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Telugu NRIs to Invest In Indian Startups

Telugu NRIs to Invest In Indian Startups

The American Telugu Association (ATA) has facilitated a $20 million investment in Indian startups by organising business seminars since 2014…reports Asian Lite News

According to the association, which is working to promote Telugu community in the US, they have been conducting business seminars in Hyderabad once every two years.

These business seminars encouraged multiple companies to move into second tier cities; and start T-Hub in Khammam town, which was a big accomplishment made possible by Lax Chepuri, ATA co-chair for business.

Telugu NRIs to Invest In Indian Startups

The business seminar held in Hyderabad on Thursday focused on encouraging Telugu entrepreneurs with mentorship and funding. The meet was aimed at promoting the business environment in tier-II cities of Telangana.

This is an initiative to encourage business ideas, mentor young entrepreneurs, provide a platform for venture capitalists, and startup companies. Nearly 100 mentors, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, and technology experts based in the US and in India attended the seminar.

KASHI KOTHA, BUSINESS COMMITTEE CHAIR, ATA VEDUKALU: “This business seminar agenda was multifold, to increase networking and interaction between the US-based Telugu entrepreneurs and business owners based in Telangana; mentor and invest in start-up companies in India, especially those based in Telangana; and attract more companies into second tier cities like Khammam, Warangal, Nalgonda, Karimnagar, and Nizamabad.”

“Telugu entrepreneurs are gaining prominence across the US and around the world. This ATA business seminar is an effort to promote US-India partnerships and encourage entrepreneurs to invest in various districts across Telangana,” said Jayanth Challa, Conference Advisory Committee Chair, ATA.

In addition to mentoring and potential investment discussions between investors, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs, the seminar is also the launch pad for a continuous dialogue between various enterprises planning to move to second tier cities and officials representing the Telangana government.

Senior executives of the state government took part in the seminar, including Jayesh Ranjan, IT Secretary; Puvvada Ajay Kumar, Transport Minister; Vijay Rangineni, CEO IT Investments Telangana government, and Srikanth Sinha, CEO Telangana Academy of Skill and Knowledge.

ATA President Bhuvanesh Boojala, ATA President Elect Madhu Bommineni, Conference Coordinator Kiran Pasham and others addressed the seminar.

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The ATA is a premier national organisation established in 1990 in the USA representing over 500,000 people across the US, majority of whom are first generation Indians coming from the Telugu states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

It is involved in promoting community services, business, cultural and social activities, student assistance, and preservation and promotion of Telugu language and heritage in the US, and across the globe.

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-Top News India News

5-day camp begins in Srinagar for women-led startups

Pic credits @Junaid_Mattu

The event is organised to promote the products and brands of women entrepreneurs from the Kashmir…reports Asian Lite News

A five-day-long all-womens’ entrepreneurship exhibition was organized at the Kashmir Haat in Srinagar on Saturday.

The exhibition was organized by Exceeding Event Expectations (EREIGNIS) in collaboration with Jammu and Kashmir handicraft and handloom department.

“This five-day event is for all women entrepreneurs who have their own startups or are already into business. With this platform, these entrepreneurs will be allowed to exhibit their products and promote their brands,” said Sheenam Bakhshi, one of the organisers of the event.

“This event is also to question the social stigma of women being only fit for kitchens,” she added.

Speaking to ANI, Mehmood Shah, the Director of Handicraft and Handlooms, Kashmir appreciated the contribution of women in the handicrafts and said, “Some handicrafts are exclusively taken up by women including weaving, embroidery, crewel, Chain stitch and many more. However, it is time that we reinvent it and add new entrepreneurs, new designs, colour schemes and market the craft differently.”

Asma Bhat, a 19-year old traditional food staller expressed her delight and said, “The intent is to empower the females against the stereotype that women are suppressed, however, that shouldn’t be the actuality. If today I get a good response, maybe in 2-3 years, I open my own restaurant.” (ANI)

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-Top News India News Technology

Modi invites investment into India at world meet

PM Modi called for a human centric approach to overcome the health challenges..reports Asian Lite News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday invited investment into India, based on what he dubbed were the “five pillars of talent, market, capital, ecosystem and a culture of openness”.

Delivering the keynote address at the fifth edition of ‘VivaTech Summit’, the PM said, “India’s strides in the world of tech and start-up are well-known. Our nation is home to one of the world’s largest start-up ecosystems. Several unicorns have come up in recent years. Indian tech-talent pool is famous across the world. Indian youth have given tech solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems.”

“I invite the world to invest in India based on the five pillars of talent, market, capital, ecosystem, and culture of openness,” the PM added.

VivaTech is a digital and startup event that is held in Paris every year.

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Modi said the emphasis should be on sustainable lifestyles that stop ecological degradation and that the focus should be on “repair and prepare” as the nation emerges from the devastating second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. He added that there is a need to insulating the planet against the next pandemic. “We have to continue repairing health infrastructure and our economies,” he said.

In India, which is under the grip of second wave of Covid-19, the infection has been spreading at a fast pace, making new records almost daily in terms of the number of people infected.

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The Prime Minister called upon the start-up community to take the lead in working with collective spirit and a human centric approach to overcome the health challenges. “The start-up space is dominated by youngsters. These are people free from the baggage of the past. They are best placed to power global transformation. Our start-ups must explore areas such as health care, eco-friendly technology, including waste recycling, agriculture, new age tools of learning,” he said.

On the issue of digital partnership from start-ups to quantum computing that have emerged as a key priority, Modi said, “History has shown that leadership in new technology drives economic strength, jobs and prosperity. But, our partnerships must also serve a larger purpose, in service of humanity. This pandemic is not only a test of our resilience, but also of our imagination.”

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Business Economy

Byju’s becomes most valued Indian startup

Byju's becomes most valued Indian startup

The funding round values the company at around $16.5 billion post-money with investors like Intel Capital, Sapphire Ventures and Alibaba Group. …reports Sanjeev Sharma

Edtech company Byju’s is now India’s most valuable unicorn startup with a valuation of $16.5 billion, surpassing fintech company Paytm’s $16 billion valuation.

As per CB Insights data, as of June 2021, Byju’s is the 11th most valuable startup in the world.

The total number of unicorns worldwide is 708 with a valuation of $ 2319 billion. Chinese company Bytedance, the parent company of TikTok, is the most valuable startup in the world with a valuation of $140 billion.

Byju’s investors include Tencent Holdings, Lightspeed India Partners and Sequoia Capital India. It has recently raised $350 million from UBS, private equity giant Blackstone, Abu Dhabi state fund ADQ, Phoenix Rising and video conference firm Zoom’s founder Eric Yuan.

One97 Communications, the parent company of Byju’s, has a valuation of $16 billion with investors like Intel Capital, Sapphire Ventures and Alibaba Group.


A unicorn company, or unicorn startup, is a private company with a valuation over $1 billion. As of June 2021, there are more than 700 unicorns around the world. Popular former unicorns include Airbnb, Facebook and Google. The variants include a decacorn, valued at over $10 billion, and a hectocorn, valued at over $100 billion, CB Insights said.



Oyo Rooms is valued at $9 billion with investors like SoftBank Group, Sequoia Capital India and Lightspeed India Partners.

The National Stock Exchange is valued at $6.5 billion with investors including TA Associates, SoftBank Group and GS Growth.

Ola Cabs is valued at $6.3 billion and has investors like Accel Partners, SoftBank Group and Sequoia Capital.

Zomato is valued at $5.4 billion with investors including Sequoia Capital and VY Capital. Another food delivery chain, Swiggy, is vaued at $5 billion and its investors include Accel India, SAIF Partners and Norwest Venture Partners.

Internet software company Dream11 is valued at $5 billion with investors including Kaalari Capital, Tencent Holdings and Steadview Capital.

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Logistics company Udaan is valued at $ 3.1 billion and has investors including DST Global, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Microsoft ScaleUp.

Fintech company Razorpay is valued at $3 billion with investors like Y Combinator, Tiger Global Management and Matrix Partners India.

Fintech company Pine Labs is also valued at $3 billion with investors namely MasterCard, Temasek and PayPal Ventures.

Logistics company Delivery is another firm that is valued at $3 billion with investors including Times Internet, Nexus Venture Partners and SoftBank Group.

Policybazaar is valued at $2.4 billion, Renew Power at $2.28 billion, fintech company CRED at $2.2 billion, consumer company FirstCry at $2.1 billion, software company Meesho at $2.1 billion, while Sharechat is also valued at $2.1 billion.

Edtech copany Unacademy is valued at $2 billion, ecommerce company Urban Company is valued at $2.1 billion, BillDesk at $1.9 billion and DigitInsurance at the same number.

Lenskart is valued at $1.5 billion, Five Star Business Finance at $1.4 billion, Rivigo at $1.07 billion, Snapdeal at $1 billion as also Inmobi, Ola Electric, Cars 24, Daily Hunt, Infra Market and Groww.

Meanwhile, Ed-tech firm BYJU’S on Wednesday announced a partnership with Google to aid continuity of online learning for both teachers and students.

As part of the partnership, Google Workspace for Education will combine BYJU’S’ pedagogy to empower teachers in their journey towards digital transformation. Built on the Vidyartha platform, this partnership will provide direct access to the ed-tech company’s extensive math and science pedagogy and visually-rich learning solutions, including chapter-wise slides, readymade assignments, data banks, summary docs, handouts, tests, and more.

“The significant rise and acceptance of online learning in the last one year has led to the swift digitisation of our education system. Teachers and students had to adapt to online learning overnight and are now rapidly discovering its potential,” said Mrinal Mohit, Chief Operating Officer, BYJU’S, in a statement.

“Through our partnership with Google, we are aiming to aid this digital revolution and equip our educators with the necessary technological and learning assets to ensure continuity of education,” Mohit added.

The platform also features Google Classroom, offering simplicity and flexibility, along with a security experience for all educators. Besides the Google Workspace for Education features that include Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms, teachers will get access to Google Meet — Google’s premium video conferencing solution — where up to 100 people can participate using Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals, for free.

“We are thrilled to partner with BYJU’S in reaching out to schools across the country to bring rich and interactive English-based learning solutions that complement school curriculum, and look forward to working to make this offering available in Indian languages later,” said Bani Dhawan, Head of Education – South Asia, Google.

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