October 27, 2015 - Ratan Tata, Mohandas Pai invest in LetsVenture, join platform as advisers

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Blog Sree Vijaykumar From the Editor's Desk For those who think Artificial Intelligence is stuff for science fiction, here are a few stories that may change your mind. Uber CEO Travis Kalanick has not only poached 40 employees from Carnegie Mellon's Robotics program, but also gone on record to say that the future of Uber is driverless cars. Possibly close to 15% of Google's web searches (especially those the search engine has never seen before) are now being managed by RankBrain, an AI system that has been in development for over 5 years. And finally, Russian online giant Yandex has launched a new project to use robots to write articles - Comment Digital Ratan Tata, Mohandas Pai invest in LetsVenture, join platform as advisers   Advt: Get qualified leads for your business TradeBriefs introduces automated mobile number verification, progressive qualification and other API-based verification. Save time and money! Advt: Diamond India Ltd. introduces Limited Edition Sachin Tendulkar Swiss Silver Coins. Digital marketing is evolving everyday. Keep up with the latest trends. Digital Food tech startup Petoo plans to raise $5 million from Accel, Sequoia Food tech start-up Petoo.in is planning to raise $5 million from PE investors such as Digital Housing.com appoints Nandini Mehta as general counsel   Digital Healthcare entrepreneur GSK Velu sets up early stage fund for healthcare startups   Digital Online pharma marketplace Netmeds.com raises $50 million from OrbiMed Retail Exclusive: Yogi by Choice, Entrepreneur by Chance- Baba Ramdev His tasty-and-lead free instant noodles would hit Indian markets next week. He has struck a lucrative deal with Kishore Biyani-led Future Group. Bollywood Retail Ready, Set, Drone: Walmart Joins Amazon, Google In Testing Delivery Drones Walmart has applied to U.S. regulators for permission to test drones for home delivery and curbside pick up. Retail Tata, Birla, Ambani to fight discount e-tailers head-on Launch e-tail ventures after omni-channel retail comes short of fighting digital rivals Retail Aeropostale using flash mobs for Indian debut American clothing brand Aeropostale, which plans to enter the fast growing Indian market, is using flash mobs for its India entry. Telecom Airtel to spend an extra $200-400 million capex in India this FY on 3G, 4G sites The country’s No. 1 telco has estimated its capex for India and South Asia to be at $2.3 billion, most of which would have been on India. Telecom Flipkart sells $200 million worth of mobile phones during 'Big Billion' sale Mobile phones made up two-thirds of the $300 million worth of products purchased by consumers during the sale, which started on October 13. Telecom Facebook meets skepticism in bid to expand internet in India The service has been entangled in the net neutrality debate since it was launched and many people in the country still do not know much about it Telecom Disruption in the Telecommunication Industry: African telecom firms must innovate In 1994 when mobile telephony started in Africa, telecommunication revolved around the rich. Between 1994 and 2014, mobile phone subscribers across Africa rose to 329 million and revenue from voice, message and data crossed $75billion mark in 2013 contributing 5.4% of sub-Sahara Africa GDP. And today, Africa is the largest growing mobile phone continent in the world. However, the past few months have witnessed a period of decline in profit as a result of competitions among the mobile operators and growth in Over-the-top services (OTTs). Various reports suggest that the worst is yet to come for the industry. According to Detecon Consulting; “OTT services market is expected to overtake the mobile services market by 2021.” Ovum, the London based research firm predicts that the telecommunications industry will lose $479 billion between 2012 and 2020 from customers using over-the-top (OTT) voice applications. Across the continent, services such as Whatsapp, Skype, Facebook, BBM are becoming Finance RBI rejects plan for 100% FDI in banks The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has turned down a proposal from the government to allow up to 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in banks, a move that may come as a damper for several private sector lenders such as ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank.   Finance Why HDFC’s stock fell 2% despite meeting net profit forecasts While HDFC’s net profit growth of 18.2% was more or less what analysts had forecast, investors were not pleased with other performance metrics Finance IndiGo’s Rs3,000 crore IPO opens today IndiGo has fixed a price band of Rs700-765 for the IPO that will close on 29 October Finance India a key market as emerging marke are slip: Atul Singh, Julius Baer Julius Baer is seeking to expand its presence in India, encouraged by India's strong macro-economic fundamentals and the wealth creation opportunities it offers. Software Grofers to buy Bangalore-based hyperlocal delivery startup Townrush Grofers is making these acquisitions primarily for the teams with no significant cash or equity being exchanged, an executive from the Gurgaon-based company said, while confirming the news. Software Indian IT firms to benefit from H-1B filing fee drop, says Immigration law firm The sharp drop of USD 2,000 filing fees for H-1B visa seekers to US may benefit the top Indian IT companies, an American immigration law firm said today. Software Why finding the right people is the biggest headache for startups? Around 44.4% of startups face this problem, along with stability concerns and budget constraints constituting 38.9% and 27.8%, respectively. Software Public cloud services market to reach $731 mn in India, says report Public cloud services revenue poised to reach $731 million due to key demand segments like IaaS, SaaS and cloud security services Ecommerce Snapdeal claims 1M mark for active product listings on mobile marketplace Shopo; app offers 14 categories Snapdeal said on Monday that Shopo, its recently launched ‘zero-commission’ mobile-based marketplace, has crossed the one million mark for active product listings. Ecommerce Delhi's Select Citywalk is in search of a CTO, strategy to compete with ecommerce firms In a bid to strengthen its digital defence against growing competition from ecommerce firms, Delhi's Select Citywalk plans to hire a CTO (chief technology Ecommerce Pharma marketplace Netmeds.com raises $50 million in a round of funding led by health-care focused, mid-stage private equity firm OrbiMed Pharma marketplace Netmeds.com has raised $50 million in a round of funding led by health-care focused, mid-stage private equity firm OrbiMed. Mckinsey Ecommerce Diagnostics tests booking app Medd raises $150,000 (about Rs 1 crore) in a bridge round of funding from a group of angel investors Diagnostics tests booking app Medd has raised $150,000 (about Rs 1 crore) in a bridge round of funding from a group of angel investors. Franchise Franchisee Journey: From failing to set off as a franchisor to successfully running 3 Hurricane Grill & Wings stores as a franchisee With years of experience in the restaurant business behind him, Darin Beck is moving forward as a franchisee. Franchise Why franchising may be the right option for families who want to start their business together Click inside to learn more about the benefits of owning a family franchise in the USA. Franchise The lazy guy’s guide to successful franchise marketing The best marketing? Getting others to promote your business for you. Here are 5 ways to get others to market your franchise for you. HR Corporate travel in Singapore: a booming corporate hub, about to be transformed HR What You're Really Asking When You Ask 'Where Are You From?' The loaded question comes with cultural baggage for many immigrants and people of color. HR FMCG in India: Understanding a Billion Needs HR India is the last BRIC standing: WPP CEO Britain's WPP reiterated its full-year net sales target on Monday after posting an acceleration in third-quarter trading due to easier comparatives and solid demand in Europe and the United States. Third-quarter like-for-like net sales growth hit 3.3 percent, compared with 2.3 percent in the first half... Logistics LIC to buy corporate bonds worth Rs 2000-cr from Indian Railways Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) will hand over a cheque of Rs 2,000 crore to Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC), the first tranche of its financial assistance, tomorrow for investment in capacity augmentation projects. Logistics Wal Mart seeks to test drones for home delivery and pickup Chief minister Vasundhara Raje on Sunday, laid the foundation stone of nine development projects worth Rs 20 crore. Logistics IndoGo $ 465 million IPO is here today :Low costs keep IndiGo flying high in India's cut-throat airline market NEW DELHI: Waiting for a flight at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi airport, law student Shweta Toppo explains why she mostly flies IndiGo, the upstart budget airline ... Logistics Chinese airlines expand India flights; Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Shadong Airlines grab India opportunity Chinese airlines are expanding capacity on Indian routes Construction Exits worth $633 million from realty in first 9 months of 2015 by PEs and NBFCs Much of the exits, however, have come by way of refinancing by builders, who are keen to replace high-cost funds with relatively lower cost ones. Construction Blackstone to invest $3.5 billion in cement, consumer lending in India Blackstone, which established its office in India in Aug 2005, has since then committed $3.5 billion Construction Realty projects to get investment from Macquarie in India Fund’s realty arm MIRA, Tata Housing in talks to set up platform to invest in luxury residential projects Construction Govt’s infra push is a boon for cement firms Major infrastructure projects in the country worth Rs3.47 trillion will need 45 million tonnes of cement in the next three to four years, says report Marketing Amazon, HUL, RB Under ASCI Scanner For Misleading Ads : Report The Advertising Standards Council of India’s (ASCI) Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) has pulled up three TV channels for misleading claims in their Marketing Samsung Marketing Arm Cheil Bets Big On India over China : Report Samsung Marketing Arm Cheil Bets Big On India over China - BENGALURU: The global Marketing, Public Relations and Advertising firm, Cheil Worldwide is now planning to surge... Marketing Thoughts on ad blockers, native ads the changing ad landscape : Prashant Singh By Prashant Singh, Founder, Shifu Recently, after Apple allowed adblockers on its platform, there has been a lot of chatter around the impact of adblocker publishers’ business model and the ethics of adblocking. There are valid arguments in favour of and against adblockers. While both sides h Marketing Raymond CMO talks about staying iconic and staying relevant : Report Raymond CMO talks about staying iconic and staying relevant - As homegrown lifestyle brand Raymond completed 90 years recently and unveiled a new advertising campaign for the season, P Karunya Rao spoke to Chief Marketing Officer Shantiswarup Panda to understand how the iconic brand attempts to stay relevant in rapidly- changing times. Politics Born in Maoist heartland, Bihar’s wonder kids shed fear to excel in academics The difficult situation, however, has proved no barrier to talent. Politics Chhota Rajan arrest was planned by NSA Doval in attempt to get evidence on Dawood from his rival Ajit Kumar Doval, the former head of the Indian Intelligence Bureau (IB) has been trailing Chhota Rajan and his henchmen to get leaks on D gang’s activities for years. Politics Republican Debate # 3: Will Rubio make his Marco on The Donald Trump karaoke show? The third Republican debate airs from Colorado on CNBC at 8 pm Eastern Time on 28 October, so that’s 5.30 am IST 29 October. Politics Nitish trashes Modi’s allegation of Grand Alliance plotting over reservations Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday described as "non sense" the Prime Minister's allegation that 'grand alliance' was plotting to take away 5 per cent share in reservations for "a particular community", saying it was the last-ditch effort to polarise votes on communal lines. Sports 438: A disaster waiting to happen Without a world-class medium pacer, a decent all-rounder at no.7 and a settled middle order, India were always going to be exposed. Sports Lewis Hamilton storms to third world title in US Grand Prix An emotional Lewis Hamilton owed his victory, in the end, to an unforced error by Nico Rosberg on the 49th lap. Sports Ravi Shastri ‘abused’ over pitch, says curator Sudhir Naik When contacted, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said he needs to look into the allegations before taking any action. Sports Betting: Manchester City the favourites to steal Chelsea's Capital One Cup crown Entertainment Y-Films’ web series ‘Bang Baaja Baaraat’ to premiere at MAMI "Bang Baaja Baaraat", a web series from Yash Raj Films youth studio, Y-Films, will premiere at Jio MAMI 17th Mumbai Film Festival's new section "Play". Entertainment Anupam Kher starts shooting for Dhoni biopic Anupam Kher has now started shooting for Neeraj Pandey's directorial "M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story". Entertainment How a Bollywood movie helped bring a disabled Indian woman home from Pakistan Almost 15 years after she unwittingly strayed across the border into Pakistan as a girl, a deaf-and-mute woman Monday was brought back to India, where officials were trying to reunite her with her family. Entertainment Small-time crime to murders: Chhota Rajan's persona continues to inspire Bollywood What made Chhota Rajan's life worth cinematic treatment was how he fought his way into the gangster world. TradeBriefs Publications are read by over 10,00,000 Industry Executives About Us  |  Advertise Privacy Policy    Unsubscribe You are receiving this mail because of your subscription with TradeBriefs. Our mailing address is GF 25/39, West Patel Nagar, New Delhi 110008, India