As the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise across the world and in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday asked people to stay away from rumours and emphasised on the need to follow the advice of doctors in this regard.

“I appeal to my fellow countrymen to stay away from rumours regarding coronavirus,” Modi said.

“We need to follow the advice of doctors in this regard,” he said.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared a “global emergency”.

The contagion has put the brakes on travel, leisure, and business, bringing movement of people and goods to a halt. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1583571605.9193463/Stay-away-from-rumours,-follow-doctors'-advice:-PM-Modi-on-coronavirus-contagion?ref=audio_experience

Bengaluru: Silicon Valley marquee venture capital firm Sequoia Capital has sent out an advisory to the founders of its global portfolio companies on the ripple effects of the Covid-19 virus on their businesses, warning them of a global economic slowdown that may take several quarters to recover.The fund, which sent a similar note to founders called “RIP Good Times” during the 2008 financial crisis, has termed the virus outbreak as the Black Swan event of 2020.

Sequoia is an early backer of companies such as WhatsApp and Google , as well as firms such as Oyo, Byju’s, Bounce, Zomato, Rebel Foods and RazorPay in India.

“Unfortunately, because of Sequoia’s presence in many regions around the world, we are gaining firsthand knowledge of coronavirus… It will take considerable time — perhaps several quarters — before we can be confident that the virus has been contained.

It will take even longer for the global economy to recover its footing,” the fund said in a blog post published on March 6.

Founders and investors in India told ET that the fear factor has become significantly higher in the last two weeks. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1583569805.9274504/Recovery-from-COVID-19-outbreak-to-take-several-quarters,-says-Sequoia?ref=audio_experience

Administration Boasts About Emerging SectorsThe J&K delegation for the Chennai event was led by KK Sharma, who is the advisor to the Lt Governor Girish Chandra Murmu.

Sharma also highlighted that the J&K administration has initiated several reforms to incentivise industrial investments in the region.

Why the Investors’ Summit?

The J&K startup and industrial ecosystem are still at a nascent stage, which is usually attributed to the special status provided to the region under Article 370.

The ones from outside have also been sceptical about investing in J&K due to the political instability in the region. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1583568005.8068197/J&K-Reaches-Out-To-Chennai-In-Pre-Investor-Summit-Event?ref=audio_experience

Consequently, a bunch of fantasy gaming platforms, singularly focused on Bharat, have mushroomed.

With over three-fourth of its employees based out of India, the startup believes its time has come.

I would read, talk to people, figure things out, and then build,” Gunjan says.

Bengaluru-based online poker startup Pocket52 aims to tap this burgeoning market with a “trustworthy” offering: India's first “cryptographically secure online poker platform”.

Nitesh Salvi, the Founder of Pocket52, realised that most poker players in India were not satisfied with the available online options. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1583566205.8707/[WATCH]-The-week-that-was---from-a-Kapil-Dev-backed-gaming-startup-to-online-poker-and-telehealth-in-India?ref=audio_experience

We bring to you the latest edition of Funding Galore: Indian Startup Funding Of The Week!

Bengaluru-headquartered vernacular news aggregator Dailyhunt is looking to finalise fresh funding round by March, sources close to the development told Inc42.

Overall, 19 startups raised around $80 Mn funding and one acquisition took place in the Indian startup ecosystem this week.

First Round Capital and Venrock also participated in the funding round.

Stay tuned for the next week edition of Funding Galore: Indian Startup Funding Of The Week! | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1583564515.0909116/Funding-Galore:-Indian-Startup-Funding-Of-The-Week?ref=audio_experience

Sensing an opportunity in the unexplored market, many startups are increasingly honing their focus on women-related health issues.

Investors have shown confidence in fem-tech start-ups with investments in fem-tech startups around $123 Mn funding in 2019.

Thanks to technological advancements, women are much more informed about their health issues and how to manage them effectively.

From spreading awareness about health-related issues through health articles to providing applications to detect risk or track a condition, fem-techs have revolutionised the way women-related health issues were traditionally seen.

Future Of Indian Fem-TechsMost fem-tech applications focus on the preventive healthcare journey of women and their existing overall health issues. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1583562605.4237235/Fem-Tech:-A-Liberator-For-The-Indian-Working-Woman?ref=audio_experience

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is more determined than ever to achieve the ambitious goal of a $5 trillion economy by 2024-25.

"Collaborate to Create is a requirement in today's times to achieve the goal of sustainable growth and lay the foundation of our future," he said.

“In 2014, when we came, India was the 11th largest economy; today, it is the fifth largest.”Modi stated that the global economy was facing a crisis situation, and the government was working to ensure that India was not impacted.

“The global economy is weak and passing through a difficult phase," he said.

“For us, good governance, development, and nation-building is about our conviction - conviction to do the right thing, conviction to break the status quo.”(Edited by Teja Lele Desai) | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1583560805.659928/PM-Modi's-roadmap-to-$5T-economy:-wealth-creation,-collaboration-with-private-sector,-fair-competition?ref=audio_experience

We bring to you the latest edition of movers and shakers of the week in the Indian startup ecosystem.

Prior to joining IndiaLends, Bhartiya was the chief communications officer for Godrej and Boyce.

Before this, he was the chief marketing officer at Wonderchef Home Appliances.

Knowlarity Strengthens Leadership TeamSingapore-based Knowlarity has appointed Jaideep Kumar, Sumit Punchhi and Puru Govind as chief sales officer, chief marketing officer and chief product officer respectively.

Stay tuned for the next edition of Movers and Shakers of the week! | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1583559005.6823902/Important-Movers-and-Shakers-Of-The-Week-[2--7-Mar]?ref=audio_experience

That’s because they have their creative brand so nailed down that they’re well known around the world.

In this article we’ll discuss 4 strategies you can use to raise brand awareness for your small business.

Give away cool freebies: Giving away promotional items is commonplace at conventions, but while so many companies do it, few actually succeed.

Giving away promotional items is commonplace at conventions, but while so many companies do it, few actually succeed.

Key TakeawaysCarving your own path for your brand isn’t easy, but by following these tips, you can find creative ways to build your market and boost brand awareness. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1583557205.9516642/The-Startup-Magazine-4-Creative-Ways-to-Raise-Brand-Awareness?ref=audio_experience

By 2025, the government has set a target of becoming one of the top five global producers of the aerospace and defence manufacturing with an annual export target of $5 Bn.

In FY19, there were 8,643 MSME vendors who were making defence equipment for the government.

Gadkari also said that the MSME ministry is also running various programmes to promote the manufacturing of defence equipment locally.

Besides MSME ministry, the defence ministry has also launched certain programmes to support domestic defence equipment production across the country.

Moreover, India’s Defence Production Policy of 2018 (DPrP-2018) is also a key part of the mission to boost exports and reduce the trade deficit. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1583555408.0908294/Govt-Bets-On-MSMEs-To-Boost-Local-Aerospace,-Defence-Production?ref=audio_experience