Photo: iStock
What to watch out for
• Capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India to fast-track market reforms, ease start-up funding.
• Amazon’s localization of mobile tech boosts demand for its app.
• Flipkart has secured a credit line of over Rs.450 crore from private sector lender HDFC Bank, according to latest documents filed with the Registrar of Companies (RoC).
* TPG Growth looks to invest in Indian consumer Internet start-ups
Matters of debate
• Why Flipkart will be worth its invested capital: If Flipkart and other e-commerce firms in India were to bring operating losses to zero this year, it would be generous to estimate that the revenues will remain flat compared to 2015.
• Can Taiwan get back on the tech map? The country is attracting capital from overseas—Sequoia Capital India has inked two deals in Taiwan, Pinkoi and Appier—without a local office. Infinity Ventures from Japan has funded Taiwanese start-up 17App.
What the world is talking about
• Fire tablets: Amazon to restore encryption to Fire tablets after complaints after customers and privacy advocates criticized the company for quietly removing the security option when it released its latest operating system. In the interim, however, there are some options for Fire owners.
• China’s economy: The economy isn’t headed for a hard landing and isn’t dragging on the global economy, China’s top economic planner said on Sunday, but uncertainty and instability in the global economy do pose a risk to the country’s growth.
• Disabilities start-up: Irish start-up Access Earth, a web platform and app that crowdsources data on accessible buildings and locations to help people with disabilities, wants to be a Google Maps for people with disabilities.
• Tencent’s winning game strategy: From a chat software developer to an investment holding company and the world’s largest online gaming company by revenues, what Tencent did right.
Startup classroom
• 3 questions to ask yourself before launching a start-up
• The valuable lessons Silicon Valley should learn from Australian start-ups
For the geeks:
Testing Google’s Hands Free payments: Google has a new mobile payment app called Hands Free. Watch the video to see how it works.
Did you know:
• Is China’s Alibaba bigger than Brazil? Six stunning facts about China’s tech market
• Why BlackBerry is a hit in Indonesia: While globally, Facebook Inc.’s WhatsApp dominates the messaging market with a billion monthly active users, in Indonesia, it’s a different story. BBM has over 55 million monthly active users, BlackBerry said in January, making it the dominant messaging app in Indonesia.
The Previous Week in Review:
• Mutual funds sour on start-up investments: Fidelity, BlackRock and other giants cut value of their stakes at faster pace, make fewer new investments.
• Flipkart soars: Flipkart becomes one of the largest digital ads platform’s in the country within a year of launch.
• Uber, Ola launch rival motorbike-hailing services in India: The competitors go head-to-head to target commuters tired of sitting in their cars in traffic.
• Alibaba finance arm in talks to invest in Chinese media group Caixin: Alibaba and its affiliates have been expanding their media empire, investing in everything from film, television and music to video games and news.
[“source-Livemint”]