A quick roundup of the developments in the Indian and international digital, tech and business ecosystem.
WhatsApp will start showing the exact “forward” count (if it has been shared more than 5 times) of forwarded messages to its users, reports Engadget. The messages will be labeled “frequently forwarded” and users can see the exact count in the message info tab. At this stage, this feature is limited to sent messages rather than received ones, and is in beta.
Flipkart will use 100 Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) or self guided bots to sort parcels by pincode, reports Digit. This will be in Flipkart’s Soukya, Bangalore facility where it has 1,000 employees who process lakhs of shipments daily, according to the report. The company claims that these AGVs can increase process efficiency by 60%, process upto 4,500 shipments hourly and be scaled 5 times. Flipkart will also set up a Centre of Excellence for Robotics and Automation for automation, IoT and EVs in conjunction with startups and universities.
Flipkart has launched an early stage startup fund to invest in ecommerce, fintech, payments and complementary spaces startups, reports the Economic Times.
Delhivery has raised $413 million in funding from SoftBank Vision Fund, with participation from existing investors Carlyle Group and Fosun International, reports Mint. The logistics company will use the funding to add 20,000 pincodes by Q1 FY20 and expand its supply chain platform for SMEs and enterprises.
Byju’s has raised $31 million from existing investors General Atlantic and Tencent to expand further internationally, reports YourStory.
Venture Catalysts will invest $10-15 million in 8-10 early stage healthcare startups in the next 3 years, reports MoneyControl. Venture Catalysts parent company Wallfort will launch an early stage VC fund worth Rs 300 crore for this purpose.
Shopmatic has picked up 50.1% stake in Octopus, a Singapore based company which offers cloud retail management software, reports Mint.
Oyo has acquired Qianyu, a Chinese franchise hotel company, for an undisclosed amount, reports Entrackr. Qianyu’s investors include Xu Xiaoping’s Reality Fund, Gaochun Capital, Ali’s Yuanhao Capital, and Didi investor Wang Gang.
Ola, Uber and Meru have contributed Rs 20.93 crore towards Indian Railways’ revenues through parking charges for the FY ending March 2019, reports Entrackr.
Netmeds has acquired KiViHealth in a cash and stock deal, for an undisclosed amount reports VCCircle. The report adds that the e-pharma will invest $10 million in KiViHealth’s healthcare business. KiViHealth is a clinic management platform and claims to have 3,100 hospitals and health centres on its platform.
Apple TV+ has tied up with Eros Now to stream the latter’s content in 109 countries including in regions like the US, the UK, Europe, Canada, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Africa. Apple TV+ is a streaming service where users can subscribe to other streaming services like HBO Go, and watch sports on Apple TV Channels (to be launched in May).
