Startup Around

New Delhi: Unicorn India Ventures has made the first close of its second fund at about Rs 90 crore, as the Mumbai-headquartered micro venture capital firm targets completing the fund raise for its latest investment vehicle over the next 12 months.Fund-II, which has a target corpus of Rs 400 crore, has been backed by a number of family offices and investors from the firm’s maiden ₹100 crore fund, which was set up in 2015.In 2018, it was also reported to have launched a cross-border evergreen fund in partnership with British firm Ascension Ventures , which was called Unicorn Ascension EIS Fund.Founded by Anil Joshi and Bhaskar Majumdar , the technology-focused, early-stage investment firm will look to make an estimated 20 investments from Fund-II, investing about $1 million at the pre-Series A stage and upwards.

Till date, it has publicly announced about 17 investments.“With the Fund-II, we hope to continue to identify high potential startups who are solving real problems by leveraging tech.

In the tough economic and environmental times, we believe technology will play a very important role in reshaping the way we interface with others, the way businesses and trade is conducted and the way entire societies function,” Majumdar, managing partner, Unicorn India Ventures, said. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1585539005.2677784/Unicorn-closes-2nd-fund-at-Rs-90-crore?ref=audio_experience

Even during Ugadi , the new year in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, colleagues shared pictures of how they celebrated.

"Even if you can't celebrate it together, seeing pictures certainty gives you the feel of the festival spirit," Thakur said.

"When we are expected to work completely remote with teams, it is very quick for a sense of dissonance to creep in.

So, the conscious effort to stay connected and engaged is twice as much important than when we work out of the same physical office space."

The company has also realised that boredom can adversely impact an individual's mental health, Nair said. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1585537205.3766851/Firms-look-for-ways-to-keep-home-based-staff-engaged?ref=audio_experience

“We spotted an opportunity in creating precision diagnostic methods and medicines to treat a number of conditions including cancer and rare diseases,” Dheeraj says.

“This approach can make a huge difference in diagnostic and treatment therapies.

Its clients include Dr Lal Pathlabs, and hospitals and institutes including PGI Chandigarh, AIIMS, Sir Ganga Ram in New Delhi, Bharti Vidhya Peeth Pune, among others.

According to Dheeraj, Redcliffe is two years away from breaking even.

Redcliffe recently raised Rs 10 crore in Pre-Series A round, led by the family office of Ruchirans and Anuraag Jaipuria. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1585535421.128293/With-AIIMS,-Dr-Lal-Pathlabs-as-clients,-this-medical-diagnostic-startup-is-eyeing-Rs-100-Cr-business?ref=audio_experience

Sahil Sheth, the Founder of Lido Learning has been in the edtech industry for the last 8 years.

Headquartered in Mumbai, Lido Learning was founded in April 2019.

23 days in buildingSahil was counting on the fact that internet penetration had increased a lot over the last few years, but most early users did not have an internet that was strong enough to conduct online classes.

The first users were apprehensive of online learning, and were sending their kids to conventional tuitions.

As of now, Lido Learning covers Class V to Class VIII for ICSE and CBSE boards. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1585533612.938002/To-democratise-online-education,-Lido-Learning-built-its-edtech-platform-in-only-23-days?ref=audio_experience

Businesses are crippled, industries are seeking bailouts, economies are in distress, and SMEs and startups too have not been spared.

He says, “The most important thing is that we need a Plan B, and in some cases, there is also a Plan C needed.

Companies need a plan to manage growth expectations, capital expenditure, and rationalise certain product lines.

Siddarth Pai, Founding Partner, 3one4 Capital, says, “The course correction is very clear: cut down costs or burn, reduce marketing spends, freeze on hiring.

In short, startups need to figure how to keep their lights on.”Given the ambiguity surrounding capital flow and revenue streams at the moment, startups need to pay attention to managing their expenses. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1585531805.8964124/A-VC-guide-on-how-startups-can-survive-the-coronavirus-business-freeze?ref=audio_experience

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown to curb further spread of the virus.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a much-needed comprehensive stimulus package of Rs 1.7 lakh crore to deal with the economic impact of this lockdown.

According to Rajan Anandan of Sequoia Capital, this too shall pass but startups will need a strategy to emerge stronger.

As India goes into complete lockdown to mitigate the coronavirus outbreak, startups in Delhi-NCR are continuing to hustle in these trying times.

Yin from Hong Kong tells how life has changed amid the coronavirus outbreakA firsthand account from a Hongkonger on how the city is dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, social distancing, and more importantly, loneliness. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1585530005.7311919/Of-survival,-stimulus,-and-solidarity---India's-story-under-lockdown?ref=audio_experience

This shows the unprecedented challenge that startups may have to face in the coming months if the spread of the novel coronavirus is not contained.

Companies like MakeMyTrip and Zomato have already announced voluntary salary cuts, especially from the top management and those in leadership positions.

Image source: ShutterstockThis is an indication of the things to come as the startup ecosystem provides employment to both formal and informal job sectors.

Rohit Tewari, Founder, ReferHire, a HR tech startup, says, “What we are facing now is a cash flow crisis, with businesses grinding to a halt.

But there is some hope for companies like HR tech startup TurboHire, which has onboarded two new clients during this period. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1585528205.1570442/Startup-employees-stare-at-an-uncertain-future-with-pay-cuts,-layoffs-due-to-coronavirus-crisis?ref=audio_experience

On March 6, the Delhi government called for the suspension of biometric attendance systems with immediate effect until March 31 (with a likely extension).

While the decision would have sent HRs and admins of offices into a tizzy, Delhi-based startup INCUBSENCE couldn’t have asked for a better breakthrough.

Founded in 2017 by a software engineer and decade-long technologist Diksha Deo, INCUBSENCE manufactures non-touch and infection-free attendance systems that are connected remotely through the cloud.

There is a companion app, INCUBSENCE Swagat, which users have to download to sign in.

The non-touch attendance systems are a $500 million market India, and we look to capture 25 to 30 percent of that,” the founder shares. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1585526406.0098498/Coronavirus:-This-startup’s-contactless-biometric-systems-saw-a-boom-in-demand-after-COVID-19-outbreak?ref=audio_experience

If you’re running your own business, you may be wondering how you can use it to give back to your community.

An easy way to give back to your community through your business is by hiring locally.

This will help your business to have stronger ties to the community and you’ll have employees who all live close to their job.

A great way to give back to your community through your business is by supporting local organizations.

If there’s a cause you care about in your local area, see if they could use some financial assistance. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1585525277.9606628/Using-Your-Business-To-Give-Back-To-Your-Community---Young-Upstarts?ref=audio_experience

Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation on Sunday announced donation of essential medical supplies, including face masks and COVID-19 test kits to India and six other nations to help combat the spread of coronavirus.

Jack Ma, Co-founder, AlibabaChinese billionaire Jack Ma is the co-founder of multinational technology behemoth Alibaba Group.

Besides India, the medical supplies will be donated to Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

The first batch of medical supplies for India arrived in Delhi on Saturday night and were received by the Indian Red Cross Society.

Indian Red Cross Society Deputy Secretary Neel Kamal Singh took receipt of the deliveries from Vivek Sehgal, Manager, Alibaba Cloud India, acting on behalf of Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation in the presence of Ma Jia, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of China in India. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1585523458.0355577/Jack-Ma-Foundation,-Alibaba-donate-medical-supplies,-COVID-19-test-kits-to-India,-other-nations?ref=audio_experience