Scootsy, Mumbai's most loved delivery and discovery app, raises pre-series A funding of USD 3.6 Million

Mumbai, April 27, 2017:  After completing a year and a half of successful business operations in Mumbai, Scootsy has raised funding of USD 3.6 Million in a pre-series A round led by Agnus Capital and Khattar Holdings. AntFarm, Scootsy's incubator, has also participated in this investment round. 

Founded in July 2015 by Rishi Khiani and Sandeep Das, Scootsy delivers quality products to consumers quickly and efficiently. Scootsy works with a combination of leading and small-scale businesses across food, sweets and bakes, books, beauty products, fashion and gifts to offer consumers an unparalleled end-to-end experience that redefines the home delivery experience.

With a customer base of over 200,000 since its launch, Scootsy has quickly scaled to become the premium app of choice in the city with a base that comprises industrialists, celebrities and spans generations including millennials who appreciate the curation of products on offer.

One of Scootsy’s clear differentiators is their premium positioning which includes bringing on exclusive brands such as Hamleys, ROYCE’, The Bombay Canteen, The Table, Nicobar, Condé Nast magazines and Jean-Claude Biguine. This also comes through in an average order size of above Rs 900, an amount that is 2.5 times that of the competition.

With the new round of funding, Scootsy plans to improve customer experience by further strengthening its logistics, technologies and delivery platform. Scootsy will also add to its offerings with Scootsy Express, a service that will deliver food to corporate offices across the city within minutes. Additionally, Scootsy will launch Scootsy Pop-Up, a kitchen and distribution platform that will be available to iconic brands from across the country.

Furthermore, with its focus on curating and empowering quality small medium enterprise, Scootsy has given brands like Sugar Rush, MamaZ, Bono Ice Cream and Bawi Bride a platform to access a wider customer base and a highly monetisable sales and distribution channel. Funds will be also be utilised to bring more of these brands to life and continue its support in growing the local retail entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Gear up for a mesmerizing performance by ‘Kabir Cafe’ alongside ‘Saby Singh’ at HRC Local

Get set for HRC Local Ft Kabir Cafe’s opening act by Saby Singh at Hard Rock Cafe this Thursday. Celebrating the local sounds from around the country, Neeraj Arya's Kabir Cafe is all set to tour 4 cities with their songs and stories on Kabir's way of life. Amplifying the splendor of Indian soundscape, join us at ‘HRCLocal’ a unique property to celebrate the beauty and diversity of homegrown music across the country at Hard Rock Cafe, where local is the new global.

Venue- Hard Rock Cafe Pune

27^th April 2017, 8:30pm 

250 (Entry) + 500 (Cover); 1500 (VIP)

Sun TV Network to launch the first Malayalam Non – Stop Comedy Channel ‘Surya Comedy’

Kochi, April 26, 2017: Sun TV Network Limited, one of the largest television broadcasters in the country with the reach of more than 95 million households in India is launching a new channel in Kerala.

SUN TV network continues to make its winning presence felt in Kerala by adding Surya Comedy channel which is the first full time Malayalam comedy channel to its bouquet of Malayalam channels namely Surya TV, Surya Movies, Surya Music and Kochu TV.

According to SUN TV Network’s official spokesperson “Humour is an inherent quality among the Kerala audiences and the market boasts of some of the best comic talent in the world of entertainment. The channel is ready to offer the Malayali audience variety of shows in various shades of humour.” 

Surya Comedy – Only Comedy No Boradi (only comedy and no boredom) is first of its kind channel in Malayalam where content will be focused on comedy 24 hours a day and is set to go on air from April 29th, 2017.

Some of the humour programmes includes:

• Chiripooram A festival of fun will ensure when thekkekkara encounters vadakkekkara.

• Fireworks of laughter which will be sparked by Angamali Ammavan and his Ananthiravan. While Jayakumar wears the guise of the uncle, Nazeer Sankranthi will take up the role of the nephew

• Thekku Vadakku will light up laughter, as the lassie from Koyilandy meets up with the lad of Parassala

• Jagathi vs. Jagathi will present an inexhaustible storehouse of Jagathi Sreekumar’s wit and humour

• Hello Comedy, a phone-in live show will respond to instantaneous requests for comic moments

• Kulukki Sarbat will beat, blend and serve humour in various refreshing forms

• Best Kanna Best will rock the audience with a jovial exchange of fun questions and answers

• Saju Kodiyan’s Aminaatha Speaking will engage the viewers in light-hearted banter

• Kalabhavan, the great institution that has been entertaining the Malayalee audiences over decades, will share its experiences through Mimics Koodaram

The world of Malayalam television, where news, soaps  and talk shows have always taken centre stage, now heralds humour with the new channel Surya Comedy, launching on April 29, 2017 and is set to make the Malayalam audiences laugh out loud with its humour packed shows and blockbuster comedy  films.

Reliance Entertainment launches BIGFLIX India’s first multi-language HD movie platform, globally

MUMBAI, APRIL 25, 2017: Anil D. Ambani led Reliance Entertainment's pioneering movie platform, BIGFLIX, is now a global personal blockbuster for Indians in India and audiences across the world. Reliance Entertainment today announced the launch of BIGFLIX in a nine-language, multilingual avatar for India and global markets. With the re-launch, the country’s first video-on-demand brand is back with a contemporary positioning and abigger reach in and outside of India.

The new BIGFLIX will have 2000 HD movies in nine Indian languages to start with, including Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Punjabi, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, Bhojpuri and Bengali. The indigenously developed technology of BIGFLIX will deliver a personalised theatre experience to users who can stream and download movies advertisement-free, on any Internet-connected device including personal computers, tablets, smartphones, smart TVs and game consoles.

BIGFLIX technology will allow a multi-screen experience to users who will be able to switch devices – smartphone to tablet to television and back – in the middle of a film. The same technology will also allow a clean and smooth film experience.

Said Mr. Shibasish Sarkar, Chief Operating Officer, Reliance Entertainment, “Indians are moving to digital entertainment in a big way with consumption growing on daily basis. Notably, BIGFLIX will fill in the void created by the decline of the home video market by digitally delivering movies.”

With 3.9 million registrations, BIGFLIX is already amongst the leading SVOD (Subscription Video On Demand) provider. It offers video content in categories such as feature films, short films, devotional, and movie trailers.

Mr. Amit Khanduja, CEO, Reliance Entertainment-Digital, said, “Globally the demand for video content has risen steeply, and the digital platform is witnessing a wider audience everywhere, including India. BIGFLIX will provide high quality video content from some of the biggest banners including Dharma, Disney, Viacom, Phantom, Telegu One and Rajshri, among others.”

In its revamped avatar, BIGFLIX will also serve the latent demand of the Indian expatriates across the world. With its multi lingual library of 2000+ HD films, including latest films, BIGFLIX aims to put an end to piracy and poor quality film viewing.

BIGFLIX is one of the world’s largest SVOD provider with over 3.9 million registered users. Launching with an aggressive pricing of Rs 50 for unlimited viewing per month, BIGFLIX is set to provide quality entertainment without breaking the bank across genres, languages and platforms.

HP Lubricants and Leo Burnett India create innovative, intelligent road systems

~ HP Lubricants and Leo Burnett India take steps towards highway infrastructure communication with ‘#RoadsThatHonk’, an innovation towards safer and smarter highways ~

Tuesday, 25^th April, 2017: HP Lubricants and Leo Burnett India have together innovated for the implementation of the world’s first anti-collision vehicle management system for India’s national highways. #RoadsThatHonk is aimed at safer highways across Indian roads. The innovation, that has been conceptualised, designed and executed by Leo Burnett India, was launched on NH1 in North India, along the Jammu-Srinagar Highway (a road that is touted as one of the most precarious highways by National Geographic).

#RoadsThatHonk adopts SmartLife poles at sharp curves and hairpin bends, that employ advanced networked devices and combine wireless technology, radar systems, and an anti-collision warning system, all powered by solar PV modules. SmartLife poles are placed on each side of key hairpin bends. The poles detect speeds of oncoming vehicles, then communicate with each other to caution approaching vehicles on either sides with a horn.

Announcing the commencement of the project, Rajdeepak Das, Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett, South Asia, said, “2016 recorded numerous accidents across national highways and this is a major concern for local and state administration. We are glad to have been behind an innovation that harnesses the power of technology, and uses radar signals to intimate drivers. We are confident that #RoadsThatHonk will significantly reduce accidents and save several lives every year. Every life saved is a measure of success and reinstates our belief that #RoadsThatHonk has the potential for further scale on highways across the length and breadth of the country.”

Link to the video: https://youtu.be/h5DqvAYUdTA 

The functionality is achieved by transmitting an electromagnetic wave in 24 GHz frequency range (K-band), and measuring the frequency shift of the reflected electromagnetic wave. The frequency shift is caused by the Doppler effect of the moving target on the electromagnetic wave. As the relative speed between the radar sensor and the target increases, the detected frequency shift also increases, thus enabling the radar sensor to precisely determine the target speed.

The smart pole is a unique device created specifically to reduce the risk of accidents in hilly areas, funded and executed by HP Lubricants and Leo Burnett India. The aim is to observe the progress of the device and then further amplify the scale and magnitude of the project. India is a land of multiple terrains and there are several areas where the device is applicable and can save lives by reducing the risk of accidents. 

The Police department overseeing this 110 km of Jammu-Srinagar Highway belt has experienced over two-three vehicular incidents daily. Post the installation of the SmartLife pole, the department believes this number has reduced significantly.

Commenting on the project, Mr. Chander J. Singh – Deputy Superintendent of Police, Chenani Range, said, “The Jammu-Srinagar highway is one of the most dangerous highways in the world. It has various hairpin bends and vehicles often speed at these turns resulting in fatal accidents. #RoadsThatHonk is a great innovative technology which will help save lives and make our roads safer.”

The combination of communications infrastructure and technology provides a strong foundation and a way-forward towards smarter and safer mobility. The technology adapted through #RoadsThatHonk is a vision for long term growth and evolution of a host of capabilities and possibilities that will enable safer commute across cities.

Piramal Enterprises Partners with Indian Pharmaceutical Association to Educate Stakeholders on Responsible Self-Care

Mumbai, India; 19^th April 2017: Piramal Enterprises’ Consumer Products business has partnered with the Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA), to promote responsible self-care to over 5,000 chemists in India, starting in the Eastern region. In line with Piramal Group’s values of Knowledge, Action, Care and Impact, the initiative has been undertaken to provide educational information and spread awareness to pharmacists and the public on responsible self-care. IPA is the national professional body of pharmacists engaged in various facets of pharmacy.

Piramal Enterprises is committed to promoting the highest professional and ethical standards in pharmacies. The focus of the partnership is to establish pharmacists as competent healthcare professionals. As part of the activity, Piramal Enterprises and IPA jointly will organize Chemist Awareness Programmes (CAP) in different locations across India. This programme will focus on ‘responsible self-care’, and chemists will be certified by IPA based on their performance. Through this partnership, both Piramal Enterprises and IPA will host an array of speaker series where professionals from the industry will discuss on various aspects of self-care. 

Self–medication is a common practice in India. Through this programme, Piramal Enterprises will work towards increasing awareness on the adverse side-effects of self-medication. This partnership will equip pharmacists’ to distinguish between ailments that require the doctor’s attention and need treatment with prescription medicines, versus minor ailments that can be treated with over the counter solutions.

Kedar Rajadnye, Chief Operating Officer - Consumer Products, Piramal Enterprisessaid, “At Piramal, our objective is to empower consumers to treat their needs causes that can disrupt their daily routines, at their convenience. The first step towards achieving this is by educating chemists on responsible self-care. In India, consumers are unware of the side effects of self-medication and depend on chemists for advice. This association with the IPA, is a testament to Piramal Enterprises’ vision of educating consumers with dedicated and legitimate information on responsible self-care.”

Manjiri Gharat, Vice-President and Chairperson, Community Pharmacy Division of Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) said, “We are delighted and privileged to be associated with Piramal Enterprises, since the collaboration plans to work towards educating consumers on the right aspects of self–medication by training of community pharmacists who are the first point of contact for the consumers/patients. This activity will highlight pharmacists as a source for primary care. They can advise, and increase awareness on the correct use of medications, based on their knowledge of medicine, and their effect on the body.”

The partnership series will kick off with a session in Kolkata on April 19, 2017, followed by dedicated sessions in Guwahati (May 2017), and Bhubaneswar (June 2017). For more information, please visit www.piramal.com

PEP Asia- The Most Prestigious Asia Level Photography Conference in India Brings World’s Best Photographers on One Stage.

Date: 21st to 24th of April

Venue: Sheila Gopal Raheja Auditorium, Balgandharva Rang Mandir, Mumbai.

Time: 09:30 am to 10:00pm.

Portrait and Event Photography (PEP) Asia, is a revolutionary event conceptualized by Joseph Radhik, Joshua Karthik and Arjun Rajan, to elevate learning in photography. Whether your specialization is weddings, portraits, or travel, everything at PEP Asia is designed to help you scale new heights. The conference is expected to be attended by over 400 photography professionals & enthusiasts from all over Asia.

PEP Asia is led by Joseph Radhik, who is one of the most illustrious wedding photographers of India and an IPA New York Global First Place Awardee.  He is also a Sony India Artisan, a Zeiss Camera Lens ambassador. With the support of the Founder of Stories-Indian wedding photography company, Joshua Karthik and  COO of PEP Inc. and Corporate Moghul Arjun Rajan, they are sure to make waves with their strong intention and dedicated perseverance, giving wings to those who hope to achieve their dreams through their imagination and images. PEP Asia brings to us world's best photographers and creative entrepreneurs Brian Smith, Jerry Ghionis, Jesh De Rox,Mauricio Arias and many more on a single platform for photography.

Given below is the schedule and the names of the Key Event Speakers at PEP ASIA:

DAY 1: FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS OF ALL GENRES

 

Timing: 9:30am – 10:30pm

Speakers:

·         Joseph Radhik – Opening Note

·         Jesh De Rox- Creator of Moment Design, and an inspiration to tens of thousands of photographers around the world – You are Stronger than you think.

·         Brian Smith- Pulitzer Prize Winner, Sony Imaging Global Ambassador and celebrity portrait photographer – Stop waiting for your Big Break.

·         Jerry Ghionis- WPPI Grandmaster, The most influential wedding photographer – The Art of Evoking Emotion.

·         PECHA KUCHA Session – Rapid Fire.

DAY 2: FOR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS RUNNING A BUSINESS

Timing: 9:30am – 10:30pm

Speakers:

·         Jerry Ghionis- WPPI Grandmaster – The Art of Selling Albums.

·         Siva Haran, Canada- Fearless Photography Global Top 10 – Clients and You.

·         Joshua Karthik, Founder Stories – Sales and Marketing for photographers.

·         Paddy – The Ideal Worflow

·         Patrick Colpron, France- Social Media Expert – Social Media to Sales

·         Auditya Venkatesh – Travel Photography and Life.

DAY 3: FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS OF ALL GENRES

Timing: 9:30am – 10:30pm

Speakers:

·         Anup J Kat of SHARKS & BRIDES

·         Abhishek M

·         Vishal Punjabi

·         Rashmi Bansal

·         Siva Haran

·         Mauricio Arias

·         Joseph Radhik

DAY 4: Select workshop by the Masters

Timing: 9:30am – 10:30pm

Speakers:

·         Session By all the masters

PERCEPT LIVE BRINGS THE WORLD’S PREMIER ULTRA ELECTRONIC MUSIC FESTIVAL BRAND

TO MAKE ITS DEBUT IN INDIA

ROAD TO ULTRA NEW DELHI – SEPTEMBER 2017

ROAD TO ULTRA MUMBAI – FEBRUARY 2018

INDIA, 13^th April 2017 – ULTRA WORLDWIDE, the international arm of the World’s Premier Electronic Music Festival, ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL, announced yesterday that it will officially makings its way into India with its signature brand, Road To ULTRA..

ULTRA Worldwide launched the Road To ULTRA concept back in 2012 and will now be bringing the globally celebrated brand to New Delhi on 8^th of September 2017 at the India Exposition Mart, Greater Noida and to Mumbai in February 2018 for the very first time.

Road To ULTRA events are single-stage events with the same focus as all ULTRA Worldwide festivals. Each event showcases cutting-edge stage production including world-class visuals, lighting, cryogenics and pyrotechnics. Stage designs are developed by the ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL creative team and adapted to accommodate the needs of both indoor and outdoor venues.

Percept Live brings the globally celebrated Road to Ultra to make a foray into homegrown domain. Percept Live, established in the year 2012, owns and manages all the intellectual properties created in the live entertainment space. Being forerunner in the business of dance music and pioneers in the EDM space in India, having given dance music enthusiasts across the world the globally recognized property Sunburn; Percept Live is now gearing up to giving Indian fans the ultimate Ultra Music experience.

Just as the full-scale ULTRA festivals boast the world’s hottest talent, Road to ULTRA features the top electronic music artists in today’s electronic music scene. Artists such as Tiësto, Hardwell, Martin Garrix, Alesso, Steve Angello, Above & Beyond, Afrojack, Fedde Le Grand and more have already headlined previous RTUs, bringing tens of thousands of fans to these events.

ULTRA Worldwide is already the most international electronic music festival brand by far and is set to host events in 23 countries and across six continents by the end of 2018. The RTU events continue to drive ULTRA apart from the competition by offering one-of-a-kind experiences to electronic music fans in even more regions around the world.

About ULTRA Worldwide™

ULTRA WORLDWIDE™ IS THE GLOBAL EDITION OF THE WORLD’S PREMIER ELECTRONIC MUSIC EVENT, ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL®.

The ULTRA brand in relation to live events was founded in 1997 in Miami by Executive Producer, President & CEO, Russell Faibisch, who began by producing electronic music events which led to the inaugural Ultra Music Festival® in 1999 on the sands of Miami Beach.

The internationally renowned festival, which has taken place every March since its inception, celebrated its nineteenth anniversary on March 24-26, 2017 by bringing over 165,000 music enthusiasts to the sold out waterfront event in the heart of the City of Miami. Ultra Music Festival®, recently voted the world’s #1 Festival by DJ Mag, returns to Bayfront Park for its twentieth annual edition on March 23-25, 2018.

Choosing to follow a unique and creative vision and a wholly organic growth focused on its true love for music, artists and fans alike, the ULTRA and ULTRA Worldwide™ brands represent not only the world’s biggest and most successful remaining INDEPENDENT electronic music festival brand, but also the most international festival brand in the world. Event organizers continue to transport the unrivaled experience from the Miami flagship festival to an ever-growing number of destinations and Ultranauts all over the globe.

Over the past nineteen years, thousands of the world’s most iconic DJs, producers and live acts have mesmerized audiences with awe-inspiring sets at ULTRA festivals in ARGENTINA, BALI, BRASIL, CHILE, CROATIA, IBIZA, JAPAN, KOREA, SINGAPORE, SOUTH AFRICA and of course MIAMI, as well as ROAD TO ULTRA® events in BOLIVIA, CHILE, COLOMBIA, HONG KONG, JAPAN, KOREA, MACAU, PARAGUAY, PERU, THE PHILIPPINES, PUERTO RICO, SINGAPORE, TAIWAN, THAILAND and the USA. Each new global edition has been founded on the same successful recipe that has been perfected over nineteen years in Miami, combining the most diverse electronic talent with the most technologically advanced, large-scale festival productions in the world.

The ULTRA brands have pioneered the live stream experience with ‘ULTRA LIVE’ (with over 650 million live stream and recorded set views from Ultra Music Festival Miami since 2013) and the audio broadcasting platform ‘UMF RADIO’ (syndicated to FM Radio in over 62 countries and reaching more than 22 million listeners weekly). Also UMF FILMS’ collaboration with FINAL KID has seen some of the most visually breathtaking festival aftermovies in the music space, including a feature-length documentary exploring the explosion of dance music, entitled CAN U FEEL IT™, which was premiered on the red carpet at the Klipsch Amphitheater in Miami in 2012 and was exhibited in over 500 theaters across the Unites States.

2016 and 2017 have seen the ULTRA and ULTRA WORLDWIDE™ brands continue to push the boundaries even further, bringing an unparalleled combination of cutting edge productions and the world’s best electronic acts back to previous strongholds and new frontiers across the globe. With the SOLD-OUT edition of ULTRA Brasil®, ULTRA Singapore™ having become a full scale two-day festival, RESISTANCE’s debut standalone South America Tour, and ROAD TO ULTRA®’s Hong Kong debut, 2016 was a truly special year for the ULTRA Worldwide brand.  

With a RESISTANCE summer residency at Privilege Ibiza confirmed for the summer of 2017, an ULTRA China debut in Shanghai on September 9-10, 2017 and new ROAD TO ULTRA®s set to take place in New Delhi, India and Melbourne, Australia in the next 12 months, the ULTRA brand will be present in at least TWENTY-THREE COUNTRIES across SIX CONTINENTS worldwide by the end of 2018.