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|In: startups|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Exotel, one of India’s leading cloud telephony companies has announced its global expansion plans, beginning an entry of their popular API platform into the South-east Asian market, with a foray into Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. The company is primarily targeting the tech-enabled service industry which can benefit greatly with their developer-first approach; with an aim to help businesses talk to their customers with accountability, tracking and privacy intact.

An initial investment of USD 10 million is planned for the next two years, a majority of which will be operational and sales spends.

Exotel will be launching their API platform globally as opposed to the product that is available in the Indian market, as the API is easily scalable and customisable for any tech-enabled service. The overseas operations will be overseen by Varun Raj, who was the co-founder of Voyce, a customer-feedback firm that Exotel had acquired last November. Singapore will be the headquarters for Exotel’s South-east Asia operations.

Speaking on the expansion, Shivakumar Ganesan, Co-founder and CEO, Exotel said

When we were thinking of our expansion plans, we first wanted to target markets similar to India. Both in terms of culture and population, South-east Asia is therefore the logical first step. The propensity of people to use the service of tech-enabled companies in this region to go about the daily lives, is high. In India, we estimate that people in the metros use tech-enabled services 0.27 times a day. This tech-enabled service could be anything ranging from booking a cab to ordering a meal online to buying something from an e-commerce website. In Singapore for instance, we estimate the same to be at least 0.7 times a day per day. This makes the addressable market for Exotel in Singapore over 50 million SGD.

Many players in these verticals are looking to optimize their operational efficiency thereby saving money, and Exotel plays an important role in helping them do this.  For the current customers looking to expand, Exotel is their preferred partner and many are already in talks with the company for support in the new markets as well.

Shivakumar Ganesan, Co-founder and CEO, Exotel added

We are going to be adopting a developer-first approach globally. As a behind-the-scenes ecosystem enabler, we will also support early-stage startups by offering them Exotel for free. We will look at these startups as fellow entrepreneurs and not customers, helping them in whatever little way we can.

The South-east Asian market already has a couple of international players whose platform, however, is primarily tuned to the US market, and not so much region-focused. Exotel’s infrastructure has been designed in such a way that the call quality and reliability will be far superior for the local market.

About Exotel

Exotel is the most reliable and scalable cloud telephony platform in India. Founded by Shivakumar Ganesan, Ishwar Sridharan and Siddharth Ramesh in 2011, it powers voice communication for over a 1000 businesses including brands like Ola, Uber, Flipkart etc. Voice & Data picked Exotel as the Editor’s Choice Emerging Company of the Year 2014. Nasscom’s Emerge Product conclave picked Exotel as one of the top 10 emerging startups in India. For more information, please visit Exotel

|In: Technology|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

It’s a typical night. You’re in the zone with a half-full Red Bull by your side. You have come a long way in learning a brand new programming language when—bam—you run into a problem you’re not quite sure about. So, you do what any programmer would do in your situation: You search for the solution.

This is one of the most common productivity pitfalls for programmers today. If you want to improve on or learn a new algorithm, you search in engines and figure out which blue link to click. Then, you have to transfer all of this into your editor. You trial and error until you find the right solution.

If only there was a way to search a function and immediately see the solution in one step. Starting today, you can.

A New Way to Learn Programming Languages and Play with Code

Microsoft’s Bing and HackerRank are teaming up to provide millions of programmers an easy way to find useful search results. The best part is that the code runs on a live code editor within Bing’s search engine. Typically, engineers go to search engines to get answers on various sites like, Stackoverflow, Stackexchange and other blogs. Now, you have a streamlined alternative that will not only spit out the code solution you need but also edit the code and play with it in real-time. No IDE installation required. This will save you endless time you used to spend going back and forth from search to your code editor.

Here’s a quick example. Let’s say you wanted to concatenate a string in C#, but you have no idea how. All you would have to do is search the query and hit enter. You’ll immediately get the accurate solution, as well as the opportunity to edit the code right in your search results.

Marcelo De Barros, Group Engineering Manager for the UX Features and Shared Tools at Bing said

In addition to learning how a certain algorithm/code is written in a given language, users will also be able to check how the same solution is constructed in a range of other programming languages too -providing a Rosetta-stone model for programming languages.

What are you waiting for? Start playing with code on Bing now!

|In: Infographic|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

This year’s MWC has unveiled some really cool flagship phones. Obviously, some of the big players were missing from the show, but then Apple has never actually been a part of the MWC. Despite that smartphone enthusiasts have some killer phones to look forward to this season. Samsung has already announced its flagship Galaxy S7, which is ready for shipping throughout the US. However, there have been some equally good introductions from the Chinese phone makers OPPO, Meizu and Xiaomi. Oppo’s VOOC charging technology will revolutionize the industry.

But, to put things in perspective, know that the expected number of mobile devices is all set to exceed the total number of people by the end of this year. The population currently stands at around 7.1 billion and the number of mobile devices is expected to cross 7.7 Billion. With 1.8 million smart phones being sold every day, it won’t take long.

But, why are we so interested in smart phones? How does the majority of the American population (since it has huge penetration of smart phones) use them? These are all valid questions which deserve detailed answers. The top reason why they use Smart phones is to stay connected with their family and friends.

With over 370 million likes on Facebook from mobile users and 380 million daily tweets every day, it is no wonder that this is the cheapest way to stay connected. If you still don’t own a smartphone because of its cost, then we suggest going through Groupon for some exclusive smartphone deals, otherwise you are missing out on the fun.

But, there are other reasons as well. For example, 75% of the Americans use their cell phones in the Bathroom and 88% of them use a smartphone while watching TV. On average, people check news on their phones about 40 times a day.
Are you intrigued by the facts! Well we have lots more. We are considerate people, so we have arranged them in a well-meaning infographic for ease of access.

Smartphone: How We Use Them
[Info-graphic Source : Rebates Zone]
This infographic has been co-produced by Rebates zone and Himanshu Sheth’s Blog. What do you majorly do on your smartphone, share your experience in the comments section.

|In: startups|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

FasterCapital [a virtual incubator based in Dubai, UAE] has launched its second round of funding for 2016 which begins on 15th of March, 2016 and ends on 16th of Apr, 2016. The first round of funding [which ended on 19th of Feb, 2016] has attracted more than 800 entrepreneurs from more than 80 countries. 50 startups were accepted into the acceleration program. FasterCapital will release the names of the accepted startups on its website and social media.

FasterCapital hopes the message will reach wider audience of dedicated and enthusiastic entrepreneurs who seek both capital and incubation. Each startup goes through three level of assessment: Business, Financial and Technical. The study will be communicated back to the entrepreneurs so that they can take such study in the development of their startup. Entrepreneurs will get [for free!] an extra professional opinion about their startup, potential obstacles and ideas for improvement! All accelerated companies will receive services such as Mentorship, Marketing study, Feasibility study, Technical consultation, New sales channels and Financing.

[Image Source – FasterCapital on Google Plus]

FasterCapital offers two programs: Acceleration Program and Incubation Program. In the “Acceleration program”, FasterCapital will provide mentorship, access to capital and extra consulting services [legal, technological and marketing] to Entrepreneurs. What distinguishes FasterCapital is its “Incubation Program” which might appeal to non-technical entrepreneurs.

FasterCapital will become a co-founder [technical co-founder] and co-funder [as one of the first investors] and will provide technical development per equity [up to $500k for each startup]. The “Incubation Program” might also appeal to tech entrepreneur who seek some help in covering some of the early investment in the startup. FasterCapital has more than 100 internal developers with different skill-sets who are already working on multiple projects. Startups can apply to join Virtual Incubator at FasterCapital For Entrepreneurs

About FasterCapital

FasterCapital is a virtual incubator based in Dubai Internet City, UAE. FasterCapital has more than 18 startups that have graduated already and 22 pending incubation. For more information, please visit FasterCapital

|In: startups|Last Updated: | 1 Comment

Zuver, an integrated driver on demand app has announced the launch of its operations in Mumbai. Zuver is the title sponsor of the Mumbai Cocktail Week, the first of its kind, a week long celebration of cocktail craftsmanship in the city’s most celebrated bars. The application was launched at the inaugural event of the Mumbai Cocktail Week, in presence of Media and the Founders.

Zuver’s unique selling proposition is that it promises a reliable, skilled, well-trained ‘driver on demand’ at your doorstep with just a tap of a button. Based out of Mumbai, the application intends to revolutionize the Driver On Demand segment by simplifying the way customers book drivers. Addressing the acute gap in the market today with regard to skilled drivers, Zuver offers a comprehensive application allowing you to book, track and pay for a premium driver service.

Zuver stands out amongst the other Driver on Demand Service providers through its high standards, convenience, competitive price and accessibility. The service is available on Android, iOS and over phone bookings. It offers customers great flexibility enabling them to book a driver in advance or real time, for an hour or a whole day. The technology that powers Zuver allows them to locate and dispatch the driver positioned closest to the customer, within 30 minutes.

Zuver is committed to ensuring the safety of its customers; it goes great lengths to ensure that each driver is skilled, trustworthy and reliable. Each driver undergoes a rigorous screening and verification process which include multiple rounds of interviews, tests and agency checks. Additionally, all selected drivers receive training to enhance soft skills ensuring that they are presentable, well groomed, courteous and polished.

[Sidhanth Mally, Co-founder, Zuver along with Archit Singhal, founder and CEO, Mumbai Cocktail Week and Hemant Pathak, celebrity mixologist at the launch of Zuver – Your Driver on Demand]

Co-founded by Sovin Hegde, a Harvard alumnus and Sidhanth Mally, an ex-consultant and Kings College London alumnus, Zuver is aimed at a wide range of customer segments. It is unarguably on its way to tapping a market with immense potential and setting new standards for the under-served segment.

Speaking at the launch event, Sovin Hegde, co-founder of Zuver said

It gives us great pleasure to announce that we are launching our affordable, accessible and simplified driver of demand services through our new venture Zuver. We have been working on this project for a while and the product is a ‘dream come true’. Zuver, your driver on demand is backed with strong technology and we can’t contain our excitement for this platform to go live. Team Zuver has worked relentlessly to acquire sources, bring them together and make it what it is today. We are hoping for a splendid response. ‘Zuver’ is the German term for ‘Reliable’ and we are here to live up to the name.

Sidhanth Mally, co-founder of Zuver added

After months of working, reworking and revising, Zuver, your driver on demand is finally here. We are proud to present your ultimate one stop mobile application that would give you reliable, professional drivers at your doorstep. For us, drivers are our brand ambassadors who embody the premium, reliable, trustworthy and professional feel of Zuver. We can’t wait to see the response. Zuver is one of a kind and we believe that we would live up to your expectations.

About Zuver – Driver on Demand
Zuver is a start-up with a unique selling proposition –a service that promises reliable, skilled, well-trained ‘driver on demand’ at your doorstep. They aim to make their drivers the gold standard for industry drivers and create a new benchmark. This mobile-first company that offers the best in class service is on its course to expand its presence in other metros. Zuver, Your driver on demand is available on Android and iOS or at 022-43686868. For more information, please refer Zuver

|In: e-commerce|Last Updated: | 2 Comments

A friend of mine owns a mid-sized supermarket in Bengaluru and one fine day, I got a ping from her on WhatsApp. She required a small help from me – She wanted to transfer Rs. 10K that her vendor had deposited into her Paytm account to her savings account. Well, she could have done it herself but due to the Rs. 10K limit in Paytm Wallet, she had to take this route. Doesn’t this sound very familiar 🙂 Gone are the days when we were required to carry huge amount of cash since “Digital” payments has completely taken over the usage of plastic money.

Be it transport service, shopping, ordering groceries, payment of fees etc. there is no Vertical that is left un-touched by Digital payments. Things are getting better with the current government’s push in making India a “Digital India”. The Union Budget 2016 stressed upon Digital literacy even for rural households which is great news for Digital startups. When we discuss about Digital, one sector that needs to have a huge mention is “e-commerce” or “Online Shopping”. With the advent of e-commerce, offline shopping slowly & steadily moved online and sites like Flipkart, Amazon, Snapdeal, Shopclues etc. became the new-age shopping destinations.

Customers are lured to these sites primarily due to the “Heavy discounting model” followed by most of these companies in order to gain significant market share. Leading e-commerce companies created the “Discount Economy”. The usage of credit cards increased considerably and next innings in the online commerce commenced with “Digital Wallets” [Closed & Semi-Closed wallets] where Paytm, Freecharge, Mobikwik etc. provided the facility where customer can store money in their digital wallet. Apart from the deals, discounts & coupons in the online shopping world, one thing that has been disruptive in the recent times is the extra cashback offering on top of your shopping bill.

The “Consumption Economy” has now transformed into “Cashback Economy” where along with discounts, customers also get cashbacks [similar to cashback’s offered by many credit cards] and the money is stored in their “digital wallet”. With the rise of online commerce and cashbacks, new spring of startups emerged that operated in the space of Cashback, Price Comparison and Couponing. Some of these sites also offered cashback when user performs mundane tasks e.g. Installation of UC Browser on Android phone, keep for 10 days and user gets Rs. XXX in their wallet. This money can be later used for mobile/DTH recharge or for online shopping.

Cashback on purchase coupled with Cashback on performing tasks is a formidable combination. Dealsnprice is a startup that is passionate about offering cash backs on your online shopping across e-commerce players and finding Coupons that suit your requirements. They operate with the motto – Spend Less, Save More. It is a very handy option when you have made the decision to buy a particular product but you are still in search for the “Best Deal” 🙂 Dealsnprice aggregates products from sites like Flipkart, Myntra, Snapdeal, Jabong & many more.

Though there are so many Cashback & Deal websites, this startup has a differentiating factor – Other deal sites list only a handful number of deals or coupons whereas Dealsnprice adds New deals & Coupons to it’s database every 15 minutes. To stay true to it’s mantra, this startup passes the major portion of its commission which they receive from generating sales for their e-commerce partners to it’s customers. This means that you not only get your favourite product at the “Best Price” but also get “significant cashback” with every purchase.

If that’s not all, Dealsnprice also rewards it’s users for performing tasks [some of which were mentioned earlier] on their Android application. You can use those reward points for recharge etc. In a nutshell, cashback and coupon websites are an icing on the cake since they spoil customers by pushing them to spend more so that they can save more 🙂

[Image Credit* – AVBob]

|In: startups|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Zeta, the newest portfolio company of the Directi group, has launched Zeta Meal Vouchers, first mobile-based meal voucher application (app) which can be used by employees across any outlet for purchasing food and non-alcoholic beverages.

Zeta is a mobile-based meal voucher platform that provides HR Managers a simple desktop interface that can be used to initiate transfer of meal vouchers to hundreds of employees at one go. Zeta Meal Vouchers can be used by employees across any outlet irrespective of whether the outlet is a Zeta affiliated partner or not.

It promises to give the world groundbreaking offerings and tech solutions that would change the face of commerce. Completely digital in nature, Zeta believes in making commerce more inclusive and relaying its benefits to more and more people across the country.

Zeta meal vouchers are an essential tax saving solution in India that is fully compliant with Income Tax and RBI laws as prescribed under the new RBI norms.

With Zeta, HR Managers can easily distribute vouchers digitally to employees without wasting time or resources. This product is highly recommended for the HR community because they are smartphone-based meal vouchers which open up a range of possibilities that are unknown to paper-based vouchers till now. The most beneficial aspect for any HR personnel is that the hassle behind transfer, distribution and logistics of paper meal vouchers across different location that completely disappears with digital meal vouchers. Just a click on the computer and all the employees across locations receive their meal vouchers on the date scheduled.

A crucial responsibility of any HR manager is lending a thought to the compliance of your compensation and benefits tool. This aspect is well addressed by Zeta. It is the only 100% compliant meal voucher system in India today. It meets all RBI and IT guidelines. Many may not know, bank meal cards are not compliant with IT norms and paper vouchers have been rendered non-compliant by new RBI rules.

For employees, this digital meal voucher system is a cool new way of tax saving. They do not have to collect and carry around bulky paper vouchers and remember to take them while stepping out for shopping. Zeta Meal Vouchers are always available on their smartphones. It’s possibly the easiest way to ensure a 30% tax saving on every food bill.

Zeta Meal Vouchers are also equipped with many other features that make it even more convenient for users. The app has a location-sensitive merchant directory that helps users locate outlets in the vicinity. The app also eliminates transaction hassles caused by rigid denominations in paper-based solutions, thereby allowing employees to pay odd amounts without worrying about change. All-in-all it is the most convenient meal voucher solution in the market today.

The Zeta app is supported on Android, Windows & iOS platforms currently. To know more on how Zeta Meal Vouchers work, click here

About Zeta

Zeta is the newest portfolio company of the Directi Group. It promises to give the world ground breaking offerings and tech solutions that would change the face of commerce. Completely digital in nature, Zeta believes in making commerce more inclusive and accessible to more and more people. Zeta is co-founded by Bhavin Turakhia, the CEO and co-founder of the Directi Group and Ramki Gaddipati, who is also the CTO of this tech-driven company. To know more, log on to www.zeta.in

|In: startups|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

TSLC Pte Ltd., a fin-tech company promoted by serial entrepreneur and private equity investor V. Raman Kumar, has announced the launch of its all new mobile-only lending platform – CASHe, providing users a personalised experience to borrow cash any-time, anywhere within minutes.  CASHe is Raman Kumar’s most ambitious tech venture that redefines credit in a smart, social world.

CASHe was launched in Mumbai at a glittering ceremony today with Bollywood’s rising star Arjun Kapoor unveiling the product. He was joined by CASHe’s eminent Board of Advisors comprising Dr. Rakesh Mohan, Former Deputy Governor of RBI and Director IMF, Suhel Seth, well known marketing guru and media personality and Yezdi Lashkari, tech thought leader.

[Image Source – Facebook]

V. Raman Kumar, Chairman of TSLC Pte Ltd. said

CASHe is the ideal platform for consumers to take control of their short term finances. Today’s young professionals have different aspirations and needs not very well addressed by the present banking system. We are simplifying their borrowing experience with CASHe. With this new smart phone platform we will be providing immediate cash loans based on their social profile, merit and earning potential using our proprietary algorithms and machine learning. All loans through CASHe will be disbursed by One Capitall Ltd. An RBI- registered NBFC.

CASHe uses sophisticated proprietary technology that mines the borrowers’ social network and requests basic documentation to arrive at a “Social Loan Quotient” [SLQ] and a loan eligibility amount. Using multiple unique data points to arrive at a distinct credit profile for the customer, CASHe will transform traditional credit measurements, providing financial inclusion to underserved young professionals who are kept out by traditional credit rating and banking systems.

By providing basic information on a smart phone, professionals can avail of – within minutes – a convenient 15-day loan for a one-time processing fee with no other hidden costs, no painful paper work and no human interaction. CASHe’s target clients are young professionals between 20-35 years old. Upon confirming eligibility, these employed individuals can avail of a loan of up to 40% of their monthly income instantaneously at a rate of interest on par with credit cards.

Film star, Arjun Kapoor stated

Today’s generation believes in instant gratification. If I have to speak on behalf of the generation I represent then I would say our fundamental belief in life is to work hard but party harder and at most instances we run out of resources to cater to our fast paced lifestyles. Saving money is more important to my parent’s generation than it is to my generation. CASHe will be the go-to app to raise immediate and efficient money. CASHe is a great way to ensure financial independence and responsibility at the same time. I am delighted to be associated with CASHe.

About CASHe

CASHe, a fin-tech product from TSLC Pte Ltd., is as unique as the young professionals it serves. In a smart digital world, CASHe offers millennials quick and easy personal loans through processes that are transparent, innovative and tuned to the times. CASHe utilises sophisticated algorithms and machine learning capabilities to deliver an amazing and improved lending experience to our customers, thereby helping young professionals achieve their financial goals effortlessly. CASHe is India’s only cash giving app that offers instant transfer of funds for approved applicants. An initiative established by a visionary founder whose last venture was valued at over a billion dollars, CASHe is brought to you by a team known as much for its expertise and experience in technology, banking, AI and big data analytics as it is for its past entrepreneurial success. For more information, please visit CASHe

[Image Source* – Cashe]