Education technology platform Vedantu has raised Rs 96 crore (about $12.5 million) as part of its Series C1 round, led by Chinese venture capital firm Legend Capital, with participation from Omidyar’s Ohana Holdings LLC. The investment follows a $42 million fund infusion led by Tiger Global Management in August last year, followed by a $24 […]
Coronavirus lockdown hurts small online sellers
Illustration: Rahul Awasthi Surat-based Aarti Sharma (name changed), who sells garments through a social media platform and typically earns Rs 10,000 on average each month, has not shipped any order in the last three weeks. Five of the orders that she had shipped are stuck at warehouses in Mumbai and Calcutta, while two others are […]
Oyo to furlough employees in US, other markets
Oyo Hotels & Homes said it will place an undisclosed number of employees on furlough and temporary leaves, highlighting the struggles of the company amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The decision will largely affect employees working in the United States and “select other markets”, it said in an official statement. The company did not disclose the […]
Alibaba invests $50 million in BigBasket’s bridge round
Illustration: Rahul Awasthi E-grocer BigBasket is learnt to have picked up $50 million from its existing investor Alibaba as part of a bridge round, two people in the know said, at a time when the online grocery market is seeing unprecedented demand during a nationwide lockdown due the Covid-19 crisis. A bridge round is an […]
Covid-19 fallout: Online classes elude many due to lack to laptops, tablets
Many schools in the country have switched to online classes due to the lockdown, but one in four students is unable to connect because they don’t have a laptop, desktop or tablet, according to a survey. The sudden lockdown announced by the government did not give many parents time to prepare for online classes and […]
Covid-19 fallout: Online classes elude many due to lack of laptops, tablets
Many schools in the country have switched to online classes due to the lockdown, but one in four students is unable to connect because they don’t have a laptop, desktop or tablet, according to a survey. The sudden lockdown announced by the government did not give many parents time to prepare for online classes and […]
E-comm moratorium proposal worries India
India along with South Africa has raised concerns over a proposal at the WTO seeking to expand the scope of global moratorium to include digitized and digitizable goods such as books, video games, software and music. New Delhi has maintained that the globally agreed ecommerce moratorium has led to loss of revenue besides restricting use […]
Oyo gives pink slips to US staff
Illustration: Rahul Awasthi SoftBank-backed Oyo Hotels & Homes has laid off hundreds of employees in the US across divisions like sales, business development and HR since mid-March, recently sacked employees and company insiders told ET. As per some media reports, Oyo had previously laid off about 360 employees, a third of its then staff in […]
With no fresh content, broadcasters rely on old classics, web shows to entertain viewers
Confined to her home during the lockdown, Gwalior-based 37-year old Mansha Kasture is reliving childhood memories with her 8 year-old daughter, Mishika, watching Ramanand Sagar’s epic ‘Ramayana’ on DD National. Kasture is amongst the current generation of parents, who are introducing their kids to old iconic classics on Doordarshan channels during the lockdown period. If […]
For many, digital payments is the way to buy essentials
Illustration: Rahul Awasthi Consumers are increasingly using digital payments to buy essential items and services such as food, grocery, medical supplies, telecom recharges and utility bills, amid the ongoing 21-day nationwide lockdown in the wake of the Covid-19 virus outbreak. Companies that are processing these digital payments have such transactions surge even as spend-heavy sectors […]