February 15, 2016 - Free Basics fails; Kirthiga Reddy steps down as Facebook India head

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Invite Friends Blog Sree Vijaykumar From the Editor's Desk So what is the definition of a startup? As per Paul Graham of YCombinator, a startup is a company that is designed to grow really fast (5-7% a week is an internal YC benchmark). That's it. Nothing else matters. Growth could be revenue or it could be active users. Of course, trickery like bribing users with more money than their lifetime value doesn't count. The beautiful thing about being narrowly focused on growth is that other factors like capital, talent and eventually revenues and profits generally follow if you have growth. But growth is elusive and is never smooth, even in the case of seemingly seamless journeys like that of Facebook or early days Twitter. These companies had to employ growth teams whose job was to ensure that user growth continued from millions of users to tens of millions to hundreds of millions. With Twitter user growth stalling and LinkedIn showing a drop in user engagement, their stock prices have taken a beating recently, so the thinking extends to Wall Street too - Comment Digital Free Basics fails; Kirthiga Reddy steps down as Facebook India head A day after closing down its controversy-ridden Free Basics programme here, Facebook India Managing Director Kirthiga Reddy today stepped down from her current role and will relocate to the US.   Complimentary Report : IBM Digital Experience - Exceptional digital experiences are redefining the ways we live and work Users - both individual consumers and business users--simply assume that their online experiences will be rich, engaging, personal and available from wherever they choose. Digital Sri Adhikari Brothers set to launch digital play platform by April ‘Plans are afoot to create a niche in the film production and distribution biz’ Digital Here are Binny Bansal's plans for Flipkart, and how he wants to take on ecommerce giants like Baidu, Alibaba Binny Bansals answer is to double down focus in two areas: the main ecommerce business and logistics, a unit he knows only too well.   Love news? Get it all at one place! Coming Soon This time it's not personal! Digital Amazon sets up dedicated 'Make in India' online stores in India, US The store will offer products across various categories that are manufactured in India, including products from hundreds of Indian and International b.. Digital Ratan Tata invests in retail tech startup SnapBizz Ratan Tata invests in SnapBizz, 7th investment in a startup in 2016 so far - "In January 2016, SnapBizz had announced a Series A funding of $7.2 million led by Jungle Ventures, Taurus Value creation, Konly Venture and Blume Ventures." Digital Former Zoomcar COO Bharath PN joins JustRide as executive director His focus will be upon improving the customer experience, ensuring quality products, as well as determining a strong customer acquisition strategy. Retail Snapdeal Raises $200 Mn From Alibaba, Brother Fortune Apparel & Others Inc42 Magazine Delhi-based ecommerce marketplace, Snapdeal has raised about $200 Mn in a funding round led by Canada-based pension fund - Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, Venture capital fund - Iron Pillar and Singapore-based investment entity - Brother Fortune Apparel. The deal is a mix of primary and secondary components. Retail Future Retail Q3 profit trebles to Rs 15 crore Future Retail's net sales stood at Rs 3,266.32 crore in the quarter under review, up 24.85 per cent, as against net sales of Rs 2,276.3 crore in the year-ago period. Retail Designers committed to revive weaves of Banaras Veteran designers are all set to showcase new-age Banarasi weaves at the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI)'s 'Weaves of Banaras' as part of the M.. Retail Amazon sets up dedicated Make in India stores on its India, US websites Amazon.com website will showcase products across tapestry, toys, handicrafts and Aurveda products sold by more than 6000 Indian sellers Telecom Internet freedom: What would have happened if India chose FB Free Basics TRAI barred operators from charging different rates for Internet access, defeating Facebook's Free Basics and other such plans. Telecom Riding the 4G wave: Qualcomm India to supply carrier aggregation support technology The company has carrier aggregation support technology that it is looking to supply to mobile makers like Micromax and Samsung, Sunil Lalvani said. Telecom Facebook India's Managing Director Steps Down After Free Basics Rejection A offensive remark about colonialism by a Facebook board member hit a nerve with those who feel the tech industry is dominated by an out of touch elite Telecom Vodafone 4G Launched in Bengaluru; CEO says Reliance Jio Will Shake-Up the Telecom Industry Vodafone is finally done with its first phase of 4G operations in India by covering five major areas, Kerala, Karnataka, Kolkata, Delhi-NCR and Mumbai. Having launched the services this week in Mumbai, Vodafone 4G is now live in Bengaluru. Finance Bank of Baroda bites the bullet The bank has made all the provisions for bad loans dictated by the RBI asset quality review at one shot Finance Listed banks’ NPAs surge by Rs1 trillion in December quarter 29% rise in NPAs over the September quarter as banks responded to RBI’s call for a clean-up by March 2017 Finance Relocate your manufacturing base to India: Amitabh Kant tells Japan Japanese companies should relocate their manufacturing base to India as this is the "only way" to strengthen bilateral partnership between the two countries, DIPP Secretary Amitabh Kant said. Finance How policies can shape Make In India The NDA has identified labour reforms as one of the key measures to improve the ease of doing business in India Software Infosys plans to roll out new stock incentive plan for select executives in a bid to attract and retain talent Infosys, one of the first Indian companies to offer stocks to its employees in the 1990s, has initiated moves to roll out a new stock incentive plan. Software Facebook India’s first employee, Managing Director Kirthiga Reddy steps down Facebook India's Managing Director, Kirthiga Reddy, on Friday announced that she is quiting from her current position to relocate to Facebook's headquarters at Menlo Park, California. Software Oracle unveils 3 big ticket investment plans : Will invest $400 million in India NEW DELHI: In a fillip to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Digital India" initiative, global software and cloud major Oracle on Friday unveiled three big ticket ... Software Ratan Tata invests in retail tech startup SnapBizz Cloudtech This is Tata's eighth investment in startups in 2016 so far. Tata, former Tata Group chairman, has invested over 20 startups so far. Ecommerce Ontario Teachers Pension Plan and Singapore-based investment entity Brother Fortune Apparel leads a $200 million funding round in Jasper Infotech Ontario Teachers Pension Plan have led a Rs 1,367.6 crore funding round in Jasper Infotech, which owns and operates Indias largest online marketplace Snapdeal.com. Ecommerce Russian billionaire Fridmans LetterOne invests $200 million in Uber at a valuation of more than $60 billion LetterOne, which holds stakes in two European telcos, received about $14 bn from selling the oil company TNK-BP to the Russian government in 2013 Ecommerce Bengaluru-based retail technology startup SnapBizz raises an undisclosed round of funding from veteran industrialist Ratan Tata This is Tata's eighth investment in startups in 2016 so far. Tata, former Tata Group chairman, has invested over 20 startups so far. Ecommerce Amazon acquires Italy-based software firm NICE; expects the deal to close in the first quarter of 2016 The company said it has signed an agreement with NICE, which is also a cloud computing firm, and expects the deal to close in the first quarter of 201.. HR Invest in India or you may 'miss the bus': Cisco CEO John Chambers Invest in India or you may 'miss the bus': Cisco CEO John Chambers - "Anticipating the market and adapting to change in market dynamics, India is moving at a fast pace in the digital era." HR Facebook India's 1st employee signs off; monetisation remains a challenge Kirthiga Reddy joined as FB India's first employee in July 2010 HR Where dreams blossom: Woman helps disabled get jobs Viresh Maranavasa, 23, couldn’t finish college having failed in two subjects. Basuraj, 30, pursued a course to hone his computer skills but failed to land a job. Disheartened and directionless, the duo, both differently abled, was looking for a purpose in life. Thanks to NS Hema, 76, they have found one. HR India needs localised innovation: Snapdeal CEO Indian entrepreneurs are solving problems for India and are not competing with businesses from China and elsewhere, Kunal Bahl, co-founder and CEO, Snapdeal said at a Make in India Week session on dis Logistics Railways announces indirect hike in fares from March 1 An indirect hike in train fares with effect from March 1 through the introduction of a “dynamic pricing” structure for the majority of special trains was announced by the Indian Railways. Logistics Indian Navy ship sailing with all-women crew enters Chennai port The vessel which had left Visakhapatnam on February 9, is scheduled to make stops at Chennai and Kochi ports enroute before reaching her home port at Goa. Logistics Air India Express to Start Flights to Ras al-Khaimah International Airport RAS AL-KHAIMAH: Ras al-Khaimah International Airport has announced that Air India Express, India’s leading low cost carrier, will start flights to the northern ... Logistics Indian Railways in talks with Maharashtra for proposed bullet train terminal at Bandra Kurla Complex The Indian Railways today said it was in talks with Maharashtra government over land allocation for the proposed Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train terminal at Bandra Kurla Complex. Construction Puppalaguda of Hyderabad on a realty 'high' This belt - in close proximity to the snazzy Outer Ring Road - is seen generously peppered with soon-to-be-completed housing projects, all in the semi.. Construction Hyderabad HC rejects firm's plea in Metro land acquisition The judge pronounced his order after hearing the petition filed by Transstroy , which challenged the Telangana government's land acquisition notificat.. Construction UP government takes the road to urban, rural popularity with 350km longest expressway Spanning well over 350km, the expressway, India's longest, is projected to provide much needed connectivity to east UP Marketing Inside the world's 8 best advertising campaigns of 2015 : Report DoveDove's 'Like A Girl' campaign made it onto the list.Advertising is everywhere. Most of us do our best to ignore, or even block it. However, there are always   Marketing Make in India is the biggest brand India has ever created : says PM Modi Make in India is the biggest brand India has ever created, says PM Modi - Our systems have become cleaner, simpler, pro-active and business-friendly: PM Modi Marketing Campaign Logic, Building on a promise : Report A PNB Housing Finance campaign captures vignettes of birds and animals building their homes to suggest nature doesn't offer the option of rented accommodation Marketing Mumbai Police's Twitter handle gets a cool Bollywood twist : Report The Mumbai Police have been in the news for all the right reasons. The commissioner of police and the department’s social media account (@MumbaiPolice and @CPMumbaiPolice) have set a precedent on how we need to do away with the otherwise drab and condescending public service ads.   Politics Watch JNUSU President's Fiery Speech Before Arrest: We Believe In India's Constitution "Woh Savarkar ke chele hain (They are Veer Sawarkar's disciples)," JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar's words are met with loud cheers. The applause reaches a deafening crescendo with his next s Politics Putting Left parties on the defensive by calling them anti-national in JNU has had an unintended fallout: Opposition unity In the din of accusations and nationalistic homilies, the political currents that have swirled at JNU last week have gone largely unnoticed. Politics #SeditionDebate: With crackdown on JNU students, govt has strengthened idea of Afzal Guru Let there be no doubt in anybody's mind about this: Afzal Guru is a hero to many Kashmiris, an inspiration for thousands of its youth. Sports Ind vs SL, as it happened: India beat Sri Lanka by nine wickets, seal series 2-1 in Vizag India beat Sri Lanka by nine wickets, seal series 2-1 in Vizag on Sunday. Sports U-19 World Cup final: West Indies set Twitter on fire after title win West Indies U-19 beat India U-19 for their first World Cup title. Here's a look at the top Twitter reactions. Sports Sania Mirza-Martina Hingis register 40th win on the trot, lift St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy Sania Mirza and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis extended their winning streak to 40. Sports Arsenal were relentless against Leicester, says Arsene Wenger Arsene Wenger revealed a rollercoaster ride of emotions during Sunday's win over Leicester saying he feared Arsenal had blown the title race. Entertainment Aamir Khan, Kangana Ranaut meet Narendra Modi over dinner Aamir Khan and Kangana Ranaut attended a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here last night. Entertainment Sixth ‘Transformers’ movie to be a Bumblebee spin-Off The sixth instalment in the hit "Transformers" franchise will be a movie about one of its popular characters, Bumblebee. Entertainment Fitoor box office collections: Katrina, Aditya’s film earns Rs. 3.61 cr on day one Katrina Kaif and Aditya Roy Kapoor starrer Fitoor has managed to collect a mere Rs. 3.61 crore on the first day of its release. Entertainment Sanam Re box office collections: Pulkit, Yami’s film beats Katrina’s Fitoor, earns Rs. 5.04 cr Yami Gautam, Pulkit Samrat starrer Sanam Re has a super weekend and collects Rs. 17.05 cr. 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. 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