April 6, 2016 - Instead of competing with each other, Ola and Uber may find tough competition from self-drive rental business startups like MiCar, Voler

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Invite Friends Blog Sree Vijaykumar From the Editor's Desk Google CEO Sundar Pichai has had a remarkable journey. Buzzfeed shadowed him for 3 months for this piece, from Delhi (including a meeting with the President) to Las Vegas, to his home in Los Altos, California. The man (whose compensation package includes $200m in stock) comes across as a kind of boring best-for-the-company man, not the mercurial type so often lionized in the Valley. And at a company that optimizes for smart, Pichai is often described as a genius - much of that due to his effectiveness as a leader capable of wrangling other very smart, very opinionated people. He comes across as apolitical and mysterious (what does he really stand for?), but ultimately trustworthy. And that is important, considering how much Google knows about our lives! - Comment Digital Instead of competing with each other, Ola and Uber may find tough competition from self-drive rental business startups like MiCar, Voler In the last one year, more than 10 startups have sprung up in the space — MiCar, Selfdrive.in, Voler, RentoMojo, Revv, Justride and others Advt: The Power of a Great Digital Hospitality Experience A tsunami of game-changing digital disruptors has swept into the hospitality industry, raising the stakes in delivering the supreme guest experience. Join Chinmai Sharma, Chief Revenue Officer, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, at Adobe Symposium to get insights into how Taj Hotels plan to bring alive experiences directly from each of their fantastic hotels to screens around the world with breathtaking velocity. Complimentary Registration (for TradeBriefs subscribers).   Digital Armed with Rs 6,100 crore India-focused fund, Sequoia Capital sees 2016 as 'great year' to make new investments in startups Sequoia Capital India strikes a discordant but optimistic note when it says 2016 will be of a “wonderful vintage” and a great year to make new investments in startups. Digital Former Flipkart exec Mukesh Bansal invests in fitness startup Cult The investment in Cult comes within days of Bansal announcing a new venture in the healthcare and fitness space along with former Flipkart colleague Ankit Nagori. Advance to a Proactive I&O Organization in Four Steps Advancing I&O maturity increases the value that I&O delivers. This essential piece of Gartner research shares 4 easy steps to advance your I&O organization. Digital Edutech startup Schoolguru in talks to raise Rs 30 crore To tie up with 16 more universities Digital Servify raises pre-Series A funding from Blume Ventures, two German firms Tech startup Servify, which offers brand-authorised after sales support services for electronic gadgets, has raised an undisclosed amount of money in pre-Series A funding from Blume Ventures and two German firms. The two German firms are Barkawi Holdings GmbH and TM Service Technology Holdings GmbH. The funds raised by Servify will be used for product development and marketing. Digital RBI seeks public comment to regulate P2P lending startups by April-end The Reserve Bank of India will seek public comments to regulate the peer-to-peer lending business after a number of startups sprung up that connect individual borrowers or small businesses with lenders through a digital platform. “P2P lending has shown accelerated growth over the last one yea Retail Government mulling FDI nod for food etailers like BigBasket, Grofers At a recent meeting between industry officials and senior government officials, it was also discussed if the definition of food should be expanded to include grocery. Retail India's e-commerce wars: a consumer perspective A first-of-its-kind analysis of over 1.8 million social media conversations over January, February and March across the top 10 e-commerce brands Retail FMCG firms tap e-governance infra to reach remote villages Companies leverage infrastructure set up by other firms as part of e-governance push to grow rural distribution Retail Pantaloons diversifies into children's wear, opens new store At Pantaloons Kids, the retailer plans to create a lifestyle brand for children that will have over 4,000-5,000 options a year Telecom DoT to cut spectrum usage charge to 3% from 5% of adjusted net revenue After evaluating impact on the exchequer, the government, in January, 2014, decided to cap SUC at 5 per cent on spectrum that were to be procured in future auction. Telecom Bharti's Mittal warns on Indian 4G threat from Reliance Jio Infocomm Sunil Mittal (pictured), founder and chairman of market leader Bharti Airtel, forecasts a price war for India that will reduce the number of leading operators from ten to five.   Telecom Moody's forecasts brisk growth for India, Indonesia tower firms Telecoms tower companies in India and Indonesia are the most developed in Asia and are expected to see revenue expand 8-10 per cent annually over the next one to two years, according to Moody’s.   Telecom Reliance Jio's entry sets the cat among the pigeons; Telecom index slumps 14% in FY16 The Indian telecom sector experienced its fair share of highs and lows in FY 2015-16, which wielded considerable influence on the stock market performance of top telecom operators; BSE Telecom index plunged 14% during the year.   Finance RBI details plans on differentiated bank licences The move will help widen sources of funding available to corporate sector, reduce banks’ infrastructure financing burden Finance Rajan says RBI probing Panama Papers Says having foreign accounts is not an offence per se Finance The poor deposit life savings in banks, while rich take loans and flee, says PM Taking a dig at wilful defaulters, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday compared them with the country's poor and backward who, according to him, 'voluntarily deposited' their life savings into the new bank accounts under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Finance RBI moves to boost cash supply A 25 bps rate cut takes the policy rate to its lowest in five years; other measures announced could facilitate transmission of previous cuts Software After FBI iPhone case, WhatsApp strengthens encryption for its messaging service Facebook on Tuesday announced it had bolstered the default encryption settings for the more than one billion users of its popular WhatsApp messaging service Software How Automation is driving the next wave of growth for India's leading IT services companies? Software Why are India's cybersecurity doors left wide open? Lack of information-sharing about cyber attacks and adequate skills around cybersecurity are the biggest hurdles to effective prevention from cyber attacks in India. Software Worldwide semiconductor revenue declines 2.3% in 2015, says Gartner 2015 saw record M&A activity between major semiconductor vendors, including several acquisitions that had a material effect on semiconductor sales. Ecommerce Kishore Biyani's Future Group to buy FabFurnish.com; to use platform and delivery model to grow presence in markets with no offline stores Kishore Biyani says Future Group will use FabFurnish’s online platform and delivery model to grow presence in markets with no offline stores Ecommerce Couponing is a great way for eCommerce sites to drive conversions: CEO, CouponDunia Couponing websites are an easy way for e-tailers to distribute and advertise their coupons, as the traffic on such couponing sites is of high intent shoppers who are hunting for bargains; thus it is a great way for eCommerce sites to drive conversions and for shoppers to save money, said Sameer Parwani, Founder & CEO, CouponDunia. Ecommerce Flipkart looks to shift most of its sales to a few sellers; seeks to accumulate up to 100 merchants, and wants these to generate 60-80% of sales over time Flipkart seeks to accumulate up to 100 merchants, and wants these sellers, including its largest supplier WS Retail, to generate 60-80% of sales over time Ecommerce Haptik raises Series B funding from Times Internet, as Kalaari exits Personal assistant app, Haptik today announced that it had raised an undisclosed Series B round and forged a strategic alliance with Times Internet. Franchise Franchisee Journey: From refusing to close down when her franchise was filing for bankruptcy to successful franchisee with increased sales By staying true to herself, Vickey Shelton kept the doors of her Mrs. Winner's Chicken and Biscuit restaurant open through tough financial times for the company. Franchise It’s smart to prepare your exit strategy in advance Click inside to read about Planning Your Franchise Exit. HR Negotiating the in-betweens Alex Gino’s book starts with its eponymous protagonist poring over fashion magazines. The fourth grader reads about make-up, even though she’s never worn it but tries to imagine herself HR For 5th year in a row, HUL ranks top employer for 2016 graduating batch of B-Schools: Nielsen For 5th year in a row, HUL ranks top employer for 2016 graduating batch of B-Schools: Nielsen - HUL also retained the 'Dream Employer' status for the seventh year. HR Rising sea levels could have acute impact on NASA Tuesday's briefing begins with the New York Times drawing attention to a climate change threat that has been on NASA's radar for nearly a decade. HR 'Stand Up India' aims to turn job seekers into job creators Loans between ₹10 lakh and ₹1 crore for Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and women entrepreneurs Logistics Logistics firms and Concor are expanding base in Visakhapatnam with development of a multimodal logistics hub over 100 acres with an invesment of INR 372 cr Visakhapatnam is fast turning into a logistics hub with several container freight stations (CFS) looking at the port city to set up their offices. The state government has also decided to market the port city as a major logistics hub in the state. Logistics ISIS recruit heading to Syria detained at Pune airport, the man is from Bhatkal in North Karnataka A suspected recruit of the Islamic State group was detained at the Pune airport on Tuesday while he was trying to leave the country. Logistics Air India plans to start flying to Africa again, officials putting in place an aggressive network Print Live Logistics India would like to see Air transport as an engine of growth with cutting edge technology Construction Lending rates may get reduced by 75 bps after RBI rate cuts While RBI has reduced its policy rate by 25 basis points, its measures to increase liquidity in the system could lead to a substantial lending rate cut, perhaps by as much as 75 bps Construction Realtors expect more rate cuts from RBI; urge banks to cut home loan rates The Reserve Bank of India on Tuesday reduced the repo rate by 0.25%, thereby taking the total reduction since January last year to 150 basis points Construction JLL launches online home festival; offers flats at 5-8% discount JLL had tied up with marketplace Snapdeal and a mobile-based property brokers network BroEx as it forayed into e-commerce to sell homes Construction Experts say that Smart city technology should be simple The experts opined that a Protocol Society should be formed that will manage all operations Marketing Airbus targets huge growth in India air transport market : Report India is playing an increasingly important industrial role for Airbus as the country’s air transportation market continues to expand.  Marketing Apple Inc exploring investment options in Digital India : Ravi Shankar Prasad Technology giant Apple Inc andother global players are exploring opportunities to invest in India's electronic segment, which has attracted investments of over Rs 1.2 lakh crore so far, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said recently. Marketing Social Kinnect wins Zee TV account : Report The agency will handle the digital duties for the brand Marketing Chinese handset-maker Vivo to double marketing spend to ₹200 crore this year Ropes in Bollywood’s Ranvir Singh as brand ambassador Politics A Final Farewell To Tanzil Ahmed, The Officer A Nation Forgot To Mourn It ended where it started for him. The sun is setting, its rays reflect on the coffin. Nothing has changed, except that he is dead and is surrounded by his classmates, friends and family, who have come to bid the final adieu. Dressed in white shalwar-kurtas, men of all age groups throng the Jamia Millia University. On the coffin lies the tricolour, reminding everyone that Tanzil Ahmed is a martyr. Politics ‘She has always been viewed with suspicion’: After Mehbooba’s swearing-in, expectations are low in Jammu After three months of political deadlock, the PDP-BJP alliance is back in office, this time headed by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti who took oath on Monday in a low-key ceremony held at Raj Bhawan in Jammu Politics AMU minority status: Legal stand is fine, but BJP has to prove it meant no malice There are several complex questions involved in the controversy over the 'minority' status to Aligarh Muslim University. Most of these are legal and some, given the context of the current political climate in the country, political. Politics Dear Hema Malini, Please Get Off Your High Horse While Talking About Suicide Have you found yourself wondering why people kill themselves or try to? Oh, let me rephrase. If you are among the fortunate few who haven't had to struggle with any kind of mental illness or agony, ha Sports IPL 2016: Five India youngsters to watch out for From Rishabh Pant to Khaleel Ahmed, these youngsters have proved their worth. Here's a look at five young players who can emerge as new heroes. Sports IPL 2016: Five foreign players to watch out for Yuvraj Singh wasn't able to continue his reign for the highest bid player in this season, while Shane Watson as the most valuable player. Sports Wrestlemania 32: Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson breaks record at packed stadium The Rock thanked the fans and the WWE crew for making Wrestlemania 32 happen and highlighted his new record. Sports Before Olympics, a test for India with Sultan Azlan Shah Cup India will test the ability of several youngsters in reproducing their strategic training in match situations in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. Entertainment I am jealous that Paul Walker died first: Michelle Rodriguez Michelle Rodriguez has recalled how she was affected by the sudden death of Paul Walker in 2013. Entertainment Rithvik Dhanjani, Mouni Roy to host Indian ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ Rithvik Dhanjani and Mouni Roy have been locked as the host of upcoming dance reality show "So You Think You Can Dance 'Ab India Ki Baari’”. Entertainment Ranveer Singh isn’t disheartened for not winning national award Ranveer Singh isn't disappointed for not winning a national award for his power packed performance in "Bajirao Mastani". Entertainment Most actresses suffer abuse worse than domestic help: Mahesh Bhatt Mahesh Bhatt says top most film and TV actresses talk about women empowerment in public but in private suffer far more than what a domestic help would. 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