Inc42 Media

Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has called for tightening the existing rules which govern social media and OTT platforms in the country👇 Responding to a question in the Lok Sabha, Vaishnaw said that editorial checks in the traditional press, which proved crucial for accountability, are missing in the era of social media. The minister said that the absence of this oversight has resulted in social media becoming a platform for freedom of expression on one hand and a space for uncontrolled expression, including vulgar content, on the other hand. Vaishnaw also said that the cultural sensitivities of the country differ vastly from the regions where many of these platforms were created. Citing the need for stricter laws, he asked all the stakeholders to come together. 🔗To read the in-depth article, click here: https://4-2.co/49b1Iqz #news #OTT #socialmedia #laws

Listed gaming major Nazara Technologies Limited has raised INR 855 Cr ($101.3 Mn) from SBI Mutual Fund, Caratlane founder Mithun Sacheti, Aamara Capital, among others👇 The company announced its plans to raise the funds in September. It then said that it would raise INR 900 Cr by issue of preference shares on a private placement basis to fuel “strategic acquisitions, fund business expansion, and enhance the company’s ability to seize new growth opportunities”. In an exchange filing on Wednesday (November 27), Nazara said that pursuant to the receipt of the application money from the eligible allottees, its board approved the allotment of 89.59 Lakh shares at INR 954.27 per share to raise INR 855 Cr. To read the in-depth article, click here: https://4-2.co/3ZnDypo #news #gaming #investment

We launched the third cohort of D2CX with a bang! 🚀 Cohort 3 of the D2CX program officially began on November 26th with an unforgettable in-person orientation at StayVista at The Brickhouse. It was nothing short of a spectacular celebration of ideas, ambition, and the power of #community! Out of 200+ applications, we carefully selected 35+ driven and visionary fellows to join this cohort. Our fellows hail from diverse corners of India, bringing unmatched energy and passion to the room. The excitement we witnessed was truly electrifying (in the best way possible)! While each fellow comes with unique backgrounds and growth goals for their #D2C brands, they share common challenges on their founder journey, such as: 🔶 Finding clarity 🔶 Accessing mentorship 🔶 Building a community 🔶 Establishing a structured approach 🔶 And most critically – Creating a growth playbook to achieve 10X scale Here’s the reality: Over 90% of early-stage D2C founders struggle to scale beyond their initial stages without a robust growth strategy, often resulting in their startups shutting down. That’s where D2CX steps in – bridging the gaps and empowering D2C founders to break through barriers and scale to new heights! Cohort 3 is ready to redefine what’s possible. Let the journey begin! 🚀 Vaibhav Vardhan | Utkarsh Agarwal | Pooja Sareen | Pallav Kaushish | Shantanu Kwatra | Ayush Kumar | Sahil Goel | Keshav Dua

What’s the cost of not thinking AI-first? Speaking at The GenAI Summit 2024, Sangeeta Bavi- Executive Director, Digital Natives- Microsoft India, delivered a wake-up call for startups navigating the generative AI revolution. “Startups that don’t adopt an AI-first approach risk being disrupted by AI-native applications. In a world where innovation cycles now move in weeks, not months, the call to action is clear—adapt or risk being left behind.” Generative AI is reshaping industries, startups, and business efficiency in India. The question is: Are you ready to embrace the AI-powered future? Pre-registrations for The GenAI Summit 2025 are now open! Join us for an exclusive, invite-only gathering of 250+ industry leaders, innovators, and visionaries, shaping the future of AI in India Pre-Register Now- https://4-2.co/40Wbhr8 #TheGenAISummit2025 #Inc42 #AIRevolution #GenerativeAI #TechStartups

One of India’s most celebrated beauty brands Mamaearth and its parent Honasa Consumer are under immense pressure. The past month has been a one to forget for Honasa, but it probably won’t be able to forget too soon👇 The company posted dismal Q2 FY25 results; its stock plunged for the whole of last week, losing a whopping 40% of value. Investors are very likely to be spooked by the direction of the financials and the stock, and more value erosion can be expected in the next few days. Honasa has also lost the unicorn tag (although that might well be temporary) and more importantly the trust of distributors and customers to a certain extent. Which way will the brand and the company go? Subscribe to Inc42’s Weekly Brief to dive deeper into the story – and join 120K+ startup founders & leaders in decoding the most consequential developments shaping India’s tech and startup economy: https://4-2.co/3Z8EQ6z #mamaearth #revenue #weeklybrief #beautybrands

Beauty and fashion ecommerce major Nykaa said it has completed acquisition of a majority stake in D2C skincare and beauty brand Earth Rhythm👇 Though the company did not disclose the financial terms of the deal but said in a statement that it had bought the majority stake via a combination of primary and secondary transactions. This follows Nykaa’s acquisition of an 18.6% stake in Earth Rhythm in 2022. With this deal, the Falguni Nayar-led company aims to tap innovation, marketing and omnichannel distribution capabilities to fuel the clean beauty brand’s growth across segments, the statement added. The investment also aligns with Nykaa’s strategy to build a house of brands portfolio, which includes Kay Beauty, Nykaa Naturals, Nykaa Cosmetics and Wanderlust. 🔗To read the in-depth article, click here: https://4-2.co/3CMFRJW #news #Nykaa #acquisition #d2c #skincare #brand

Former Apple India executive Mitul Shah has joined Google as the managing director for its devices and services business in the country, a move aimed at boosting the Alphabet-owned tech giant’s footprint in India’s premium smartphone market👇 He will now lead the sales and expansion of Google’s Pixel smartphones in the country. Taking to LinkedIn, Shah said, “I am happy to share that I have started an exciting new journey with Google as managing director for devices and services business – leading Pixel’s sales and expansion efforts in India.” 🔗To read the in-depth article, click here: https://4-2.co/3ZpP4kh #news Google #leadership #expansion

Amid the rising popularity of quick deliveries, Zomato’s B2B supply arm Hyperpure by Zomato has launched ‘Express’ delivery service👇 As per Hyperpure’s app, the express delivery service will be available from 8 AM to 4 PM. It will be offered alongside Hyperpure’s standard next-day delivery at INR 99 fee. The delivery time for the express service will be from 30 minutes to 4 hours, with the products offered at a premium price compared to the standard delivery option. The development was first reported by The Economic Times. The Hyperpure vertical supplies products to restaurants and other B2B buyers in the HoReCa (hotels, restaurants & caterers) category. The product offerings include fresh groceries, fruits and vegetables, poultry, meat and seafood, gourmet food, among others. 🔗To read the in-depth article, click here: https://4-2.co/3ZbBrUi #news #zomato #zomatohyperpure #b2b #delivery Deepinder Goyal

While PhonePe managed to improve its bottomline and topline, its expenses surged over 31% to INR 7,756 Cr during the year under review from INR 5,907 Cr in FY23, primarily due to an increase in employee costs and payment processing charges👇 🔸Payment Processing Charges: The company’s spending in this bucket almost doubled to INR 1,116 Cr in FY24 from INR 667 Cr in the previous fiscal year. 🔸Employee Benefit Expense: PhonePe spent INR 3,603 Cr towards employee benefits during the year under review, up more than 16% from INR 3,096 Cr in FY23. Of the total employee costs, INR 2,913 Cr came from share based payments. 🔸Ad and Sales Promotion Expense: The fintech major incurred expenses of INR 693 Cr towards advertising and sales promotion during the year under review, almost 2% higher than INR 680 Cr it spent under this head in FY23. 🔸IT Infrastructure Cost: The company’s spending in this bracket surged a staggering 77% to INR 383 Cr in FY24 from INR 216 Cr a year ago. This comes at a time when PhonePe is gearing up for its initial public offering (IPO). As part of the plan, the payments major shifted its base back to India from Singapore in 2022. #PhonePe #IPO #expenses #costs

Audio entertainment platform Pocket FM said its global revenue soared 496% to INR 1,051.97 Cr in the financial year 2023-24 (FY24) from INR 176.36 Cr in the previous fiscal year👇 In a statement, the company also said that it managed to trim its global loss by 21% to INR 165 Cr from INR 209 Cr in FY23. A significant portion of Pocket FM’s revenue stems from its microtransaction-led subscription model, which generated a revenue of INR 934.73 Cr, up 484% from INR 160.05 Cr in FY23, the statement said. Revenue from advertisements surged over 600% to INR 89.34 Cr from INR 12.5 Cr in the previous fiscal year. 🔗To read the in-depth article, click here: https://4-2.co/3ZtFJa3 #news #revenue #profit #PocketFM  Rohan Nayak | Nishanth S. | Prateek Dixit