Legal-tech startup MyAdvo has raised an undisclosed amount of funding in an angel round led by Calcutta Angels Network’s (CAN) Pradyumna Dalmia and other investors through LetsVenture. MyAdvo is an online marketplace that connects clients with lawyers for various kinds of legal services. Users ca…
On-demand delivery start-up ShadowFax raises $10 mn
Hyperlocal logistics startup ShadowFax Technologies Pvt. Ltd has raised $10 million (Rs 68 crore) in Series B funding led by existing investor Eight Roads Ventures, an investment arm of Fidelity International Ltd. The investment will help Shadowfax build its network, consolidate its market positi…
Demonetisation crisis is stalling SMEs & sending workers home
Over the past two years, this suburb of New Delhi mushroomed into a flourishing enclave of small cellphone manufacturers, attracting tens of thousands of workers from the countryside. Noida, known as the “handset hub,” was touted as a showcase for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet “Make in India…
Rural start-up market: What they should learn from grown start-ups
A few weeks ago, the founder of Flipkart suggested the government find ways to curb foreign rivals. Meanwhile, Jeff Bezos, whose firm he aped, met Donald Trump and pitched he was “super excited about the possibilities this could be an innovation administration”. The difference in the public stanc…
Technology empowers SMEs realise the ‘Make in India’ dream
Small and medium enterprises may be gunning for the global markets. However, the reality in getting their systems in place before making this quantum leap, is posing its own set of challenges. Wonder Polymers is a medium-sized company that manufactures and markets a wide range of self-adhesive ta…
Consolidated SME, corporate data with banks to improve lending: CII
Demonetisation has created an enormous opportunity to channelise public savings into productive assets, and consolidating data of SMEs and corporates can provide banks with the necessary information to assess the credit-worthiness of borrowers, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) said on Decem…
Gujarat: Over 42,500 MSME units reported ‘sick’ in 2016
Despite occupying a special realm in the biennial Vibrant Gujarat summits and being showered with financial sops through a new industrial policy, MSME units in Gujarat continue to report “sick” in large numbers. In 2016 alone, over 42,500 MSMEs units have reported “sick” in the state, which is th…
Govt to fund defence MSME work up to Rs 10 cr project cost
New Delhi: More than two years after announcing it, the government has finally kick started its defence technology fund scheme — a cornerstone of the Make in India initiative that will fund research by MSMEs on urgent military technology projects up to a value of Rs 10 crore. In the first r…
Govt to launch Lucky Grahak & Digi-Dhan Vyapar Yojana
The Government of India seeks to promote digital payment methods to encourage consumers and merchants to increasingly shift to these payment modes. To take this imitative forward, Lucky Grahak Yojana for Consumers and Digi-Dhan Vyapar Yojana for Merchants, will be launched on 25th December 2016 a…
Here’s why 2017 will be an interesting year for Indian start-ups
Even as 2016 comes to a close, startups are hopeful that the New Year will bring in some joy. The last two months of 2016, have been a dampener for the Indian startup ecosystem in hyper-local, food tech, software and investment domains. While grocery e-tailing and payment wallets have gained this…