| July 30, 2022 |  | | Hello Reader,
Indian markets extended their gains for the third day in a row, with BSE Sensex jumping by 712.46 points to close at 57,570.25, and Nifty by 228.65 points, closing at over 17,000.
Meanwhile, a concept video of a “floating hotel” has gone viral. The designers of this Sky Cruise, which could carry 5,000 passengers, believe this future vessel would have no carbon footprint as it will be powered by nuclear energy.
Oh, and guess what? It will not only have restaurants and bars but also cinema halls and game rooms, and wedding venues! Gives a whole new meaning to destination weddings.
Also, days of widespread Bengaluru traffic jokes may now be numbered as the city’s traffic police has announced it is tying up with Google to ease traffic management—using artificial intelligence. Peak Bengaluru, much?
In today’s newsletter, we will talk about -
AI-powered chess -
Banking on the bottom -
Zilingo COO quits Here’s your trivia for today: What was the first sound-recording device called and who invented it? | | |
| Artificial Intelligence | | AI-powered chess |  | | Imagine you are playing a chess game online, and you’ve just made your move. Then, you are told how Magnus Carlsen would probably respond. You now have to think and make your counter move. Sounds exciting?
This is what Tech Mahindra, the digital partner of the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Chennai, is working on—to create an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered “immersive” digital platform for fans, chess lovers, and aficionados.
Play your turn: -
Fans could be part of games played by the world’s top chess players and try to match their moves.
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Tech Mahindra expects to launch the AI-enabled platform soon and is looking to study the games of the top 100 players in the world.
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Indian chess legend Viswanathan Anand will work with the company to advise on next-generation chess tech and engagement. | | Read More | | | | |
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| | | | $6.5M | | SuperShare
Undisclosed | | | | | $5M | | ChattyBao Technologies
Seed | | | |
| Fintech | | Banking on the bottom |  | | Seema Prem’s journey toward the world of fintech started with a line from an article. As a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US, she was surprised to find out that half the world’s population did not have access to banking.
Helping rural India: -
In 2012, Seema became the runner-up of the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition and started FIA Global, which stands for Fearlessness, Inclusivity, and Agility.
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The fintech startup offers assisted banking services through partnerships with financial institutions. It has banking outlets across India manned by micro-entrepreneurs.
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Today, FIA has touched the lives of more than 52 million Indians through its services. It is present in 712 of the 773 districts of the country and has given livelihoods to over 30,000 people. | | Read More | | | | |
| Ecommerce | | Zilingo COO quits |  | | Singapore-based B2B ecommerce startup Zilingo continues to see the exodus of senior executives months after co-founder and former CEO Ankiti Bose was subjected to an investigation for alleged financial irregularities.
Taking to the microblogging platform Twitter, Aadi Vaidya, COO, Zilingo, announced he would be ending his seven-year-old stint in the company.
Here’s what’s happening: -
In a conversation with YourStory, Aadi confirmed his exit, saying the investigation, allegations, and ongoing rife had nothing to do with his decision.
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He didn't reveal what plans he has for the future and his next steps.
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Last month, Ankiti took to Instagram to announce her exit from the company's board—a month after the troubled fashion ecommerce startup fired her. | | Read More | | | | |
| News & Updates | | | -
It’s a date: Twitter's bid to hold Elon Musk to his $44 billion deal for the social media platform will head to a five-day trial beginning Oct. 17, and Musk must reveal any legal claims he has against the company, a Delaware judge ruled. -
Liquid gold: ExxonMobil and Chevron both reported record massive profits thanks to record gasoline prices during the quarter. Since it takes about 2 minutes to pump 20 gallons of gas, the two oil giants earned more than $400,000 between them in the time it took to fill a tank. -
Wanderlusts, ahoy: After more than two years, New Zealand is fully reopening its borders on July 31, and welcoming back all international travellers. Earlier this year, the country opened its borders to Australians and citizens of 60 places that do not need visas to enter. -
Leg liability: The metaverse is a legless place. Modelling the movements of our legs would require extra sensors, which are expensive and cumbersome. Executives at Meta, which now controls about 90% of the VR market, have determined that legs simply aren’t worth the extra cost. | | |
| What you should watch out for | | | -
The first-ever conference of district judges from across India in Delhi-NCR today.
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Day 3 of the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham.
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July 30 marks the International Day of Friendship. | | |
| Upcoming Events | | |  | | D2C Carwaan, an initiative of Brands of New India is all set to come to Indore to bring together stakeholders, founders & investors in the D2C ecosystem!
Brace yourself for insightful conversations on August 5, 2022! | | Register Now | | |  | | Join us for a virtual event on Aug 26, 2022 for the launch of YourStory’s Health360 Summit, a series of events that aims to delve deep into the roots of India’s healthcare ecosystem- investigating its vulnerabilities to safeguard its future. | | Register Now | | |
| Here's what else we have for you | | | | India’s journey towards a better healthcare ecosystem | | In association with HSBC | | India's healthcare sector, expected to touch the $50-billion mark by 2033, is on a growth trajectory. To understand what the future holds for healthcare in India, hear from industry stalwarts on the sixth episode of 'Scale to Succeed' by HSBC, in association with YourStory. | | Watch Here | | | | How WebEngage’s user engagement and retention strategy is a game changer for D2C brands | | In association with WebEngage | | The cost of customer-acquisition is much higher than that of retention. A retained customer is highly likely to engage in word-of-mouth marketing. Here is how WebEngage is helping brands with successful customer-retention strategies. | | Know more | | | | How Antier aced the gamification and financialisation of metaverse through blockchain | | In association with Antier Solutions | | As metaverse gaming becomes the next frontier in digital gaming, Antier’s metaverse gaming development solutions enable businesses to experience an all-encompassing metaverse environment. | | Read Here | | | | The future of entertainment in the experience economy - Part II | | In association with PayU India | | Building a customer-obsessed mindset is what any startup needs to scale successfully. Watch this insightful interview on ‘A startup's journey to scaling up’ featuring Arman Sood, Co-Founder, Sleepy Owl. Catch the 8th episode of #TheSoonicornSpotlight, a video series by YourStory in collaboration with PayU India. Know more. | | Watch Here | | | | |
