April, 2015
It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum
The power of words
Apr 01, 2015
When the Australian cricketer Richie Benaud passed away last month (April 2015), several sports journalists around the world wrote some wonderful obituaries. The one that stood out for me was headlined ‘The Voice of Cricket’. Benaud, of course, was a…
AN AUTHOR IN EVERY CEO
Apr 01, 2015
As India begins a new era of entrepreneurial boom, knowledge shared by India’s leading business leaders, CEOs and entrepreneurs, can come in very handy for younger profesionals following their footsteps. In this edition, we profile the stories of six such CEO-authors, with the goal of inspiring many more leaders to write.
“I could see from the career paths of the gurus that there is really no shortcut to sustained success in the market” - Saurabh Mukherjea
Apr 01, 2015
Saurabh Mukherjea learnt through his personal journey in India, ever since he moved to this country seven years ago from the UK after selling his London-based Institutional equities research franchisee, that the only way to consistently succeed in the…
“I try to resist the temptation to copy a successful template. Each of my books is different in tone and content.” – Rama Bijapurkar
Apr 01, 2015
Rama Bijapurkar needs no introduction. Any marketing professional, with a keen interest on consumer behavior will definitely know about her work and books. The author of the well-known books on consumer India, Bijapurkar has chronicled her experiences in her…
“How much you share in a book is directly proportional to how secure you are as an individual.” -Ashutosh Garg
Apr 01, 2015
In November 2009, after Ashutosh Garg concluded his talk at a conference on entrepreneurship and new business, he was flanked by young aspiring entrepreneurs who wanted to share their business plans with him. Over small chats and scheduled meetings at…
“I was conned into writing the book. Left to myself, the book would have never happened.” - Damodar Mall
Apr 01, 2015
“One of the most interesting aspects of modern retail is the potential it holds for social transformation. While friendly neighbourhood, Kirana stores lure customers with a good bargain or frequent sales, modern retail focuses on the customer side of the…
“It is not about being better but it is about being different. Recognise your strength as a woman and develop on it in your corporate life” - Apurva Purohit
Apr 11, 2015
Apurva Purohit, the CEO of Radio City, believes in leading by example, a philosophy that she has used in her career that spans more than 25 years. She is also a staunch supporter of diversity at the workplace and her…
A business model for budget hotels
Apr 01, 2015
Funded by Lightspeed Venture Partners, Sequoia Capital, Greenoaks Capital and DSG Consumer Partners, OYO rooms, a technology-enabled network of branded cost effective hotel rooms, aims to expand to 1,000 hotel rooms in 25 cities by the end of 2015
Making entrepreneurs out of math teachers
Apr 01, 2015
Unitus-backed CueLearn aspires to evolve into one of India’s premier brands for after-school learning. Beginning with mathematics, the company has developed a unique methodology to impart technology-enabled learning through its teacher-partners based out of their home-tuition centres
Technology-enabled interior design
Apr 01, 2015
Guided by serial entrepreneur Krishnan Ganesh, backed by Sequoia and Aarin Capital, and co-founded by Pearson India’s ex-CEO, Srikant Iyer, Bengaluru-based Homelane is on an aggressive growth path to make a dent on India’s interior design industry
Technology backbone for corporate learning
Apr 01, 2015
Faering Capital-backed Linkstreet aims to become the premier technology solution for enterprise learning and development. Arun Muthukumar, the founder, believes, the time has come where every enterprise in the world will need a platform for learning and development, much like ERP twenty-five years back
A diversified real-estate player
Apr 01, 2015
Isha Homes, has grown to touch revenue of Rs. 90 crore last fiscal. With a careful eye for gaps in the segment, the real estate firm has diversified into service apartments, property care and even backward integration into manufacturing bricks
HOW COMPANIES CAN TAP OPERATIONAL SYNERGIES POST ACQUISITIONS
Apr 01, 2015
Apart from intangible benefits such as gaining access to global cultures, economies of scale, increase in purchase volume and greater market access are among the many merits of operational synergies post an acquisition. Here are some effective ways to leverage them
HOW COMPANIES CAN MANAGE TRANSFORMATIONS EFFECTIVELY
Apr 01, 2015
Four key lessons CEOs must keep in mind when leading organisations through a transformation phase
Online academies, made easy
Apr 01, 2015
Kaizen-backed WizIQ has built an online platform that lets educators create an online academy within minutes. It is now gearing up to expand both its educator and user base
Big data meets manufacturing
Apr 01, 2015
Covacsis’ flagship solution, Intelligent Plant Framework, helps manufacturing firms become more financially efficient on the production floor. Backed by RIL’s GenNext Ventures, Blume Ventures and Cisco’s venture capital arm, the company aims clinch 2000 customers in the next three years
The science of learning
Apr 01, 2015
Unitus Seed Fund-backed Curiositi Learning Solutions develops interactive, hands-on science kits for children from grades 1 to 10. Its USP lies in minimal requirement of physical infrastructure to deploy the kits and use them affordability
Drive-it-yourself
Apr 01, 2015
Backed by Sequoia Capital, Mohandas Pai and other notable investors, Zoomcar is disrupting India’s largely chauffer driven market with self-drive car rental services
A clinic for low-income communities
Apr 01, 2015
Ratan Tata funded Swasth India, a non-profit social enterprise, founded by Sundeep Kapila and Ankur Pegu, works towards preventive and primary healthcare for the low-income population in the country. In the next five years, it aims to serve over 30 million lives across 5-7 cities in India through a network of over 300 primary health centers
Evidence-based data to improve school performance
Apr 01, 2015
Michael and Susan Dell Foundation (MSDF)-backed Gray Matters was started with a simple vision of helping affordable private schools measure school performance, and suggest improvements
Preventive healthcare
Apr 01, 2015
Anu Acharya’s Mapmygenome aims to offer predictive and diagnostic testing for those who are proactive about their health. The company raised U.S. $1.1 million from a group of angel investors including Rajan Anandhan and Arihant Patni to scale up operations and expand distribution locally and globally
Loyalty is serious business
Apr 01, 2015
Customer relationship management and consumer tracking is an industry whose business potential lies vastly untapped, opines Bijaei Jayaraj, founder-CEO, Loylty Rewardz. With plans in place to grow its ‘Max Get More’ loyalty platform and through focused efforts in the mobile space, the company aims to touch the Rs. 100 crore mark in the next fiscal
Bookish
Apr 01, 2015
A quick peek into the favorite books of 9 business leaders and the impact it had on them
Bringing HR to the forefront
Apr 01, 2015
In conversation with Moorthy K. Uppaluri, the CEO of Randstad India
On the right job
Apr 01, 2015
The global philanthropic and non-profit organisation, Wadhwani Foundation, aims to bring social changes through economic acceleration. Having proven its model in the country, the organisation now hopes to scale its initiative in India and globally by leveraging technology, building targeted networks and engaging state and central governments, as a result creating 25 million additional jobs by 2020
AN EYE FOR APPEAL
Apr 01, 2015
Similar to its jewellery and watch division, Titan Eye Plus aims to change its positioning from being a functional to a lifestyle brand. With a range of new designs introduced for every segment of its audience, Vandana Bhalla, its marketing head, shares her game plan on how the brand plans to innovate on the marketing and product development front to reinforce this positioning
“I take a narrative style and write a book like I’m conversing with my 18-year old son” - Prakash Iyer
Apr 01, 2015
Every day, you meet a cross-section of people, some professionally and others personally. A select few leave you with a crumb of knowledge, some guide you in the right direction, and some leave you inspired. This time, an inspiration…
