground for 10,000 start-ups will further support the progressive phase of start-ups in India. The platform will offer a pioneering search engine and database which will profile virtually every city-based tech company and investor; a continuously updated list of tech and start-up job openings, a citywide tech event and class calendar; an interactive map of tech companies, start-up resources across the boroughs; and additional features that combine to create a comprehensive one-stop shop for everything start-up.

About 10,000 Startups

Started in April 2013, 10,000 Startups is an ambitious attempt by NASSCOM to scale up the startup ecosystem in India by 10x. 10,000 Startups aims to enable incubation, funding and support for 10,000 technology startups in India over the next ten years. The initiative brings together key stakeholders of the ecosystem including startup incubators, accelerators, angel investors, venture capitalists, startup support groups, mentors, and technology corporations.

Since its launch in April 2013, they have done about 450+ events in 22 cities of the country which were attended by a whopping 25,000 attendees and received 9000 Applicants, 800 Startups Shortlists, and 150 Impacts.

Nasscom-Partners

For more information about IBM Cloud, please visit http://www.ibm.com/cloud-computing

|In: Android|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Few years back [or to be more precise before the advent of WhatsApp], SMS was the de-facto way of sending messages. Fast forward now, WhatsApp has more than 800M users in India & the growth has been nothing less than phenomenal. Just like me, you would have always felt the requirement to look out for a cross-platform app where you can make calls/send messages to users across different platforms.

This is the problem that n-gage messenger, world’s first 360 degree lifestyle Chat app is trying to solve. It is the world’s first app that enables users with or without a Smartphone to make 1 to 1 or group video calls and send rich personalized messages across other social media and messaging apps. Unlike other similar apps, as soon as the user joins, they can start sending rich personalized messages and have video calls with family and friends who do not have n-gage.

Today, we review the n-gage messenger & n-gage messenger lite which like FB lite is low on memory footprint & works on Android phones with low memory.

Features : n-gage

n-gage messenger has the following features:

  • Chat : 1-1 Chat, Group Chat, Voice & Video message and more
  • Privacy : There are different privacy levels, some of which are below
  • ngage_PrivacyGroup : Like any other messenger app, n-gage also supports creation of Group. Unlike other group chats, with n-gage users can create groups with up to 300 participants from their contact lists to enjoy multiple conversations under one group. With this, n-gage users can share multimedia files and even exit several group conversations without leaving the group. Just like ‘Labels in Gmail’, you can create different groups, label them for better identification & clarity.
  • Audio & Video Calling : You can use n-gage to call your contacts irrespective on whether they are present on n-gage [just like a normal call] or who are present on cross-platforms like WhatsApp. n-gage to n-gage calling worked flawlessly & there was no audio/video lag.

  • n-card & n-stickers : Like other messengers like Hike messenger, n-gage aims to cater the needs of the diverse Indian audience. They have separate section to send n-cards where users can send ‘soft cards’ during occasions like Christmas, Diwali etc.
  • Know : With n-gage messenger, users can get their daily dose of information e.g. If you are interested in Health, Lifestyle etc. n-gage would curate the content for you in the ‘Know’ section of n-gage. We found this feature quite useful & in order to drive user-growth, they have integrated all the social media features in the app. It would have been even better if n-gage had done cross-app information sourcing i.e. getting curated and personalized content from other apps like Daily Hunt.

Localized Content & Indian Language Support : n-gage

n-gage enables its users to connect with family and friends from around the world in over 45 languages. Users can share messages, doodles, and attachments on various other social platforms such as WhatApp, Facebook, Emails and SMS, without requiring the other person to download the app.

Providing ‘Localized Content’ could have been an interesting add-on feature which can be targeted to users interested in content [in languages other than English].

Private Chat & Schedule : n-gage

n-gage enables chats to stay private, with the app offering an expansive range of privacy features to suit individuals needs. It also has an integrated feature called ‘Schedule’ which keeps a track of users reminder’s, occasions etc.

We particularly liked the ‘Scribble’ feature where user can write something on the scratchpad of n-gage & send it across to a group/individual. It is like having ‘Stylus’ support in n-gage 🙂

lite for low end phones : n-gage

Considering the fact that there still many users who are ditching their feature-phones for low end Android devices, it becomes very much necessary to cater to this end of the market. n-gage has released a stripped down version of the n-gage messenger rightly termed as ‘n-gage lite‘.

The lite version is quite snappy & fast and we found it very useful. We tried the app on Android phone with 832 MB of RAM & there was no lag in the app’s performance.

Closing Thoughts : n-gage

There were certain hiccups during the review but overall we found the app to be useful though the UX needs a huge improvement. n-gage messenger aims to be a one-stop destination for all the user’s requirements i.e. Messaging, Group Chat, Calling, Privacy and much more…  Their mantra is to be your Lifetime Companion.

Given the fact that they have winning features of WhatsApp, Hike in it’s app, we would not be surprised if they also incorporate ‘Social Shopping’ in their future releases 🙂

Do give n-gage messenger or n-gage mesenger lite a shot and share your experience in the comments section

|In: Android|Last Updated: | 1 Comment

How many times do we encounter a situation where our phone becomes dam’n slow 🙁 Many times, clearing cache, uninstalling apps also does not help. This might be more frequently observed in older Android phones which have less than 1 GB of memory. I still own a Samsung Galaxy Note-I which has 862 MB of RAM & 2 GB of internal storage.

Limited internal storage keeps me on my toes whenever I have to install any new “Memory Hungry” app & limited RAM ensures that I run minimum number of apps in background so that there is less CPU consumption. Ultra-economical handsets priced under Rs 5,000 are also a fast-growing segment of the Indian Android market. Hence, it becomes very important for companies to cater to the users in emerging markets like India.

As per the State of the Android Mobile Web report released by Opera, 77% of it’s users on Android, accessing the web from phones that cost Rs 10,000 and under. In order to cater to this segment, ‘Lite’ versions of the app are released which can also work on phones with less RAM [or require lower internet band-with]

Keeping the phone secure & junk-free becomes an utmost priority for these BOP Android users 🙂 Today, we have a look at 360 Security Lite which is Mobile antivirus and Performance application for Android users & an ideal #MadeForIndia app [I am reviewing the 360 Degree Security Lite App for the #MadeForIndia activity at BlogAdda]

360SecurityLite

Why – 360 Security Lite

The primary difference between 360 Security Lite & 360 Security is that the app is only 4 MB in size & it works flawlessly even on phones with less than 1 GB of memory. We installed the 360 Security Lite on Samsung Note-1 and there were no issues. There was no lag in the phone’s performance after the installation & scanning for junk took only few seconds [Time would depend on the data available on the device].

360 Security Lite is the only all-in-one Android optimizer, Speed booster, Battery saver and antivirus app that optimizes your background apps, manages the memory space, cleans junk [cache] files and extends your battery life, while keeping your device safe from virus and Trojans.

We also executed the Top command & there was minimal increase in CPU load after it’s installation.

Key Features – 360 Security Lite

As mentioned earlier, the key factor of the ‘Lite’ version of 360 security is it’s low memory footprint & lowest power consumption [Remember, this app might be scanning for Junk/Viruses etc. in background depending on it’s settings].

  • Boost: Offers options to kill energy-consuming apps that result in extension of Battery Juice.
  • Clean: Scans & cleans junk files to free up the storage space.
  • Antivirus: One tap-option to scan your phone for Viruses & Trojans. It is trusted by more than 200 million users.
  • Low memory footprint – 4 MB installation package.

Battery Saver, Junk Cleaner & Security – 360 Security Lite

As per the 360 Security blog, they have tested the Lite version on number of low end devices [phones with less than 1 GB memory].

  • Battery Saver – They have analyzed numerous app’s at the source code level to identify CPU hungry apps. ‘Battery Saver’ feature extends the phone battery life by more than 40%. Along with the battery saver, they could have also provided an option to set different ‘Battery Profiles’ which is available in other app’s like DU Speed Booster.
  • Junk Cleaner – App Caches, Thrash files & WhatsApp files constitute to 90% of the Junk that is found in our phones. 360 Security lite cleans this junk & also identifies Large Files and provides recommendations to users for it’s removal.

  • 100% Security – There is ‘Real-Time Protection’ Setting which ensures that your device is 100% secure. It scans newly installed apps, new updates & file system to protect your mobile security in real time which also could hide your private messages. The ‘Quick-Scan’ option when enabled would perform a full system scan.

Clean Up – 360 Security Lite

There are numerous settings in the app like ‘Clean Up Reminder‘ which sets weekly reminder to clean up the Junk, ‘Uninstall Reminder‘ that notifies when an App is uninstalled so that it can be completely removed from the device, ‘Clean Safe List‘ where user can add app’s that they feel are Safe [like Banking Apps etc.] and that can be ignored during clean-up.

100% Secure – 360 Security Lite

User can set ‘Real-Time Protection‘ that scans any new file/app etc. that is located on the device. However, this might slow down the phone a wee-bit but slight hit in performance is better than loosing sensitive data 🙁 You can set ‘App Installation Alert‘ where every new app would be scanned during the installation time. We recommend that you keep this setting enabled as it would keep your phone secure from apps that are downloaded accidentally [by clicking on the ad’s] which indirectly ensures that your data is also safe !! Similar to the ‘Clean Safe List, there is ‘App Ignore List‘ where you can add Trusted Apps so that they are not scanned on install/update/uninstall.

In a nutshell,  360 Security Lite is definitely ‘Lite’ in size but heavy on ‘Features’ 🙂 We would definitely recommend this app for sub 5K Android phones since there was no lag in performance after it’s continuous useage. With features like Android Speed Booster, Junk Cleaner, Intelligent Power Saver and Exclusive Booster, this app will keep your phone functioning as new for a long time.

Tech Tip : Get unlimited remote access to your android applications from anywhere on any device(PC/Mac/android/iOS) by loading Bluestacks application on your hosted xendesktop with affordable citrix xendesktop pricing from CloudDesktopOnline.com. Learn more about hosted SharePoint, Exchange, MS Project Server and managed azure services by visiting one of the leading cloud hosting providers – Apps4Rent.

We leave you with the 360 Security Lite commercial that rightly states – Don’t get stuck in your phone

Head on to the Play Store & download the 360 Security Lite. If you have used the app, please share your thoughts in the comments section.

|In: General|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

With India becoming world’s fastest growing startup ecosystem country today, Startup India is the new buzzword by the Government of India. The numbers are telling—from 3,100 startups in 2014 to a projection of more than 11,500 by 2020… this is certainly not a passing trend.

Venture capital investments in India reached INR 15,600 crore till June 2015, surpassing the total INR 14,850 crore invested in entire 2014, setting the stage for another record year as interest in local technology startups peak.

In order to highlight the specific areas of growth opportunities and challenges being faced in and by the incubation ecosystem, Incubation India 2015, a Conference on Business Labs comprising the Investor, Incubator startups ecosystem was organized in Delhi.

Dr. Raghunandan Rajamani, Executive Director, Indian Steps & Business Incubators Association said

India needs several folds increase in mechanism such as incubation & acceleration that can assimilate entrepreneurs to make them globally successful.

Incubation in India is not more than decade old but it has and can create a huge impact. Incubation in healthcare and life sciences is far too complex if we were to compare it with IT. Healthcare is a very social subject hence tightly regulated and needs a completely different and dynamic ecosystem to take the product from bench side to bed side.

As per the detailed analysis by BIORx Venture Advisors, Healthcare is a favourable incubation sector and liked by all the investors as long as it is asset light but technologically sound and patentable.

Mr. Gandhi, Founder & Executive Director, BIORx Venture Advisors Pvt. Ltd said

Medical devices is one such sub sector which is gaining a lot of traction from all the players of the ecosystem. This is largely on the assumption that India’s own domestic consumption for such products is very high hence financially lucrative and viable for the medium to long-stage investors who will benefit the country’s healthcare needs.

Various Key decision makers, Start-ups, Incubators, VC’s & Young Entrepreneurs were the part of this first of its kind niche Conference in India to discuss the Initiatives taken to promote the concept of technology and business incubation in India, Marketing & communications strategies for early stage startups Incubating in Healthcare sector:Opportunities and Challenges

According to Mr. Kapil Malhotra, Founder Marketing Director, Total Solutions Group

A part of the Total Solutions Group Have been investing in startups over the past decade ranging from telecom, FMCG, IT, skill development amongst others. We believe that India is at the perfect point to offer entrepreneurs opportunities for growth through incubation that has not been previously available. Events like Incubation India are the perfect platform for bringing entrepreneurs, incubators, funders &mentors together. We believe that many of the start ups present today will become unicorns of the future.

Themed ‘Creating Value 360°‘, the Incubation India 2015 conference provided an opportunity for interactive discussions and insights on incubation trends, solutions and unique initiatives. 

According to Mr. Ashish Taneja, CO-Founder & Managing Director, Grow X Ventures

It’s a great initiative by Incubation India to raise awareness about role of an Incubator and Accelerator on the Initial step of Startup.

Some of the Key issues discussed in the conference

  • Impact of Business Incubation on the economy.
  • Value creation strategies in Business Incubation.
  • When does a Start-up turn into a Scale Up?
  • Valuing to exit and exiting for a value: Startups, VC’s, Incubators.
  • Marketing and communication strategies for early stage startups
  • Growing impact of Venture Capital in Business Incubation.
  • Fuelling entrepreneurial activity: Incubators, Accelerators, Co-Working Spaces,Technology Hubs.
  • Initiatives taken by the Government and Non-Government organisations, educational institutions to promote the concept of Technology and Business Incubation.
  • Opportunities for startups in investment management services.

For more information on Incubation India, please visit Incubation India Homepage

|In: Entrepreneurship|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Web Summit, the planet’s largest and most influential tech and startup event, is launching its Indian edition as SURGE 2016. Aimed at the tech and startup communities in India and internationally, SURGE 2016 will be held in Bangalore on February 23-24, 2016.

Paddy Cosgrave, CEO of Web Summit, announced the event along with Vikram Ahuja, founder, Byond Travel outlined how SURGE will act as a catalyst in supporting the startup community in the country and the region.

Paddy Cosgrave, co-founder of Web Summit said

Web Summit is now the biggest and most influential startup gathering in the world. In recent years, we’ve seen a significant rise in the number of Indian startups attending our global conferences. India is increasingly producing globally competitive startups that have disrupted markets and the way we live. Bangalore is a significant part of the global startup ecosystem and we think it is the ideal venue for SURGE 2016.

In its first year SURGE 2016 is expected to attract more than 4,000 attendees, including startups, investors, media and speakers, from India and beyond. The Web Summit flagship event, held in Dublin for the last five years has seen growth from 400 attendees to over 42,000 from more than 134 countries in 2015.

Vikram Ahuja, founder Byond Travel, said

Bangalore is leading the way for the rapidly developing startup ecosystem in India. It’s great that SURGE is coming to Bangalore. I am sure SURGE will be an important part of the startup ecosystem in India within a very short space of time.

In the past, Web Summit has hosted some of the most influential speakers including Da Vinci Code’s Dan Brown, Tinder’s Sean Rad, Instagram’s Ed Catmul & Tour De France Winner Chris Froome along with 30,000 attendees, over 2000 start-ups, 1000 investors and 650 speakers.

Paddy Cosgrave added

100’s of Indian startups and founders have been to our events in recent years, principally to Web Summit in Dublin. This year 80 Indian startups came to our RISE event in Hong Kong.

Attendee numbers are rising fast and we expect to have several thousand entrepreneurs, investors, media and speakers at SURGE, including 500 of the most exciting startups from across the region. We already have 300 startups and 2,000 attendees registered.

They have been telling us for some time that Web Summit should come to India and we have been blown away by their creativity and innovation. India has arguably the most important and accessible startup ecosystem in the world right now and we want to support it by giving them a world-class event where they can gather, network and grow.

Speakers already confirmed for SURGE

  • Nicolas Brusson, Co-Founder & COO, BlaBlaCar
  • Sachin Bansal, Co-Founder & CEO, Flipkart.com
  • Rohit Bansal, Co Founder & COO, Snapdeal
  • Ambarish Mitra, Founder & CEO, Blippar
  • Greg Moran, Co-Founder, Zoomcar

Investors already confirmed for SURGE

  • Dave McClure, Founding Partner, 500 Startups
  • Subrata Mitra, Partner, Accel Partners
  • Saul Klein, Founder, Seedcamp
  • Bharati Jacob, Managing Partner, Seedfund

For more information about Web Summit please visit this link In order to register for the event, please visit SURGE 2016 Registration Page

About Web Summit

Web Summit is a global technology conference hosted annually in Dublin. It was founded in 2010 by Paddy Cosgrave along with Daire Hickey and David Kelly. In 2014, more than 22,000 attendees from over 100 countries flew to Dublin for Web Summit. Speakers have included the founders and CEOs of Twitter, YouTube, Netflix, Skype, Tesla, PayPal and Oculus VR.

In addition to Web Summit, the team runs a series of founders events, which have been described by Bloomberg as “Davos for Geeks” and are regular gatherings that include 150 CEOs of the world’s leading technology companies.

In 2015 Web Summit has hosted a number of international events including Collision and RISE, based in the US and Hong Kong respectively. Over 50,000 people have attended Web Summit events across the globe in 2015.