Hello Readers,
Tata Group’s super app Tata Neu — the much-awaited app that was officially announced in November 2021 — is set to launch on April 7 amid the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), of which Tata is the title sponsor.
Neu aims to bring together multiple Tata brands onto one seamless platform and currently includes Bigbasket, Croma, Tata 1MG, Air Asia, Taj Hotels, Tata Cliq, Tata Play (earlier TataSky), Westside, among others.
Does it deliver on its promise? And, will Neu prove to be a force to be reckoned with for platforms such as Paytm, Amazon, and Reliance’s MyJio, apps that are already one-stop-shops for various services?
YourStory’s take – Neu offers a fresh, clean, and minimalist platform catering to almost all your needs, but falls short when it comes to delivering on them. The menu looks well-designed, but the app (version 1.5) itself feels sluggish and the UI is slow to respond. Read more.
Editor’s Pick: Meet the woman behind The Kaftan Company
Hyderabad-based Prakruti Gupta Rao did her higher studies abroad, before starting her career working at global giants like Mercedes-Benz. When she was diagnosed with cancer, she decided to come back to India and start her own clothing brand, The Kaftan Company, specifically for the love of Kaftan.
While The Kaftan Company was started as a bootstrapped startup, Prakruti is now considering opening physical stores and for that she will be looking at raising funds through private equity. Read more.
Prakruti Gupta Rao, Founder, The Kaftan Company
Startup Spotlight
Earned-wage access (EWA) is a financial product through which employees can access a portion of their salary any time before their payday.
Bengaluru-headquartered Refyne, which claims to be India's first EWA platform, is helping companies integrate EWA into their payroll and human resource management system. Read more.
News & Updates
- Recruiters continue to demonstrate positive hiring intent across key sectors, cities, and experience bands, with a year-on-year growth of 16 percent in March’22 versus same time last year, according to a survey by Naukri JobSpeak.
- Multichain relayer infrastructure network Biconomy announced the launch of a $2 million community grants programme to assist and encourage blockchain developers, content creators, and blockchain projects.
- A survey on ‘Digital Adoption Trends Among SMBs’ by digital lender NeoGrowth indicated that about 66 percent of small and medium businesses (SMBs) across India have migrated to online sales.
- PlayVerse, a technology-enabled entertainment company built on Web 3, has raised $1.5 million as seed funding from Japanese gaming company Akatsuki Inc. PlayVerse founder Jaineel Aga told YourStory that PlayVerse plans to launch its own D2C brand.
- Based on a complaint filed by the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), the Competition Commission of India (CCI) instituted an investigation into allegations of anti-competitive practices by food technology companies Zomato and Swiggy.
Before you go, stay inspired with…
Aditi Kothari Desai
As a leader, you have to get to the middle ground.
- Aditi Kothari Desai, DSP Investment Managers
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