The challenge is open to startups as well as incubators and acceleratorsIn a bid to support and recognise the innovation of the Indian startup ecosystem, the government’s Startup India project is looking to host National Startup Awards in 2020.

The Idea Behind National Startup AwardsIn its explanation for National Startup Awards, the government said that under the 19 specific action items of Startup India Action Plan, substantial progress has been achieved not only on that front, but on many other initiatives beyond.

The government has said that the National Startup Awards has been conceptualised to further strengthen the startup ecosystem in the country.

The National Startup Awards 2020 will have a winning startup across each sub-sector, who will get INR 5 Lakh each.

To support the ecosystem enablers, the 2020 National Startup Awards are also open for entries from incubators and accelerators. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1575144008.7690966/Startup-India-Opens-Applications-To-National-Startup-Awards-2020?ref=audio_experience

Binance Launches Ethereum FuturesLeading cryptocurrency exchange Binance has launched Ethereum futures contracts with up to 50x leverage on its Binance Futures trading platform.

We are committed to driving product innovations and growing our industry.”The company, which last week had acquired Indian cryptocurrency exchange WazirX, has also announced a partnership with Australian crypto entity TravelbyBit.

Another South Korean Exchange HackedAfter Youbit, another South Korean exchange Upbit exchange has now been hacked.

According to Upbit’s website, on November 27, hackers had stolen $49 Mn worth of Ethereum from its hot wallet.

Coincover, BitGo Launch Bitcoin Insurance Plan, Cryptocurrency WillsUK-based startup Coincover and BitGo have launched Cryptocurrency Wills, a crypto insurance product. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1575142207.369267/Cryptocurrency-This-Week:-Binance-Launches-Ethereum-Futures,-Hackers-Steal-$50-Mn-From-Korean-Exchange-And-More?ref=audio_experience

If you are looking to launch, buy or grow an E-Commerce business, E-Commerce Day is for you.

Some of the tracks include Marketing Your E-Commerce Business and Start Selling with Shopify.

E-Commerce Day is going to be held on February 4, 2020 in Marina del Rey, California.

Register NowEvents, Contests and AwardsMore ContestsThis weekly listing of small business events, contests and awards is provided as a community service by Small Business Trends.

You can see a full list of events, contests and award listings or post your own events by visiting the Small Business Events Calendar. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1575140408.7793393/E-Commerce-Day-in-California-Will-Help-You-Start-Selling-Online?ref=audio_experience

Contxto – Sometimes delivery jobs are more than just a part-time gig or side hustle but a bonafide career.

For the sake of fast money, the Brazilian transportation startup 99 has partnered with a hereto unbeknownst fintech known as BePay.

Same-day payments with 99 and BePayWorking from paycheck to paycheck can be quite unpredictable, so same-day payments are certainly an approach to provide financial stability to those who need it most.

While 99 was once the Brazilian version of Uber, Chinese mega-competitor DiDi Chuxing acquired it back in 2018.

From transportation to delivery, startups such as 99, Uber, and Rappi are certainly blurring the lines as jacks-of-all-trades. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1575138608.427684/Brazilian-delivery-startup-99-on-the-up-and-up-with-new-same-day-driver-payments-with-BePay?ref=audio_experience

Reliance has just become the first Indian company to reach a market capitalization of Rs.

Reliance’s shares have been on a tear this quarter, having risen 40 percent int the last 4 months — in August, Reliance was trading at just Rs.

Reliance’s shares have been responding to how the company has restructured its business operations in recent year.

Around Jio, Reliance has created a whole digital ecosystem, and runs apps that do everything from delivery news to play videos.

Jio was launched with a lot of fanfare, and it indeed managed to become India’s largest telecom company in under three years. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1575136919.6110647/Reliance-Becomes-First-Indian-Company-To-Be-Valued-At-Rs.-10-Lakh-Crore,-Mukesh-Ambani-Becomes-9th-Richest-Man-In-The-World?ref=audio_experience

Learn from these insights shared by members of the online small business community.

Find Where Social Media Fits into the Customer JourneySocial media can be a very important part of your marketing strategy.

To optimize your messaging to the needs of your customers throughout their buying journey, read this Duct Tape Marketing post by John Jantsch.

Prepare Your Small Business for the Busy Holiday SeasonThe holidays are a busy time for many small businesses.

If you’d like to suggest your favorite small business content to be considered for an upcoming community roundup, please send your news tips to: [email protected]. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1575135007.9696136/Avoid-Distractions-and-Improve-Your-Marketing-with-These-10-Tips?ref=audio_experience

A former technical adviser to Bill Gates explains why his new venture firm will only invest in 'ethical' startup founders whose every action 'would be okay if it appeared in the newspaper' | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1575133314.619227/In-house-venture-funds-at-Amazon-and-Google-are-leading-the-charge-into-the-voice-first-revolution-and-pouring-millions-of-dollars-into-startups?ref=audio_experience

The biggest entrepreneur, investor, and startups of India have combined their power with Flipkart and have created "Flipkart mafia".

One of the most popular funding by Flipkart mafia is the Funding Crop, a Bangalore-based learning platform for software developers.

Why is Flipkart mafia is emerging in the country?

The Flipkart mafia has been funding quite a lot of entrepreneurs and their startups, with the largest of $1m for the startup Crop Do.

The Flipkart mafia is known for uplifting startups and will be doing it for the upcoming years for the startups. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1575131406.1868124/This-is-how-Flipkart-Mafia-is-changing-the-Startup-Ecosystem?ref=audio_experience

Gurugram-based automobile repair and service solution startup GoMechanic has received $5 Mn (INR 35.69 Cr) in Series B from its existing investor Sequoia Capital.

The company had raised this $5 Mn funding from Sequoia in January 2019.

With this investment, the company’s valuation has risen to $44 Mn (INR 316 Cr).

In January when GoMechanic raised $5 Mn from Sequoia, Inc42 reported that the funds will be utilised to expand to new cities and bulk up hiring at leadership positions along with expenses on brand-building.

Besides GoMechanic, other companies working in the car repair and servicing include Bengaluru-based Cartisan, SparesHub, Bumper, BookMyTime, CleanseCar and Mind Your Fleet, among others. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1575129712.1223984/Sequoia-Infuses-$5-Mn-Into-Automobile-Repair-GoMechanic?ref=audio_experience

Hello and welcome back to Startups Weekly, a weekend newsletter that dives into the week’s noteworthy startups and venture capital news.

China’s pivot to AfricaThree African fintech startups; OPay, PalmPay and East African trucking logistics company Lori Systems, closed large fundraises this year.

On their own, the deals aren’t particularly notable, but together, they expose a new trend within the African startup ecosystem.

“In previous years, the country’s interactions with African startups were relatively light compared to deal-making on infrastructure and commodities.

Join myself and Equity co-host Alex Wilhelm every Friday for a quick breakdown of the week’s biggest news in venture capital and startups. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1575127806.986663/Startups-Weekly:-Chinese-investors-double-down-on-African-startups-–-TechCrunch?ref=audio_experience