THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY MARCH 14, 2015
“65 per cent of Indian enterprises do not have effective information systems and 62 per cent of them feel that access to modern technology is expensive.” —Koushik Shee, EffiaSoft
Signposts Edu portal Embibe acquires 100Marks Leading education portal to prepare for competitive entrance tests Embibe.com announced the take-over of 100Marks, a student guidance platform for JEE main, advanced and medical exams. The cash-plus-stock deal of an undisclosed value marks the joining of two leading players in the Indian education technology space with a combined footprint of around four million visitors last year. “The acquisition will help establish Embibe. com as a leader in the category, while also building the strongest guidance and score improvement platform targeted towards students preparing for the toughest exams in the country,” said Embibe.com’s founder-CEO Aditi Avasthi. “Both Embibe and 100Marks share a common vision of helping students score higher,” said 100Marks founder Pradeep Kumar.
NewsHunt acquires company Vauntz Local language mobile app, NewsHunt, has ‘acqui-hired’ analytics and mobile platform company Vauntz. This is the first acquisition by NewsHunt after its recent `250 crore in Series C funding led by New York-based Hedge Fund Falcon Edge Capital. Existing investors Matrix Partners India, Sequoia Capital India, and Omidyar Network also participated. The financial details of the deal were not disclosed. Post acquisition, the Vauntz team will work on building a platform for NewsHunt combining large scale systems and first time Internet users in India.
PUNE
“A solid foundation in science, technology, engineering and math creates the critical talent corporations and startups need to drive business and economic development.” —Renee James, president, Intel Corporation
A platform that weaves successful tales
Ruchi and Yashovardhan Jhawar’s e-commerce portal IndianArtizans brings together weavers from across the country to market their products BY RITU GOYAL HARISH @ritugh
e-commerce. Yash, a self-professed traveller and foodie, visited towns and villages meeting artisans. Each trip was a learning experience. “We wear clothes without understanding what goes into making them. Each product is a story. To the artisans, their art is an heirloom, one that they pass on from generation to generation,” he said. The company began retailing its specially curated pieces on a popular e-commerce portal (www.IndianRoots. com) in 2013, “A fabulous platform to start with,” admitted Yash. “The ecommerce story was growing and our curated stuff was being received really well,” said Ruchi, explaining how they rose to become one of the top brands on the site in just one year. Despite their popularity and demand from clients from across the world, the entrepreneurs felt that they needed to take the experience of buying an Indian handmade weave to another level. “We wanted to give our buyer the complete experience; we wanted them to experience the art, the heritage and the age-old stories associated with each art form,” said Yash.
In Paithan, a small town in Aurangabad district and home to the famous handwoven Paithani saree which has a history dating back to 200 BC, very few weaver families remain. It is disheartening to see that many youngsters have given up their ancestral craft for profitable careers. Ruchi and Yashovardhan Jhawar, management postgraduates in finance, have launched a company that is trying to change the lives of weavers by offering them good prices for their products and an online portal to market them. Marketing the traditional weaves of India is just one of the business endeavours of the couple who belong to business families from Indore and Ranchi. They moved to Pune in 2012 and set up InCraft Fashion Venture Pvt Ltd in August 2013, a company that sells handmade weaves from across the country, straight from the artisans to the end user. The duo decided to showcase India’s rich weaving heritage through
PRODUCT RANGE Proud of their specially curated pieces, the couple lists the range of weaves they offer on one platform. Kancheevarams and Upadas from the South, Maheshwari and Chanderi from Madhya Pradesh, Patola and Bandhej from Gujarat, specially designed block printing from Rajasthan, Ikats from Assam, famous Benarasi and Lucknowi weaves, the resplendent Paithani from Maharashtra and weaves from Orissa.
Ruchi (right) and Yashovardhan Jhawar, have a shop at Jaipur (left) and retails specially curated pieces online
“For us it is not just a sari, a weave. for handmade products) on one of their There is a history to it and we want buyers ranges. to know it when they drape the cloth,” The company has three women Yash said. The soon-to-be-launched directors, while Ruchi and Yash work e-commerce portal out of Pune. “Demarcatwww.Indian Artizans. ing responsibilities have com is the translation of worked for us,” said Rutheir vision and passion. chi. While Yash travels Their store at Jaipur helps and meets artisans, the clients to see and feel the women in the team hanproduct that they buy. dle back-end operations. While the couple intends The challenges to scale up this activity, in running a starttheir focus is on building up are aplenty. “We and establishing the are bootstrapping our portal. resources into the “We keep exploring business,” said Yash. To new regions and continue Ruchi, working together - YASHOVARDHAN JHAWAR to establish relationship as a couple is a blessing. with artisans,” said They admit to working Yash, adding that they have recently all the time, “We fold and label the received CraftsMark (an accreditation products and do our own intensive
“We explore new regions and establish relationship with artisans.”
quality checks,” Ruchi said. They are also aware of the challenge of finding the right people to work with. “HR is a curve that as a start-up we have to go through,” admitted Yash. Working with artisans is also tricky. “You have to win the trust of weavers. They have a lot of pride and need a personal touch,” said Ruchi. While the company endeavours to bring new designs to the ancient craft, they often face resistance from artisans. “They understand history; it is part of their technique and design and sometimes they do not see the need to change it,” Yash said. To improve the lives of artisans, the company is working on an ‘adopt an artisan’ model. Ruchi said, “If you want to grow, they must grow too.” ritugoyalharish@gmail.com
Architects are in awe of their 3D ‘smart models’
Akash Behl and Yash Rane are providing printing models that are a hit in this industry TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeekly They have tasted success in a short span of time. In six months since their startup Chizel Prints Manufacturing Pvt Ltd was launched and they bagged their first project, the company’s turnover has exceeded four times their initial investment. ‘Young and restless’ is a phrase that is often associated with those who aspire to achieve their dreams through veritable shortcuts and scale the heights of success rapidly. Akash Behl (25) and Yash Rane (24), both BTech in mechanical engineering from IIT Roorkee, belie the phrase, despite their age and apparent lack of experience. The duo marvelled at the vast possibilities of 3D technology during their third year at IIT Roorkee. With no clear vision as to what to do with this technology, they took up conventional jobs after completing mechanical engineering in 2013. “Akash took up a job in South Korea and I joined the automotive firm Behr in Pune. But soon we got fed up and decided to do something on our own and capitalise on 3D printing possibilities,” Rane said. The pair did market research from May 2014 and landed their first project in October 2014. They found that the 3D printing industry had many big players especially in the automobile and medical design segments. And they needed to
THE TEAM
find a niche. They picked architecture and began approaching architectural firms that needed 3D models for large projects. “No one was covering this segment and our first project was a 3D model of a segment of buildings in Nanded City,” Rane said. After getting the first big project, there was no looking back. “The architectural designs that we receive in 2D are AutoCAD drawings that have to be redesigned completely before their 3D model is created. This process needs expertise and an intellectual capability which we have,” Rane said. According to the duo, a product that takes two months to make by hand can be produced in two weeks through this technology. Several textures and looks can be achieved to meet the needs of the client. Buildings can be given stone facades, fences the exact shades of wood and lighting to illuminate the model can also be played around with. The company offers end-to-end solutions – from preprocessing (design), to manufacturing and post-processing (aesthetics, landscaping). The company also wants to venture into the entertainment industry for props and set designing, which is currently an underdeveloped sector. The pair’s stress on quality has attracted clients like IGate Global Solutions from Gujarat, British multinational Johnston Matthey’s Indian arm, Thermax and many more. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com
The duo believes in working with a lean team and functions out of an office in Aundh with just four people, including them. “We work with partners for post processing work,” Rane said. They pursue each contact with doggedness and while Rane looks after operations and execution of projects, Behl oversees business development, sales and marketing. Both are involved in projects from start to finish.
GROWTH PLAN Investors have shown interest in the company but all plans have been held back for two months. “We need time to think about where we are going. We would like to grow in a slow and steady manner,” said Rane.
CHALLENGES
RAHUL RAUT
Akash Behl (L) and Yash Rane wish to take the technology to the masses. “3D technology is very customisable and everyone must be able to make whatever they visualise a reality, use it for personal branding,” Behl said
THE FASTEST READS ON THE WEB
“We were a bit dejected at the beginning of our work,” recalls Behl. Their age and lack of experience were becoming a hurdle in getting projects even though their ideas were appreciated. “We don’t have deep pockets and didn’t have money to buy big 3D machines. That was seen as a problem by many,” Rane said.
WHY PUNE “Pune has the perfect eco-system for start-ups,” said Rane, who also found comfort in the city that he had worked in for about eight months after graduation. The reason why the duo chose to have their first machine installation and office in Pune was also because of the low overhead costs. They are also considering installing their next machine in Pune.
We have more hooning and sliding action on our YouTube channel. Subscribe and comment.
Four cylinders, four doors, all-wheel drive. The CLA 45 AMG and Evo X misbehaving around the hills.
Wet conditions and the Jaguar V8 R Coupe addup to an impossibly fun afternoon spent mostly sideways.
We went to the top of the world in an insane rally Thar and a Suzuki V-Strom 1000. We came back too.
Look our for the alive logo in the magazine to watch the action unfold
Going back to when Toyota’s were cool, we drive a custom Supra with a big turbo and come away scared, and maybe a bit wistful.
w w w. a l iv e a r. c o m