Shikha Chaudhry

XR Industry Adoption Update - 5 The Chief Minister of Rajasthan Government, India has introduced the AVGC-XR Policy 2024, as announced in this year’s Budget. The policy focuses on fostering research and innovation, encouraging young creators to explore emerging digital technologies and experiment with fresh ideas. Interested in exploring #XR solutions? Feel free to reach out! KOMPANIONS #Rajasthan #AVGC-XR #AVGC #XR #extendedreality #AR #VR

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Mumbai-based edtech unicorn upGrad has reported raised Rs 287.5 crore (approximately $35 million) in debt from EvolutionX, Entrackr reported, citing the company's regulatory filing. The report said the edtech unicorn will use the raised capital for growth, operating expenses, and general corporate purposes. #edtech #bengaluru #unicorn #debt #loan #funding #indianstartupnews

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Innovative software solutions have significant potential in smaller towns. For example, applications such as classroom teaching audio mining, public grievance management for ward members, and mock tests for CET, NEET UG, and PG in the style of “Kaun Banega Crorepati” can be launched by coaching centers. With today’s AI models and cost-effective solutions, these innovations are feasible. Established companies and startups should collaborate with smaller companies to achieve mutual growth and tap into these opportunities.

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WhatsApp Business API is ushering in a new era of government and citizen engagement. 🚀 In a recent article, Vikas Goel, Senior Director, Government Vertical, at Gupshup, discusses how AI-powered Chatbots such as WhatsApp resonate with young voters with its personalized approach and ubiquity. Check out the full article here- https://lnkd.in/dXYVEbEz #WhatsAppBusiness #Election2024 #IndianElections #Government #CitizenEngagement #LetsGupshup

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🎓📚 India is making waves in the education sector with an allocation of nearly ₹73,500 crore in the recent Union Budget — the highest in the country's history! But, despite this ambitious funding, challenges persist. With an unspent balance of ₹7,000 crore from the previous budget, there’s an urgent need to channel resources effectively and drive impactful change – a responsibility that some exceptional startups have come to shoulder. While the likes of BYJU'S and upGrad continue to be at the forefront, let us look at 3 trailblazing startups reshaping the country’s educational landscape in line with UNSDG 4: Quality Education! 🌾 Hippocampus Learning Centres: Founded by Umesh Malhotra, a former Infosys employee, Hippocampus strives to provide quality early childhood education to underprivileged children in rural India. Established in 2011, this social enterprise has secured over ₹20 crore in venture capital backing and focuses on three years of pre-school education before grade 1. ⌨ Thinkerbell Labs: Co-founded by Aman Srivastava, Sanskriti Dawle, Dilip Ramesh, and Saif Shaikh, Thinkerbell Labs is breaking barriers for the visually impaired. Their innovative device, Annie — the world’s first self-learning Braille literacy tool — acts as a personal tutor, helping visually impaired students master Braille. Annie’s success, with accolades from international markets like the U.S. and support from Anand Mahindra, underscores its revolutionary impact. 🌍 Multibhashi: Founded by Anuradha Aggrawal, Multibhashi is revolutionizing language learning for those who speak only Indian languages. By enabling blue-collar workers and marginalized communities to learn English through their native languages, Multibhashi is opening doors to better job opportunities. With support from Dr Aniruddha Malpani and RareJob, this platform is making English learning accessible and effective. Do you also have an idea that can make the world a better place by helping more people access quality education? If the answer is a resounding YES, reach out to us and we’ll be happy to help. At build3, we're passionate about supporting founders who build for profit AND purpose – all while pushing progress on the UNSDGs. Wondering how? Through the build3 Impact Accelerator designed to help impact founders – 🤝 Find their entrepreneurial soulmate aka a co-founder 🛠️ Sharpen their skills 🌱 Learn from industry experts and 🚀 Secure the funding you need to make an impact Are you ready to join this transformative journey? #Impact #Education #Startup #UNSDG4

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224th CFIonZOOM Interactive - Invitation to participate. . Artificial Superintelligence (ASI) will be capable of outperforming humans in every way. . Citizens' Forum India (CFI) invites you to register* for an #interactive discussion on: . SUPER INTELLIGENCE Past, Present and Future . Date: SATURDAY, 27th JULY 2024 Time: 4:30pm to ~6:30pm IST (Extending to 7:00pm IST, if required) . Interact directly with our Distinguished Speaker: • DR. NISHEETH SRIVASTAVA Associate Professor Departments of Computer Science and Cognitive Science IIT Kanpur Former CFIonZOOM Speaker . ---- * TO REGISTER, SEND AN EMAIL TO: [email protected] ---- . Citizens' Forum India (CFI) is 'Creating An Aware Citizenry'. . CFI is an educational, apolitical, nonpartisan, pro bono Civil Society Initiative that conveys credible information directly from recognised sources to concerned citizens via virtual interactive sessions – ‘CFIonZOOM’ -- hosted every Saturday, 4:30pm IST onwards. (Since mid-April 2020 till date). . CFIonZOOM is a participatory platform. Every session sees one or more Luminary Speakers interacting directly with onscreen participants on a diversity of issues that affect our citizenry. . CFIonZOOM is End-to-End Encrypted (E2EE) for cybersecurity reasons. Recordings and screenshots are strictly prohibited and are identifiable by indelible audio-visual watermarks. . There are no political affiliations. . There are no requests for donations or sponsorships. . There are no registration charges. . . #SuperIntelligence #Past_Present_Future #AI #ArtificialIntelligence . #NisheethSrivastava #ComputerScience #CognitiveScience #IITK . #InteractWithLegends #RightToKnow . #CFIonZOOM #InteractivevConferences #NotAWebinar . #EndToEndEncryption #E2EE . #CitizensForumIndia #CFI Creating An Aware Citizenry . CFI Page: https://lnkd.in/eVapUjUP

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Amid the challenges facing the edtech sector, Bhanzu has raised $16.5 million (INR 139 Cr) in a Series B funding round led by Epiq Capital, with participation from Z3Partners and existing backers Lightspeed Ventures and Eight Roads. These funds will help Bhanzu expand its U.S. presence as it aims to bridge gaps in maths education with its AI-driven, research-backed curriculum. Founded by Neelakantha Bhanu in 2020, Bhanzu leverages data collected over four years to create interactive, customizable maths programs for students worldwide, including in the U.S., U.K., Middle East, and India. Bhanu noted, “The U.S. market offers great potential, dominated by large companies that have yet to fully embrace tech-driven innovation—an opportunity Bhanzu aims to capitalize on.” Since its Series A round, Bhanzu has achieved 8X growth, positive cash flow, and a strong product-market fit across regions. The funding comes at a time when other edtech players in India are facing headwinds, with many struggling to sustain momentum. However, this year has seen notable funding activity: Physics Wallah (PW) raised $210 million, valuing the company at $2.8 billion, while Bengaluru-based Kreedo secured $4 million in Series A funding. https://lnkd.in/fzpnPPW #edtech #bhanzu #funding #innovation #matheducation #startups #ai #techforgood #education #technology #entrepreneurship #business #venturecapital #growth #investment #leadership #digitaltransformation #futureofwork #businessnews #learning #skills #success #scalability #productdevelopment #technews Bhanzu

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Startup Central | ThinKuvate: Bolstering tech-enabled startups Addison Appu, Partner at ThinKuvate, sheds light on the latest ₹100 cr fund, 'glocal' approach, key sectors in focus and more Avanne Dubash Addison Appu

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Scaling Success in EdTech - How We Grew Monthly Ad Spend to ₹10 Lakhs While Keeping CAC at Just ₹299! Check out the detailed strategy below 👇 This success is a testament to the power of a well-executed strategy. Ready to take your brand to the next level? DM Us #metaads #paidads #cpls #performacemarkting

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Crayon Software Experts India, launches ISV Incubation Center in Kolkata to support startups and ISVs in developing cloud-based digital solutions for the public sector. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gu5EaSXH #StartupEcosystem #CloudInnovation #DigitalTransformation #PublicSector #TechIncubator #ISVSupport #KolkataStartups #DQChannelnews

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Noida-based unicorn PW (PhysicsWallah) tops the edtech funding chart in 2024 with a $210 million round followed by Eruditus Executive Education and upGrad raising $150 million and $95 million, respectively. The Indian edtech funding landscape has seen a marked decline since its peak in 2021, when it raised a record $5.8 billion, fueled by pandemic-led digital adoption. Funding dropped to $2.3 billion in 2022, then to $456 million in 2023, and so far has reached $613 million in 2024, highlighting the sector's struggle to sustain post-pandemic growth. #Edtech #Funding #FundingTrend #PhysicsWallah #Eruditus #UpGrad #Pandemic #decline

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🔆 Important Clarification for PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSG: MBY) 🔆 We are pleased to share an important update regarding the Operational Guidelines for the implementation of PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSG: MBY). 🏡☀️ Residential consumers can now install solar inverters with higher capacity—up to their sanctioned connected load, even if they opt for a smaller solar PV capacity initially. This provides greater flexibility for future solar capacity upgrades without the need to replace inverters. 🌞⚡ 👉 Please note, CFA (Central Financial Assistance) will be based on the installed solar PV capacity, not the inverter capacity, offering more freedom for system expansion. Together, let’s harness the power of solar and create a sustainable energy future! 🌍💡 SUNIL BANSAL Manoj Kumar Gupta Prateek Agrawal Ramakant Jangid RAJESHWER SINGH RAJPUROHIT #PMSuryaGhar #MuftBijliYojna #SolarEnergy #CleanEnergy #Sustainability #GreenEnergy #ResidentialSolar #RajasthanSolar #RenewableEnergy #EnergyUpgrade

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upGrad Secures $35M Debt Funding from EvolutionX Indian edtech unicorn upGrad has now secured $35 million loans in Debt Funding from EvolutionX. The latest fund-raise happens to be the first this year from a debt perspective for the Mumbai-based company. The board at upGrad has approved issuance of a total of 28,75,000 fully - convertible debentures (FCD) for an issue price Rs 1000 each to secure these funds from the Mauritius-based Kalpavriksha Foundation. The funds will be used to support growth initiatives, operating expenses and for general corporate purposes. Including this round of funding, upGrad raised over $265 million to date. That includes the $36.5 million it had lured in via a rights issue from Temasek, founder Ronnie Screwvala and other in May of last year. upGrad, which is backed by Temasek had been in talks to raise $100 million for acquisition of online education startup Udacity As per TheKredible report with 20.7% stake, the largest investor in upGrad is Temasek and co-founder & chairperson Ronnie Screwvala owns a significant chunk as well at 22.4%. In 2022, upGrad expanded into the offline higher education space, investing $30 million to establish ten global campuses across India, the US, and other regions. The company has seen significant growth, with operational revenue increasing by 72% to Rs 1,194 crore in FY23, up from Rs 692 crore in FY22. However, this growth has been accompanied by an 82% rise in losses, reaching Rs 1,114 crore in FY23. upGrad has yet to file its annual results for FY24. #EdTech #Funding #Investment #DebtFunding #upGrad #EvolutionX #HigherEducation #EdTechNews #StartupGrowth #CorporateFinance #EducationTechnology #TechInvestment #RonnieScrewvala #Temasek #BusinessExpansion

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"Lightspeed Leads $150M Round in PhysicsWallah: A Boost to EdTech" Renowned EdTech platform PW (PhysicsWallah) has raised $150 million in funding headed by Lightspeed, a top venture capital firm. The EdTech industry will benefit greatly from this investment, which will also support PhysicsWallah's growth objectives. PW (PhysicsWallah) is an online learning resource that provides students with courses and instructional materials. The platform's captivating and interactive teaching strategies have helped it become extremely popular with both teachers and students. Lightspeed's investment demonstrates PW (PhysicsWallah)'s potential for expansion and its dedication to transforming the education industry. The money raised will be put towards developing new technologies to increase learning outcomes, reaching a wider audience, and improving the platform's content offerings. With this thorough justification, I can give additional details about PhysicsWallah's business strategy, point of differentiation, and future growth potential of the Indian EdTech sector. #EdTechInvestment #PhysicsWallah #StartupFunding #EducationTechnology #EdTechGrowth #LightspeedVC #EdTechInnovation #OnlineLearning #EducationRevolution #FutureofEducation

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