daily startup magazine

Total Post: 865

Gudhealthy Is Taking India’s AYUSH Ecosystem From Shelves to Screens

Gudhealthy Is Taking India’s AYUSH Ecosystem From Shelves to Screens

New Delhi [India], October 8: India has never had a shortage of wellness products. From Ayurveda and herbal formulations to nutrition, personal care and traditional wellness, thousands of Indian businesses are creating products rooted in the country’s centuries-old wellness heritage.

But for many of these brands, the biggest challenge isn’t creating the product.

It’s getting the product discovered.

A strong formulation can struggle for visibility. A promising wellness brand can find digital customer acquisition expensive. And a manufacturer looking to expand nationally may not have the technology and marketing infrastructure required to scale.

That gap is what led to Gudhealthy.

It Started With a Simple Question

For founder and CEO Ankur Vij, the journey into AYUSH began with a simple question:

Why were so many quality Indian wellness products still difficult for consumers to discover?

India has an enormous ecosystem of Ayurveda, herbal and wellness brands, while consumers are becoming increasingly comfortable researching and purchasing health and wellness products online. Yet thousands of brands remain fragmented across traditional retail, individual websites and multiple marketplaces.

Vij saw an opportunity to make that ecosystem easier to navigate.

“What attracted me to AYUSH was the gap between the quality and variety of products being created in India and their ability to reach consumers,” says Vij. “Many promising brands didn’t necessarily need another product—they needed better discovery, customer acquisition and the right digital infrastructure.”

That observation became the foundation for Gudhealthy.

From Marketplace to Digital Commerce Platform

Today, Gudhealthy operates as a multi-brand digital marketplace, bringing Ayurveda, AYUSH and wellness products from 300+ active brands together on a single platform. Its catalogue includes more than 15,000 products, while the platform attracts 5 lakh+ monthly visitors.

The model gives consumers a single destination to discover products across multiple wellness categories, while giving participating brands an additional digital channel to reach customers.

Gudhealthy manages the consumer-facing ecommerce experience, including product discovery, digital merchandising, performance marketing and customer engagement. Brands remain an important part of the marketplace ecosystem, bringing their products and expertise to the platform.

This creates a two-sided model: consumers get wider choice and easier discovery, while brands get access to a specialised digital marketplace and a broader customer audience.

“We don’t want to be just another website with thousands of products. Our objective is to make it easier for consumers to discover the right products and for brands to reach the consumers they are creating them for,” says Vij.

The Digitalisation of AYUSH

The opportunity comes as the Government of India continues to strengthen and digitise the AYUSH ecosystem. The National AYUSH Mission, launched in 2014, has supported AYUSH services and infrastructure across states and union territories, while the Ministry of AYUSH’s AYUSH Grid is developing digital systems across healthcare, research, education, drug administration and citizen services. In 2026, the Ministry also announced a collaboration with the Digital India BHASHINI Division to explore multilingual AI, translation and voice technologies for AYUSH services.

Together, these initiatives point to a broader shift: AYUSH is moving towards a more connected, technology-enabled ecosystem.

Gudhealthy sees itself on the consumer side of that transformation.

“The digital transformation of AYUSH is much bigger than ecommerce,” says Vij. “The government is creating important digital infrastructure for the ecosystem. Our role is to build the consumer layer, helping people discover and access the products being created by Indian wellness brands.”

Making Wellness Easier to Discover

A catalogue of 15,000 products is useful only if consumers can find what they need.

Gudhealthy therefore organises its marketplace around consumer needs as well as brands.

A consumer may begin with a requirement, digestion, immunity, hair care, joint care, women’s wellness or nutrition, and then explore products across multiple brands.

With 5 lakh+ monthly visitors, the platform is building a discovery experience around this behaviour.

Performance marketing sits at the centre of the model. Search behaviour, advertising performance, product-level sales and customer behaviour help Gudhealthy identify products and categories generating demand.

The resulting feedback loop is simple:

Consumer intent → discovery → purchase → data → better merchandising and marketing.

Creating a Digital Route for Emerging Brands

For emerging brands, this marketplace infrastructure can be particularly valuable.

Many have invested heavily in product development but lack the resources of larger companies when it comes to digital acquisition, ecommerce technology, customer retention and nationwide reach.

Through its marketplace, Gudhealthy gives these businesses another digital route to consumers, while established brands can use the platform to expand their online presence.

For Vij, the broader mission is straightforward:

“If a good AYUSH brand has a good product, distribution should not be the reason it fails to scale.”

The company’s next phase is focused on expanding its brand network, increasing consumer reach, improving product discovery and using technology to build stronger customer engagement and repeat purchases.

Its larger ambition is to become a digital platform connecting India’s wellness brands with India’s increasingly digital consumer.

“India already has an incredible wellness ecosystem,” he adds. “We don’t need to reinvent it. We need to build better bridges between the brands creating these products and the consumers looking for them.”

That is the opportunity Gudhealthy is pursuing: to make India’s vast AYUSH ecosystem more accessible, discoverable and digitally connected.

As India’s centuries-old wellness traditions increasingly meet a digital-first consumer, Gudhealthy is inviting the next generation of Ayurveda and wellness brands to become part of that transition, bringing their products to a larger audience and helping more consumers discover the choices available to them.

The products are already here. The next step is building the digital bridge that connects them to India.

Lokta launches collateral management that prices the security daily, and names Vamshi Krishna Putta Head of Engineering

Lokta launches collateral management that prices the security daily, and names Vamshi Krishna Putta Head of Engineering

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], October 7: Lokta today named Vamshi Krishna Putta as Head of Engineering and announced the general availability of its collateral management module, which he helped shape alongside the engineering team. His experience inside a lending business informed its focus on keeping collateral values useful after disbursal. Lender implementations are underway.

Vamshi’s prior work includes migrating nine million accounts with full reconciliation and implementing a regulatory moratorium across one million accounts. At Finflux, he helped build and later led development of its lending stack, built on Apache Fineract, and continued after M2P Fintech acquired it in 2022. He subsequently worked on technology inside a lending business whose collateral prices changed daily, seeing what it takes to keep those records current.

“Vamshi has worked with lending software from both sides of the table,” said Chandramouli C S, Co-founder and CEO of Lokta. “That changes the questions you ask. Where did this collateral value come from? How old is it? What happens when it changes? He brought those questions into the design of this module. That is the judgement we want leading engineering at Lokta.”

The module supports 10 collateral types: property, land and plots, vehicles, machinery, artwork, gold, mutual fund units, shares, deposits and a category for other collateral. Values are recorded from appraisals or computed using market prices, quantities or contract terms, according to collateral type.

Four capabilities support ongoing monitoring:

  • Dated price updates: Agents retrieve prices from sources the lender configures, within what local rules allow, for daily updates to gold, mutual fund units and shares. For gold, the default is the lower of the previous close and the 30-day average, the basis RBI’s gold and silver lending directions require for Indian lenders. Appraised assets follow their own valuation and review process.
  • Global currencies and local sources: The module supports multiple currencies and can integrate with country-specific pricing and valuation sources to track loan-to-value (LTV) ratios.
  • Traceable values and review alerts: Computed fields retain their expressions, so an auditor reads the arithmetic instead of trusting the number. The platform flags valuations that become stale based on age or configured events.
  • Controlled changes: Lenders can extend collateral forms while preserving fields used by valuation and exposure calculations. Publishing requires a second approver; existing records retain their original form version.

“Collateral that is captured at disbursal and then left to go dumb is paperwork, not risk management,” said Vamshi Krishna Putta, Head of Engineering at Lokta. “A system should tell the lender when a price has changed, when an appraisal has gone stale and what needs review.”

Collateral eligibility and LTV limits remain governed by lender policy. Lokta records appraisals and computes values from inputs the lender configures; valuation judgement and the appointment of valuers remain with the lender.

Vamshi will lead platform development, build the engineering team and oversee how product and policy changes reach a live loan book.

The module follows Lokta Next 100, opened on 3 September 2026, which offers eligible smaller Indian NBFCs no platform fee for up to two years, subject to programme terms.

For product information or a demonstration, visit Lokta’s platform or contact contact@lokta.ai.

About Lokta

Lokta is the agentic loan servicing platform: software that runs a loan book after approval, covering servicing, monitoring, collections and recovery. The AI proposes, the lender’s deterministic core decides, and every change is recorded. Lokta does not originate, underwrite or approve loans. Founded in Bengaluru in 2026 and self-funded. Its team includes a co-creator of Mifos X and Apache Fineract, the open-source lending engine built with the Mifos Initiative community. Lokta Fintech Pvt Ltd, CIN U62013KA2026PTC226046.

Media contact

Chandramouli C S, Co-founder and CEO

Lokta. +91 81234 99090.

contact@lokta.ai

CMAI South Chairman Devaprasad H S Joins factori.com Board as Director, as Bengaluru-Based Manufacturing Platform Targets 2028 Listing

CMAI South Chairman Devaprasad H S Joins factori.com Board as Director, as Bengaluru-Based Manufacturing Platform Targets 2028 Listing

Most companies preparing to list hire a banker. factori.com has hired a veteran CFO who spent close to three decades in the apparel and garment industry, two years before it intends to file for IPO.

BENGALURU, 7 October 2026: Companies preparing for a public listing usually reach for a banker or a career CFO. factori.com has reached for someone who has spent twenty-six years inside the industry it manufactures for.

The Bengaluru-based manufacturing and sourcing platform today announced the appointment of Devaprasad H S, Regional Chairman of the Southern Regional Committee of the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI), as a Director on its board. He takes up the role with immediate effect and will lead the company’s preparation of its accounts, controls and compliance function ahead of a public listing the company has targeted for 2028.

Two things about the appointment are unusual. The first is the runway: factori.com is starting its listing preparation roughly two years before it intends to file, treating audit readiness as a multi-year build rather than a pre-IPO scramble. The second is the choice of person. Financial engineering is the conventional answer to a listing; industry credibility is not, and it is harder to buy.

“Nobody made us do this. We brought Mr Devaprasad onto the board because we would rather find out in 2026 what is wrong with our books than in 2028.”
– C S Sudheer, Founder, factori.com

A career inside branded consumer manufacturing

Devaprasad H S sits on CMAI’s national Managing Committee by virtue of his chairmanship of the association’s Southern region. CMAI is India’s oldest and largest apparel industry body, more than 20,000 member companies across manufacturing, exports, retail and ancillary industry, in existence for over five decades. It created the Apparel Export Promotion Council in 1978, has run the National Garment Fair since 1982, is authorised by the Government of India to issue Certificates of Origin, and represents India on the International Apparel Federation and the Asian Apparel Federation.

His executive career was spent in branded sportswear. He spent 26 years at Proline India, the Batra Group company that brought the Italian sportswear brand FILA to the Indian market in 2000, latterly as President and Chief Financial Officer. His time there spanned the arrival of international athletic brands in India, the shift from importing finished goods to manufacturing them domestically, and the licensing consolidation that ultimately moved the FILA India rights to Cravatex Brands and, in October 2022, into Metro Brands’ listed portfolio.

He is also a regular voice on compliance in Indian apparel. In November 2024 he spoke at the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry’s Bengaluru workshop on human rights due diligence and the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, arguing that Indian suppliers should engage with the incoming European regimes proactively rather than wait to be audited into them.

“Mr Devaprasad has spent his career inside a branded consumer business that had to answer to an international licensor, Indian regulators and a bank, all at once. That is closer to what a listed company lives with than anything a first-time founder has experienced. He is not joining us to attend four meetings a year.”
– C S Sudheer, Founder, factori.com

The mandate

The role is specific rather than ceremonial. Mr Devaprasad will lead factori.com’s accounts and compliance teams through the work a listing requires and most companies leave too late: restating historical accounts to listing standards, building internal financial controls that will survive an auditor’s review, tightening related-party and revenue-recognition policy, and establishing the audit and risk committee structures a listed company must operate.

For a business with the shape factori.com has, that work is not trivial. The company manufactures across 64 product categories, a count rising by roughly two a week, works with over 600 manufacturing partners, ships to more than 130 countries, and simultaneously operates a consumer-facing retailing platform with over 1,23,000 registered sellers. Consolidating a manufacturing supply chain and a digital marketplace into accounts a public-market investor can read is a genuine piece of engineering.

“What interested me was that this is a manufacturer first. India has plenty of platforms sitting on top of somebody else’s supply. Very few of them own the factory relationships, the stock and the fulfilment.”
– Devaprasad H S, Director, factori.com

The company behind the announcement

factori.com is operated by Sushine Exports Private Limited and supplies bulk apparel, uniforms and corporate goods to organisations including the Indian Navy, ISRO, Samsung, Decathlon and Amazon. It operates a 1.5-acre fulfilment centre in Bengaluru.

In August 2026 it opened that infrastructure to individuals through retailing.factori.com, a service that lets a person launch an independent e-commerce store, their own domain, their own brand, an integrated payment gateway and access to more than 10,000 ready-to-ship products, without buying inventory. The company charges no commission on those sellers’ sales. It describes the model as “truecommerce”: commerce in which the seller, not the platform, holds the brand, the customer and the margin.

The 2028 listing ambition sits on top of both businesses, a B2B manufacturing operation with two decades of institutional customers, and a consumer platform whose registered seller base has passed 1,23,000.

“That is a harder business to build and a cleaner one to take public, provided the discipline is put in early. Two years is enough time to do this properly. Six months is not.”
– Devaprasad H S, Director, factori.com

Whether the consumer platform converts into consistently trading stores at scale remains the open question, and the company has said that sign-ups are not the metric that will matter. The appointment announced today signals that factori.com intends to be able to answer that question in public, with audited numbers, by 2028.

About factori.com

factori.com is a Bengaluru-based manufacturing and sourcing platform operated by Sushine Exports Private Limited. It manufactures across 64 product categories with more than 600 manufacturing partners, ships to over 130 countries, and operates a 1.5-acre fulfilment centre in Bengaluru. Its institutional customers include the Indian Navy, ISRO, Samsung, Decathlon and Amazon. Through retailing.factori.com, launched in August 2026, it allows individuals to run independent e-commerce stores on the same infrastructure with no inventory and no commission on their sales.

Media contact

contact@factori.com
+91 874 707 4444
factori.com Headquarters, Bannerughatta to Jigani Road, Begihalli, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560105
Corporate Identity Number: U47911KA2023PTC177002

Theholidays.ai Recognised as Emerging AI-Led Travel Personalisation Platform of the Year 2026

Theholidays.ai Recognised as Emerging AI-Led Travel Personalisation Platform of the Year 2026

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], October 6: Theholidays.ai, an AI-native travel platform for personalised holiday discovery and planning, has been recognised as “Emerging AI-Led Travel Personalisation Platform of the Year 2026” at the Indian Travel & Technology Summit & Awards 2026. Founder & CEO Ravi Taneja was also named “Emerging Leader of the Year – Travel & Tech.”

Holiday planning is still scattered across search engines, OTAs, content platforms and booking providers. Travellers have more choice than ever, yet finding a holiday that truly fits who they are, their travel style, their pace and what they want to feel at the end of a trip, remains hard. Theholidays.ai uses AI to understand traveller intent, preferences and context, and turns them into personalised destination recommendations, itineraries, experiences and bookable travel options that feel like they were made for that traveller specifically, because they were.

“This recognition validates a problem we have seen first-hand after many years in the travel industry,” said Ravi Taneja, Founder & CEO, Theholidays.ai. “Travel is deeply personal and every traveller carries a different sense of what a perfect trip feels like. Yet discovering and planning it has stayed largely search-driven and transactional, built around destinations and prices rather than the person. AI lets us change that. We can now move from searching for travel products to discovering journeys that are genuinely relevant to each individual traveller, shaped by who they are and not just where they want to go.”

At the heart of the platform is Twinkle, the theholidays.ai AI travel companion, which begins every interaction by understanding the traveller, their vibe, their style and the kind of experiences that stay with them long after they return home. The platform brings destinations, stays, experiences and other travel services together into one personalised journey, with technology handling the complexity of planning so travellers can focus entirely on the experience itself. The company is now expanding its network of travel suppliers, destination partners and distribution relationships.

“We believe AI should make travel more personal, not less human,” added Taneja. “We are proud of this recognition, but it is a milestone rather than a destination. There is a lot we are building on, and we are excited about what is ahead.”

About Theholidays.ai

Theholidays.ai is an AI-native travel platform focused on personalised travel discovery, holiday planning and travel commerce. Powered by Twinkle, its AI travel companion, the platform understands who a traveller is and not just where they want to go, and builds journeys that combine destinations, stays, experiences and travel services into something that feels genuinely crafted for them.

Fusing the Sitar and Synths: How Delhi’s Maniic B is Redefining Global Electronic Music

Fusing the Sitar and Synths: How Delhi’s Maniic B is Redefining Global Electronic Music

NEW DELHI: In the rapidly evolving landscape of independent electronic music, a new wave of sound is breaking out from the capital, bridging the gap between traditional Indian classical roots and modern global beats. At the forefront of this sonic revolution is Maniic B, the stage name of Manan Bansal, a Delhi-born and raised record producer, DJ, and multi-instrumentalist who is quickly establishing himself as a formidable rising star in the international music production arena.

Equally comfortable behind an Ableton Push controller as he is holding a classical sitar, Maniic B represents a new generation of musicians who refuse to be confined by genre boundaries. Armed with a deep understanding of rhythm and melody cultivated through childhood training in the sitar, piano, and tabla, his unique background has allowed him to build a signature sound that seamlessly blends organic acoustic instrumentation with heavy, dark, and energetic electronic textures.

Maniic B has rolled out a diverse discography, ranging from the thunderous, high-octane drops of his bigroom anthem Horizon to the gritty, bass-heavy grooves of Buzz and the unrelenting, dark techno-phonk rhythms of Pendular.

What truly sets Maniic B apart in the saturated digital music market, however, is his commitment to live performance innovation. Rather than relying on static backing tracks, his viral live sessions showcase real-time looping and layering. In a recent widely praised performance, he completely flipped the script by live-looping classical guitar layers alongside an ASM Hydrasynth Deluxe and Ableton Push 3, constructing a What truly sets Maniic B apart in the saturated digital music market, however, is his commitment to live performance innovation. Rather than relying on static backing tracks, his viral live sessions showcase real-time looping and layering. In a recent widely praised performance, he completely flipped the script by live-looping classical guitar layers alongside an ASM Hydrasynth Deluxe and Ableton Push 3, constructing a complex electronic-classical hybrid version of the hit melody Saiyaara completely from scratch.

“This isn’t just about making music; it’s about making a statement,” notes an industry insider familiar with his work. “He is giving the club scene an authentic injection of cultural heritage without losing any of the raw, bass-driven energy that crowds demand today.”

As his tracks continue to rack up streams on platforms like Spotify and SoundCloud, Maniic B remains focused on pushing the envelope. With a steady stream of new releases on the horizon, including his highly anticipated Enthusiast Earthlings series, this Faridabad-based producer is proving that the future of electronic music might just be written with a sitar in hand.

From Covers to Original Anthems

Maniic B’s ascent to cultural relevance isn’t solely built on his prowess behind the decks. The producer has generated significant underground buzz for his eclectic studio releases. His catalog balances experimental acoustic re-imaginings, including sitar and tabla covers of global pop and dance hits like “Stay,” “Mi Gente,” and “In And Out Of Love”, with soaring original club records like “Arc” and “Desert Fire”.

This dual identity as both a traditional instrumentalist and a digital architect feeds directly into the identity of the radio show. According to updates shared via the official Tronic Psys Radio Instagram, the brand has officially elevated its identity with the launch of its formal sonic signature: the official radio anthem titled “Aether,” produced in tandem with Black Gridlines Studios. The track serves as a synthesis of everything the broadcast represents, hypnotic rhythms, pristine mixing, and an unmistakable late-night energy.

Giving Listeners a Look Behind the Curtain

Maniic B isn’t just focused on distributing polished final products; he wants his audience to understand the chaotic beauty of creation. He recently launched an intimate YouTube docu-series titled Made In The Moment, giving viewers a raw, unedited glimpse into his creative process. In the debut episode—which explores the acoustic composition of his track “Magic in the Skyway”, Bansal shows the false starts, the takes that failed, and the exact second a melody finally clicks.

Simultaneously, he has cultivated an underground community through his Enthusiast Earthlings project, a podcast and musical series (currently highlighting episodes like EE06 and EE08) crafted specifically for audiophiles who value raw, authentic instrumentation over manufactured streaming trends.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4VHHP24OP4BlsGHnOVdtcy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maniic_b

Kathaa: Reimagining India’s craft traditions for modern Homes

Kathaa: Reimagining India’s craft traditions for modern Homes

Founded by Chartered Accountant and entrepreneur Neha Modi, Kathaa brings heritage, contemporary design and artisan empowerment together through handcrafted décor inspired by Lippan art from Kutch

Mumbai, October 6, 2026: For Neha Modi, the courage to begin again became Kathaa, a design-led venture that brings traditional Indian craftsmanship into contemporary homes while creating meaningful opportunities for artisans.

Kathaa, as the name suggests, means a story. The brand creates handcrafted décor inspired by India’s cultural traditions, particularly Lippan art from Kutch, reimagining the craft for modern homes and personalised gifting.

The venture is the brainchild of Chartered Accountant Neha Modi, who returned to entrepreneurship after dedicating a significant phase of her life to family, with a focus on conscious choices, creativity and community.

Her entrepreneurial journey began in 2015 with Peekaboo Cloth Diapers, a sustainability-led venture that grew into a community of mothers and reinforced her belief that small, thoughtful choices can create lasting change.

That desire to combine purpose with creativity eventually led to Kathaa.

From Kutch’s walls to contemporary spaces

Kathaa grew from Neha’s connection with Lippan art, the distinctive mud-and-mirror craft associated with Kutch, and her belief that India’s craft traditions can remain relevant in contemporary life.

Kathaa adapts this traditional visual language into handcrafted contemporary pieces. Personalisation allows names and individual stories to become part of the craft, making each creation distinctive and memorable.

“Kathaa came from a very personal belief that our stories and our roots should never become disconnected from the way we live today. I wanted to take the heritage of Lippan art beyond its traditional setting and create pieces that feel contemporary and personal while still carrying the soul of the craft. Every piece has a story, and that is where the name Kathaa comes from,” says Neha Modi, Founder, Kathaa.

Kathaa pieces combine personal storytelling with a craft vocabulary inspired by traditional Indian decorative arts.

A platform for possibility and artisan livelihoods

At its core, Kathaa stands for possibility, beginning again, honouring one’s roots and using design as a bridge between heritage and modern living.

Equally important is Kathaa’s social purpose. The brand supports artisans across India, working to showcase their skills and create a wider audience for handmade Indian craftsmanship.

“Kathaa cannot simply be about creating beautiful décor; there has to be a larger purpose. India has immensely talented artisans whose work does not always receive the visibility it deserves. We want to celebrate their skills and create a sustainable platform through which their craftsmanship can reach more people,” adds Modi.

Each Kathaa creation is intended to carry more than aesthetic value, combining artistry, individual stories and the skills of the people who make it.

Kathaa’s personalised work has reached personalities from sport, cinema, entertainment and culture, showing how a traditional craft language can become a distinctive contemporary gift while retaining a recognisably Indian aesthetic.

About Kathaa

Kathaa is a handcrafted décor and gifting venture founded by Neha Modi. Inspired by Lippan art from Kutch, it combines heritage, contemporary design, personal storytelling and artisan empowerment.

About Neha Modi

Neha Modi is a Chartered Accountant and entrepreneur. She launched sustainability-led Peekaboo Cloth Diapers in 2015 and later founded Kathaa to celebrate Indian craft traditions, support artisans and create contemporary, story-led décor.

Yuukke Artha Summit 2026 to bring together 150 women entrepreneurs in Chennai on 7 October

Yuukke Artha Summit 2026 to bring together 150 women entrepreneurs in Chennai on 7 October

Chennai (Tamil Nadu), India, October 3: Yuukke Global Ventures, a women-powered unified marketplace, will host the Yuukke Artha Summit 2026 on Wednesday, 7 October 2026 at Hyatt Regency Chennai. Themed “Building India’s Next Generation of Financially Independent Women,” the day-long Summit brings together around 150 women entrepreneurs with leaders from Government, industry, finance, and the development sector.

The Summit marks the launch of Yuukke Artha, Yuukke’s livelihood and financial-independence program, which aims to enable 10 million women to achieve financial independence by 2030 by helping women-led small businesses, artisans and grassroots entrepreneurs build independent incomes.

The program features a fireside conversation on building pathways to financial independence and three leadership panels: What Will It Take to Build India’s Next Generation of Financially Independent Women?; Future-Ready Women: The Skills Women Need to Learn Today to Earn Tomorrow; and Markets, Money & Opportunity: What Women Need to Build, Sustain and Grow. Speakers include Pallavi Tewari Madhok (Women’s World Banking), Shalini Warrier (Gosree Finance; former Executive Director, Federal Bank), Shobhana P Ravi (TAFE), Dr. Mahalakshmi G S (Centre for Entrepreneurship Development, Anna University) and Savitha K Jagadeesan (Kochhar & Co), among others.

The day closes with the Yuukke Awards, recognising 11 women across categories including Financial Independence Champion, Yuukke Phoenix Woman, Changemaker of the Year and Young Woman Achiever of the Year. For many recipients, it will be the first time their work is recognised in public.

“Financial independence changes more than a woman’s income. It changes how she sees herself, how her family sees her, and what her children believe is possible. Yuukke Artha is our commitment to make that change real for 10 million women,” said Dr. Senthamarai Gokulakrishnan, Founder & CEO, Yuukke Global Ventures.

The Summit is supported by ecosystem partner TN Rise, media partner BRIO TV and a network of supporting and marketplace partners.

About Yuukke

Yuukke is a women-powered unified marketplace ecosystem that enables women-led small businesses, artisans and grassroots entrepreneurs to build independent incomes. Its platforms include an artisan marketplace (shop.yuukke.com), a service hub for coaches and professionals (connect.yuukke.com), and a corporate gifting platform (gift.yuukke.com).

Media contact:

Mr. Satish Jupiter, PRO

Yuukke: 99629 99155 sentha@yuukke.com

artha.yuukke.com

APFA and IKF Collaborate for Another Season of Scout on Wheels Andhra Pradesh, Expanding the Programme to 20+ Locations

APFA and IKF Collaborate for Another Season of Scout on Wheels Andhra Pradesh, Expanding the Programme to 20+ Locations

Andhra Pradesh, September 2026: The Andhra Pradesh Football Association (APFA) and India Khelo Football (IKF) are coming together for another season of Scout on Wheels – Andhra Pradesh 2026 in association with AP Tourism, taking the grassroots football initiative to an even larger footprint across the state.

Building on their previous collaboration, the 2026 edition will reach 20+ locations across Andhra Pradesh, bringing structured player assessment, coaching insights, football pathways and player-support interventions closer to grassroots communities.

This year, however, the programme will be about more than identifying football talent.

From talent scouting to 360° player support

Scout on Wheels 2026 will combine IKF’s nationwide scouting network with a broader IKF Pathway 360 approach, designed to support young players as individuals and not only as aspiring footballers.

Alongside structured football assessments, players and families will be introduced to areas including mental fitness, financial literacy, women’s well-being, education, career opportunities and pathways beyond professional football.

The objective is to ensure that even players who may not eventually pursue football professionally are not left without direction.

Through Pathway 360, IKF aims to connect players to the right ecosystem of partners, mentors, educational opportunities and career pathways, reinforcing the belief that the journey does not end at the football pitch.

APFA-certified coaches to bring development insights to the grassroots

One of the key additions to this year’s programme will be the participation of APFA-certified coaches.

Coaches will be part of the Scout on Wheels journey, engaging with players and providing insights into their development. Their involvement will add a strong technical and developmental layer to the programme, helping players understand areas such as technical ability, decision-making, game understanding, fitness and the process of long-term player development.

The collaboration brings together APFA’s coaching ecosystem and understanding of football development within the state by ensuring the players through out the year can be developed and trained under APFA coaches.

“For football to grow in Andhra Pradesh, we need to take development opportunities closer to the grassroots and all the schools. The involvement of APFA-certified coaches in Scout on Wheels will allow young players to receive meaningful technical inputs while also helping us understand the football potential emerging from different parts of the state. Our collaboration with IKF is an important step towards creating a stronger and more connected football ecosystem in Andhra Pradesh.”
— Mr Sridhar Kotagiri, President, Andhra Pradesh Football Association

“Scout on Wheels is evolving into much more than a talent identification initiative. Our objective is to take the football ecosystem to the player—whether that means identifying a player for a professional pathway, helping them understand how they can develop, or connecting them with opportunities beyond football. With 20+ locations this season, our collaboration with APFA allows us to take this 360° approach deeper into Andhra Pradesh.”
— Mr Phani Bhushan, Founder, India Khelo Football

A partnership built around access and opportunity

The continued partnership between APFA and IKF reflects a shared belief that grassroots football development requires a sustained ecosystem rather than one-time scouting events.

APFA brings its football network and certified coaching ecosystem, while IKF brings its experience in grassroots talent identification, scouting and player pathways across India.

The initiative is also supported by Tyger Capital, whose continued association with Scout on Wheels reflects the role that responsible corporate partnerships can play in expanding access to sport and creating opportunities for young people.

“The journey in Andhra Pradesh has shown what becomes possible when communities come together around a shared vision. Tyger Capital is proud to continue supporting India Khelo Football in creating sustainable opportunities for young athletes across the state.”
— Mr Gaurav Gupta, Founder, MD & CEO Tyger Capital

Taking the football ecosystem on the road

With 20+ locations planned across Andhra Pradesh, Scout on Wheels will travel deeper into the state’s football communities, creating opportunities for players who may otherwise have limited access to structured scouting, coaching expertise and information about football pathways.

At every location, the programme will bring together players, parents, coaches, grassroots partners and local football stakeholders.

The initiative will also strengthen the role of the local football ecosystem by creating connections between grassroots players and the wider network of coaches, scouts, clubs, academies, associations, NGOs and corporate partners.

The philosophy remains simple: talent can come from anywhere, but opportunity should not be limited by geography.

As APFA and IKF return for another season of Scout on Wheels, the programme is therefore not just searching for the next footballer.

It is looking to identify potential, provide development insights, create pathways and support the individual behind the player.

And this season, the road across Andhra Pradesh is set to be bigger than ever.

Skills First, Careers Next: How EduInX Approaches Career Readiness

Skills First, Careers Next: How EduInX Approaches Career Readiness

New Delhi [India], October 2: For anyone considering a professional upskilling program, one question often comes first: Will this actually help me get a job?

It is a reasonable question. Learning requires an investment of time, money and effort, and professionals want to know whether that investment can translate into meaningful career opportunities.

At EduInX, the approach is straightforward: we don’t promise a job; we focus on helping professionals to become better prepared for one.

That means putting the emphasis where it belongs—on relevant skills, practical exposure, mentorship, projects and career preparation.

Beyond the Placement Promise

A placement number can look impressive on a brochure, but a career journey is more complicated than a percentage.

People come into learning programs with different backgrounds, experience levels, goals and expectations. Some are looking for their first opportunity in a new field. Others are trying to transition into AI, data science or product management. Some want to strengthen their existing profile and move into more specialised roles.

Their journeys cannot all be measured in the same way.

At EduInX, the focus is therefore on creating an environment where learners can build capabilities that are relevant to the evolving technology and business landscape.

The results can be seen through the career milestones achieved by members of the EduInX community.

Professionals such as Nitin Sharma Senior Project Manager, who moved into a Product Lead role at 50 LPA, and Diwakar Sinha and Abhishek Bhattacharya, who reached roles at Quest Global and Ascendo at 45 LPA, represent some of these individual journeys.

Other milestone achievers include Sreenath R at Rockwell Collins at 40 LPA, along with professionals who secured opportunities at organisations such as Amazon, Inspira, Kotak and others.

Each outcome is different. But behind every outcome is a combination of learning, preparation, persistence and opportunity.

What Comes Before the Offer Letter?

An offer letter is an outcome.

The preparation begins much earlier.

At EduInX, professional programs are designed around skills that sit at the intersection of technology, business and emerging industry requirements.

The learning portfolio includes areas such as:

  • Data Science with Generative AI
  • Generative AI
  • AI in Product Management
  • Advanced Analytics with Power BI & Tableau
  • Applied Generative AI, LLMs and RAG Systems

The objective isn’t simply to complete modules or collect certificates. It is to help learners understand how these skills are applied in practical professional environments.

Because technology changes quickly, staying relevant also means continuously updating what and how people learn.

Learning Has to Leave the Classroom

Knowing a concept and being able to apply it are two different things.

That is why practical projects form an important part of the EduInX learning experience.

Projects give learners an opportunity to work through problems, make decisions, experiment with tools and create something they can discuss during an interview.

This also changes the nature of career conversations.

Instead of saying, “I completed a course,” a professional can potentially demonstrate:

“Here is what I built. Here’s the problem I worked on. Here’s how I approached it. And here’s what I learned.”

That difference can matter when employers are evaluating practical capability.

Mentorship Matters Too

Upskilling doesn’t always fail because people lack access to information.

Sometimes, the bigger challenge is knowing what to focus on, how to improve and when you’re ready to take the next step.

Mentors can help provide that direction.

At EduInX, mentorship is integrated into the learning and career-preparation journey, helping learners work through technical concepts, projects, interview preparation and professional presentation.

The goal is not to make the journey effortless.

It is to make the journey more structured.

Career Readiness Is a Process

There is no single formula that guarantees a successful career transition.

A strong program can provide learning resources, mentors, projects, career support and opportunities to practise. But the learner still has to put those resources to work.

That means showing up consistently.

Building beyond the classroom.

Taking feedback seriously.

Applying for more better opportunities.

Learning from the interviews that did not work out.

And continuing to improve.

This is why EduInX approaches career support as a readiness journey rather than a job promise.

The distinction is important.

A promise focuses on the outcome.

Preparation focuses on what a professional can control.

Building for the Careers Ahead

AI, data and digital products are changing how organisations operate—and consequently, the skills expected from professionals are changing as well.

EduInX’s focus is to help professionals navigate that shift through structured programs, practical learning and mentorship.

The career stories of its milestone achievers demonstrate what can happen when learning is combined with consistent effort and the right opportunities.

But every learner’s outcome will be different.

And that is exactly why the emphasis remains on skills first, practical experience next, and career opportunities as the result of that preparation.

Because a career shouldn’t depend on a promise.

It should be built on capability, confidence and the willingness to keep moving forward.

For the professionals exploring their next step in AI, data science or product management, EduInX offers structured programs designed to support that journey – from learning the fundamentals to building the practical projects and preparing for the workplace.

Maa Acorn unveils Ayana Woods, Bengaluru’s first longevity- and wellness-anchored villa community, with the largest resort-style club spread across 8 acres

Maa Acorn unveils Ayana Woods, Bengaluru’s first longevity- and wellness-anchored villa community, with the largest resort-style club spread across 8 acres

Bengaluru (Karnataka), India, October 1: Maa Acorn Lifestyle Pvt. Ltd. today unveiled the resort-style club at Ayana Woods, its 75-acre villa community in Sarjapura: an 8-acre club with a longevity clinic at its heart, positioned as the largest club of its kind in any villa community in Bengaluru. The club is central to Maa Acorn’s vision for Ayana Woods as a residential community built around longevity and wellness. The project is already open to buyers; its formal launch is planned for the first quarter of 2027.

The resort club

Spread across 8 acres at the centre of the community, the club brings a longevity clinic inside the gates, so that a resident’s doctor is a walk away, not a drive across the city. Around it sit a sauna and recovery suite, dining, sport and social spaces, and resort accommodation for residents’ guests, with roughly 1.5 lakh sq ft of built-up area in the first phase. Designed by Studio on Island, Bali, in the same language of open pavilions, stone and timber as the villas, it opens onto Aranya, the community’s forest park. Its longevity partner will be announced separately.

Why a clinic and not a clubhouse

Longevity homes are a new category worldwide. Their focus is not simply on a pool or balcony, but on how the home and its surrounding environment can support healthier daily routines – bringing medical and recovery facilities into the community while keeping residents connected to nature. Similar projects are being developed in the United States, Thailand, Australia and the UAE; in Melbourne, Elysium Fields is a USD 1.7 billion wellness-focused residential precinct.

According to the Global Wellness Institute, wellness real estate was worth USD 584 billion in 2024, up from USD 225 billion in 2019 – more than doubling in five years – and is projected to reach USD 1.1 trillion by 2029. The institute’s research also found evidence that wellness-focused residential properties at the middle and upper ends of the market can command a 10-25 per cent premium over conventional properties. India’s wellness real estate market has already doubled to USD 13 billion – yet almost every property advertisement in the country still sells square feet and a clubhouse.

Built to add healthy years

Longevity is not simply about living longer; it is about staying healthy for longer, and much of that is influenced by daily habits – how much we move, how well we sleep and recover, what we eat, and how early we seek medical care. The club is designed to make those routines easier to build into daily life. The clinic is intended to move care beyond an annual check-up towards more continuous engagement. The sauna and recovery suite make recovery part of the routine. The Ayana Run Club starts and ends at the club, while trails through Aranya create a natural setting for morning walks. Shared tables and doctor-led panels are designed to bring residents together around common health and wellness goals.

The Founders’ Circle: the first fifty

Membership opens with residents and will extend, in limited numbers, to members from across the city. The first 50 members form the Founders’ Circle, with privileges that will not be offered again: founding-member status for life, name engraved on the Ayana founder’s wall. recognition at the club, first access to the clinic’s programmes, priority on guest stays and on the club’s calendar of dinners and doctor panels.

“Every villa project in Bengaluru has a clubhouse. We are building the city’s largest resort club, and putting a clinic at the centre of it, because the club is where a longevity community actually lives – not the villa,” said Rishabh Raj, Chief Operating Officer, Maa Acorn.

The first fifty people who join are not buying a membership. They are setting the culture of the place, and they will be treated that way for as long as the club stands.”

About the project

Ayana Woods is planned for 456 villas in its current phases, with a 47-acre first phase; further phases under planning could take the community to around 1,000 homes. The villas come in four typologies – Asri, Amara, Agung and Awan – from about 2,800 to 6,400 sq ft of built-up area. Partnerships in longevity, mobility and sustainability will be announced in the coming weeks.

Ayana Woods is BMRDA-approved and registered under Karnataka RERA (TOR/PRM/KA/RERA/1251/308/PR/260223/001644). Private previews at the Ayana Woods experience centre in Sarjapura, Bangalore

Media contact

Name – Maa Acorn
Email – info@maa-acorn.com
Phone – +917090454000