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Dubai Economy STARTUPS News

Dubai Startup Guide Hits the Scene

Launched alongside the upcoming Expand North Star event, the guide is a valuable resource for those looking to start a business in Dubai’s thriving digital economy…reports Asian Lite News

Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, one of the three chambers operating under the umbrella of Dubai Chambers, has published a comprehensive guide for startups that aims to simplify the process of setting up a business in Dubai.

‘Building Your Business in a Dynamic City: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Business Setup in Dubai’ is designed to guide aspiring entrepreneurs through the intricacies of the emirate’s dynamic business landscape, equipping them with the information they need to make informed decisions.

Launched as the chamber prepares to host Expand North Star – the world’s largest event for startups – the guide is packed with essential information for anyone considering establishing a new business in Dubai’s rapidly growing digital economy ecosystem.

The UAE has outlined an ambitious strategy to double the contribution of the digital economy to the national GDP to 19.4% within the coming decade and achieve a value of US$ 140 billion by 2031. Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy aims to support these objectives by empowering aspiring entrepreneurs with the insights they need to unlock the vast potential of the emirate’s digital economy.

Govt goes bullish on startups with ESOP holiday, tax relief.

The new guide is available to download free of charge and has been developed based on in-depth research and feedback from the business community, which highlighted the need for a convenient reference tool to assist ambitious innovators who wish to become part of Dubai’s success story.

With Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy gearing up to host this year’s Expand North Star, the event offers the perfect platform to release the guide. This landmark gathering will attract the global tech community to the emirate and connect venture capitalists with unicorns, scaleups, and startups, further strengthening Dubai’s position as a leading centre for global digital capital.

Saeed Al Gergawi, Vice President of Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy commented that the launch of this informative guide supports our ongoing efforts to attract and assist entrepreneurs in the digital industries to set up in Dubai, in line with the chamber’s drive to achieve the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33).

Al Gergawi added that Ambition alone is not enough to establish a startup – it requires a thorough understanding of the local business ecosystem, legal and regulatory frameworks, and wider economic landscape. The release of this guide represents an advanced step in our journey to help entrepreneurs from across the globe successfully set up their businesses and leverage the exciting opportunities emerging in Dubai’s digital economy.

The guide commences with a section highlighting interesting facts and statistics on Dubai’s vibrant economy, future strategies, diverse talent pool, and fastest-growing sectors, before diving into useful information about key ecosystem enablers, including accelerators and incubators.

This is followed by a visual guide to major investors covering pre-seed to growth stages. The publication also takes entrepreneurs through the process of how to open a business account in the emirate and features a handy list of startup-friendly local banks. The guide continues with a section dedicated to the diverse range of free zones in Dubai, which includes a map of the 28 tax-free business zones, a brief outline of the various business structures available, and an explanation of different visa types.

The guide concludes with a series of comprehensive one-page set-up guides for key sectors of the digital economy, including Fintech, Digital Assets, Metaverse & Web3, AI, Cybersecurity, Software & SAAS, Healthtech, 3D printing, and Edtech. These feature step-by-step setup guides; sector-specific accelerators, incubators, and sandboxes; regulations entrepreneurs should be aware of; and a list of relevant conferences and events.

Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy is committed to building the economy of the future and supporting the emirate’s dynamic startup ecosystem. The chamber is working to create the world’s most advanced digital infrastructure, enhance the contribution of the digital industries to the national economy, and attract business, talent, and investors to Dubai.

‘Building Your Business in a Dynamic City: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Business Setup in Dubai’ can be downloaded by visiting the following link:

www.dubaichamberdigital.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/the-entrepreneurs-guide-2023.pdf

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-Top News India News STARTUPS News

‘Indian entrepreneurs can solve global problems’

Asked about India’s semiconductor ecosystem, Debjani Ghosh said the country has a strong semiconductor history…reports Asian Lite News

Debjani Ghosh, President of the trade association and advocacy group NASSCOM, on Thursday said the current entrepreneurship ecosystem in India is not just about startups but it is more about solving problems facing the world. She said Indian entrepreneurs fit the bill to serve the world through the use of technology.

“Right now in India, the entrepreneurship ecosystem, it’s not just about startups and ecosystems. It’s a mindset. It’s how we think. Everybody wants to become an entrepreneur. Everybody wants to solve big problems,” Ghosh told ANI on the sidelines of the two-day G20-Digital Innovation Alliance summit being held in Bengaluru.

“I think that’s the mindset that India can now take to the world because the world needs it. There are so many problems you are facing and we need to be thinking about how to solve these problems. India has done a fantastic job in leveraging technology,” the president of the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) said.

She said in today’s India, anyone staying in any small city can do something big for global good and can become the next disrupter.

“So I think that’s the confidence that our youth is growing up with, which is so important for a healthy start up ecosystem where you believe in your dreams. You will fail, you will fail quite a few times but you should have the ability to get up after every failure and try again and that’s exactly the spirit that we are building in India today.”

India, she said, has “good problems” — a big market, a large talent pool.

“India’s biggest competitive advantage is our talent. We are a young country. We have people who are not scared of technology. We have a very tech-savvy young (generation). The world is looking for good talent as long as we can continue to build out the talent. We have a government that is tremendously supportive of business. So from a policy perspective, everything is very well constructive right now as long as we continue to build a talent and make it easy to do business in India, everyone will come to India that is the future.”

Asked about India’s semiconductor ecosystem, she said the country has a strong semiconductor history.

“India has been designing the latest chips you know the semiconductor design has all been happening in India for so many years. In fact, India is one of the largest hub so semiconductor design. I think that is a huge advantage for us we now think of going to the next step which is actually manufacturing (chips) in India,” she noted.

Meanwhile, the Bengaluru meeting was inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar. While inaugurating the G20-Digital Innovation Alliance Summit being held in Bengaluru, he spoke about key trends happening in India that are of interest to startups.

The Minister said the centre of gravity of tech which used to be in a few countries and around a few companies is now moving to open-source systems and younger startups are disrupting the normal.

“Three trends that are happening that are of interest to start up today in the innovation economy,” he said.

“The center of gravity of tech which used to be in a few countries and centered around a few corporations or few companies is moving to open source systems to younger and younger startups that are disrupting the normal and these 2 trends are intern capitalising on the broader trend of increased digitization and faster digitization,” he added.

Further, he said India has become a trusted partner for the world.

The two-day summit, being held on the sidelines of the fourth meeting of the ‘Digital Economy Working Group’ under G20, is being attended by global experts and digital leaders including representatives from other G20 countries.

The Summit is focused on discussions on ‘Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)’, ‘Security in the Digital Economy’, and ‘Digital Skilling’.

As part of India’s G20 Presidency, G20 Digital Innovation Alliance (G20-DIA) initiative was launched under MeitY Startup Hub. It recognizes and accelerates the growth of startups from all G20 countries and nine invited guest countries in six sectors – Ed-tech, Health-tech, Agri-tech, Fin-tech, Secured Digital Infrastructure, and Circular Economy that are using digital technologies to solve humanity’s most pressing needs.

A total of 174 startups from 29 countries are part of the program. These startups will pitch to a jury of global leaders at the G20-DIA Summit.

The Summit will culminate on August 18 with an awards ceremony in which 30 startups will be honoured in various categories. (ANI)

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Economy India News STARTUPS News

Minister highlights key trends in Indian startup ecosystem

The two-day G20-Digital Innovation Alliance summit is being held in Bengaluru….reports Asian Lite News

Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar while inaugurating the two-day G20-Digital Innovation Alliance summit being held in Bengaluru spoke about key trends happening in India that are of interest to startups.

The Minister said the centre of gravity of tech which used to be in a few countries and around a few companies is now moving to open-source systems and younger startups are disrupting the normal.

“Three trends are happening that are of interest to start ups today in the innovation economy,” he said.

Startup funding slows but strong core policies will help tide over uncertainties, say experts(IN)

“The center of gravity of tech which used to be in a few countries and centered around a few corporations or few companies is moving to open source systems to younger and younger startups that are disrupting the normal and these 2 trends are in-turn capitalising on the broader trend of increased digitization and faster digitization,” he added.

The two-day Digital Innovation Alliance summit, being held on the sidelines of the fourth meeting of the ‘Digital Economy Working Group’ under G20, is being attended by global experts and digital leaders including representatives from other G20 countries.

The Summit is focused on discussions on ‘Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)’, ‘Security in the Digital Economy’, and ‘Digital Skilling’.

As part of India’s G20 Presidency, G20 Digital Innovation Alliance (G20-DIA) initiative was launched under MeitY Startup Hub. It recognizes and accelerates the growth of startups from all G20 countries and nine invited guest countries in six sectors – Ed-tech, Health-tech, Agri-tech, Fin-tech, Secured Digital Infrastructure, and Circular Economy that are using digital technologies to solve humanity’s most pressing needs.

A total of 174 startups from 29 countries are part of the program. These startups will pitch to a jury of global leaders at the G20-DIA Summit.

The Summit will culminate on August 18 with an awards ceremony in which 30 startups will be honoured in various categories.

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the expansion of the Digital India programme with an outlay of Rs 14,903 crore.

Minister for Railway, Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw said that 6.25 lakh IT professionals will be re-skilled and up-skilled under FutureSkills Prime programme.

The Digital India programme was first launched in 2015 by the Centre and now under its ambit, 2.65 lakh people will be trained in information security under the information security and education awareness phase programme.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the nation on the 77th Independence Day, hailed the startup ecosystem in the country which is the third largest globally.

“Our policies are giving more power to youth strength. Their strength has helped India become the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world,” Prime Minister Modi emphasised.

As of April this year, 98,119 entities had been recognised as startups by the government.

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Business Economy STARTUPS News

SK Telecom invests $100M in US AI firm

Based on the collaboration, SK Telecom plans to bolster its own LLM model to better and more efficiently serve customers’ needs….reports Asian Lite News

SK Telecom, South Korea’s largest wireless carrier, said it will invest $100 million in the US artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic in a partnership deal to expand its footprint in the AI sector.

Anthropic is a San Francisco-based AI safety and research company, with products like the AI assistant Claude. It was founded in 2021 by former members of OpenAI, the operator of ChatGPT.

SK Telecom said it planned to collaborate with Anthropic to develop an AI platform, as well as a large language model (LLM) that supports various languages, including Korean, English, German and Japanese, reports Yonhap news agency.

Anthropic’s chief scientist and co-founder Jared Kaplan will lead the development of a new LLM, SK Telecom said.

Based on the collaboration, SK Telecom plans to bolster its own LLM model to better and more efficiently serve customers’ needs.

Last month, SK Telecom signed an agreement with Deutsche Telekom, e& and Singtel to form the global Telco AI Alliance “to accelerate AI transformation of the existing telco business and create new business opportunities with AI services.”

SK Telecom said the new partnership with Anthropic is expected to help accelerate multilateral efforts to develop the Telco AI Platform.

“We aim to take a leading role in fostering an AI ecosystem jointly with global telecommunication companies, based on SKT’s AI technologies specialized in Korean and Anthropics’ global AI competence,” SK Telecom CEO Ryu Young-sang said.

Following the launch of the Global Telco AI Alliance, SKT partners with Anthropic to promote AI innovation and secure a competitive edge.

SKT makes an additional $100 million investment in Anthropic – which follows the previous investment from SKTVC — and signs a partnership agreement with the company.

SKT and Anthropic will develop a multilingual large language model for the Telco AI Platform, which will allow for the creation of customized AI services for global telcos.

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Business Economy STARTUPS News

Funding spring soon?

The number of registered startups has grown 9X in the last four years, from about 10,000 startups in CY18 to about 90,000 startups in CY22….reports Asian Lite News

One in two investors (50 per cent) are positive that the startup funding spring will return over the next 6-12 months in India, a report showed on Wednesday.

Nearly 17 per cent of investors surveyed think the funding winter may end even sooner and the rest believe it would be 12-18 months or more before the funding winter passes, according to the report by Bengaluru-based market research firm Redseer.

In all, the US, EU, the UAE and Japan are the largest source of funding for Indian startups, making up 5 per cent of total global funding and 20 per cent of total APAC funding.

According to the report, the next set of unicorns would emerge from sectors such as D2C-BPC, D2C-health and wellness, diagnostics and clinics, gaming and app studios.

“The expectation with funding patterns so far is that 2023 will revert to the long-term trends in line with the years CY17 to CY20, and hover between $12 to $15 billion, beyond which it is expected to be bullish into CY24 and touch $15-20 billion,” said Kanishka Mohan, a partner at Redseer.

The number of funding deals which dropped early in CY23 to 700-900 deals from 1,519 deals in CY22 is also expected to shoot back in CY24 to 1,000-1,200 deals.

“Moreover, VCs today have more dry powder than ever, also signalling a positive outlook are the total number of deals this year, 90 per cent of which are likely to be seed or early-stage deals similar in trend with what was seen since CY17,” Mohan noted.

The number of registered startups has grown 9X in the last four years, from about 10,000 startups in CY18 to about 90,000 startups in CY22.

At the same time, the number of active investors has grown 2X from 400 investors in CY18 to about 900 investors as of FY22, said the report.

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-Top News India News STARTUPS News

G20 Impact Summit kicks off

During their meeting, Dhami discussed a wide range of issues pertaining to the Himalayan state…reports Asian Lite News

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday inaugurated the “G20 Impact Summit: Unleashing the Potentials” at IIT-Roorkee, highlighting its significance as India assumes the presidency of the influential bloc.

Dhami emphasized that this event provides a special platform for our nation to showcase its success stories to the global community and attract international businesses looking for new investment opportunities in India, Outlook reported.

According to Outlook reports, the summit aims to unlock the potential for transformative change by fostering substantial conversations, encouraging cooperation, and facilitating the exchange of knowledge among students, researchers, and innovators across various industries, he added.

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Monday.

During their meeting, Dhami discussed a wide range of issues pertaining to the Himalayan state.

“Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, and expressed his gratitude to him for his guidance and cooperation in the development of the state,” the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) wrote in a tweet.

As per the CMO Uttarakhand, the Chief Minister also discussed with the Prime Minister about the Char Dham road project. Among others, Dhami also briefed Prime Minister Modi about the various development projects in the state.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s Office in a tweet wrote: “Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhami met Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

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India News STARTUPS News Tech Lite

Google for startups accelerator invites applications

Google for Startups Accelerator (GFSA) is a three-month, equity-free programme that brings the best of Google’s programmes…reports Asian Lite News

Google on Thursday announced to invite applications for the eighth batch of its startup accelerator programme in India that aims to nurture startups looking to leverage the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML).

“We are excited to invite AI-first startups from India between Seed to Series A stage to apply for the eighth cohort of the Google for Startups Accelerator: India programme,” Google said.

Google for Startups Accelerator (GFSA) is a three-month, equity-free programme that brings the best of Google’s programmes, products, people, and technology to Indian tech startups leveraging AI/ML.

For the next batch, Google is looking for Indian AI-first startups working across different sectors to solve complex problems and tackle the toughest challenges in their industry. Applications for the programme are open until August 22.

Startups based in India working across different sectors using AI in their core solution or product, including generative AI are eligible to apply.

They should preferably be between Seed to Series A stages, according to Google.

The selected startups will receive hands-on mentorship, in addition to training on product, design, growth and leadership development.

The programme will conclude with a Demo Day to grow visibility within the ecosystem and founders can continue to receive support after the programme wraps through the Google for Startups alumni network.

In June 2023, the tech giant kick-started the seventh class with 20 Seed to Series A startups.

The batch is currently underway, and the startups are engaging with mentors and Google teams to address their technical, product, and business challenges.

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Business India News STARTUPS News

Wiom in for democratising internet access

The company said that it will now focus on expanding its footprint to cities throughout India while investing in high-quality talent…reports Asian Lite News

Homegrown tech startup Wiom focused on democratising internet access in India on Thursday announced that it has raised Rs 140 crore in Series A round.

The Series A round was led by RTP Global while YourNest and Omidyar Network India, an investment firm focused on impact, also participated, along with Global Brain, Blume Founders Fund, Alteria Capital, Stride Ventures, Stride One and 9 Unicorns.

The company said that it will now focus on expanding its footprint to cities throughout India while investing in high-quality talent and distributed delivery architecture.

“Using cutting edge technological disruptions, Wiom paves the way for a future where connectivity knows no boundaries, where dreams can be realised, and where every Indian can harness the transformative power of the internet,” Satyam Darmora, founder of Wiom, said in a statement.

Home Wi-Fi penetration is currently 10 per cent, compared to the global average of 80-85 per cent. In an attempt to bridge this gap, the startup stated that Wiom’s innovative model ensures that a large number of users can get unlimited internet at low prices, which could go a long way towards meeting India’s growing internet demand.

The company is expected to reach more than 15 crore users in the next five years.

Founded by Satyam Darmora, Nishit Aggarwal, Ashutosh Mishra, and Maanas Dwivedi, Wiom provides affordable unlimited internet to middle and lower-middle-income households through its platform-led distribution model.

Wiom’s model taps into the transformative power of the PM-WANI framework, launched by the government of India, which aims to provide affordable internet access to 500 million Indians over the next five years.

Due to this framework, Wiom’s customers can get affordable and unlimited internet starting at a mere Rs 10.

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Defence India News STARTUPS News

Pixxel wins defence ministry grant to build satellites for IAF

Received as a part of the SPARK grants by iDEX, this grant will equip Pixxel to develop small satellites of up to 150 kgs for Electro-Optical, Infrared, Synthetic Aperture Radar and Hyper Spectral purposes…reports Asian Lite News

Pixxel, a Bengaluru-based space startup, has won a multi-crore grant from the Ministry of Defence to manufacture multi-payload satellites for Indian Air Force (IAF)

“We have won a multi-crore grant from iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence under the Ministry of Defence) for the Mission DefSpace Challenge under iDEX Prime (Space), to manufacture miniaturized multi-payload satellites for the IAF,” the startup said in a statement.

Received as a part of the SPARK grants by iDEX, this grant will equip Pixxel to develop small satellites of up to 150 kgs for Electro-Optical, Infrared, Synthetic Aperture Radar and Hyper Spectral purposes.

Pixxel has already solidified its position as a leading innovator in the space tech sector, building and launching made in India and the world’s highest-resolution commercial hyperspectral imaging satellites. Leveraging this indigenous technology and expertise that can enable ease of manufacture, low cost and ease of launch, Pixxel will now manufacture small satellites for the Indian Defense sector, the statement added.

“We are delighted to receive iDEX’s grant and utilize our expertise of building microsatellites in-house to manufacture satellites externally for the first time,” said Awais Ahmed, CEO, Pixxel. “This recognition highlights Pixxel’s dedication to pushing the boundaries of space exploration and innovation. We are grateful for the trust placed in us and excited to embark on this next phase of collaboration with the Indian government.”

Vivek Virmani, Planning Officer, DDP/MoD & Chief Operating Officer, iDEX-DIO said: “We are delighted to witness the remarkable evolution of startups in the Indian space industry, and Pixxel is a testament to the progress of private entities in this sector in such a short time. The grant is aimed at developing technologies addressing every stage of a space mission, right from mission planning and manufacturing to satellite data analytics and more.

Our confidence in Pixxel’s satellite manufacturing capabilities showcases the power of partnerships in advancing the use of satellite technology for the country. We congratulate Pixxel and look forward to working with them.”

The SPARK grants, offered to startups selected through MoD’s initiatives, are aimed at catalysing innovation enabling Indian entrepreneurs to deliver technologically advanced solutions as well as propel deep-tech innovations in India. Pixxel emerged as the winner of the grant from amongst a host of companies.

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Business Economy STARTUPS News

Impressive Paytm!

Over the last one year, the company’s merchant subscriber base more than doubled to 79 lakh as of June 2023 with its merchant base expanding to 3.6 crore…reports Asian Lite News

India’s leading payments and financial services company Paytm has shown yet another impressive quarterly growth, registering a bumper revenue uptick of 39 per cent YoY, taking its revenue to Rs 2,342 crore in Q1FY24. This was achieved by increase in GMV, merchant subscription revenues, and growth of loans registered on the platform.

Paytm’s EBITDA before ESOP saw a significant improvement of Rs 359 crore YoY to Rs 84 crore, compared to Rs 52 crore in Q4FY23 (excluding the UPI incentive). In Q1FY24, Paytm further grew its contributing profit, up by 80 per cent YoY to Rs 1,304 crore. Driven by the rise in contribution margin and consistent improvement in profitability, EBITDA before ESOP margin also improved to 4 per cent.

Over the last one year, the company’s merchant subscriber base more than doubled to 79 lakh as of June 2023 with its merchant base expanding to 3.6 crore, a robust growth for its pioneering devices like Paytm Sound Box and Paytm Card machines. Contribution margin of the company expanded to 56 per cent this quarter, an increase of 12 per cent point YoY, with increase in net payment margin and growth in loan distribution business.

Its payments services revenue grew 31 per cent YoY to Rs 1,414 crore for Q1FY24.

As a merchant payments leader, Paytm continues to see sustained traction and earns more than Rs 100 to Rs 500 per month per device. Meanwhile, the number of merchant loans distributed grew 141 per cent YoY in Q1 FY 2024, while the value of merchant loans grew 232 per cent YoY to Rs 2,744 crore.

Paytm.

The revenue from financial services offered by the fintech major saw a bumper growth, soaring 93 per cent YoY to Rs 522 crore. With loan distribution forming a core of the company’s aggressive business growth strategy, the value of loans disbursed stood at Rs 14,845 crore, up 167 per cent  YoY.

The number of postpaid loans distributed by Paytm grew 49 per cent YoY, while the value of postpaid loans grew 138 per cent YoY.

Another groundbreaking growth was registered under the personal loans category with Paytm achieving growth of 128 per cent YoY, with the value of personal loans growing 202 per cent YoY to Rs 4,062 crore.

Paytm. (Photo: Twitter/@Paytm)

The total number of unique borrowers who have taken loan through Paytm platform has increased from 49 lakh to 1.06 crore.

With increased customer engagement, its Average Monthly Transacting Users (MTU) for Q1 FY 2024 grew by 23 per cent YoY to 9.2 crore as adoption of mobile payments for consumers in India continues.

Paytm’s active user base continues to present significant upsell opportunities, providing businesses with ample opportunities to monetise. In Q1 FY 2024, Commerce & Cloud revenue grew by 22 per cent YoY to Rs 405 crore.

Furthermore, due to positive EBITDA before ESOP, improvement in working capital, and interest income, its cash balance has increased to Rs 8,367 crore as of quarter ending June 2023, as compared to Rs 8,275 crore as of quarter ending March 2023.

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