Business Core Solutions acquires Techie2Pillar for AI scaling

This move is part of BCS’s plan to strengthen how it delivers AI solutions for enterprises and expand its Agentic Service as a Software (ASaaS) offerings, enabling organizations to move from fragmented automation efforts to more structured, scalable execution models.

The acquisition comes after six months of collaboration between the two companies. During this period, Business Core Solutions and Techie2Pillar worked on real business use cases using conversational and AI-driven agents. These engagements demonstrated how AI can move beyond experiments and be used effectively in everyday business operations, particularly in areas where real-time interaction, decision-making, and workflow execution are critical.

With this acquisition, Techie2Pillar will be integrated into BCS’ Agentic Service as a Software (ASaaS) portfolio and will form the foundation of Proxyn.ai, a newly established sister company of BCS. This integration brings together Techie2Pillar’s expertise in voice and conversational AI with BCS’ library of 400+ ready-to-deploy agent blueprints, refined across 60+ enterprise environments strengthening BCS’ ability to design and deploy outcome-driven structured and scalable enterprise AI execution.

Speaking on the acquisition, Prakash Palani, CTO of BCS, said “Many organizations have strong ideas for AI, but the real challenge lies in executing them consistently at scale. This acquisition strengthens our ability to deliver reliable production-ready AI Solutions. Through Proxyn.ai, we are enabling faster agentic use cases deployment with reduced risk, while our Agentic System Integrator model, supported by platforms like Symphony, Anugal, and deKorvai, ensures governance and scalability across the enterprise.”

Bharanish, CTO of Techie2Pillar, said, “Our collaboration with BCS has already shown how conversational AI can deliver real business impact. By becoming part of BCS’s ASaaS portfolio, we can now better design and deploy AI systems that integrate smoothly with enterprise tools.”

Together, the combined capabilities are intended to help enterprises move from fragmented automation initiatives to structured, agent-driven operations, addressing one of the key challenges in AI adoption, scaling from pilot programs to production systems.

 About Business Core Solutions

Business Core Solutions (BCS) is a global enterprise transformation company, recognized as the world’s first Agentic System Integrator. Founded in 2014, the company operates across the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Australia, and India, providing services across enterprise ecosystems including SAP, Salesforce, OpenText, AI/ML, Agentic Orchestration, Cloud, and Data Analytics.

These capabilities are complemented by its platforms, Symphony for orchestration, Anugal for identity governance, and deKorvai for data intelligence, which enable control, coordination, and visibility across enterprise systems. BCS supports organizations in improving execution efficiency, reducing operational complexity, and delivering consistent outcomes across processes.

 For more information, visit www.businesscoresolutions.com

ASBL, a tech-first real estate company, was a platinum sponsor at the Python Conference Hyderabad 2026. The event was held on March 14 and 15, 2026, at the Engineering Staff College of India, Hyderabad. It brought together developers, engineers, and technology professionals from across the country.

Abhijith Reddy, CTO of ASBL at Python Conference Hyderabad 2026

At the conference, Abhijith Reddy, CTO of ASBL, explained how technology in real estate is solving real challenges across construction, sales, and resident living. He highlighted that the industry still struggles with basic but critical problems in construction, such as maintaining budget discipline, managing material and labour payments, detecting delays early, and ensuring consistent quality.

ASBL is addressing these challenges using advanced prop tech solutions. The company has developed a digital twin system along with mobile apps and planning tools. In simple terms, every building is mapped digitally, and each task is clearly assigned. Teams know what work needs to be done, where it should happen, and in what order. Once a task is completed, proof is uploaded and verified before moving forward. This approach improves control, increases accountability, detects delays faster, and strengthens quality checks.

The same approach is applied to sales. Abhijith Reddy explained that the focus is on identifying the right customers, understanding buyer needs, automating outreach, and simplifying financing. By using structured data, automation, and AI in real estate, ASBL is making the sales process more efficient and responsive. This also creates a smoother experience for both customers and sales teams.

He also spoke about life after handover, where many real estate processes remain manual. In gated communities, there are multiple moving parts such as residents, staff, visitors, service requests, and amenities. Managing all of this can be complex without the right systems in place.

ASBL addresses this through Homes by ASBL, its dedicated resident management app. The app allows residents to manage daily activities in one place. From booking amenities to raising service requests and receiving updates, everything is handled digitally, making daily living simpler and more organized.

ASBL has also digitized the entire home-buying journey. Documentation workflows, approvals, and customer communication are handled through technology. This reduces the need for physical visits and makes the process easier, especially for NRIs purchasing homes from abroad.

By leveraging AI, they automate repetitive tasks, speed up development, and reduce errors, which allows them to focus on solving real-world real estate challenges. In a month alone, they used 3.8 billion tokens, a testament to how cursor usage drives innovation and efficiency across all the processes.

ASBL believes it is not a real estate company doing tech, but a tech company doing real estate. By supporting the Python community and showcasing the use of AI in real estate and prop tech, ASBL reinforced its vision of building better homes and better customer experiences through technology.

The findings are based on a global survey of 335 senior decision-makers (Director level and above) across North America, Europe, APAC, and India, with the majority (97%) reporting annual revenues exceeding $1 billion.

Key Findings Highlight Why Digital Adoption Is Critical to Digital Transformation Success

• $10.9M at risk: A mid-sized organization of 1,000 employees stands to lose an estimated $10.9 million annually due to ineffective digital adoption.

• 728 hours lost per employee: Workers spend hundreds of hours navigating poorly adopted or complex digital environments. 

• AI adoption gap: While 76% of leaders prioritize AI adoption, only 27% view digital adoption as a critical enabler.

• DAP maturity drives outcomes: Proficient organizations significantly outperform emergent peers on key metrics, including improved user experience (53% vs. 28%) and ROI maximization (56% vs. 28%).

As enterprises scale AI, digital adoption maturity becomes critical. Governance, workflow integration, and measurement determine impact. Modern DAPs are emerging as the orchestrator of AI execution, embedding governance, workflow intelligence and real-time contextual guidance directly into enterprise workflows to ensure measurable outcomes at scale.

Find the full insights from the Whatfix-commissioned Forrester Consulting study here. The study also includes a Forrester-defined framework for organizations to evaluate their digital adoption maturity.

“Enterprises are buying and building AI faster than ever, but adoption is not keeping pace,” said Khadim Batti, Co-founder and CEO of Whatfix. “The real challenge is operationalizing intelligence inside real workflows with governance and measurable outcomes. Digital adoption maturity is no longer optional, it has become the difference between AI ambition and AI outcomes.”

“We treat AI as driving intelligence into whatever we do. With frequent changes in content creators, consistency and speed of delivery are critical for us. This is where AI plays a powerful role,” said Satyen Shah, Vice President – IT & Digital Solutions, JSW Steel. “AI is helping us contextualize user queries across Salesforce modules and deliver highly relevant, in-the-flow support. AI without context is of no use, and Whatfix’s roadmap around contextual intelligence and automation is creating real impact for us.”

Whatfix Momentum in 2025
Financial and Market Momentum Reinforce Category Leadership
In 2025, Whatfix continued its strong growth trajectory, registering 31% year-over-year revenue growth alongside a consistent margin expansion. Built on a foundation of robust core SaaS economics and improving operating leverage, the company continues to drive its growth agenda. This momentum was further validated by the 2025 Deloitte Technology Fast 500™, where Whatfix is recognised as the top-ranked DAP for the fifth consecutive year and rising to #279 globally, a 24% jump in ranking, achieving a remarkable 275% growth rate. Whatfix’s evolution toward an agentic product suite and AI-first innovation was also reinforced by the inclusion of its multi-product offerings—Digital Adoption, Product Analytics, and Mirror—in the 2025 Gartner Market Guides for both DAP and Product Analytics.

As the only Digital Adoption Platform recognized as a "Customers’ Choice" vendor in the Gartner Voice of the Customer report for the third consecutive year, Whatfix continues to attract market leaders. New customers continue to drive growth, accounting for 44% of the new business, with a strong expansion and new wins across a portfolio of enterprise logos, including Shell, Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Experian, Compass Group USA, Ceva Logistics, IDEXX Laboratories, Grant Thornton, and Sentry Insurance. This growth was achieved while maintaining a 99.9% CSAT score and a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 53, reflecting deep product adoption and sustained customer value. Furthermore, Whatfix expanded its partner ecosystem to over 150 global partners, scaling AI-driven digital transformation across diverse industries and geographies.

Whatfix Product Suite: Accelerating AI Powered Digital Transformation
Artificial Intelligence
Screensense advanced as the core AI engine behind Whatfix, strengthening its ability to understand screen structure, workflow context, and user intent in real time.

Agentic Product-Suite 
Whatfix launched a unified suite of AI Agents—Authoring, Guidance, Insights, and specialized domain agents. These were designed as a native intelligence layer embedded across the Whatfix suite, transforming how enterprises create content, guide users, and generate insights across their digital ecosystems.

Early enterprise adopters are already seeing measurable impact, including:

• 30–40% reduction in content creation effort with the Authoring Agent

• 3–4x faster analysis cycles enabled by the Insights Agent

• 4–5x increase in information discovery and search usage through the Guidance Agent

More than 30% of new enterprise buyers in the second half of 2025 adopted AI Agents as part of their Whatfix rollout, signaling a clear shift toward AI-first digital adoption strategies.

Seek for Salesforce was also introduced in 2025 as the world’s first AI Agent to independently navigate workflows and complete Salesforce Trailhead Admin Challenges. This milestone marked a shift from AI that guides users to AI that executes tasks within enterprise systems—reinforcing Whatfix’s vision of governed, autonomous execution at scale.

Launched a Faster Way to Create Flows with Quick Capture Mode in DAP
Authors could now record all steps in one go, and Whatfix automatically generates the flow based on application context and user intent. Using the Authoring Agent, they can refine step titles and descriptions with AI prompts to match user needs. This reduces the number of clicks required to build guidance by 3X and cuts content creation time by up to 50%, significantly accelerating in-app guidance creation at scale.

Mirror Expands into a New Market with AI Roleplay
Mirror emerged as a major growth engine in 2025, with ARR tripling year-over-year following the launch of AI Roleplay. Mirror is now the world’s first GenAI-powered simulation and roleplay training solution that combines system simulation and AI-driven roleplay in a unified environment.

AI Roleplay addresses a critical enterprise gap of moving beyond system training to real-world readiness. By enabling teams to practice conversations, edge cases, and decision-making scenarios, organizations are reducing time-to-proficiency and improving customer experience outcomes at scale.

Product Analytics Advances from Insights to Action
Product Analytics evolved into a true Insights-to-Action platform, directly connecting behavioral data with in-app execution through the Digital Adoption Platform.

Key advancements included:

• Ask Whatfix AI maturing into an AI Analyst capable of contextual reasoning and automated action

• Real-Time Cohorts enabling instant user segmentation

• Session Replay for qualitative behavioral analysis

• Autocapture eliminating manual tagging and accelerating time-to-insight

Together, these capabilities enable enterprises to identify friction as it occurs and immediately trigger contextual flows or guidance.

2026 and beyond: 
Whatfix continues to advance the future of digital transformation by embedding AI into execution at scale. Through Whatfix University, the company has certified 6,500+ professionals, strengthening a growing global DAP community.

In early 2026, Whatfix strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Amit Sureka as Chief Financial Officer, alongside the return of Patrick Ashamalla as Head of Product Research & Design and the addition of Vasupradha S as Head of Analyst Relations & Market Intelligence, as it scales its AI-native platform globally.

The company continues to receive recognition for its growth, AI innovation, product leadership, and customer centricity including the 2025 AI Breakthrough Award for Product Analytics, InfoWorld’s Technology of the Year Award for Mirror, 2026 Artificial Intelligence Excellence Awards finalist, G2 best software awards and ranking as a #1 DAP leader on the G2 Grid, Gold Stevie for Customer Service Department of the Year.

As enterprises scale AI, Whatfix will continue expanding its autonomous execution capabilities, positioning its platform as the orchestration layer for AI-driven digital transformation at scale. To support this next phase of AI led growth, the company will pursue disciplined expansion through sustained organic innovation and selective strategic acquisitions, further strengthening its platform capabilities and global enterprise footprint.

About Whatfix
Whatfix is an AI platform advancing  the “userization” of enterprise applications—empowering companies to maximize the ROI of their digital investments. Powered by a proprietary AI engine ScreenSense, Whatfix continuously interprets application workflow context and user intent to boost user productivity, ensure process compliance, and elevate user experience across applications and AI tools. The product portfolio includes a Digital Adoption Platform (DAP), Mirror for hands-on system simulation and AI Roleplay training, and Product and AI agent Analytics for no-code actionable insights. With seven offices across the US, India, UK, Germany, Singapore, and Australia, Whatfix supports 700+ enterprises, including 80+ Fortune 500s like Shell, Schneider Electric, and UPS Supply Chain Solutions. Backed by investors such as Warburg Pincus, Softbank Vision Fund 2, Dragoneer, Peak XV Partners, Eight Roads, and Cisco Investments, software clicks with Whatfix.

For more information, visit the Whatfix website.

Red Hat, the world's leading provider of open source solutions, today announced an expanded collaboration with Google Cloud to help organizations accelerate application modernization and cloud migrations. This expansion introduces Red Hat OpenShift in the Google Cloud console, deeper integrations with Google Cloud services and marks the general availability of Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization on Red Hat OpenShift Dedicated on Google Cloud.

Today's announcement reinforces both companies' shared commitment to provide a comprehensive application platform where enterprises can confidently build, deploy, manage and scale containerized, virtualized and AI applications on Google Cloud. Customers can operate with the assurance that both Red Hat and Google are committed to the performance, security and continued success of applications running on Red Hat OpenShift on Google Cloud.

Enhanced flexibility for workloads on Google Cloud

Red Hat OpenShift is now available within the Google Cloud console. This makes it easier for customers to find the right solution for running their workloads on Google Cloud and guiding users through a more seamless onboarding experience. Key benefits include:

• Streamlined onboarding: Red Hat OpenShift Dedicated users can natively validate Google Cloud prerequisites before transitioning to a guided cluster provisioning flow within the Red Hat Hybrid Cloud Console.

• Unified billing and procurement: Organizations can use flexible, pay-as-you-go pricing through Google Cloud Marketplace that counts their Red Hat OpenShift subscription costs against their Google Cloud committed spend.

• Native service integrations: Red Hat OpenShift users can unlock the power of Google-native integrations through jointly engineered and supported integrations with key services such as Google Cloud Secret Manager, Certificate Authority Service and Workload Identity Federation among others.

Modernizing infrastructure with Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization

Faced with rising costs and increased complexity, organizations need solutions that let them migrate workloads today and modernize at their own pace. Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization, a built-in capability of Red Hat OpenShift, bridges the gap between legacy infrastructure and modern innovation by unifying traditional virtual machines (VMs) with containers and serverless workloads on a consistent Kubernetes platform. Users benefit from one interface, one toolset and one set of operational practices across all workloads.

Available on Google Cloud C3 bare metal instances, Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization enables organizations with direct access to CPU and memory resources for performance-sensitive or licensing-constrained workloads, helping support modernization while maintaining predictable performance in the cloud to achieve:

• Accelerated modernization: Red Hat OpenShift Dedicated on Google Cloud brings modern application development processes and tools to VMs, allowing organizations to accelerate the modernization of VM-based applications at their own pace.

• Consistent management across hybrid environments: With a unified operational model, IT teams can consistently manage VMs and containers across on-premises, cloud, and edge environments, improving efficiency and gaining flexibility.

• Simplified migration: Organizations get flexibility to migrate from traditional virtualization with minimal downtime using tools like the migration toolkit for virtualization and Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform to ease the transition to a modern offering with flexibility to bring these workloads to a consistent hybrid approach with OpenShift and Google Cloud. 

• Enhanced scalability and reliability: Red Hat OpenShift Dedicated on Google Cloud enables organizations to gain more predictable performance, elastic scaling, and stronger SLAs, backed by a comprehensive application platform and highly scalable infrastructure.

Red Hat OpenShift Dedicated on Google Cloud is a fully managed application platform that allows customers to focus on building and scaling applications that drive their core business. Global Site Reliability Engineers and built-in automation reduce operational overhead and improve efficiencies.

To experience these new capabilities and accelerate the modernization journey, organizations can explore Red Hat OpenShift directly within the Google Cloud console. Additionally, organizations can begin their modernization journey at their own pace with Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization on Red Hat OpenShift Dedicated on Google Cloud.

Supporting Quotes

Mike Barrett, vice president and general manager, Hybrid Cloud Platforms, Red Hat, “Red Hat’s hybrid cloud vision is built on consistency – the ability to run any workload, anywhere, with the same operational model. This extended collaboration with Google Cloud further empowers organizations with comprehensive cloud-native capabilities of Red Hat OpenShift, whether they need to accelerate application development or streamline migration to the cloud. Together, Red Hat and Google provide a clear, unified path for organizations to modernize their entire application portfolio, helping them manage both their traditional VMs and containerized applications on a single platform.”

Nirav Mehta, vice president, Product Management - Google Cloud Compute Platform, Google Cloud, “Our customers are constantly looking for ways to simplify their infrastructure and accelerate innovation without sacrificing performance. We are pleased to deepen our collaboration with Red Hat for OpenShift on Google Cloud. Customers now have a smoother path, enabling them to run both virtualized and containerized workloads consistently on Google Cloud's global, secure, and performant infrastructure.”

Additional Resources

• Learn more about Red Hat’s collaboration with Google Cloud

• Find Red Hat solutions on Google Cloud Marketplace

• Explore the benefits of Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization

• Modernize virtual machines on Google Cloud with Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization

• Documentation for OpenShift Virtualization

Connect with Red Hat

• Learn more about Red Hat

• Get more news in the Red Hat newsroom

• Read the Red Hat blog

• Follow Red Hat on X

• Follow Red Hat on Instagram

• Watch Red Hat videos on YouTube

• Follow Red Hat on LinkedIn

About Red Hat, Inc.

Red Hat is the open hybrid cloud technology leader, delivering a trusted, consistent and comprehensive foundation for transformative IT innovation and AI applications. Its portfolio of cloud, developer, AI, Linux, automation and application platform technologies enables any application, anywhere—from the datacenter to the edge. As the world's leading provider of enterprise open source software solutions, Red Hat invests in open ecosystems and communities to solve tomorrow's IT challenges. Collaborating with partners and customers, Red Hat helps them build, connect, automate, secure and manage their IT environments, supported by consulting services and award-winning training and certification offerings.

Forward-Looking Statements

Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements contained in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based on the company’s current assumptions regarding future business and financial performance.  These statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially. Any forward-looking statement in this press release speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Except as required by law, the company assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.

Alkami Technology marked a key milestone in its global expansion with the launch of its India GCC, in partnership with Summit (an ANSR company)

“Alkami was very intentional in selecting the National Capital Region for our technology hub in India,” said Alex Shootman, Chief Executive officer at Alkami. “Its location offers a remarkable concentration of bank and fintech engineering skill, technical depth, and operational talent befitting to accelerate innovation and development across the Alkami Digital Sales & Service Platform. By investing in this region, we are strengthening our ability to move faster, scale thoughtfully, and deliver the technology that financial institutions need to compete and grow.”

The India hub will support platform engineering, data intelligence and cloud architecture with security at every layer for Alkami’s Digital Sales & Service Platform (DSSP), which powers digital banking experiences for more than 300 financial institutions and 22 million users across its ecosystem. Alkami is one of the fastest growing financial technology partners in the United States as the DSSP becomes the first to market in this category.

“I’ve seen firsthand the impact a global technology organization can have on accelerating growth and executing on the product roadmap,” said Deep Varma, Chief Technology Officer at Alkami. “The depth of engineering talent and the strength of the technical ecosystem in this region of India will help us scale our platform, advance our AI-driven capabilities, and deliver secure, reliable banking experiences for our customers.”

Consumer expectations continue to rise. Research shows that 46% of digital banking users wish their primary financial provider anticipated their financial needs more effectively, while half say they would switch providers for a significantly better digital experience. Alkami’s Platform is designed to help financial institutions move toward Anticipatory Banking — a forward-thinking vision that uses behavioral data, artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure to anticipate account holders’ needs before they are communicated to deliver proactive, supercharged personalized financial experiences.

“The work of skilled engineers will seal the connection between product strategy and technical execution,” said Manoj Kumar, Vice President of data engineering and country lead, India at Alkami. “By growing our engineering footprint in a market with deep expertise, we are better positioned to accelerate development across the Alkami Digital Sales & Service Platform and deliver capabilities that are performant, scalable, and aligned to the needs of financial institutions.”

To scale its India operations, Alkami leveraged the capabilities of Summit Consulting, an ANSR partner company, to design, build, and operationalize its Global Capability Center.

About Alkami 

Alkami provides a digital sales and service platform for U.S. banks and credit unions. Our unified Platform integrates onboarding, digital banking, and data and marketing—each solution can stand alone, but together they deliver more—to help institutions onboard, engage, and grow relationships. As the future shifts toward Anticipatory Banking, we help data-informed bankers meet the moment with technology that drives action.

Lt. Gen. (Dr.) M. D. Venkatesh, VSM (Retd.) Vice Chancellor, MAHE, inaugurates the launch of the MAHE Agentic Intelligent Console (MAGIC) with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp at Manipal on 20 March

The initiative is being implemented by Manipal Academy of Higher Education in collaboration with leading global technology partners, including Microsoft, Salesforce, Deloitte, PwC, and Hitachi.

Senior leadership from MAHE, technology partners, faculty representatives, and administrative teams participated in the initiative rollout and strategic discussions around the adoption of AI-driven platforms in higher education.

MAGIC is designed to introduce intelligent AI agents across critical university functions. The system will initially deploy five AI agents within the Student Life Cycle Management (SLCM) platform, enabling automated support for routine academic processes such as timetable creation, attendance management, exam planning, and performance insights. Beyond academics, AI agents will also transform operational workflows across admissions, procurement, finance, HR, and support services, helping reduce processing time, improve efficiency, and enhance user experience.

The platform will also introduce research-support agents capable of scanning academic databases, summarising literature, and suggesting citations, enabling researchers to focus on innovation rather than administrative tasks.

"In addition, AI-driven systems will support prospective students by streamlining admissions and application processing, and offering selective candidate issuance within minutes." AI-powered support agents will also provide 24/7 assistance, reducing wait times and improving response efficiency.

MAHE plans to deploy more than 50 AI agents across academic and administrative functions over the next two years, creating an integrated AI ecosystem within the university.

Lt. Gen. (Dr.) M D Venkatesh, VSM (Retd.), Vice Chancellor, MAHE, said, “MAGIC represents a transformative step in our digital evolution. By integrating agentic AI across our academic and administrative ecosystems, we aim to create a proactive and intelligent university environment where technology supports both educators and learners in achieving excellence.”

Arundhati Bhattacharya, President & CEO, South Asia at Salesforce, said, “The integration of AI agents within higher education institutions like MAHE showcases the potential of intelligent digital platforms to transform learning, research, and institutional operations. We are proud to support MAHE in building an AI-driven ecosystem that empowers students, faculty, and administrators.”

Ashwin Ballal, Leader, Deloitte India, said, “MAHE’s MAGIC initiative represents a forward-looking step in the digital evolution of higher education institutions. By integrating agentic AI into core academic and administrative systems, MAHE is building a scalable, intelligent ecosystem that enhances efficiency, decision-making, and the user experience for students, faculty, and administrators. We are proud to support MAHE in this transformative journey.”

With the launch of MAGIC, MAHE is strengthening its position as a technology-driven global university, advancing towards a future where AI, automation, and emerging technologies such as quantum computing will play a central role in higher education.

The initiative reinforces MAHE’s commitment to innovation, operational excellence, and enhanced academic experiences, enabling students and faculty to collaborate with intelligent systems and shaping a new model for digitally empowered universities.

About Manipal Academy of Higher Education:

Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) is an Institution of Eminence Deemed-to-be University, offering over 400 specialisations across Health Sciences, Management, Law, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Technology & Science. MAHE operates through its constituent institutions across campuses in Manipal, Mangalore, Bengaluru, Jamshedpur, and Dubai.

Renowned for its academic excellence, world-class infrastructure, and impactful research contributions, MAHE has earned strong national and international recognition. In 2020, the Ministry of Education, Government of India, conferred MAHE with the prestigious Institution of Eminence status. Currently ranked 3rd in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), MAHE continues to be a preferred destination for students seeking a transformative learning experience and vibrant campus life, as well as for national and multinational organisations seeking top talent.

The campaign features companies such as BigBasket, Third Wave Coffee and Redbus, focusing on the different business realities across sectors

B2B fintech advertising has long addressed businesses as uniform friction points to be solved for. The campaign shifts this lens. When category disruptors across E-commerce, Travel, F&B, SaaS build against fundamentally different challenges - the payments infrastructure supporting them becomes a critical layer in navigating those realities.

Conceptualised by Talented and produced by At All Odds, 'One of Your Kind' spotlights the real ecosystems of people, hunger, and grit that shape every business’s journey to be unique - establishing Cashfree Payments as a payments gateway built around the distinct realities of each category it enables.

Aditi Olemann, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Cashfree Payments said, “Ten years. A million businesses. And the single most important thing we have learned is that businesses that shape markets are, without exception, one of a kind. Each arrived at the problem differently and built something entirely their own. When you have witnessed these journeys, you stop thinking about payments as a uniform layer, but as something that must adapt to unique business ambitions. The One of Your Kind campaign is our way of saying: we see you, not as a transaction category, but as a company that built something no else built, in a way no one else would have. And these businesses deserve payments that are built to be One of Your Kind.”

The film sidesteps corporate polish to showcase raw, lived-in growth journeys of Cashfree Payments' long-standing partners, including BigBasket, Third Wave Coffee, and Redbus. The narrative reframes success and growth as less of a spectacle, and more of a story of becoming - with Cashfree Payments’ robust infrastructure as the invisible backbone that powers it all.

Akshat Chaturvedi, Karthik Nambiar and Nikhil Unni, Brand Strategy & Creatives, Talented said, “In a category where capabilities converge, we recognised an opportunity to differentiate through perspective. Payment gateways compete on features, but businesses are rarely spoken to in ways that reflect how differently they operate. ‘One of Your Kind’ became a platform to shift the narrative - from feature-led storytelling to an archive of ambition rooted in the larger philosophy of how Cashfree builds around each business’s individuality.”

Sanjana Krishnan and Rohan Shetty, Directors add, “This was one of those rare film shoots where we didn't have sets to build - we had to inhabit real warehouses, offices, and store outlets. We moved like flies on the wall, letting the rhythm of the environment dictate the frame. The mixed-media documentary style became a careful choreography of photographs, paperwork, everyday objects, and candid human moments. Every detail had to feel intentional, even when the moment itself was unscripted.”

One of Your Kind signals how Cashfree Payments sees its role - not as a uniform layer across industries, but as infrastructure shaped around the specific pressures each category carries. Whether improving checkout conversion and managing COD risk in E-commerce, enabling seamless pre-authorisations in Travel, building robust subscription suites for SaaS, or expanding access through EMI for Education, Cashfree Payments builds around context, rather than conformity. A business shaped by the businesses it serves.

Watch the film here: youtu.be/EHXJRi9YzrY

About Cashfree Payments

Cashfree Payments is a leader in payments in India. Founded in 2015, Cashfree Payments processes transactions worth $80B annually for more than a million businesses.

Businesses use Cashfree Payments to collect payments from 100+ payment methods, make payouts, make cross border payments, improve conversions with a one-click checkout, recover abandoned carts, and predict and reduce returns. With an easy onboarding and integration process, and compatibility with popular merchant platforms like Shopify, Wix, Wordpress, WooCommerce, WhatsApp, Cashfree Payments enables businesses to start transactions within a day. Cashfree Payments directly connects with all payment networks and owns its payment processing technology end-to-end, ensuring higher success rates and reliability. Built for scale, it enables businesses to process an industry-leading 12,000 transactions per second, handling peak demand effortlessly.

Alongside payments, Cashfree Payments offers SecureID, an identity verification stack with a comprehensive suite of APIs and KYC components. SecureID enables fintechs and startups to streamline compliant onboarding and KYC flows by minimising user inputs, thus reducing drop-offs, intelligently verifying identity documents, and detecting fraud and anomalies with high accuracy.

Cashfree Payments is authorised by the Reserve Bank of India to operate as a payment aggregator for both domestic and cross-border payments, and was one of the first entities to be authorised. It is also authorised to issue Prepaid Instruments. Cashfree Payments is backed by Silicon Valley investor Y Combinator, Apis Partners, State Bank of India (SBI), KRAFTON, and was incubated by PayPal.

As nonprofits across India work with lean teams to serve large and often geographically dispersed communities, many are looking for new ways to scale their impact amid rising demand, talent constraints, and operational complexity. AI agents present a powerful opportunity to extend their reach by autonomously handling routine tasks like program management, volunteer management, donor communications, and tailored fundraising support. This allows teams to focus on what matters most: direct beneficiary engagement and program delivery across India's vast and diverse landscape. The challenge lies in accessing the technology and expertise needed to make this vision a reality.

The Salesforce Accelerator — Agents for Impact addresses this need by providing nonprofits with technology, grants, and pro bono expertise to build and deploy AI-powered agent solutions. Through a customized six-month program, selected organizations receive comprehensive support including one-on-one and group coaching from Salesforce experts and flexible grants of up to INR 6.8 crores, distributed across a cohort of four nonprofit organizations. Additionally, the selected nonprofits will receive free access to Salesforce technology for up to 18 months, and technical consulting from employee volunteers.

India Cohort Pioneering AI Solutions

The inaugural India cohort brings together four pioneering organizations developing innovative AI agent solutions to address critical social challenges:

• Antarang Foundation is developing a Career Facilitator Agent that generates personalized career counseling sessions with specific next steps based on each student's profile data, enabling scalable, customized career guidance.

• Foundation For Excellence is creating a Scholarship Agent that supports review  and processing of student applications for scholarships, helping more students get access to critical funding.

• Latika is building a Legal Navigator Agent (Asli Intelligence) that generates clear, step-by-step roadmaps for individuals to acquire disability certificates, pensions, scholarships, and tax relief—making complex legal processes accessible to all.

• Teach for India is implementing a Teaching Assistant agent that will be trained on resources from its teacher training platform, Firki. It will serve as a personal assistant to answer queries and guide teachers to relevant courses through intuitive chats and clicks.

Comments on the news:

Arundhati Bhattacharya, President & CEO, Salesforce, South Asia, said, “We believe organizations closest to India's most pressing challenges shouldn't be furthest from the tools that multiply their impact. Nonprofits are drowning in admin work when they should be focused on transformation. AI agents represent a fundamental shift: technology that doesn't just optimize workflows but reclaims human capacity for what matters most.

At Salesforce, we’ve long believed that business is the greatest platform for change.  That belief guides how we build and deploy AI as a force for good that strengthens communities. Through the Salesforce Accelerator — Agents for Impact, we're proving a new equation: when intelligent systems handle complexity, people multiply impact. Not by working harder, but by working on what only humans can do — building trust, making judgment calls, and showing up with empathy where it counts. The future of impact isn't choosing between humanity and scale. It's architecting them together."

*Salesforce, the #1 CRM, powered by AI technology and capabilities.

About Salesforce

Salesforce helps organizations of any size become agentic enterprises - integrating humans, agents, apps, and data on a trusted, unified platform to unlock unprecedented growth and innovation.

Visit www.salesforce.com/in for more information.

The Global Technology Distribution Council (GTDC), the world's largest consortium of technology distributors, has released a new research report, Distribution: The Digital Force Multiplier. Developed by CommCentric Solutions, this study examines how IT distribution has transformed and continues to evolve into a critical enabler of cloud, artificial intelligence (AI), hyperscaler and platform-driven business models across the global technology channel.

Suppliers and solution providers face mounting complexity, financial risk and competitive pressure in this new digital realm. This survey and interview-based report confirms that distributors are uniquely positioned to unify fragmented go-to-market motions, streamline subscription and consumption models, integrate multi-vendor solutions, and accelerate partner enablement, demand generation and data-driven decision-making. These benefits are ranked and detailed by supplier executives in this report, along with insightful narrative from distribution and industry thought leaders.

"Today's distributors have advanced far beyond the critical logistics and credit services mission," said Frank Vitagliano, CEO of GTDC. "Distribution is now a major force multiplier-helping cloud and AI and hyperscaler-focused suppliers reduce risk, scale faster, enter new markets and orchestrate increasingly complex digital ecosystems. Those services are layered on top of all the time-tested valued services that vendors have come to expect from their trusted distributor partners."

Cloud, XaaS, and AI-driven solutions introduce operational, financial and technical complexity that most emerging and established suppliers simply do not have the resources to scale these offerings independently. Distribution provides these organizations with operational efficiencies, financial leverage and the global reach required to succeed in today's highly competitive IT ecosystems.

Distribution's New Key Value Propositions

Several critical trends were highlighted by the global survey of vendor executives and in-depth interviews with channel leaders across North America, EMEA and APJ. The report notes a number of those movements that are forging a stronger and more valuable future for the IT ecosystem. Some of the advantages suppliers gain by working with distributors include:

Partner ecosystem growth is a priority. 80% of vendor executives rank this distribution value-add as the most important contribution to their go-to-market success, with sales enablement resources cited by 57% of respondents, reflecting the growing need for education, tools and guidance to sell and support cloud and AI-driven solutions.

Digital platform adoption is strong, with 86% of suppliers either using at least one today or actively evaluating options to support online transactions, lifecycle management and analytics.

Hyperscaler relationships continue to evolve. 60% of vendors have direct relationships with these infrastructure suppliers with 40% leveraging both a direct and distributor-supported model, underscoring the growing importance of distribution as a bridge between these organizations and the broader channel ecosystem.

Additional survey findings highlight that distributors play a critical role in risk reduction, renewal orchestration, marketplace onboarding and AI-driven analytics - essential capabilities as technology shifts more toward subscription, consumption and outcome-based models.

The full report, Distribution: The Digital Force Multiplier, as well as other invaluable industry research and resources, is available at no cost on the GTDC Knowledge Hub.

About the GTDC

The Global Technology Distribution Council is the industry consortium representing the world's leading tech distributors. GTDC members drive an estimated $180 billion in annual worldwide sales of products, services and solutions through diverse business channels. GTDC conferences support the development and expansion of strategic supply-chain partnerships that continually address the fast-changing marketplace needs of vendors, end customers and distributors. GTDC members include AB S.A, Arrow Electronics, CMS Distribution, Computer Gross Italia S.p.A., D&H Distributing, ELKO Group, Esprinet S.p.A., Exclusive Networks, Exertis, Infinigate, Ingram Micro, Intcomex, Logicom Public Limited, Mindware, Nexora, Redington Limited, SiS Technologies, Tarsus Distribution, TD SYNNEX, TIM AG, VSTECS Holdings Limited and Westcon-Comstor.

Chennai Institute of Technology's ALL-GIRLS  team wins at DeepTech Hackathon, takes home Rs. 1,00,000

A Platform Built for the Next Generation of Innovators

India has earned global recognition for its deep semiconductor design talent. As the nation now accelerates toward chip manufacturing, the imperative is clear — India must expand its capabilities across the entire semiconductor value chain to build a truly self-reliant ecosystem.

The IESA Vision Summit 2026 concluded with the DeepTech Hackathon Grand Finale, spotlighting cutting-edge semiconductor talent and Edge AI innovation

The ‘DeepTech Hackathon’ was conceived as a high-impact platform to catalyse this transition — identifying, nurturing, and fast-tracking breakthrough innovations and cultivating a future-ready talent pipeline in India. Bringing together some of India’s brightest engineering minds, the hackathon challenged participants to develop cutting-edge solutions leveraging AI-enabled EDA workflows for “Edge AI based Defect Classification System for Semiconductor Images”, reinforcing India’s readiness for design-led manufacturing and deep-tech leadership.  

The competition drew exceptional engagement from the country's engineering community, attracting 911 teams across 359 colleges — culminating in 532 high-quality idea submissions that underwent a rigorous, multi-stage evaluation process. The Grand Finale, held at the IESA Vision Summit 2026 — the most influential gathering of India's electronics and semiconductor leadership — brought together 10 finalist teams who had successfully navigated rigorous qualification rounds, mentorship sessions, and technical evaluations conducted in collaboration with industry experts from GlobalFoundries and NXP Semiconductors.

Commenting on the Mega Finale, Mr. Ashok Chandak, President, IESA and SEMI India, said, “India’s semiconductor ecosystem is at a decisive inflection point. While the India Semiconductor Mission is unlocking unprecedented investments, the true multiplier lies in talent and deep-tech innovation. This Hackathon showcases the depth of India’s semiconductor capability and the power of young engineers to solve complex challenges.”

“The momentum in AI and semiconductors is inseparable. As we build next-generation chips, we must also build responsible, human-centric AI systems aligned with the Prime Minister’s vision of MANAV — ethical, inclusive, and globally competitive. Today’s winners are not just award recipients; they represent the new face of India’s design and technology leadership. We congratulate them and thank our partners who are nurturing this innovation ecosystem that will power India’s next wave of startups, IP creation, and global impact.” Chandak added.

“GF is committed to building differentiated solutions for the semiconductor industry and our customers. Our leading foundry presence in India enables us to contribute towards building a strong tech ecosystem with our industry partners and educational institutes. The hackathon at the IESA Vision summit is a perfect platform for young talent to nurture industry-ready skills while solving real world problems using semiconductor chip design, manufacturing and AI techniques. It is inspiring to see the critical thinking, curiosity and depth of technical knowledge demonstrated by the students. I look forward to welcoming this talent to the growing semiconductor ecosystem in India and GF in particular in the coming years,” said, Jitendra Chaddah (JC), Vice President and India Country Head, GlobalFoundries.

Hitesh Garg, Vice President and India Managing Director, NXP Semiconductors added, “The DeepTech Hackathon comes at a pivotal moment as India accelerates its semiconductor and AI ambitions. This initiative reflects the kind of industry–academia collaboration that is essential to building India’s next wave of deep‑tech and manufacturing innovation. What stands out in this challenge—bringing together defect detection, Edge AI, and real fab‑level problem‑solving—is how closely it mirrors the demands of modern intelligent manufacturing. At NXP, we are proud to support platforms that strengthen India’s semiconductor and AI capabilities, especially as the industry faces a growing need for system design engineers who can integrate hardware, software, and AI into scalable, real‑world solutions. The ingenuity and technical depth demonstrated by these young engineers reaffirm that India is not just participating in the global shift toward advanced AI‑driven systems, but is strongly positioned to lead it.”

The Winners

Each winning team demonstrated exceptional command of AI enabled semiconductor design principles, systems thinking, and solution viability. A distinguished panel of jury shortlisted the top three winners at the Mega Finale — with the top spot claimed by an all-girls team from Chennai Institute of Technology.

Winning team – Chennai Institute of Technology, honored with prize money of Rs. 1,00,000

1st Runner-Up- Ramco Institute of Technology, honored with prize money of Rs. 60,000

2nd Runner-Up- IIT Indore, honored with prize money of Rs. 40,000. 

Shaping the future - IESA President Mr. Ashok Chandak (extreme left) inaugurates IESA Vision Summit 2026 alongside esteemed government dignitaries and industry leaders

The inauguration ceremony was addressed by a distinguished assembly of government leaders, industry luminaries, and stalwarts including Shri. Amitesh Kumar Sinha, (CEO, India Semiconductor Mission and Additional Secretary MeitY), Shri. Manish Chadha (JS, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, GoI), Dr. M M Tripathi (DG-NIELIT), Shri. Rahul Sharanappa, (IAS, Director, Deptt of ITBT, GoK), His Excellency, Ewout de Wit, Consul General, Embassy of Netherlands, Ajit Manocha, President, SEMI, Gilroy Mathew (CEO, UST), Mr Ashok Chandak, President, IESA, Ruchir Dixit, IESA Chairperson, VP & Country Manager Siemens EDA, Prof Tummala Rao, IDSPS and Emiretus Prof Georgia Tech, Advisor ISM.

A Theme That Defines a Movement

The 2026 edition's theme — Design to Manufacturing: Synergy of Product, Production and Skill — captures what industry leaders describe as the most critical challenge and opportunity facing India's electronics sector today: bridging the gap between world-class chip and product design capabilities and scalable, high-quality domestic manufacturing.

“India has already demonstrated global leadership in semiconductor design. The next step is clear — we must complete the value chain. We must Create, build, and manufacture world-class products at scale, with uncompromising quality and a deeply skilled workforce to sustain that growth.

India has the engineering talent to power the world. What we now need is the resolve to innovate boldly, the discipline to manufacture competitively, and the foresight to skill our people continuously — not just for India, but for the global technology ecosystem,” said Mr. Ashok Chandak, President, IESA, in his inaugural address.

“The IESA Vision Summit has, over the years, grown into far more than a conference — it has become a “national convergence platform” where ideas, partnerships, policy, innovation, and execution come together to drive real impact. This summit brings together “industry leaders, government policymakers, global investors, start-up innovators, academia, and ecosystem partners” — all united by a shared purpose: “to transform India into a global hub for semiconductor design, manufacturing, and innovation”, commented Mr. Ruchir Dixit, Chairperson IESA.

“India's electronics manufacturing has grown sixfold in eleven years — a foundation built on policy conviction, industry trust, and global partnership. As we advance into the next phase of our semiconductor mission, we do so with a long-term resolve. India is working on designing various AI applications. Under NSM, Ministry of Electronics and IT is working on design and development of infrastructure that is required for AI. In ISM 2.0, support for design, Manufacturing and packaging will continue and will further expand for semiconductor ecosystem development. Research and Development (R&D) in cutting edge technologies and skilling will also be the key focus areas. India Semiconductor Mission is not only a government initiative, this is a journey of all stakeholders with a resolve to build a resilient, trusted, and future-ready supply chain that brings stability not just to one nation, but to the world,” said Shri. Amitesh Kumar Sinha, CEO & Additional Secretary, ISM, MeitY addressing the summit.  

“Back when I stood up at San Francisco and predicted a $1 trillion semiconductor industry by 2030, I wasn't thinking big enough. We're already at $1 trillion — not by 2030, but as of today if we take in account the chips being designed and manufactured in-house by hyperscalers and major system companies-the industry has already crossed that threshold. So today, I'm putting a new stake in the ground: $2 trillion by 2035. That's not a hope. That's a strategic projection grounded in where this industry is heading — driven by AI, advanced packaging, and the insatiable demand for compute at every layer of the technology stack. We've surprised ourselves before. We'll do it again. Prime Minister Modi invoked Moore’s Law at one of our SEMICONs, calling for India’s semiconductor industry likewise to grow exponentially now that the stars are aligned. The government has done its part. Now it's up to the people of India to step up,” said Mr. Ajit Manocha, CEO and President, SEMI at the inauguration.

“The vision of sand-to-silicon ecosystems reflects India's focus on building an integrated semiconductor ecosystem. We already have strong global leadership in chip design, with several global semiconductor companies operating design centers in India, contributing significantly to global chip design talent and innovation. Global trends indicate that the semiconductor value chains are becoming increasingly diversified and resilience-oriented. Nations are seeking trusted partners for manufacturing, design, packaging, and components. Through the strategic trade agreements, market access negotiations and export promotion frameworks, we are expanding opportunities for India's electronics and semiconductor industry in the global markets. Our objective is not just participation, but leadership in targeted segments of the global electronics trade ecosystem," said Shri. Manish Chadha, Joint Secretary Ministry of Commerce and Industry at his inaugural address.

“Karnataka isn't just participating in India's electronics revolution — we're leading it. From being the first TCC in the ESDM space in 1985, to contributing 46% of national electronics sales, hosting 500+ R&D centers, 100+ chip design centers, and global giants - our story is one of pioneering leadership. Our policies — from the Karnataka ESDM Policy to being the first state with a dedicated GCC Policy — reflect our unwavering commitment to growth. The IESA Vision Summit is the ideal platform to amplify this story to the world,” said, Shri Rahul Sharanappa Sankanur, IAS, Director, Dept. of E, IT and Bt, GoK; Managing Director, KITS

“The electronics and semiconductor sector is perhaps the clearest example of what coordinated national intent can truly achieve. In over three decades of my association with this industry, I have never witnessed such an extraordinary alignment of vision and execution — with multiple central ministries, including MeitY, the Ministry of Commerce, and the Department of Science & Technology, working in sync with nine proactive state governments and industries under harmonized electronics and semiconductor policies. At IESA, our responsibility is to ensure that industry, academia, and government move forward in formation — aligned in purpose, speed, and direction.

‘Design to Manufacturing’ is not merely a theme; it is a strategic national imperative. India is positioning itself to be a Product Nation, a Production Nation, and a Skills Nation. And this summit marks the moment we confidently declare that ambition to the world,” continued Mr. Ashok Chandak, President, IESA.

The most Impactful development at the IESA Vision Summit, the official formation of IDSPS (Indian Design, Semiconductors, Packaging and Systems) — was announced as a dedicated division under IESA, marking a significant milestone for India's semiconductor R&D landscape. The division, formed with active participation from industries and Institutes will be led by Dr. Prof. Rao Tummala, appointed as CEO of the division and is envisioned to build a long-term R&D for manufacturing technology needs spanning 3, 5, and even 10 years ahead into the future — with ambitions that extend well beyond national boundaries to create global impact.

Other highlights:

One of the most significant highlights of this year’s summit included Grand Finale of the IESA DeepTech Hackathon 2026, a national competition (having 900+ registrations) that challenged India's brightest engineering minds to build practical, industry-ready solutions in the country's most strategically critical technology domains.

The summit also set the stage for one of the most anticipated traditions in India's ESDM calendar — the IESA Technovation Awards 2026, the sector's most prestigious recognition since their institution in 2008.

The Vision Summit 2026 set a landmark gathering by bringing together over 1,500 delegates alone on the 1^st day for a dynamic exchange of ideas and innovation. Featuring 30+ keynote addresses and 7 insightful panel discussions, the summit showcased 100+ booths. The vibrant Startup Zone and dedicated skilling workshops enlightened aspiring students from top engineering colleges. Along with a State Pavilion, Technovation Awards, Startup Mitra Sessions, Hackathon challenges and product launches the large-scale ecosystem exhibition offered unparalleled opportunities for networking, collaboration, and business development across the ESDM sector.

About IESA Vision Summit

The IESA Vision Summit is India's foremost annual event for the Electronics System Design and Manufacturing sector, organized by the India Electronics & Semiconductor Association (IESA). Each year, the summit brings together thousands of industry leaders, policymakers, innovators, startups, and academics to shape the strategic direction of India's ESDM ecosystem. The 2026 edition is being held on February 25–26, 2026, at The Leela Bhartiya City Convention Centre, Bengaluru.

About IESA

The India Electronics & Semiconductor Association (IESA) is India's premier industry body for ESDM and Intelligent Electronics. Working at the intersection of government policy, industry, and academia, IESA's mission is to establish India as a leading global hub for electronics manufacturing and design — and to harness the power of technology to positively impact the lives of over a billion Indians.

For more information, visit: www.iesaonline.org | www.iesa-visionsummit.com

DocuGenie.AI™, SecureKloud’s Intelligent Document Automation (IDA) platform, is now available on the Google Cloud Marketplace

This milestone marks a significant step in SecureKloud’s global growth journey. The listing further strengthens SecureKloud’s SaaS strategy and opens new opportunities for global enterprise adoption. Enterprises can now discover, procure, and deploy DocuGenie.AI faster, integrating it seamlessly into their existing cloud and enterprise ecosystems to accelerate adoption and simplify onboarding.

DocuGenie.AI is an AI-native, cloud-agnostic SaaS platform built to transform how organizations process and manage business-critical documents. Leveraging advanced technologies including GenAI, machine learning, LLMs, VLMs, SLMs, RPA, and intelligent data extraction, the platform automates high-volume document workflows with speed, accuracy, and built-in intelligence.

The platform is already witnessing rapid adoption among enterprise customers across key industries. In the NBFC and banking sector, DocuGenie.AI enables automation of KYC processing and verification, bank statement analysis, financial document extraction, and end-to-end lending workflows. In the logistics and transportation industry, organizations are using the platform to automate high-volume operational documents such as Proof of Delivery (POD), trip sheets significantly reducing manual effort and improving turnaround times.

Organizations deploying DocuGenie.AI are able to handle large-scale document volumes with greater speed and accuracy, realizing measurable productivity gains and operational ROI within days of implementation. By minimizing manual intervention and accelerating processing cycles, the platform helps enterprises reduce operational costs, strengthen compliance, and improve decision quality across financial services, lending, logistics, manufacturing, and enterprise operations.

“Being listed on Google Cloud Marketplace is further validation of the enterprise readiness, security, and scalability built into DocuGenie.AI,” said Venkat Krish, CRO & Whole-Time Director, SecureKloud Technologies. “In a relatively short span, the platform has gained strong enterprise traction and enabled us to onboard marquee customers across industries. This milestone is a feather in the cap for our team and positions DocuGenie.AI on a global stage as we continue to help organizations accelerate their AI-led automation journey.”

To learn more, visit: www.docugenieai.com.

About SecureKloud Technologies

SecureKloud Technologies Ltd. (NSE: SECURKLOUD | BSE: 512161) is a global technology company with over 17 years of expertise in AI-powered digital transformation, cloud-native SaaS enablement, managed services, and cybersecurity. Its portfolio spans Intelligent Document Automation with DocuGenie.AI™, AI and Data Engineering, Cloud Transformation, FinOps, SaaS Delivery, and 24x7 Managed Services. Backed by industry-recognized certifications and compliance frameworks including SOC 2, ISO 27001:2022, GDPR, ISO 9001, ISO 20000, and CMMI Level 3, SecureKloud delivers secure, scalable, and compliant digital operations for modern enterprises.

Visit: www.securekloud.com.

Jay Bavisi speaks at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, calling on India’s IT industry to lead the national AI workforce transformation

The Summit marked a pivotal global moment in AI’s evolution, drawing more than 300,000 attendees within its first three days and bringing together some of the most influential voices shaping the global AI economy, including Jensen Huang of Nvidia, Sundar Pichai of Google, Bill Gates, Sam Altman, and other technology leaders driving frontier innovation. It arrived at a moment of unprecedented reckoning for the global technology services industry, reflecting a broader shift from experimentation to measurable implementation.

Held amid heightened unprecedented reckoning for the global technology services industry. In the days leading up to the event, AI-driven disruption fears triggered a sharp selloff across major IT services firms. India’s Nifty IT index plunged nearly 19 percent over eight trading sessions, wiping out approximately Rs. 4.8 to Rs. 5 lakh crore in combined market capitalisation, marking one of the steepest sectoral corrections in recent years. Top Indian IT companies suffered sharp double-digit declines, with one industry giant briefly falling below the Rs. 10 lakh crore market cap threshold for the first time since December 2020, while several others hit fresh 52-week lows. The carnage was not limited to India: overseas-listed shares of leading firms plunged nearly 10 percent in a single New York trading session, as global investors reassessed the long-term viability of the labour-intensive outsourcing model that has powered the sector for decades.

The stakes could not be higher. India’s IT-BPM  industry remains one of the country’s most significant economic pillars , generating approximately $283 billion in revenue in FY2025, contributing over 7 percent to national GDP, and directly employing nearly 5.8 million professionals. As AI reshapes enterprise operating models worldwide, the need to reskill and realign this workforce has become a strategic priority. Leading IT companies recorded significant declines, with several stocks hitting multi-month or 52-week lows as investors reassessed the long-term implications of AI on traditional outsourcing and services models. The correction was not limited to India, as IT services companies listed overseas also experienced notable declines, reflecting broader global uncertainty around the future of labour-intensive service delivery in the AI era.

Yet within this disruption lies what may be the most consequential workforce opportunity of the decade. The same AI technologies dismantling traditional service delivery models are simultaneously creating massive new demand for professionals who can deploy, secure, and govern AI systems at enterprise scale. The question confronting India’s $283 billion IT sector is not whether AI will transform its business but whether the nation can retool its 5.8 million-strong technology workforce fast enough to lead that transformation rather than be consumed by it. This is precisely the challenge that Jay Bavisi, Founder and CEO of EC-Council, addressed head-on at the Summit.

Bavisi, creator of the world-renowned Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) credential and a global leader in applied cybersecurity education – shifted the focus from experimentation to execution maturity, emphasizing that AI’s future will be determined not by how fast it advances, but by how responsibly it is built, governed, and secured.

Addressing the panel “Responsible AI at Scale: Governance, Integrity & Cyber Readiness,” Bavisi emphasized that as AI becomes embedded across financial systems, healthcare infrastructure, manufacturing ecosystems, digital governance platforms, and national security frameworks, disciplined workforce capability becomes the decisive factor in responsible scale.

In his broader remarks on the Summit and India’s AI trajectory, Bavisi emphasized both the scale of the event and the magnitude of the opportunity.

“This is an amazing summit that has been organized in India, the AI Impact Summit. I have not seen a summit of this size. The number of people, the number of thinkers who are here from all across the world – it is a very successful event and a dialogue that is extremely important in a world that is being transformed by AI,” he said.

Bavisi emphasized that artificial intelligence carries transformative potential, but only if managed with structural discipline. “AI has the potential to cause mayhem if it is not implemented properly,” he stated. “When AI becomes embedded into systems, responsibility becomes critical.”

He framed India’s opportunity not merely as participation in AI growth, but as leadership through capability.

“India has a phenomenal opportunity to be a supplier of talent to the world. Indian professionals are known globally for their technical ability. In the world of AI right now, it is time to wake up and serve professionals to the world who are able to adopt, govern, and defend,” Bavisi said.

“The fact that India is taking leadership in AI is a phenomenal step in the right direction,” he added. “India is one of the very few countries with professionals who are proficient in language models, and technology at scale. This is a moment for India.”

Under Bavisi’s leadership, EC-Council has expanded its global AI footprint through structured, role-based capability development aligned to real-world enterprise needs. The Enterprise AI Credential Suite and the modernization of Certified CISO v4 represent the largest expansion in the organization’s 25-year history, built for one clear reality: AI is scaling faster than the workforce trained to run, secure, and govern it.

Structured around EC-Council’s proprietary Adopt. Defend. Govern. (ADG) framework for AI, the suite includes Artificial Intelligence Essentials (AI|E), Certified AI Program Manager (C|AIPM), Certified Offensive AI Security Professional (C|OASP), and Certified Responsible AI Governance & Ethics Professional (C|RAGE). Together with Certified CISO v4, these credentials form a unified workforce architecture designed to support AI deployment, governance oversight, security resilience, and executive leadership at enterprise scale.

The strength of that architecture was reflected in the engagement following Bavisi’s session. The discussion room reached capacity, with standing-room-only attendance and sustained interaction well beyond the scheduled time. Many attendees identified themselves as CEHs, reinforcing the credential’s long-standing global recognition even within a summit dominated by frontier AI technologies.

Bavisi emphasized that leadership in artificial intelligence will not be defined solely by technological speed, but by execution maturity.

“We often measure progress in numbers,” Bavisi said. “But the larger impact lies in shaping professionals who go on to defend companies, governments, and communities. Workforce development is not transactional. It is generational.”

About EC-Council

EC-Council is the creator of the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) program and a leader in cybersecurity education. Founded in 2001, EC-Council’s mission is to provide high-quality training and certifications for cybersecurity professionals to keep organizations safe from cyber threats. EC-Council offers over 200 certifications and degrees in various cybersecurity domains, including forensics, security analysis, threat intelligence, and information security.  

An ISO/IEC 17024 accredited organization, EC-Council has certified over 350,000 professionals worldwide, with clients ranging from government agencies to Fortune 100 companies. EC-Council is the gold standard in cybersecurity certification, trusted by the U.S. Department of Defense, the Army, Navy, Air Force, and leading global corporations.   

Santosh Tiwari

Welcoming Santosh, Co-founder & MD TSI, Puneet Kumar said, “TSI aims to unlock India Advantage of Talent & Technology for the global enterprise and leverage its momentum in becoming top three economies in the world. With Santosh joining, we strengthen our capability in delivering our clients in such domain as AI, Quantum, Space, Biotech, Skilling and other emerging tech areas.”

Tech Setting India is powered by a leadership team that has witnessed and driven exponential growth — 10x increase in revenue, a 300x expansion in workforce, and multi-city scale across India. The leadership team have been instrumental in shaping policies and frameworks across domains including SEZ, defence offsets, renewable energy, India’s AI roadmap, agri-tech, labour reforms, economic affairs & taxation reforms and foreign investment.

Santosh has been in the senior leadership position as a Director, in APCO — a Washington DC headquartered global strategic advisory and advocacy firm. He will take over his new role as TSI CEO from March onwards.

Expressing the need for an enabling platform, Co-founder TSI, Sandeep Bhatnagar said, “TSI wants to leverage India’s efforts of tech-powered growth for clients in treading the complex dynamics of an accelerated economy.”

“Taking up mantle of TSI CEO is a huge responsible to deliver clients results based on trust, quality and partnership. I thank TSI Co-founders for this opportunity,” said Santosh Tiwari.

About Tech Setting India (TSI) Pvt. Ltd.

Website: techsettingindia.com.

Amit Gupta, Founder Rapyder and Cloudeva.ai

Built by teams with years of hands-on experience supporting cloud operations across large enterprises, Start-Ups & SMBs, the idea of the founders was to address a persistent operational blind spot. Many organizations still struggle to maintain auditable visibility into what changed in their cloud environments, who initiated them, and the business reasoning behind those decisions.

Amit Gupta (founder, cloudeva.ai), identified the pattern after years of working with leadership teams that manage complex, multi-cloud estates. Despite significant investments in infrastructure, security controls, and analytics tooling, companies repeatedly encountered the same issue during incidents, cost escalations, and audit reviews: explaining the rationale behind critical actions.

“After nearly a decade running Rapyder and working closely with CXOs, I realized most cloud problems weren’t caused by bad technology,” said Amit Gupta. “They were caused by unclear decisions - not knowing who changed what, why it was changed, who approved it, or whether it was the right call at the time. As environments scaled, this gap only widened.”

As enterprises expanded digitally across Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, governance practices fragmented across tools and teams while executive accountability remained centralized. The disconnect between operational complexity and leadership responsibility became the catalyst for building Cloudeva.ai.

“Execution without context creates noise,” said Athreya Ramadas (Co-Founder, Cloudeva.ai) “We’re building an offering that turns cloud data into governed, actionable insight - enabling organizations to scale with clarity, control, and confidence.”

Cloudeva.ai introduces a decision layer above existing infrastructure, finance, and security tooling. Rather than just reporting events, the system interprets change through business, financial, and regulatory context - helping organizations move from raw activity to accountable decision-making. The founders have opened cloudeva.ai for public preview till March 31^st 2026. Preview participants can:

• Experience AI-driven cloud decision intelligence in real environments

• Shape governance workflows for regulated operations

• Work directly with the Cloudeva.ai founding and product teams

Who It’s Designed For

• Financial services and regulated enterprises managing audits and operational risk

• Healthcare and compliance-driven organizations balancing innovation and governance

• Large multi-cloud enterprises requiring cross-team visibility

• CIOs, CTOs, CISOs, and CFOs who need explainable cloud decisions

Why This Matters Now

• Multi-cloud environments are growing faster than governance models

• Regulatory expectations around accountability continue to tighten

• Decision opacity introduces financial and operational risk

• Enterprises need clarity without slowing innovation

Cloudeva.ai exists to solve what slows modern organizations down- uncertainty. By combining deep expertise with a forward-looking approach, the company helps businesses build systems that are not just scalable, but intentional.

Cloudeva.ai aims to transform cloud complexity into clear, confident action.

For more information, visit cloudeva.ai.

About tridorian
tridorian is a Google Cloud-focused services and solutions company helping organizations modernize platforms, data, and applications. As a people-centric Google Cloud Premier Partner, tridorian specializes in building secure, governed AI systems designed for production. With operations spanning eight countries and customers across 14, tridorian ensures that technology only succeeds when the people using it do.
 

tridorian.com | www.linkedin.com/company/tridorian.

The benchmarking study addresses the growing need for standardized compensation frameworks as industry faces challenges of hiring good talent with proper compensations, evolving employee expectations, and the shift toward hybrid work models. With detailed sub-sector analysis, organizations can now compare their compensation packages against industry peers and understand market positioning within their specific domain.

The study provides critical insights into pay trends across India's dynamic tech sector. It comprehensively examines compensation data for over 200 unique job roles spanning the entire organizational hierarchy, from entry-level positions to senior leadership. The study offers detailed analysis across four key technology sub-sectors: E-commerce, fintech, large tech and product companies, and media and Gaming.

As India's technology sector continues its rapid growth trajectory, organizations need reliable compensation data to attract and retain top talent in an increasingly competitive market. The WTW India & IAMAI Comprehensive Compensation Benchmarking Study for Technology Sector provides the transparency and insights necessary for companies to make informed decisions about their compensation strategies.

The collaboration between IAMAI and WTW India represents a significant step forward in establishing industry standards. The granular insights across different technology verticals will help companies structure competitive and equitable compensation programmes.

About Internet and Mobile Association of India  

The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) is a not-for-profit industry body with more than 750 members, including Indian and multinational corporations, as well as start-ups. IAMAI has been instrumental in shaping India’s digital economy. IAMAI advocates free and fair competition, and progressive and enabling laws for businesses as well as for consumers. The overarching objective of IAMAI is to ensure the progress of the internet and the digital economy. Its major areas of activities are public policy and advocacy, business to business conferences, research, promotion of start-ups and promotion of consumer trust and safety. 

Sitting from L-R – Ms. Neha Joson, MD, Etome, Mr. Joson Thomas, Director, Etome, Mr. KRS Jamwal, ED, TIL, and Chairman, TCE and Mr. Tarun Bhojwani, CEO, TCE

As digital transformation accelerates across the education sector, institutions increasingly seek trusted avenues to explore and evaluate solutions best suited to their needs. This collaboration aims to address that demand by establishing EdTech Experience Centres as physical hubs, enabling school leaders to explore solutions firsthand and build readiness for meaningful technology integration. The centres will also play a key role in teacher capacity building by offering structured training and skilling to enhance instructional effectiveness and support seamless digitalisation in schools.

Speaking on the strategic intent of this alliance, Mr. K.R.S. Jamwal, Executive Director, Tata Industries Limited (TIL), and Chairman, TCE, said, “I am pleased to see the progress in Tata ClassEdge toward its goal to contribute and participate materially in all the key elements of the pre-K to K-12 ecosystem. This collaboration adds the key element of phygital experience centres to this ecosystem. As edtech leads the evolution of K-12 education, such centres will play an important role in showcasing best practices tools, techniques and devices for schools and teachers across the country.”

Reimagining EdTech Discovery

While digital adoption in schools is growing, the ability to physically interact with technology hardware and software content solutions remains a gap in the market. This association addresses that need by launching a nationwide network of Experience Centres as dedicated spaces where schools can discover, experience, and evaluate EdTech solutions in a hands-on environment.

Sharing his views on the association, Mr. Joson Thomas, Director, Etome, said, “Collaborating with Tata ClassEdge is a defining moment for us. These experience centres will not just be about displaying products; they will be vibrant spaces for engagement. With TCE’s support, we are confident in our ability to create a trusted distribution network that brings the best of EdTech to institutions across the country.”

Advancing School Readiness for Digital Transformation

With digital transformation reshaping classroom practices, schools require more than just access to technology, they need guidance, exposure, and structured support.

Together, these initiative positions the alliance to elevate how schools discover and adopt technology. Adding further, Mr. Tarun Bhojwani, CEO, TCE, said, “Schools today are navigating a rapidly expanding EdTech landscape. Our centres will help them move from uncertainty to informed decision-making by offering a trusted, academically guided environment to experience and evaluate solutions. Our goal is to ensure every school adopts technology that truly serves its teaching and learning needs.”

With this direction established, the leadership team shared their perspective on what this initiative will enable for schools. 

• EdTech Experience Centres: Establishing experience centres which will serve as academic discovery zones where educators can meaningfully engage with, understand and evaluate pedagogy-driven classroom solutions.

• Teacher Capacity Building: Leveraging these centres to conduct high-quality teacher training, skill-building sessions, and pedagogical workshops that strengthen technology integration and future-facing classroom practices.

• Curated Learning Solutions Ecosystem: Developing a thoughtfully curated, multi-brand network that ensures schools have access to trusted and high-quality educational technologies aligned to learning outcomes.

• Advisory and Implementation Excellence: Ensuring that the experience centres deliver strong guidance, institution readiness support, and smooth on-ground implementation to schools with consistent quality.

Commenting on the operational vision, Ms. Neha Joson, Managing Director, Etome, added, “Our focus is on creating an environment where technology feels accessible and helpful rather than overwhelming. We look forward to welcoming educators to these centres and helping them find the right tools to enhance their classrooms.”

About the Organizations

Tata ClassEdge Limited (TCE), a subsidiary of Tata Industries Limited, is dedicated to transforming K–12 education through innovative digital and academic solutions. The company ensures seamless adoption of its academic solutions, making the transition to digital teaching and learning effortless for schools. Backed by the Tata Group's enduring commitment to education, the company’s innovations in pedagogy, technology, and content deliver engaging, meaningful, and impactful learning experiences for students nationwide.

Etome Works Limited: Etome Works Ltd, formerly Resolute, is a pioneering EdTech company with over a decade of experience in EdTech and digitalization. Through Etomosphere, India’s first EdTech Experience Centre and multi brand marketplace, the company helps educational institutions and organizations discover and adopt the right solutions. Etome Works also introduces education-focused technologies such as the Etome eNote, a digital alternative for paper in campuses, the eBoard, an eye-friendly display designed for healthier classrooms and many more innovative technologies.

Love in the digital age: How Gen Z is blending technology and emotion to redefine modern romance

Apps like Neo Astro provide free tools for love matches, moon signs, and birth charts, revealing emotional alignments through Vedic astrology. Users can enter their details to see whether their stars align at 80% or spark adventurous chemistry. This fusion of fun and astrology makes these tools especially popular for Valentine’s planning.​

Younger generations often kick off Valentine’s Day with love calculator by name pranks or challenges entering a crush’s name for hilarious 0–100% scores and sharing TikTok reactions. Apps such as Love Calculator 2026 take it further by adding photo or fingerprint matching, fueling “soulmate reveal” trends that drive engagement. Many trendy pieces also note how these results are shared as Galentine’s Day icebreakers, reflecting the fact that nearly 58% of Gen Z prioritizes platonic bonds.​

Love calculators on astrology apps like Neo Astro or Love Calculator 2026 transform simple curiosity into engaging Valentine’s activities by sparking playfulness, conversation, and shareable fun. It often begins with solo reflection—inputting your name alongside a crush or ex to observe emerging patterns, such as repeated 70% matches with water signs, and setting self-love intentions using moon sign insights. For couples, the experience becomes interactive: syncing phones for mutual calculations over wine, debating score accuracy, and discussing Venus placements before embarking on “compatibility quests,” such as mini-dates inspired by top shared traits. Some even make it a weekly ritual to re-test and track relationship growth.​

The trend scales effortlessly into group celebrations. At Galentine’s parties, guests can pair up anonymously for bulk calculations, unveiling scores with dramatic flair, prizes for “best matches,” and pranks for the lowest ones. Gen Z creators often amplify the fun through TikTok Lives, turning unexpected results into memes.​

To boost digital content, users screenshot high scores featuring romantic animations, then remix them into Reels or Stories with captions like “Our 92% fate—tag your soulmate!” Whether solo, paired, or in squads, love calculators weave whimsy into romance, proving that in 2026, the sweetest connections start with a swipe, a score, and a shared laugh—making every heart a little bolder for love's grand reveal.

MediSim VR and Krupanidhi Group of Institutions Announce Strategic Collaboration to Advance Immersive Medical and Healthcare Training in India

The newly inaugurated facility is designed to integrate advanced immersive virtual reality and simulation into formal health science education, enabling learners to train repeatedly in realistic, high-risk clinical scenarios without compromising patient safety. The collaboration reflects a shared commitment to bridge long-standing gaps in traditional training models, particularly in a country where scale, diversity of learners, and variability in clinical exposure continue to pose systemic challenges.

The inauguration was held in the august presence of Dr. Bhagavan B.C., Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, underscoring the academic and institutional significance of this initiative. Senior leadership from Krupanidhi Group of Institutions and members of simulation education ecosystem also attended the event, reinforcing the importance of industry–academia partnerships in shaping future-ready healthcare professionals.

Prof Dr Suresh Nagpal, Chairman, Krupanidhi Group of Institutions remarked, “The establishment of the VR Skill and Simulation Lab reflects our institutional vision to continuously upgrade academic infrastructure in line with emerging technologies. By partnering with MediSim VR, we are equipping our students with experiential learning tools that strengthen clinical preparedness, ethical decision-making, and real-world readiness from the earliest stages of training.”

Dr. Adith Chinnaswami, Co-Founder and COO of MediSim VR, emphasized that India’s healthcare education must shift from observation-based learning to experience-driven mastery, where immersive simulation enables students to make decisions, learn from errors, and build clinical judgment in a safe, realistic environment. He noted that technology and innovation in skill training is becoming foundational to India’s healthcare, medical education, and global competitiveness, and said the partnership aims to help Indian institutions adopt globally aligned, cutting-edge learning infrastructure that remains relevant to India’s clinical realities. The Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor - Dr Bhagavan B C, appreciated the institution’s commitment to innovation and quality in nursing education and emphasized the role of such advanced learning environments in building clinical competence, confidence, and patient safety.

This collaboration assumes national relevance at a time when India is prioritising quality, safety, and standardisation in healthcare education under broader policy frameworks such as digital health, skill development, and technology-enabled learning. By embedding immersive simulation into institutional curricula, the initiative sets a replicable model for medical colleges, nursing institutions, and allied health programs across the country.

The Krupanidhi - MediSim VR collaboration is positioned not merely as a technology deployment, but as a long-term academic partnership aimed at improving learning outcomes, reducing training variability, and strengthening India’s healthcare workforce for the future.

Through this strategic collaboration, both organizations will combine their complementary strengths in undertaking initiatives that promote the use of GIS technology for governance and sustainable development. Leveraging TERI SAS's expertise in environment, energy, and sustainability with Esri India's cutting-edge geospatial technology leadership, this collaboration will span multiple programs to foster a robust geospatial ecosystem in India.

Agendra Kumar, Managing Director, Esri India, said, "This collaboration with TERI SAS represents a significant step in strengthening India's geospatial education ecosystem. By combining our advanced GIS technology with TERI SAS's academic rigor and research excellence in sustainability, we are creating a powerful platform to train the next generation of geospatial professionals and decision-makers. Through joint capacity-building initiatives and curriculum alignment, we aim to drive the adoption of data-driven, location-based approaches in critical areas, including urban planning, environmental management, disaster resilience, and infrastructure development. This collaboration exemplifies how academic institutions and industry can work together to build India's self-reliance in geospatial intelligence and innovation."

Prof. Suman K Dhar, Vice Chancellor, TERI SAS, added, “This MoU is designed to foster collaboration on state-of-the-art geospatial tools and techniques to build a workforce of Geoinformatics professionals, enabling a transition toward a greener and sustainable future. TERI SAS, being at the forefront of education in the sustainability domain, hopes to play a transformative role in the critical area of ‘Geoinformatics AI for Sustainability’."

The MoU will lead to initiatives such as faculty training programs under the GIS Academia Council of India (GACI) framework, curriculum enhancements for university-level GIS education, capacity-building workshops for government officials, and applied research projects. TERI SAS and Esri India will also jointly facilitate advanced learning through guest lectures by industry experts, student workshops, and innovation challenges to bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world GIS applications.

Divya Kiran, Vice President, Human Resources
 

Divya brings over two decades of strategic leadership experience, helping technology companies navigate transitions during periods of growth and structural change. She has held senior HR leadership roles at some of the world's leading technology organizations, including Google, Hike Messenger, Ericsson, Myntra, and Rakuten Group. One of the early HR executives at Google India, Divya, partnered closely with leadership to build foundational organizational and staffing processes, contributing to a 90% employee satisfaction score through targeted retention and people development initiatives.
 

“As Aurigo scales, disciplined execution depends on clear accountability and repeatable operating frameworks,” said Balaji Sreenivasan, CEO and Founder of Aurigo Software. “Establishing a global HR function is a deliberate investment in governance, leadership depth, and organizational rigor. Divya will partner with the executive leadership team to build the systems required to sustain performance, manage complexity, and drive long-term value creation.”
 

Divya brings deep expertise in building scalable HR systems and delivering measurable business outcomes, which are core to Aurigo’s next phase of growth. She has led multi-region HR operations across APAC and EMEA, built high-performing teams across tech, product, and enterprise functions, and championed diversity and inclusion initiatives. Divya has completed the Global Fellow Program in Talent Management at the Wharton School and a Global Lead Tech MBA from EADA Business School.
 

“Joining Aurigo at this turning point, as the company expands worldwide, is energizing,” said Divya. “I start with listening - understanding what truly helps teams deliver their best work - then design people strategies that improve collaboration and make execution simpler. I’m looking forward to working alongside Aurigo’s strong talent and shaping an environment where individuals grow and the business gains momentum together.”
 

Aurigo has expanded rapidly in recent years, driven by increasing demand for capital planning and construction management software. The company’s solutions are used by customers across various industries, including transportation, utilities, healthcare, retail, and government, helping to manage projects throughout North America and now expanding into new geographies. Recent AI-driven advancements are opening new avenues for growth, enabling teams to deepen domain expertise, focus on higher-value work, and build future-ready skills as Aurigo scales globally.
 

About Aurigo Software
Aurigo builds software that helps build the world. Aurigo provides modern, cloud-based solutions for capital infrastructure and private owners to help them plan with confidence and build with quality. With more than $450 billion of capital programs under management, Aurigo’s solutions are trusted by over 300 customers in transportation, water and utilities, healthcare, higher education, and the government, with over 40,000 projects across North America. Aurigo helps capital program executives make better decisions based on proprietary artificial intelligence and machine learning technology. Aurigo is a privately held U.S. corporation headquartered in Austin, Texas, with global offices in Canada and India.

Learn more at www.aurigo.com.

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As enterprises across industries accelerate digital transformation, the contact center landscape is undergoing a fundamental shift driven by Generative AI, automation, and data-led customer experiences. Recognizing this momentum, the Ritesh Agarwal’s family office has made this investment to support TVT’s long-term growth and innovation roadmap.

“This investment is a strong validation of our long standing relationship with PRISM and Ritesh Agarwal; his feedback and guidance over the years have helped our vision and capabilities. With AI rapidly redefining customer conversations, TVT is uniquely positioned to help businesses deliver smarter, faster, and more human-like customer experiences at scale. I am super happy to welcome Ritesh Agarwal as a shareholder and be part of our AI journey ahead.” said Saket Setu, CEO of TVT.

TVT has been steadily expanding its AI-powered offerings, including intelligent AI voice and chat agents, real-time analytics, co-pilot for agents and supervisors and omnichannel customer engagement solutions. The company plans to leverage the investment to accelerate product innovation, expand into new markets, and strengthen its AI and engineering teams.

“CX is at an inflection point, with AI fundamentally changing how businesses engage with customers. C-Zentrix’s strong technology foundation, customer focus, and clear execution strategy make it well-positioned to capitalize on this transformation. I am happy to strengthen our long lasting relationship with C-Zentrix and become a part of their journey”. said Ritesh Agarwal.

With this strategic backing, TVT aims to further its mission of enabling enterprises to deliver seamless, intelligent, and scalable customer experiences in an increasingly AI-first world.

About TVT Ltd.

TVT Ltd. with its flagship brand C-Zentrix is a global contact center and customer engagement technology company delivering AI-powered CCaaS solutions to enterprises across industries. The company’s platform enables organizations to manage customer interactions across voice, chat, messaging, video and social channels, while leveraging artificial intelligence, automation, and real-time analytics to enhance customer experience and operational efficiency. With a strong focus on innovation and scalability, C-Zentrix helps businesses transform customer conversations into meaningful, data-driven engagement.

Aptiv PLC (NYSE: APTV), a global industrial technology company, today announced that a leading commercial vehicle OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) has selected its Gen 6 Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) to equip its future trucks and buses in India. 
 

Gen 6 ADAS platform will scale across the broad commercial vehicle lineup, covering 14 models and more than 30 variants
 

This partnership marks Aptiv’s first collaboration with an Indian commercial vehicle OEM on ADAS. It comes as the industry prepares for yet to be rolled out 2027 regulations requiring new trucks and buses to include safety features such as automatic emergency braking, lane departure and blind spot warnings and pedestrian and obstacle detection when starting from a stop.

To meet these requirements, commercial vehicle OEMs face unique challenges. They must integrate advanced safety technologies across diverse vehicle types and powertrains, address larger blind spots, and ensure reliability in harsh environments. Validation standards are more demanding than for passenger cars due to heavy-duty driving cycles, longer operating hours, and greater exposure to vibration and challenging road conditions.

“We are ready to play a leading role in helping OEMs in India meet demanding real-world conditions by introducing advanced, cost-effective safety solutions tested and tailored to local needs,” said Javed Khan, Executive Vice President and President, Intelligent Systems, Aptiv. “By combining globally proven technologies - already deployed in millions of vehicles across Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific - with intelligent adaptations for the local commercial vehicle segment, we enable OEMs to rapidly deliver advanced safety technology for one of the world’s fastest-growing markets.”

Scalable, High-Performance Safety for Diverse CV Fleets

Built on a uni-voltage architecture, the Gen 6 ADAS platform will scale across the broad commercial vehicle lineup for this OEM, covering 14 models and more than 30 variants.
 

Perception will be powered by Aptiv’s newly launched Gen 8 radar and Gen 7 smart camera, featuring STRADVISION’s AI-based vision technology specifically tailored for Indian road conditions - including detection of three-wheelers, large animals, and vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, road workers, and cyclists.

As part of an integrated solution, these advanced sensors and software will deliver industry-leading performance while reducing system complexity compared to conventional configurations. The platform leverages Aptiv’s modular ADAS software - already in production on more than 40 million vehicles globally - with support for over-the-air updates to add features and improve performance over time, enabled by Aptiv’s LINC™ Software Platform and Wind River’s VxWorks® real-time operating system (RTOS).

This partnership reinforces Aptiv’s long-term commitment to India’s rapidly growing passenger and commercial vehicle markets. It follows significant investments in local capabilities, including the opening of Aptiv’s technical center in Chennai in 2025 and the expansion of its advanced manufacturing facility in Chennai in 2024. Today, Aptiv India employs 2,500 engineers and 13,000 employees across 7 manufacturing sites, 4 technical centers, and 1 tooling center nationwide, supporting OEMs with production-ready, software-led solutions.

“India’s mobility ecosystem is at a pivotal point as regulatory and consumer expectations evolve rapidly. This is yet another example of Aptiv’s commitment to working closely with leading OEMs and industry partners to ensure optimized performance, timely regulatory compliance and a more resilient mobility landscape for India,” said Arun Devaraj, Vice President and Managing Director, Intelligent Systems, Aptiv Asia Pacific (Non-China).

About Aptiv
Aptiv is a global industrial technology company enabling more automated, electrified, and digitalized solutions across multiple end-markets.

For more information, please visit aptiv.com.

Glimpse of upcoming NovaPods

The NovaPods lineup includes Ai+ NovaPods Go, Air, Pro, Beats, and Clips.

NovaPods Go, a lightweight earbud, is designed for on-the-go users, prioritising portability and convenience.

NovaPods Air offers a blend of comfort and a powerful audio experience without compromising on style.

NovaPods Pro, delivers enhanced sound clarity and active noise cancellation for an immersive audio experience.

NovaPods Beats not only offers a powerful bass, it also integrates heart rate tracking and SpO2 monitoring for active and wellness-focused users.

NovaPods Clips is where health meets fashion meets immersive listening, with an offering of heightened awareness of the listeners’ surroundings.

All NovaPods, across the series, will be available in vibrant, youthful colours similar to those of the Ai+ smartphone line-ups.

Speaking in the announcement, Madhav Sheth, CEO, Ai+ Smartphone and Founder, NxtQuantum Shift Technologies, said, “NovaPods marks a significant step in our journey to integrate technology into daily life seamlessly. With this lineup, we're not just offering a product; we're inviting users to experience a new level of comfort and performance that fits effortlessly into their lifestyles. At Ai+, our mission is to empower users without overwhelming them with complexity or cost.”

The launch of NovaPods reflects Ai+’s broader approach to building connected products that work together while remaining easy to adopt. Full product specifications, pricing details, and availability will be announced closer to launch. NovaPods will be launching nationwide in January 2026 through Flipkart & selected offline partners.

About Ai+

Ai+ is India’s fastest-growing technology brand, built from the ground up to serve a future shaped by applied intelligence and sovereign innovation. At its core is NxtQuantum OS, India’s first native mobile operating system, designed for performance, privacy, and purposeful simplicity. Every Ai+ device blends clean design, battery-optimised hardware, and applied intelligent software to elevate everyday experiences by Adding A Plus.

From redefining smartphones under the Ai+ Smartphone banner to pioneering the Laptab and now the NovaPods as part of the company's Connected Ecosystem, Ai+ is creating new product categories and a new standard for trust, immersive experience, and accessibility. Rooted in a privacy-first architecture and a commitment to equitable access, Ai+ stands for more than specs — it stands for India’s next era of user-owned, future-ready technology.

About NxtQuantum Shift Technologies
NxtQuantum Shift Technologies is a deep-tech Indian company building secure, sovereign digital platforms for a digital-first world. Founded by Madhav Sheth, the company develops NxtQuantum OS, India’s first sovereign operating system, and is committed to building technology that is authored in India and globally competitive. 

MediaTek Tech Day 2025

MediaTek showcased its latest Dimensity 9500 SoC, reinforcing the company’s leadership in high-performance mobile computing. MediaTek Dimensity 9500 is a 3^rd gen All Big Core CPU design, combining a 4.21GHz ultra core, industry’s first support for 4-channel UFS4.1, MediaTek Imagiq 1190, three premium cores, Arm G1-Ultra GPU and four performance cores. MediaTek also spotlighted some of the latest collaborations across its Dimensity portfolio, including flagship 5G smartphones from the OPPO Find X9 series and the vivo X300 series and high-performance smartphones in the premium Dimensity 8000 series.

On the sidelines of the event, Anku Jain, Managing Director, MediaTek India, said, “At MediaTek, we believe that truly brilliant technology is about more than just creating products; it's about delivering incredible experiences that positively impact people's lives. Our mission is to push the boundaries of possibility and transform the world around us. We are continuously expanding our R&D capabilities in India, bringing innovative advancements to make everyday life easier. Furthermore, India is an important market to our long-term vision, and we're committed to enabling consumers and developers in the country with innovative, secure and energy-efficient technologies that address the evolving needs of an increasingly digital-first world.”

The event also witnessed an interactive panel discussion, titled ‘Chipset Intelligence at the core of tomorrow’s photography and imaging experiences’ which was moderated by Anuj Sidharth, Director Marketing and Communication India and SEA Region, MediaTek India. It included expert panellist such as Anku Jain, Managing Director, MediaTek India, Faisal Kawoosa, Chief Analyst, Techarc and professional photographer Aman Chotani. The panelists shared insightful views around the emerging trends in smartphone imaging, the impact of advanced chipsets on photography and how innovations in MediaTek’s chipsets are empowering device manufacturers to deliver next-generation imaging and AI capabilities.

Faisal Kawoosa, Chief Analyst, Techarc said, “Flagship smartphones have entered an era where customer delight is driven less by headline specifications and more by sustained, real-world performance. Our latest analysis clearly shows that the processor has become the single most critical determinant of premium user experience, influencing speed, efficiency, gaming, camera performance, and long-term reliability. MediaTek’s Dimensity portfolio particularly the Dimensity 9400, sits at the epicentre of this shift by delivering a rare balance of raw performance, energy efficiency, and optimisation at scale. As AI-led experiences become mainstream, MediaTek’s ability to translate advanced silicon innovation into tangible, everyday user delight positions it strongly at the heart of emerging flagship and premium smartphone trends.”

The event witnessed product showcases and insightful interactions around the latest technologies and innovations:

• Smartphones - The MediaTek Dimensity flagship family includes the MediaTek Dimensity 9500, 9400+, 9400, 9400e, and 9300+ SoCs.

• Latest Flagship chipset - MediaTek Dimensity 9500 features a third-generation All Big Core CPU and 12-core Mali G1-Ultra GPU, setting new benchmarks in on-device AI, console-grade gaming, and power efficiency.

• Smart Devices - MediaTek is a market leader in various verticals, including digital TVs, smart speakers, Wi-Fi routers, ARM-based Chromebooks, smart projectors like the Lumio Arc 5 and 7, and other smart home products.

• Highlighted emerging consumer technology trends for 2026 offering insights into how advancements in AI, connectivity, and smart devices are set to shape the digital experiences of tomorrow.

Anuj Sidharth, Director Marketing and Communication India and SEA Region, MediaTek India said, “India holds strategic importance for MediaTek, serving as both a key market and vital talent hub, underscoring MediaTek’s role in making incredible technology experiences more accessible. We are continuously expanding our R&D capabilities in India and delivering innovative advancements that make everyday life easier. As the world’s leading mobile SoC provider, including in India, MediaTek is enabling the next wave of intelligent, on-device AI experiences. At the MediaTek Tech Day event, we highlighted the Dimensity 9500 chipset as a major breakthrough in on-device AI, camera performance, and efficiency, empowering OEM partners to deliver premium experiences worldwide"

MediaTek offers chipsets across its diverse portfolio for various verticals that includes smartphones, Smart TVs, Chromebooks, Wifi solutions, IoT devices, automotive, data centers, asic, among others. The MediaTek Technology Day is an interactive platform to showcase the latest innovations that are reshaping everyday life. Tech Day emphasizes MediaTek’s commitment to making advanced technology accessible to consumers, thereby enhancing and enriching our daily lives and making us smarter.

Mr. Khadeer Peer Shariff SS, Chairman, Maverick Investments Limited and Mr. Shaktivel K, Co-Founder & Ceo, Henox IT & Datacenters

Tamil Nadu has been identified as the project location given its established subsea landing ecosystem, predictable power landscape and increasing demand for high-density compute capacity. These factors create a strong foundation for building an integrated infrastructure model that combines connectivity, compute and clean energy.

Khadeer Peer Shariff, Chairman, Maverick Investments Limited, said, “Our focus is on building long-term digital and energy infrastructure with a measured and disciplined investment approach. The approved Rs. 200 crore marks the first step toward a 100 MW renewable-integrated data centre in Tamil Nadu. Our experience in developing essential assets across the region shapes how we sequence the programme and ensure each phase is grounded in governance and operational clarity.”

The project will be executed in phases. Site options have been shortlisted and are undergoing final due diligence. Technical design work, environmental assessments and regulatory submissions are in progress across telecom, maritime and energy domains. Engagements with subsea operators, EPC partners and renewable developers are advancing, and further details will be shared as approvals and agreements reach formal closure.

Shaktivel K, CEO, Henox IT and Data Centers, said, “This programme brings together compute, connectivity and clean energy in a unified design. The data centre is being engineered for high-density AI workloads with operational resilience as a core principle. The cable landing station and planned renewable integration will support predictable and sustainable performance for enterprises.”

The project is expected to generate construction-phase and long-term technical employment. Detailed assessments on jobs, procurement and sustainability outcomes will be shared once regulatory processes conclude and project timelines are formally cleared.

About Project Horizon

Project Horizon is a multi-year programme comprising:

100 MW Green Data Centre: A high-density, AI-ready facility designed with liquid-cooling capability, multi-layer redundancy and renewable energy integration.

Cable Landing Station and Subsea Infrastructure: A new landing point under evaluation with international partners to enhance regional connectivity and throughput.

Renewable Energy Facility: A dedicated solar-based asset intended to supply a significant share of the data centre’s requirements through a structured PPA arrangement.

About Maverick Investments Limited

Maverick Investments Limited is the investment and infrastructure development platform of Siraj Holdings LLC, a UAE-based group with operating interests across industrial manufacturing, technology, financial services, logistics, green energy and property development. The company focuses on building high-impact, long-horizon infrastructure assets in growth markets. Its investment approach emphasises phased capital deployment, transparent governance and disciplined project execution.

About Siraj Holdings LLC

Siraj Holdings LLC, part of the Al Otaiba Group in Abu Dhabi, manages diversified businesses across the Middle East covering manufacturing, energy, telecommunications, technology, real estate and trading. The group’s strategy centres on long-term value creation through sustainable infrastructure development, operational excellence and sector partnerships.

About Henox IT and Data Centers

Henox IT and Data Centers Private Limited develops digital infrastructure with a focus on high-density data centres, cable landing station capabilities and edge connectivity solutions. Headquartered in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, the company is building facilities designed to support AI and cloud workloads for enterprises, hyperscalers and telecom operators. Incorporated on January 25, 2025, Henox is establishing its presence through a carrier-neutral colocation and edge infrastructure model anchored in GIFT City.

Truecaller launches AI Powered Voicemail Experience in India

By placing voicemail at the centre of the calling experience, Truecaller is strengthening its position as a daily-use communication platform and its fight against spam and fraud.

With Truecaller Voicemail, users can record, store, and play messages directly on their device, without dialing voicemail numbers or remembering PINs. The feature supports a wide range of Indian languages, ensuring deeper personalisation and local relevance. The feature supports transcription in 12 Indian languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Gujarati, Nepali, Punjabi, Sanskrit and Urdu. Voicemails are transcribed in a few seconds, enabling anyone to read their messages discreetly or during moments when listening is not convenient.

Truecaller launches AI Powered Voicemail Experience in India
 

“Traditional voicemail was built for a very different era of communication,” said Rishit Jhunjhunwala, CEO, Truecaller. “With Truecaller Voicemail, we are fundamentally rethinking how voice messages fit into everyday life — making them free, device-native and seamlessly integrated into the calling experience. By enabling on-device storage, instant transcription, spam protection, and support for a wide range of Indian languages, we’re removing the friction and limitations of legacy systems. This is a step toward building a more inclusive, intuitive, and trustworthy communication layer — one that works the way people actually communicate today.”

About Truecaller
Truecaller is an essential part of daily communication for more than 450 million active users, with over a billion downloads since launch and close to 56 billion unwanted calls identified and blocked in 2024 alone. Founded in 2009, the company is headquartered in Stockholm and has been publicly listed on Nasdaq Stockholm since October 2021.

For more information, visit www.truecaller.com.

Employability.life, Federation University, Australia and JECRC University introduce B.Tech CSE and BCA in AI, DevOps & Cloud Automation

The newly launched programs are designed to address the rapidly evolving demands of the digital economy by integrating cutting-edge technologies, industry derived challenges, real-world application of emerging skills for better preparing learners for the future of work from day zero. The collaboration brings together JECRC’s academic excellence, Federation University & Employability.life’s global education ecosystem, and work-simulated learning expertise to build a truly career-aligned education model.

Through this integrated approach, students will not only gain strong foundations in computer science and applications but will also develop practical exposure through industry-derived challenges, cloud infrastructure environments, AI DevOps driven automation projects, and continuous mentorship from domain experts ensuring they graduate with both technical depth and workplace readiness.

The launch event was attended by the senior management teams of Employability.life and Federation University Australia, the leadership of JECRC University marking a significant step toward strengthening global and industry-aligned higher education in India.

Speaking on the occasion, Paul Oppenheimer, Chief Operating Officer, Federation University Australia, said, “The launch of these AI DevOps and Cloud Automation degree programs reflects our commitment to preparing students for the realities of the global digital workforce. By combining strong academic frameworks with real-world application through Employability.life and JECRC, we are enabling learners to build truly international career pathways.”

Highlighting the vision behind the collaboration, Raja Dasgupta, CEO, Employability.life, stated, “These programs represent a powerful shift from traditional learning to outcome-driven, skill, competency & workplace capability-based education. With AI DevOps and Cloud Automation at the core, students will learn through challenges derived from Industry and work simulations that mirror the digital enterprises of today. Our partnership with JECRC University, will assist the learners to graduate with an employability focused degree and also get an opportunity to pursue a master’s degree in Federation University Australia through a gateway.”

The leadership at JECRC University reaffirmed their commitment to creating future-ready graduates through global collaboration, innovation-driven learning, and deep industry linkages, further strengthening the institution’s focus on next-generation education.

Stating the goals behind the collaboration, Prof. Victor Gambhir, Vice Chancellor, JECRC University, remarked, “At JECRC University, Our focus is on transforming higher education into a powerful engine of employability and innovation. These new age programs in AI DevOps and Cloud Automation bring together global academic frameworks, industry driven learning and, hands on exposure. Our students will graduate not only with strong degrees but with the confidence and competence to excel in the global technology ecosystem.”

About Employability.life

Employability.life is shaping the future of work through innovative work-simulated learning models, global academic pathways, and deep industry partnerships. As a subsidiary of Federation University Australia, it integrates academic excellence with workforce-aligned, real-world education solutions.

Employability.life, Federation University, Australia launch Future of Work Lab at Rockwell Business School

The launch marks a significant step toward strengthening application-focused, career-aligned education, enabling students to gain practical exposure alongside academic learning. Through XPro, students will engage in challenge-based learning driven by real industry problem statements, allowing them to build job-ready competencies through immersive work simulations and structured mentorship.

The event was attended by the senior management teams of Federation University Australia and Employability.life and the academic leadership of Rockwell Business School, along with students and their parents, reflecting a strong collective commitment toward experiential and globally aligned education.

Speaking at the inauguration, Paul Oppenheimer, Chief Operating Officer, Federation University Australia, said, “The XPro program represents a powerful shift in how education must prepare students for tomorrow’s workforce. This collaboration ensures learners gain exposure to global industry challenges and become ready for their international digital economy careers.”

Highlighting the vision behind the initiative, Raja Dasgupta, CEO, Employability.life, stated, “With the XPro to be conducted at the Future of Work Lab, we are enabling students to learn by doing through live challenges inspired by industry. Our partnership with Rockwell Business School reflects our mission to make education deeply accessible and outcome-driven through work simulated learning for the leaners to be ready for future of work.”

Mr. Sai Kishore Vallam, Director, Rockwell Business School stated, “Through this collaboration, Rockwell Business School students will benefit from immersive learning experiences, industry-designed challenges, work simulations, and professional mentoring, ensuring they graduate with practical exposure, confidence, and career readiness aligned with emerging global roles.”

The leadership of Rockwell Business School reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening academia–industry linkages and preparing students for dynamic career pathways in both Indian and international markets.

About Employability.life

Employability.life a wholly owned subsidiary of Federation University Australia is committed to shaping the future of work through innovative work-simulated learning models, global academic gateways and industry collaborations. As a subsidiary of Federation University Australia, it integrates academic excellence with workforce-aligned, real-world education solutions.

The India FinTech Forum concluded the 10th edition of the India FinTech Awards (IFTA) on 10 December 2025 at Aurika, Mumbai. Supported by Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI), State Bank of India (SBI) and Indian Clearing Corporation Limited (ICCL), this year’s event brought together policymakers, financial institutions, technology firms, and investors for discussions on regulatory priorities, digital infrastructure, and sector trends.

Celebrating IFTA's 10th milestone as the longest running fintech event bringing top industry leaders together and honoring excellence, talent, and fintech innovation

Sougata Basu, Founder, CashRich, said, “As an Executive Committee Member of India FinTech Forum and the Founder of Fintech Olympiad, I am proud that the India FinTech Awards (IFTA) has become the only fintech event in India to achieve a continuous 10-year journey. This milestone reflects the trust of our fintech community and the growing strength of the ecosystem. With 70000+ participants, the Fintech Olympiad has become a uniquely impactful initiative that builds financial literacy and digital fluency for India. Together, these efforts show how India is shaping the future of finance.”

The multi-track event featured keynote addresses from Mr. Ashwini Kumar Tewari, Managing Director, State Bank of India; Mr. Vishal Kapoor, Chief Executive Officer, Bandhan AMC Limited; Shri Ashishkumar Chauhan, MD and CEO, National Stock Exchange of India (NSE); and Ms. Vaisshali Babu, Managing Director and CEO, ICCL. Their remarks covered developments in banking, capital markets, asset management, and market infrastructure, with a shared focus on stability, governance, and the role of technology in strengthening financial systems.

The India FinTech Forum announced the launch of Mentor Chronicles Fintech Edition at IFTA 2025, introducing a structured digital mentorship series aimed at early-stage founders navigating product, compliance, and market challenges. The initiative responds to a tougher operating environment marked by higher customer acquisition costs, longer compliance cycles and intensified investor scrutiny. The programme collects and curates real founder questions, which are then addressed in focused conversations with experienced operators, investors and sector specialists. Positioned as a long-term knowledge resource, Mentor Chronicles will create an indexed library of recurring founder challenges and practical responses across payments, lending, wealthtech, insurtech, regtech and embedded finance.

Beginning January 2026, selected founders will participate, with organisers with an objective of not just funding access but sharper decision-making, better product prioritisation and improved regulatory preparedness. The Forum noted that as the fintech sector enters a phase of consolidation and compliance-driven growth, accessible and experience-led guidance has become a critical gap the programme aims to fill.

The Forum received over 1,500 applications for IFTA 2025. Shortlisted firms showcased solutions in payments, lending, compliance, insurance, and wealth management, with a jury assessing them for relevance, impact, and scalability.

The event also featured the Fintech Olympiad, aimed at strengthening financial and digital literacy among students. Organisers reported rising participation and noted that early exposure to payments, savings, risk, and digital finance is increasingly important as the sector grows. 70,000 students from across the country registered for the Fintech Olympiad from 4000+ colleges. Around 120 students were shortlisted over 10 online and 21 Regional Rounds for the National Finals held in Mumbai at IFTA.

IFTA 2025 also announced winners of the year across categories.

Winners at IFTA 2025:

1. Fintech Startup of the Year: Sahi

2. Fintech Rising Stars: Riskcovry, SaveIN, OnFinance AI, Navanc Data Sciences

3. Fintech Scaleup of the Year: Timble Technologies

4. Most Innovative Fintech Product: Fam

5. Best Innovation in Digital Lending: GetVantage

6. Best International Fintech in India: Valocity

7. Best Fintech Initiative For Social Impact: Spice Money

8. Excellence in Payments: Pine Labs

9. Best Use of AI in Fintech: GreyLabs AI

10. Best Innovation in RegTech: CAMS

11. Best Innovation in WealthTech: Aspero

12. Excellence in InsurTech: Perfios

13. Best Technology Company for Fintech Solutions: Falcon

14. Best Initiative for Financial Literacy: PayNearby

The winners of the National Finals of the Fintech Olympiad 2025 were announced during IFTA.

Students Category:

1. Winner: Tejas Sayli, JBIMS Mumbai

2. 1st Runner up: Dhruv Garg, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai

3. 2nd Runner up: Dhruv Patel, Tolani Motwane Institute of Management Studies

Professionals Category:

1. Winner: Rohan Khanna, Director, Barclays

2. 1st Runner up: Madhur Tike, Data Analyst, Morningstar

3. 2nd Runner up: Shashank Rakesh, Regional Manager, BriskPe

About India FinTech Forum:

The India FinTech Forum, a nonprofit platform fostering collaboration among over 4,500 companies and 37,000 individuals, remains dedicated to making India a global fintech leader. Since its founding in 2016, the Forum’s flagship event, IFTA, has spotlighted groundbreaking ideas, bringing together fintech startups, investors, and thought leaders. The Forum launched the Fintech Olympiad, a national initiative for digital and financial literacy in 2023.

More details at: www.indiafintech.com and www.fintecholympiad.org. 

Rodic Consultants, a leading engineering and digital infrastructure consulting company, announced the official launch of Rodic AI, its pioneering technology subsidiary dedicated to Artificial Intelligence, advanced data analytics, and digital transformation.
 

Rodic Consultants launches Rodic AI
 

Headquartered at the Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC) in Boston, a global nexus widely recognized as the most innovative square mile in Cambridge and affiliated with MIT and Harvard, Rodic AI is strategically positioned to accelerate AI-driven innovation with a vision to create sustainable solutions that uplift lives globally.
 

Mr. Raj Kumar, Chairman & Managing Director, Rodic Consultants said, “Opening Rodic AI at the Cambridge Innovation Center, MIT, is a proud and defining step for the Rodic Group. It places us at the heart of global innovation, where we can work with the best minds in AI and bring that knowledge to design smarter, future-ready solutions for the world.”
 

Rodic AI's work spans the full spectrum of artificial intelligence applications from Generative AI for predictive modelling to the transformative potential of quantum-inspired AI. The subsidiary's strategic priorities include:

• Global Expansion with Boston serving as the launchpad to forge partnerships across geographies and sectors while leveraging Rodic Group's proven delivery capabilities

• Innovation & Scale tapping directly into Boston's world-class innovation ecosystem to rapidly translate breakthrough AI research into market-ready solutions

• Data-driven Transformation converting data into competitive advantage through sophisticated AI frameworks that embed intelligence into workflows and strategic decision-making.
   

To commemorate the launch, Rodic organised an exclusive event at its New Delhi office on 5th December, featuring fireside conversations with senior leadership and a prominent AI industry expert. The event included a presentation of Rodic AI’s vision and strategic roadmap by Mr. Raj Kumar, CMD, Rodic Consultants, followed by a fireside chat with Rodic’s leadership exploring how AI will integrate with the company’s existing service portfolio and drive future growth.
 

The day concluded with a thought leadership session with an external AI expert Abhishek Bhat, an Entrepreneur, Technologist, and Public Policy Advisor. The session provided valuable insights into the rapidly evolving AI landscape, with discussions on why AI has become critical for business competitiveness and how all sectors must view it as an essential strategic tool.

About Rodic AI
Rodic AI is the pioneering technology subsidiary of Rodic Group, dedicated exclusively to Artificial Intelligence, advanced data analytics, and digital transformation. Headquartered at the Cambridge Innovation Centre in Boston, Rodic AI combines Boston-built innovation with India- focused execution to deliver AI solutions that create sustainable impact. The company's vision is to create a sustainable future where technology uplifts every life.

Unlock your potential with the stars,discover how astrology guides your career path and empowers your professional growth

Once considered old-school or purely spiritual, astrology has rapidly crossed into mainstream self-discovery and career guidance. From determining the ideal profession based on planetary alignments to selecting the right time for a career move, astrology is becoming a trusted compass for young professionals and entrepreneurs.

Why Millennials and Gen Z Are Turning to Astrology for Career Guidance

India’s new workforce values purpose, passion, and timing. As career paths grow more fluid — with gig work, start-ups, and remote jobs changing the traditional trajectory — astrology offers something data and degrees can’t always guarantee: personalised clarity.

Astrologers today believe that a birth chart (or ‘janam kundli’) can reveal strengths, challenges, and moments of ideal opportunity. Key components they look at include:

• Moon Sign: Reflects emotional compatibility with certain professions.

• 10th House (House of Career): Indicates one’s public image and professional direction.

• 2nd and 6th Houses: Influence income sources, skill development, and work environments.

• Planetary Transits and Dashas: Guide the timing of important career moves — such as switching jobs or starting a business.

For instance, a strong Mars might indicate leadership and entrepreneurial drive, whereas a well-placed Mercury could steer someone toward communication, strategy, or analytical fields. Combined with practical insight, these placements can become a tool for making informed, aligned choices.

The Rise of Astrology-Tech Platforms

As digital transformation reshapes every industry, astrology too is embracing technology. Apps and platforms now bring professional astrological guidance to the fingertips of millions, allowing users to access detailed charts, predictions, and consultation booking within seconds.

Neo Astro has emerged as a trusted name in this new wave. As a leading astrology app in the rapidly growing astrology market, Neo Astro blends advanced technology with authentic astrological expertise. It consistently delivers accurate, personalised insights, backed by a team of highly skilled astrologers.

What sets Neo Astro apart is its commitment to transparency and ease of use. Instead of complex charts and traditional jargon, it translates your cosmic blueprint into actionable advice helping users understand when to step into leadership roles, start a new business, or wait for more favourable planetary alignments. This data-driven approach has made astrology accessible and relevant for a younger generation seeking structure in an uncertain professional landscape.

Astrology as a Framework for Clarity

While astrology shouldn’t replace practical career planning, it can offer a complementary perspective. For many, it acts as a framework, one that combines emotional insight with cosmic astrology timing. By helping individuals recognise their natural inclinations and spot ideal moments for major decisions, it turns introspection into strategy.

And with digital tools like Neo Astro, astrology is no longer an abstract art but a practical, everyday guide. In a world defined by change, perhaps it’s no surprise that an ancient science, reborn through technology, is helping India’s next generation find their north star.

Tide, the UK’s leading business management platform, today announced that it has surpassed 1 million members (MSMEs) in India. This rapid growth reflects the deep trust that Indian small businesses — from nano to micro and emerging SMEs — have placed in Tide to simplify how they register, run and grow their businesses. The platform has doubled adoption since its launch in December 2022. India has emerged as Tide’s largest and fastest-growing market globally in member acquisition, showcasing the success of its India-first strategy and strong product-market fit.

Gurjodhpal Singh, CEO, Tide in India, said, “This milestone is more than a number — it’s a story of trust. In just under three years, one million Indian entrepreneurs have chosen Tide to be their partner in growth. This reflects our commitment to helping small businesses – who have been gravely underserved – save time and money by giving them business critical tools across finance, admin and related commercial services that they need, to grow. India is where some of Tide's most innovative products are being developed, creating strong use-cases to be implemented globally.”

A trusted business partner for India’s entrepreneurs

Tide’s success has always been rooted in scaling responsibly and delivering real-world impact. The company is doing so by building a unified, highly-connected digital platform that reduces the burden of business finance and admin. Over the past year, Tide has delivered product innovation at pace across India with products including:

Bill Payments: SMEs in India can pay their utility bills with no extra costs and earn rewards. The product is backed by enhanced security.

Udyam Registration: Enabling MSME registration and access to priority government benefits including low-interest loans, subsidies on electricity certifications, protection against delayed payments, etc.

GST Registration: help obtain a Goods & Services Tax Identification Number (GSTIN), enabling compliance, marketplace selling, input tax credit claims, and vendor trust.

Scheme Discovery: Smart matching of government benefits and subsidies to business eligibility.

Fixed Deposits Intermediation: Helping SMEs to earn competitive returns on their balances in a seamless and paperless experience.

NCMC Card Integration: A single smart Tide card that doubles up as a national mobility card, accepted across multiple transport modes.

Structured partners: Provides disbursement of funds to freelancers and vendors via a secure partner portal. Analytics on spending deliver real-time data so SMEs can make faster decisions about cashflow, a key pain point for SMEs.

Tide’s member make-up

Tide’s growth in India is being driven by a new generation of business owners, with over 85% (865,000) of its members under the age of 40, including 58% Gen Z and 42% millennials—reflecting the strong entrepreneurial momentum among India’s youth. And, with our oldest member at 95, simply proves that it’s never too late to do what you love.

The platform is scaling rapidly across emerging business hubs, with 63% of its members from states such as Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra, and a majority comprising small and micro entrepreneurs like local retailers, freelancers and service-led solopreneurs. With strong adoption in Tier 2, 3, 4 and beyond towns namely Bareilly, Bhopal, Murshidabad, Lucknow, North 24 Paraganas, Jaipur, Firozabad, Ghaziabad, Shahjahanpur and Kota — with not a single Tier 1 city in the top 10 — Tide is playing a significant role in enabling the digital transformation of India’s most underserved business communities.

Championing entrepreneurs beyond business tools

Tide believes progress happens when entrepreneurs are supported not only with products — but with recognition, access and ecosystem change.

Women in Business mission: On track to bring 500,000 women entrepreneurs onto the platform by 2027. Tide’s Bharat Women Aspiration Index brings forth voices from beyond metros to shape better policies for women entrepreneurs across Tier 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 towns in India.

Udaan Chronicles: Tide’s flagship mentoring roadshow, created to help small business owners in semi-urban and rural India, brings expert-led mentoring directly to entrepreneurs who lack access to formal networks and financial resources.

UK-India collaboration: Enabling SME expansion across borders through industry delegation. Contributing to critical dialogue shaping future trade for small businesses under the provisions of the UK-India FTA.

Tide’s progress in India is rooted in accountability and global investor backing. The company recently secured a $120 million strategic investment, in a funding round led by TPG. Tide is also deepening its long-term commitment to India — with a £500 million investment over the next five years, starting 2026. This investment underscores India’s role as a cornerstone of Tide’s global growth strategy, which will be used to fuel product innovation tailored for Indian SMEs, technology and AI-led development and expansion of Tide’s financial ecosystem — including payments, credit, and investment solutions.

Tide’s strategy in India emphasises digital inclusion — to bring formal financial and business services to underserved entrepreneurs outside major metros, in smaller towns and rural clusters. This approach aligns with the Government of India’s efforts to formalise and digitise MSMEs and increase their access to credit, markets and exports.

Among some of the exciting new features to be launched next year, include investments, acquiring, insurance, easy access to formal credit, banking services and advanced payment acceptance solutions. Tide is here to make managing business smoother and more successful.

About Tide

Launched in 2017, Tide is the leading business management platform in the UK. Tide helps SMEs save time (and money) in the running of their businesses by not only offering business accounts and related admin services, but also a comprehensive set of highly usable and connected administrative solutions from invoicing to accounting.

Tide has nearly 800,000 SME members in the UK (14% market share) and 1,000,000 SMEs in India. Tide launched in Germany in May 2024 and in France in September 2025. Tide has also been recognised with the Great Place to Work certification three years in a row. Tide has been funded by Anthemis, Apax Digital Funds, Augmentum Fintech, Creandum, Salica Investments, Latitude, LocalGlobe, SBI Group, Speedinvest and TPG, amongst others. It employs more than 2,500 Tideans worldwide. Tide’s long-term ambition is to be the leading business management platform globally.

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/tide-banking

Twitter: twitter.com/TideBusinessIND

Instagram: www.instagram.com/tidebusinessindia/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TideBusinessIndia

WebEngage EMCX Edition 25' set a new benchmark for customer engagement excellence - proud to bring industry leaders together under one roof

EMCX (EngageMint CX), the company’s flagship Martech showcase, brings together industry leaders, product builders, CRM specialists, and marketers to explore the future of retention-led growth. The 2025 editions introduced WebEngage’s next wave of innovation, featuring BLACK, CDPx, purpose-built AI Agents, and major enhancements across Analytics and Segmentation.

Across all three cities, EMCX saw strong participation from growth, marketing, product, and data teams, all experiencing how WebEngage is redefining customer engagement with real-time decisioning, composable data models, and autonomous lifecycle marketing. The final edition in Gurugram also featured leaders from diverse organisations who shared insights on building strong data foundations and CRM-led growth engines that drive measurable, business-first outcomes.

EMCX 2025: WHAT MADE IT A STANDOUT SERIES
Across three editions, EMCX showcased:

• BLACK, the industry’s first real-time, outcome-driven decisioning agent

• CDPx, the world’s first composable CDP inside a Martech platform

• Purpose-built AI Agents for segmentation, content, insights, and journey orchestration

• Analytics 2.0, featuring revamped Funnels, Events, Session Analytics, and more

• A strong hiring initiative that supported India’s growing pool of growth and retention talent 

The event series highlighted WebEngage’s commitment to building a future where lifecycle management, personalization, and customer success operate autonomously with full transparency.

“EMCX has been a celebration of what Martech can achieve when powerful technology meets deep customer understanding. BLACK is our biggest leap toward real-time, outcome-led engagement, and the industry’s excitement has been incredible. We also ran India's biggest hiring drive for growth marketing professionals with MetaMorph, connecting 40+ leading brands with 500+ pre-screened candidates across 100+ growth roles,” said Avlesh Singh, Co-founder and CEO, WebEngage.

“CDPx is the world’s first composable CDP inside a retention platform. It gives brands the flexibility to build data models that mirror their business, moving beyond rigid user - event structures and enabling richer, more connected customer intelligence. This depth is what sets the foundation for autonomous lifecycle management,” added Ankit Utreja, Co-founder and CTO, WebEngage.

“Renewal predictability, CLM improvement, autonomous journeys, and integrated reminders are finally achievable with CDPx. This is a significant unlock for financial services brands,” said Nitin Khanna, VP Marketing, Acko.

“CDPx gives us the flexibility to mirror our product catalog and user lifecycle without workarounds. This clarity will change how we drive CRM at scale,” said Anil Gelra, Co-founder, Snapmint.

“At EMCX, our conversation reinforced a simple truth: sustainable, profitable growth comes from strong data foundations. The real unlock in martech is not the tools on the surface, but the technology, data architectures, intelligence layers and automation beneath it that quietly power smarter decisions at scale,” said Mikhil Raj, Chief Product Officer, BlueStone.

"At EMCX, what really stood out was how WebEngage makes customer data easier to use and brings different systems together seamlessly. The way WebEngage brings these layers together shows how Martech can do more than run campaigns, it can actually improve the entire customer journey and drive steady, measurable growth. WebEngage’s ability to connect data, simplify systems, and organise CRM processes shows how technology can make customer lifecycle management clearer, stronger, and easier to scale.” said Nakul Kumar, Co-Founder & CMO, Cashify.

“The response across all three editions has been exceptional. EMCX reflects how brands are shifting from channel-based engagement to lifecycle-led customer success and value creation. Over the last 3–4 months, our teams have worked closely with key accounts to deeply understand their evolving needs, and what you see here today is the outcome of that collaboration,” mentioned Keyur Dhami, SVP Customer Success, WebEngage.

“BLACK represents a new era for WebEngage. It brings intelligence, speed, and clarity to decisions that were previously rule-based and manual. With the world’s first outcome-driven agents built into the platform, BLACK has the potential to change how brands think about retention entirely,” said Abhijat Shukla, Vice President of Data Science at WebEngage.

“We built Analytics 2.0 to give teams visibility, speed, and accuracy. Funnels, Events, Session Analytics, and cohorts now work seamlessly with CDPx and BLACK, creating the most powerful analytics toolkit to move from insight to action with absolute clarity,” shared Amit Shinde, Director of Products, WebEngage.

BLACK and CDPx marked a breakthrough moment for WebEngage, reaffirming its leadership in customer engagement and retention innovation. EMCX 2025 has set the tone for how brands will leverage data, automation, and AI to build more profitable and sustainable growth engines.

About WebEngage
WebEngage is an advanced Customer Data and Engagement Platform that helps consumer brands engage and retain their customers to achieve higher lifetime value and marketing ROI. The product stack includes a robust customer data and analytics platform - unifying data across silos, the best-in-class engagement layer with a multi-channel journey builder, and a personalization engine that helps boost conversion for all channels, including the web and mobile apps.

Ranked #1 consistently across all review platforms on ease of use and comprehensiveness of the platform, WebEngage is used by 850+ consumer brands across India, the Middle East & Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asian markets. The roster across E-Commerce,  Online Travel,  Financial Services, Automobile, CPG and CPD verticals includes customers like Unilever, Airtel, Myntra, Sony, Groww, Acko, Spinny, Arabian Oud, Shoppers Stop, The Sultan Center, Reliance General Insurance, FlyNAS, Tata Motors, Eureka Forbes, CIPLA, Metro Brands, Yatra, PFI Mega Life etc.

For more information about WebEngage, visit www.webengage.com.

Wearable contactless payments Racing Ahead
 

Racing spirit meets lifestyle innovation
Much like the world of motor racing where every second counts, these payment bands are designed for seamless performance. Embedded with Thales secure element chips and powered by Tappy’s tokenization technology, the bands allow users to tokenize their Mastercard cards issued by FAB through the Tappy Pay App. Once provisioned, the bands transform into secure payment devices that can be used at millions of contactless-enabled merchants worldwide.

Fast, frictionless freedom
This innovation means consumers can immerse themselves in experiences without worrying about carrying wallets or cards. Whether purchasing merchandise, refreshments, or celebrating with friends, the bands deliver a frictionless payment journey that mirrors the speed and energy of motor racing itself.

Wayne Leung, CEO of Tappy Technologies, said, “Motor racing is all about passion, speed, and precision - and that’s exactly what these payment bands represent. Consumers can proudly wear a stylish accessory while enjoying the convenience of secure, contactless payments powered by Tappy. Together with FAB, Mastercard, and Thales, we are redefining how lifestyle and technology come together to enhance everyday experiences around the world.”
 
About Tappy Technologies
Tappy Technologies is a global leader in wearable payment solutions, specializing in secure tokenization technology that transforms everyday accessories into powerful payment devices. Through partnerships with leading banks, payment networks, and lifestyle brands, Tappy enables consumers to enjoy seamless, secure, and convenient transactions anywhere contactless payments are accepted. With a mission to merge lifestyle and technology, Tappy continues to redefine the way people pay by embedding innovation into the things they love to wear.

AonMeetings: Built for business, priced for all

The company is introducing three competitively priced monthly subscription tiers tailored to the Indian market, with no annual commitment required. All plans include integrated webinar capabilities at no additional cost:

• Starter Plan – Rs. 169/month ($1.99 USD): Up to 10 participants for calls and webinars

• Professional Plan – Rs. 339/month ($3.99 USD): Up to 25 participants for calls and webinars

• Business Plan – Rs. 599/month ($6.99 USD): Up to 100 participants for calls and webinars

• Enterprise Plan – Custom pricing available for larger organizations (email jhawthorne@aontv.com for pricing)

India represents one of the world's fastest-growing markets for digital communication solutions, and we're excited to bring AONMeetings' reliable, secure platform to Indian consumers and organizations alike, said Dwight Reed, CEO and Founder of AONMeetings. Our India-specific pricing reflects our commitment to making professional-grade video conferencing accessible to everyone across the country—from individuals and families to small businesses, religious communities, and large enterprises. With flexible month-to-month billing, users can scale their communication tools as they grow without long-term contracts.

Unlike competitors that charge premium fees for webinar capabilities—often $79 or more per month—AONMeetings includes integrated webinar functionality in every plan at no additional cost, making it an exceptional value for anyone who needs both video conferencing and webinar hosting.

Key Features for Indian Users:

• Integrated Webinar Capabilities Included in All Plans – No additional fees for professional webinar hosting

• Flexible Monthly Billing – No annual contracts or upfront commitments required

• No Downloads Required – Fully browser-based platform works on any device

• HIPAA-Compliant Security – Enterprise-grade encryption and privacy protection

• Reliable Performance – 99.9% uptime with robust infrastructure

• Multi-Language Support – Platform supports multiple languages for diverse teams

• Local Payment Options – Flexible payment methods for Indian customers

• Perfect for Personal and Professional Use – Ideal for families, freelancers, content creators, coaches, religious services, and businesses

• Ideal for Religious Organizations – Stream services, host prayer meetings, conduct religious education classes, and connect congregations

• Enterprise Solutions Available – Custom plans for larger organizations and special requirements

AONMeetings has earned a 4.9-star rating on G2 and serves over 1,000 businesses globally across healthcare, education, legal, religious organizations, and corporate sectors. The platform's combination of affordability, reliability, and compliance features has made it a trusted choice for organizations and individuals requiring secure communication solutions.

Indian consumers and organizations deserve access to world-class video conferencing technology without the premium price tag, added Reed. Whether you're a content creator in Delhi, a religious leader streaming services, a freelance consultant, a startup in Bangalore, a healthcare clinic in Mumbai, or an educational institution, AONMeetings provides the tools you need to connect, collaborate, and grow your community.

The India launch includes dedicated customer support during Indian business hours and resources tailored to local market needs.

Interested consumers and organizations can sign up to be notified when AONMeetings launches in India by visiting www.aonmeetings.com. Early registrants will receive exclusive launch updates and special introductory offers.

For enterprise pricing inquiries, contact jhawthorne@aontv.com.

About AONMeetings

Founded in 2020, AONMeetings is a Des Moines-based video conferencing platform that provides HIPAA-compliant, browser-based video communication solutions for consumers, businesses, healthcare providers, educational institutions, religious organizations, and communities worldwide. With a 4.9-star G2 rating and a commitment to affordability without compromising quality, AONMeetings serves over 1,000 businesses globally.

For more information, visit www.aonmeetings.com.

ENVI has long been recognized worldwide as a leading solution for extracting actionable insights from remote sensing data from various sources, including satellite, drone, LiDAR, SAR, multispectral, and hyperspectral sensors. It is tightly integrated with Esri’s ArcGIS platform and lets GIS users seamlessly access and analyze imagery to solve critical problems with confidence.

Indian GIS user organizations can now combine the power of Indo ArcGIS with Bharat ENVI, leveraging the large repository of Indian content and AI models in ‘Indo ArcGIS Living Atlas’. This tightly integrated capability is crucial for a range of activities, including land-use planning, resource management, and effective policy implementation.

Bharat ENVI also includes an essential toolset, accessible to both experts and new users. This intuitive toolset allows satellite imagery users to automate the extraction of features like water bodies, mining pits, crops, settlements, etc., from readily available satellite datasets, such as Landsat 8, Sentinel-2, and Sentinel-1. It is also capable of extracting building footprints and detecting ships through advanced deep learning techniques.

Agendra Kumar, Managing Director, Esri India, said, “The introduction of Bharat ENVI strengthens the geospatial technology ecosystem in the country. As organizations increasingly rely on satellite imagery and remote sensing for planning, sustainability, and national development, Bharat ENVI’s advanced analytics will significantly complement the capabilities of Indo ArcGIS, widely used across India.”

The availability of Bharat ENVI will enable more than 1.2 million ArcGIS users from over 6500 organizations in India to access powerful ENVI image processing tools directly within the ArcGIS environment, while benefiting from localized datasets, analytical tools, and AI capabilities.

A large part of this growth is coming from corporate L&D teams, universities, training institutions, technologists, and working professionals who are choosing N+ for its simple, mobile-led learning experience and its clear path to certifications upon course completion. These groups have become the strongest drivers of the platform’s expansion, especially as more organisations around the world begin focusing on skills that prepare their teams for an AI-driven future.

Speaking on the platform’s trajectory, Mr. Abdul Ahad said, “At N+ our focus has always been clear and consistent, we want to empower learners with the skills that matter today and the capabilities they will need tomorrow. The momentum we are seeing across enterprises, institutions, and individual professionals shows that the shift toward AI-native learning is already underway. Being able to stand at the forefront of this transformation and support people as they prepare for the future means a great deal to us.”

N+ is preparing for its next phase of growth with deeper AI-driven personalization features that will introduce adaptive learning paths, smart practice modules, and advanced analytics designed for corporate L&D decision-making. 

The team is strengthening the mobile experience to ensure smooth and reliable learning across all devices. Learners can access content offline, open lessons with faster load times, and engage with short, flexible learning formats that fit varied schedules. At the same time, N+ is building a wider network of partners by working more closely with universities, government skill programs, and global technology organisations. The idea is to make high-quality training accessible at a scale that truly matters.

For more information, please visit: www.nplus.global

Distribution remains the most cost-effective route-to-market for technology suppliers. That value is rising rapidly in the cloud era as emerging and legacy vendors look to scale sales, support and other operations around these virtual offerings without requiring onerous investments in resources and training. Leveraging distributors to accomplish those objectives provides a greater return on those limited funds and allows technology companies to expand more readily into new markets. A common challenge for vendors is determining the mix and number of these partnerships required to achieve their objectives, which is addressed in this GTDC report.
 

"One of the most critical responsibilities of a channel leader is ensuring their company achieves strong and profitable sales growth and building an optimal distribution coverage plan should be a key focus of their overall business strategy," says Grothjan. "Successful channel vendors regularly evaluate their objectives, company characteristics, and market maturity, and then match those variables to each current and potential distributor's unique value proposition and capabilities to ensure resilient, scalable outcomes."
 

Rationalizing channel ecosystems is imperative in today's highly competitive technology sales environment. When vendors have excess distribution capacity, more teams will be competing for a share of revenue, which negatively impacts margins and investment capabilities for all alliance partners. Optimization of distribution channels alleviates those concerns.
 

"To achieve a resilient channel ecosystem, vendors must align their key partnerships, capacity needs and investments," says Frank Vitagliano, CEO of GTDC. "Distributors have become an even more vital component of IT suppliers' market and sales expansion objectives in recent years, especially in the ultra-competitive cloud, cybersecurity and AI fields that require fast, cost-effective growth. An optimal distribution strategy boosts channel performance and ROI and provides greater incentives for everyone, including current and potential investors."
 

GTDC's new report highlights best practices to improve that process, including: 

1. Focus on strategic alignment. Distribution coverage must support the organization's overall goals, including capacity management and providing distributors enough margin to invest in partner expansion. Overextended capacity can reduce prices, margins and investment in growth-related activities.

2. Do not overpopulate. Excess capacity creates internal competition and reduces vendor profitability. Optimization strengthens the organization's financial health and investment capabilities.

3. Distributors are strategic partners. Modern IT distribution is more than logistics-these orchestrators provide technical enablement, market development, financing and digital transformation support. They are force multipliers that help vendors scale and innovate.

4. Digital platforms create new channel opportunities. Vendors may leverage existing distribution partner platforms or independently evaluate other options to expand their channel reach. Leveraging established relationships can reduce risk and improve onboarding efficiencies, but new distribution alliances could broaden market coverage.

5. Tailor strategies by company needs and market maturity. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to distribution optimization. Each strategy should reflect company offerings (i.e., hardware, software, services) and the maturity level of the channel partners with these solutions. Tactics may vary by region, specialization and acquisition situation.
 

Access the Building the Optimal Distribution Strategy report, as well as other invaluable industry research and resources in the GTDC Knowledge Hub.
 

About the GTDC

The Global Technology Distribution Council is the industry consortium representing the world's leading tech distributors. GTDC members drive more than $180 billion in annual worldwide sales of products, services and solutions through diverse business channels. GTDC conferences support the development and expansion of strategic supply-chain partnerships that continually address the fast-changing marketplace needs of vendors, end customers and distributors. GTDC members include AB S.A, Arrow Electronics, CMS Distribution, Computer Gross Italia, D&H Distributing, ELKO, Esprinet, Exclusive Networks, Exertis, Infinigate, Ingram Micro, Intcomex, Logicom, Mindware, Redington Limited, SiS Technologies, Tarsus, TD SYNNEX, TIM AG, VSTECS Holdings and Westcon-Comstor.

Odigo joins Hypermedia’s DOOH network

This partnership marks a significant stride in infusing advanced AI robotics into the DOOH advertising sector, and underscores how rapidly Kody Technolab Ltd is advancing in AI and robotics. Back-to-back large-scale Odigo orders in the region - first with LuLu Group International and now with Hypermedia - signal accelerating global demand for Kody Technolab’s robotic solutions. A deployment of this magnitude, combined with the recent agreement for 290 Odigo units with LuLu Group International, takes the total count of Odigo robot orders past 600 units across the UAE for November 2025. This combined operational scale positions Kody Technolab Ltd as the preferred global partner for advanced robotic ecosystems.

Under this strategic agreement, Falcon Tech Robotics will deploy its advanced advertising and guiding robots, Odigo, across the 30 Hypermedia-managed malls (with 12 robots planned per mall), including high-profile locations such as Mall of the Emirates, Ibn Battuta Mall, City Centre Mirdif, Yas Mall, Burjuman and more, and at the key exhibition location of the Dubai Expo site.

Developed and perfected by Kody Technolab Ltd, Odigo is an AI-powered advertising and guiding robot that brings DOOH to life for Hypermedia. Hypermedia can now deliver moving, programmable ad inventory to its clients that can be targeted by floor, zone, time of day, and more. All Odigo robots are controlled via a centralized dashboard that will let Hypermedia schedule, update, and segment campaigns in real time, while granular analytics on ad impressions, ad interactions, and navigation journeys give advertisers clear, actionable insight into performance and ROI.

“This partnership with Hypermedia FZ-LLC, a key player in the UAE’s media and advertising landscape, marks another major milestone for Falcon Tech Robotics and a strong endorsement of Kody Technolab Ltd's robotics innovation,” said Manav Patel, Managing Director, Kody Technolab Limited. “A deployment of this scale signals growing international confidence in the technology engineered at Kody Technolab, and we are proud to bring these capabilities to the UAE, further strengthening our presence in the experiential marketing sector.”

Falcon Tech Robotics LLC will oversee the entire deployment, reinforcing Kody Technolab Ltd's growth momentum in international markets as a globally recognized creator of advanced robotic solutions.

About Kody Technolab Ltd

Kody Technolab Ltd is a leading technology company specializing in advanced robotics and AI-driven automation for commercial, retail, and industrial environments. With expertise in software engineering, autonomous navigation, and intelligent systems design, Kody Technolab Ltd develops scalable robotic platforms that power major deployments across the Middle East and Asia.

About Falcon Tech Robotics LLC

Falcon Tech Robotics is a UAE-based joint venture between Kody Technolab Ltd and Platinum Group for Businessmen Services LLC, dedicated to accelerating robotics adoption across the Middle East. The company deploys advanced AI-driven service and robots powered by Kody Technolab Ltd’s proprietary technology and supported by Platinum Group’s regional market presence.

About Hypermedia FZ-LLC

Hypermedia FZ-LLC, a subsidiary of W Group, is a premier innovative Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) company based in the UAE. Known as "Creators of Impact," Hypermedia specializes in delivering high-impact advertising campaigns across a vast network of prime locations, leveraging innovation to connect brands with audiences effectively.

This marks Ai+’s second major hardware launch plan following the runaway success of the Ai+ Smartphone, which crossed 1 million users within six months, cementing Ai+ as a category-defining force in India’s sovereign tech landscape.

The Ai+ Laptab is built on a simple premise: one device should do it all. From attending virtual classes to editing presentations, binge-watching shows to brainstorming on the go - users can now toggle between productivity and entertainment without switching devices or breaking flow.

Unlike conventional tablets limited by mobile OS constraints, the Laptab runs on NxtQ OS, offering a dedicated PC Mode for a full-fledged productivity interface. Users can open multiple windows, manage documents, and even write long-form content with ease, all with the feel of a traditional laptop, but none of the bulk. The privacy-first architecture of NxtQ OS ensures zero pre-loaded bloatware, no invasive trackers, and full local control of user data, delivering long-term trust, not short-term gimmicks.

With keyboard and stylus compatibility, the Laptab adapts seamlessly across use cases - study, design, productivity, and entertainment. Whether at home, in cafes, or on commutes, users can write, sketch, or browse with ease.

“The Ai+ Laptab is not just another tablet. It’s our answer to the fluidity of modern life,” said Madhav Sheth, CEO, Ai+ and Founder, NxtQuantum Shift Technologies. “Indian users expect a single device to perform across roles, study, design, video calls, relaxation, without compromise. That’s what the Ai+ Laptab delivers.” He continued, “The Ai+ Laptab brings productivity, utility and entertainment into one space that fits naturally into everyday life.”

The Ai+ Laptab is a key step in Ai+’s broader connected ecosystem, spanning smartphones, wearables, TWS, and now, computing. Soon, users will experience deep software continuity across Ai+ devices, with seamless handoffs and integrated experiences.

In keeping with its equity-first vision, Ai+ will be launching the Laptab at disruptive price points, making high-performance, clean-design technology accessible to a wider segment of India’s youth and digital-first workforce. It’s an offering that’s built for Gen Z and young professionals who want sleek design, all-day battery, a stylus for creativity, a keyboard for productivity, and a clean software experience to tie it all together.

The Q1 reveal will showcase the full Laptab lineup, feature demonstrations, and provide pricing details, all aimed at making premium utility accessible to a broader Indian audience.

CP Gurnani, Manoj Chugh, & Jagdish Mitra joined Ipsita Kathuria at the 10th Annual TalentNomics Conference: Equity in the Age of Automation

The day was anchored by powerful insights from three of India’s most respected leaders:

• CP Gurnani underscored that the path to AI equity requires deliberate, ethical design. “What can we do to keep our power of curiosity, our power of creative thinking, our power of learning and applying data in our everyday life. Because to me AI is all about training the data, and if AI is all about training the data, then I need to pick up instances where I can power it.”

• The pivotal question from industry veteran Manoj Chugh served as a call to action: “Are we interrupting the bias? If not, we are not doing good.” The core message was that since AI learns from historical, often biased, data, the responsibility lies with human leaders to interrupt these patterns through sponsorship and intentional design.

• Suparna Mitra highlighted the necessity of intentional gender equity strategies in leadership and consumption. “At the Talentnomics India 10th Annual conference, I had the privilege of addressing the good people who had gathered to discuss how the AI revolution will impact gender dynamics. Whenever a new technology comes, the existing norms get re-shaped. The AI revolution does not just belong to the people who work on the technology, but all of those who use the technology. The moral and ethical dimensions need to be examined for us to ensure that the gender gap is balanced, rather than get worsened.”

The Future of Work & The Disruption of Income

The session, 'Work Rebooted – Breaking the Digital Ceiling,' moderated by Lata Singh, dissected the differential impact of AI on the workforce, highlighting the urgent need for task-level reskilling.

• Task-Level Disruption: Jagdish Mitra emphasized that AI disruption occurs at the task level, not just the role level. He noted that while women make up 35% of the IT workforce, nearly 70% of their roles are task-heavy and highly exposed to automation. His guidance: HR teams must champion diversity, and individuals must perform a task-based analysis of their job to identify what to reskill for.

• The Investment Risk of Inequity: Dr. Archana Hingorani connected workforce gender equity to the balance sheet. She argued that ignoring the displacement of women creates systemic market instability and limits the available talent pool, making ignoring gender equity a bad business decision for the investor.

• Owning the AI Ecosystem: Shalaka Verma outlined the three key opportunity domains: Builders of AI, Maintainers of AI, and Users of AI, urging women to seize the early-mover advantage in this transition and actively define their space before others define it for them.

The Infrastructure of Wealth & Wellbeing

These panels addressed how AI impacts the fundamental structures of wealth creation and care, from investments to healthcare access.

• Code to Capital: Reducing the Wealth Gap: The deeply insightful session on the gender wealth gap, led by Soumya Rajan and Anita George, concluded that the gap stems from structural issues and behavioral biases. They affirmed that AI is a powerful 'copilot' capable of de-biasing financial planning and nudging women from mere savers to active investors. Anita George stressed that "Investing is self-care" and emphasized the need for trust, governance, and security in the financial sector to ensure women become true capital creators.

• Rebalancing Care & Rural Healthcare: The sessions highlighted that both urban and rural women face unique barriers to wellbeing. Partha Dey showcased how the shift of services from hospital to home significantly improves access for women. Furthermore, the session on "Beyond the Grid: AI and the Future of Rural Healthcare" with Jyotsna Krishnan & Priyadarshi Mohaparta highlighted how a hybrid "phygital" model using Community Champions (primarily women) can be the viable solution for India’s large rural market, ensuring the entire loop of diagnostics and medicine is closed and reducing time burdens for women caregivers.

• The Human Heart of Empathy: Dr. Dev Brar addressed the limits of AI in mental health, noting: “AI heard my words, but not my silence.” Bhavana Issar also emphasised that while AI can enable wellbeing, it cannot replace the Human touch. Shilpa Ajwani concluded that Human and technical review must go hand in hand to ensure AI works for everyone.

Governance and Guardrails: The Mandate for Equitable AI

The consensus across the conference was that AI is not inherently biased, but rather amplifies the bias already present in the human data it learns from, necessitating strong guardrails.

• Bias Amplification: The session on 'Unbiased by Design' concluded that AI models are inherently prone to perpetuating historical human biases because they learn from flawed data, making simply removing gender labels insufficient. The core consensus of the panel, featuring Kiran Chhabra, Renu Menon, Uma Rani, and Arjun Venkatraman, captured by the motto "Nothing About Us Without Us," is that achieving equitable AI requires active, sustained oversight.

• Policy and Accountability: This includes enforcing mandatory AI audits and governance frameworks to ensure equal error rates across demographic groups, and critically, involving women and underrepresented groups as data stewards to reduce bias at the source of data collection and annotation. As observed by L Venkata Subramanian and Aneesh Patnaik, we need technological solutions, diverse policy input, and active user feedback.

• Societal Movement: Sunaina Kumar emphasized that patriarchal structures are mirrored in digital spaces, and without robust governance, AI risks weakening women's economic security. Ratnesh Jha concluded that fixing this requires a societal "movement," stressing that companies must be held accountable by consumers, and organizations must commit to not allowing bias in their own systemic decisions.

Conclusion: Sponsorship and Concrete Action

The conference underscored that fixing the future starts with fixing the present. The most potent advice from the floor was the need to move from mentorship to sponsorship. Sponsorship is the action—the advocacy and the intentional door-opening—that ensures women are in the rooms where AI decisions are being shaped.

Neeta Boochra, member of the TalentNomics Advisory Board, rekindled the room’s momentum with her vote of thanks, reinforcing that influence must translate into opportunity and conversation into measurable change. The conference's success lay in its commitment to translating high-level dialogue into concrete, actionable steps toward a gender-equitable Digital future.

About TalentNomics India

TalentNomics India is a non-profit organisation working to create a world where gender equity is the norm. Since 2016, the organisation has operated leadership development programs for women and convened annual conferences featuring multi-stakeholder dialogues on barriers to equity in work, wealth, wellbeing, and welfare. Through research, advocacy, and collaboration with corporate, government, and civil society partners, TalentNomics India advances systemic approaches to gender equity.

Website: www.india.talentnomics.org

Instagram: www.instagram.com/talentnomicsindia/

LinkedIn: in.linkedin.com/company/talentnomicsindia

Multiples PE-backed QBurst has rolled out its new branding and positioning as a ‘High AI-Q™’ company, signifying its commitment to delivering AI-first, futuristic digital experiences. High AI-Q delivers AI-powered differentiated digital experiences by combining QBurst’s technical expertise (High IQ) with understanding client needs (High EQ), with the fabric of AI infused into every aspect of operation and delivery. The framework is built to deliver measurable client outcomes across Growth, Productivity, and Transformation (GPT).

Multiples PE-backed QBurst unveiled its ‘High AI-Q’ positioning, signifying its commitment to AI-first futuristic digital experiences

“The market has moved past the novelty of 'AI-powered' features—that is now the absolute minimum expectation. The true competitive battleground is 'AI-First' design, which means AI is architected into the core of every operation. As the industry rapidly transitions toward complex Service-as-Software models and autonomous managed agents, we are raising the bar with 'High AI-Q.' This is our commitment to providing the necessary rigor, trust, and accelerated efficiency that clients need to not just keep pace, but to truly realize the scale of their ambition,” said Arun ‘Rak’ Ramchandran, CEO, QBurst.

Since securing the strategic investment from Multiples Alternate Asset Management earlier this year, QBurst has undergone a transformative shift, establishing a future-ready organizational structure and a focused leadership team with deep experience in Data Engineering & AI, Cloud, Digital Experience, and Quality Engineering.

This new positioning reflects the integration of Generative AI and Agentic AI into all core services, highlighting AI-native enterprise transformation.

What does High AI-Q look like in action?

• For a global mining giant, QBurst implemented a GenAI-powered operations intelligence platform, enabling real-time KPI analytics through natural language queries and voice commands—transforming how executives access and act on operational data.

• For a leading US healthcare university, QBurst implemented a multi-camera vision AI solution featuring edge inference and an open modular architecture to create a Centralized intelligence dashboard providing real-time, multi-object tracking and significantly enhance campus security.

• For a global luxury retail brand, QBurst with the support of AI based agents migrated its legacy system to a modern composable architecture, enhancing performance, scalability and editorial workflows—future-proofing its digital experience strategy.

Event Highlights: Innovation and Leadership

The High AI-Q brand launch event also featured the launch of the book “Changing Fast & Slow: How to Find Your Organization’s Best Pathway in the New Business Paradigm,” authored by Jeroen Tas, Co-founder of Mphasis and ex-Chief Innovation & Strategy Officer of Philips Healthcare. The book provides strategies for CEOs and leaders to build resilient companies in the face of rapid technological change.

The event concluded with a leadership panel discussion based on the book featuring: Jeroen Tas; Vishal Kulshrestha, Head of eCom and Omni Channel, Alshaya Group; and Arun ‘Rak’ Ramchandran, CEO, QBurst.

About QBurst

QBurst is a 'High AI-Q' digital engineering company delivering measurable business impact through data-driven solutions and deep application engineering expertise. Combining agility with technical depth, QBurst drives digital transformations for enterprise clients across five major industries: Retail, Realty, Healthcare, Manufacturing, and Hospitality to innovate, scale, and succeed.

Backed by Multiples Alternate Asset Management, the company is headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia, and maintains a global footprint across 21 cities in 11 countries spanning critical geographies including Japan, USA, The Middle East, South Africa, and India. QBurst employs over 3,500 professionals.

The company's comprehensive service portfolio anchors on five solution pillars viz. Digital Experience Solutions, Intelligent Enterprise Solutions, Product Engineering, Managed Agents, and Modernization Initiatives. Strategic and technology partnerships with industry majors such as Microsoft, AWS, Salesforce, Google, Adobe, Pimcore, and Strapi enable QBurst to deliver value-added services to its global client base.

In 2025, Everest Group's PEAK Matrix assessment positioned QBurst as a 'Major Contender' in the Quality Engineering space. Additionally, Deloitte, Dun & Bradstreet, Statista, Economic Times, and Financial Times have recognized the company among the fastest-growing technology firms across India and the Asia-Pacific region.

The Global GCC Summit 2025 organized by the Inductus group at The Hyatt Regency, New Delhi, bringing together a congregation of global leaders to highlight India's emergence as an R&D-driven innovation, research, and global capability hub. Out of the huge delegate registrations received, the summit hosted around 250 delegates i.e. CEOs, CXOs, GCC Heads, technology and business leaders, central and state government officials, representatives from premier academic institutions like IITs, IIMs, and universities, as well as consulates, embassies, and global trade bodies were also there making it one of the most comprehensive GCC-focused platforms to date. Some of the prominent speakers were Dr. Kishore Jayaraman (UKIBC), Mr Pranav Mishra (AMCHAM), Sandeep Kulkarni (Worley), Mr Mayank Sharma (Google, USA), Mr Anjani Ladia (ICAI – Luxembourg). The event targeted the transformation of India from a cost-arbitrage destination toward being a strategic global innovation and R&D hub. During the day, the thought leaders deliberated through panel discussions and keynote addresses on a wide array of topics that shape the future of GCCs in India, including policy frameworks, governance, talent development, sustainability, technology adoption, and cross-border collaboration.

Alouk kumar (CEO-Inductus LTD ), Kishore Jayaraman, Pranav Mishra, Mahadeo Jaiswal, Sandeep Kulkarni, Geetha Ramamoorthi, Anjani Ladia, Daniel Goh, Dinesh Arora, Ashish Aggarwal

The comprehensive discussion at the Summit was structured around a few critical themes that define the future trajectory of GCCs in India. Thought leaders to explore the ambitious vision for Global Capability Centres towards 2040, outlining the vast opportunities and strategic road ahead for India to cement leadership, dedicated sessions. A core focus was on ensuring Digital Trust and Compliance in a Global Context, with particular consideration of how GCCs are adapting to the DPDP Act of India and emerging cybersecurity frameworks to maintain secure operations. Secondly, discussions covered the required transformation of the Talent Architecture for GCC 4.0, focusing on redefining skills, curriculum, and collaboration models between industry and academia in building the future workforce. These sessions also brought alive The Innovation Imperative, highlighting how to position India's GCCs at the heart of global R&D and AI-driven transformation to ensure they drive high-value strategic functions for their parent organizations.

During the course of the summit The Inductus Group India also signed and executed an MOU with a Singapore based Asteria Visions Pte. Ltd., in the esteemed presence of Singapore High Commission’s First Secretary (Economic), Mr. Vivek Raguraman, as a symbolic gesture of friendship and cooperation between India and Singapore.

Mr. Alouk Kumar, CEO  & MD of the Inductus Group, said, “The Global GCC Summit 2025 has powerfully reaffirmed India’s evolution from an outsourcing destination to the world’s most critical Global R&D and Innovation Hub. The numbers say it all: According to the economic survey report tabled in the parliament, GCCs are already set to contribute 3% to India’s GDP by 2030. Moreover, Inductus’ industry research based projections indicate that by 2040, the sector’s total economic value could reach as high as $450 billion, contributing 7.10% to the GDP. Far more important, this growth is a powerful engine for national employment. From the current base of approximately 2 million resources, we project that the sector will deploy 3.5 million human resources by 2030 and an unprecedented 8 million by 2040. This is not just a growth story; it is a fundamental shift in India’s economic narrative, placing GCCs as the backbone of the nation’s future as a global technology superpower. The discussions here have laid the strategic groundwork to achieve this vision."

The Summit also brought forth India’s preparedness to lead the next wave of global business and technological innovation through the GCC ecosystem by focusing on advanced research, digital transformation, and sustainable practices. Participants shared insights on leveraging India’s talent pool, adopting cutting-edge technologies, and fostering collaborations for driving long-term economic growth.

One of the flagship events was the launch & unveiling of the book titled 'India Rising - Rise & Future of Services Sector Led by GCCs in INDIA' (1985 – 2040). This book elaborates on a comprehensive analysis and strategic perspective regarding the evolution and estimated growth of the GCC ecosystem, highlighting India's strategic position in the global business landscape.

The Global GCC Summit 2025 emerged to be a strong platform for knowledge exchange, strategic collaboration, and policy dialogue, reinforcing the position of India as a priority investment destination for GCCs, opined the CEO, Inductus, Mr Alouk Kumar. 

The event highlighted the achievements of existing GCCs, established the stage for future initiatives, partnerships, and innovations, and was a landmark in the development of India’s GCC landscape. It also highlighted India’s strong standing in the global market in terms of attracting investments from the large & mid-market global corporations.

Shri B.V. Naidu, Chairman, KDEM, was awarded the First STPI Commendation Award for his contributions to Karnataka’s tech and innovation ecosystem

The award celebrates individuals who have demonstrated exceptional, long-term impact on India’s technology ecosystem—through institution building, industry development, policy leadership, and innovation-driven economic transformation. Shri Naidu, one of Karnataka’s most respected technology leaders, has been instrumental in shaping the state's IT narrative for over three decades, driving landmark initiatives across government, industry bodies, and emerging tech clusters.

Shri Naidu’s legacy includes several prestigious honours, including the Karnataka Rajyotsava Award and the TiE Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award, recognising his role in accelerating entrepreneurship, digital innovation, and regional technology development across the state.

The selection for the STPI Commendation Award was undertaken by a distinguished jury panel comprising senior industry leaders, policy experts, and technology institution heads. The award ceremony at BTS 2025 highlighted the collective contributions of national technology champions who continue to drive India’s digital transformation.

During the ceremony, senior industry members reflected on Shri Naidu’s impact in shaping Karnataka’s technological rise—from steering the growth of Bengaluru’s IT export ecosystem to driving the state’s regional tech expansion through the Beyond Bengaluru mission. His leadership has been pivotal in enabling the development of future-ready tech clusters, fostering industry–government partnerships, strengthening deeptech, startups, GCCs, and expanding Karnataka’s impact on global innovation and engineering ecosystems.

Speaking on the recognition, Shri B.V. Naidu, Chairman, KDEM, said, “I am deeply honoured to receive the First STPI Commendation Award. This recognition belongs to the countless innovators, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and ecosystem builders who have worked together to shape Karnataka’s technology leadership. Our collective mission has always been to build globally competitive tech clusters, strengthen digital capabilities across the state, and ensure Karnataka remains at the forefront of India’s innovation-led growth. I remain committed to supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs, engineers, and institutions that will define India’s digital future.”

This honour further reinforces Shri Naidu’s continued efforts through KDEM and other national platforms to accelerate India’s digital economy, create high-value jobs, and build sustainable innovation ecosystems that contribute to nation-building.

Meet and learn from The best Education Brain

The ESFE 2025, scheduled from December 11 to 13, 2025, at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, is set to bring together the most influential leaders, educators, and policy influencers shaping the future of Indian education. The event will feature eminent figures including Dr. Niranjan Hiranandani as Guest of Honour, alongside distinguished speakers such as Sonal Pinto, Director, Ryan Group of Schools; Lina Ashar, Founder, Dreamtime Learning; and Syed Sultan Ahmed, Chairperson, TAISI. The three-day expo aims to offer transformative solutions for India’s rapidly evolving education ecosystem.

At the heart of DroneNova’s participation lies its groundbreaking Drone Soccer League (DSL), a first-of-its-kind initiative that transforms classrooms into live arenas of innovation. Through this program, students will pilot safe, sub-250g drones inside a net-caged field, learning physics, coding, teamwork, and strategy in an engaging and competitive environment.

“Our vision is to make India a global hub for drone-based experiential education that inspires curiosity, collaboration, and creativity in every learner,” said Himansshu Jainn, Founder, DroneNova India. “Every flight is a science lesson; every goal is a leadership moment. With Drone Soccer, students don’t just learn concepts, they live them.”

The program aligns with the priorities of NEP 2020 on experiential learning and 21st-century skill-building, complements Skill India pathways, and adheres to India’s evolving Drone Policy framework. Designed as a turnkey offering, it provides schools with equipment, safety infrastructure, certified trainers, and curriculum-linked modules aligned with NEP, IB MYP, and IGCSE standards, ensuring both academic depth and operational ease.

To catalyze a nationwide movement, DroneNova is inviting ten visionary institutions to join as “Founding Partner Schools”, who will receive exclusive benefits including priority workshop scheduling, lifetime partnership privileges, and guaranteed regional qualifier slots for the Drone Soccer League.

By sponsoring ESFE 2025, DroneNova India aims to showcase how drones, STEM, and sport can converge to redefine classroom learning and inspire a new generation of innovators.

For school partnerships and enrolment details, visit www.dronenovaindia.com, www.esfe.in write to info@dronenovaindia.in 

PayU Receives RBI Approval to Operate as Online, Offline and Cross-Border Payment Aggregator

“We are honored to receive the Reserve Bank of India’s continued trust and authorization to operate as a Cross-Border (Both Inward & Outward) Payment Aggregator, in addition to online and offline PA. This milestone reinforces our commitment to building a resilient and innovation-driven payments ecosystem, enabling us to offer secure, transparent, and customer-first payment solutions, including seamless omni-channel experiences for merchants of all sizes,” said a PayU spokesperson. 

This development further strengthens PayU’s position as a full-stack digital payments provider, empowering businesses with reliable and seamless experiences across online, offline and cross-border touchpoints. 

About PayU

PayU, India's leading diversified fintech platform with Prosus as an investor, operates businesses that are regulated by the Reserve Bank of India and offers advanced solutions to meet the digital financial services needs of customers (merchants, banks, and consumers).

PayU provides payment gateway solutions to online businesses through its cutting-edge and award-winning technology and has empowered 4.5 lakhs+ businesses, including India’s leading enterprises, e-commerce giants and SMBs. It enables businesses to collect digital payments across 100+ online payment methods such as Credit Cards, Debit Cards, Net Banking, EMIs, pay-later, QR, UPI, Wallets, and more. It’s a preferred partner in the affordability ecosystem, offering the maximum coverage of issuers and easy-to-implement integrations across card-based EMIs, pay-later options and new-age cardless EMIs. PayU offers e-commerce brands best-in-industry success rates while ensuring a seamless checkout experience.

The company marks a major step forward in simplifying and digitizing GST dispute management across India’s legal and tax ecosystem. Built with the vision to streamline case tracking, document management, and workflow automation, the platform empowers organizations to handle GST litigation seamlessly - minimizing manual errors, improving coordination, and saving valuable time.

As India’s GST framework continues to evolve, the complexity and volume of litigation are expanding rapidly, creating an urgent need for smarter, technology-driven solutions. Trackase addresses this challenge through a single, integrated platform that automates litigation workflows, centralizes documentation, and provides real-time visibility across multiple jurisdictions and stages of the litigation process.

Commenting on the launch, Mr Aditya Singhania, Founder and CEO, Trackase, said, “The landscape of GST litigation in India is evolving rapidly, and managing it manually has become increasingly inefficient and error-prone. We built this platform to bring structure, transparency, and speed to the entire litigation management process. Our goal is to empower tax and finance professionals with the tools they need to stay compliant and make informed decisions.”

Through intelligent automation and analytics, Trackase serves as a strategic enabler for CFOs, tax heads, compliance officers, and Chartered Accountants, helping them not only manage disputes efficiently but also extract valuable insights from their litigation data to improve strategic decision-making.

The platform is equipped with a suite of powerful features. Its smart case tracking module allows real-time monitoring of GST litigation cases across jurisdictions and authorities. The centralized document management system ensures secure, cloud-based access to all filings and case-related records. A robust workflow automation engine delivers timely alerts, task assignments, and escalation reminders to reduce manual effort. Additionally, data-driven dashboards and analytics help users visualize dispute trends, monitor performance, and make evidence-based decisions.

By combining automation, analytics, and ease of use, Trackase positions itself as a category creator and innovation leader in India’s GST technology space - setting new benchmarks for compliance efficiency and transparency.

TaskUs Continues India Expansion, Launches New Operations Site in Noida

The new site further expands TaskUs’ presence in India to support the growing global need for outsourced digital services. The new site in Noida, TaskUs’ fifth operations hub in India will deliver advanced services including Digital Customer Experience, Trust & Safety and AI Operations. Currently, the site houses more than 500 teammates, which is expected to grow to 1300 in 2026.

“India is an essential part of our global strategy, and I am excited to further scale our innovative AI and digital services in India. This expansion into Noida ensures we continue to attract the world’s best digital-native talent, enhancing our delivery capabilities to meet the growing needs of our global client base,” said Bryce Maddock, CEO of TaskUs.

Noida, a key city within the National Capital Region (NCR), provides exceptional access to modern infrastructure, a growing commercial base, seamless connectivity to Delhi, Gurugram, Ghaziabad and other key NCR hubs. The combination of these growth factors in addition to a proactive business environment makes Noida an ideal location for delivering complex high-impact services that TaskUs provides, particularly in fast-growing sectors like Healthcare, AI, Fintech and autonomous vehicles.

“The talent density, proximity to 500+ higher education institutes and the overall technology ecosystem of Noida perfectly aligns with our strategy to deliver high-quality services at scale,” said Stephan Daoust, Chief Operating Officer of TaskUs. “This new site allows us to tap directly into a highly educated, multilingual workforce, enhancing our capacity to serve clients across multiple regions and complex regulatory environments,” he added.

The design of the new site, named HeritEdge, is a thoughtful blend of India’s rich traditions, artistic stories and the busy city life. The facility embodies TaskUs’ “People-first” philosophy prioritizing teammate engagement and wellness. HeritEdge features numerous collaborative spaces, dedicated wellness rooms, cafeteria, training rooms and various modern amenities designed to support both performance and well-being.

“India’s differentiator is its exciting mix of technical talent, cultural affinity to global brands, and the passion for innovation,” said Sapna Bhambani, SVP of Operations and Country Leader, India at TaskUs. “HeritEdge is a representation of TaskUs’ dedication to our teammates, offering them a space that is ridiculously supportive and engaging. When we prioritize our people’s well-being and growth, they deliver excellence” she further added.

India is the second largest operations base for TaskUs with more than 15,000 teammates across 6 cities. TaskUs India was recently certified as Great Place to Work(R) for 2025 and was named one of the Top 10 Inspiring Workplaces in Asia for 2025 by Inspiring Workplaces Group.

About TaskUs

TaskUs is a leading provider of outsourced digital services and next-generation customer experience to the world’s most innovative companies, helping its clients represent, protect and grow their brands. Leveraging a cloud-based infrastructure, TaskUs serves clients in the fast-growing sectors, including social media, e-commerce, AI, gaming, streaming media, food delivery and ride-sharing, technology, financial services and healthcare. As of June 30, 2025, TaskUs had a worldwide headcount of approximately 61,400 people across 30 locations in 13 countries, including the United States, India and Philippines.  

For additional information, please visit: www.taskus.com.