ALL DEALS 
March 4, 2016 Magic Leap raises $793.5 million from Alibaba, Google, Qualcomm
Magic Leap is promising to create a headset that would use a type of light-field technology to simulate 3-D images superimposed on the real world. New York: Magic Leap Inc., the mysterious startup working on a device that simulates reality, has raised $793.5 million in a new round of funding led by Alibaba Group Holding […]
ALL DEALS March 4, 2016 Ratan Tata says some start-up valuations ‘pricey’
File photo.Ratan Tata has invested in more than 25 Indian start-ups over the past 24 months. Photo: Abhijit Bhatlekar/Mint Mumbai: Ratan Tata said his investments in start-ups are aimed at enabling goods and services to reach a large section of the population, although the chairman emeritus of Tata Sons Ltd admitted that valuations of some […]
NEWS March 4, 2016 Ola, Uber launch bike taxi services in Bengaluru
Photo: Hemant Mishra/Mint Bengaluru: Ride hailing services Ola and Uber on Thursday announced the launch of their respective bike taxi services in Bengaluru, a move that will mark their presence in almost every possible land commute option. Uber Inc., the world’s most valuable start-up and Ola (ANI Technologies Pvt. Ltd), now offer between themselves an […]
ALL DEALS March 4, 2016 Flipkart’s monthly ad sales revenue reaches $1 million
Photo: Hemant Mishra/Mint Bengaluru: Flipkart Ltd, India’s largest e-commerce firm, is currently generating nearly $1 million in monthly advertisement sales, making the company one of the largest digital ads platforms in India less than a year after it launched its ads business, two people familiar with the matter said. Ravi Garikipati, head of Flipkart’s ads […]
ALL DEALS March 4, 2016 Augmented reality start-up Blippar raises $54 million
Blippar has 300 employees in 14 offices worldwide, with 30 of them in its New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru offices. Bengaluru: Blippar Inc., a company that makes augmented reality technology for brands as well as for consumers, said on Wednesday that it has raised $54 million from Khazanah Nasional Berhad, the strategic investment fund of […]
ALL DEALS 
March 4, 2016 MoMark raises $600,000 from YourNest Angel Fund, LNB Group
MoMark offers small retailers customer analytics as well as a point-of-sale terminal with which they can accept money from any mobile wallet. Bengaluru: MoMark Services Pvt. Ltd, a Noida-based firm that makes mobile-based customer engagement platform for small and medium businesses, on Wednesday said it raised $600,000 from YourNest Angel Fund and the LNB Group […]
NEWS March 4, 2016 Ola may shut down grocery, food delivery services
Photo: Hemant Mishra/Mint New Delhi/Bengaluru: India’s largest taxi-hailing service Ola, run by ANI Technologies Pvt. Ltd, may shut down its grocery and food delivery services barely a year into launch, as the company slows expansion plans and struggles to build customer demand for the business units. Ola Store, the groceries delivery service, and Ola Cafe, […]
ALL DEALS March 4, 2016 Mind the gap: Boosting a climate of entrepreneurship
Photo: Ramesh Pathania/Mint Bengaluru can often feel like a different country. Elsewhere, university campuses might be on fire, debating the freedom of speech and meaning of freedom; water supply to entire neighbourhoods might be cut off by angry mobs; thousands might be stranded due to once-in-a-century floods. But in Bengaluru’s coffee shops and meeting rooms, […]
NEWS March 4, 2016 Entrepreneurship to improve the world for everyone
Photo: Mint India is shining. It has retained the third position among countries with the most billionaires, according to the Hurun Global Rich List. Now India has 111 billionaires, an increase of 14 since last year. Topping the list of Indian billionaires are Mukesh Ambani, Dilip Shanghvi, Pallonji Mistry and Shiv Nadar—entrepreneurs who have amassed […]
NEWS 
March 4, 2016 Unicorns are a myth. But you do believe in them!
Photo: Bloomberg The enterprise value of Google pre-IPO (initial public offer) was estimated to be between $33 billion and $40 billion (based on a S&P’s pre-IPO Google report). Google listed on Nasdaq on 19 August 2004 at $85, the low end of its revised price expectation of $85-95. Its market capitalization was valued at $23 […]
NEWS March 4, 2016 Alibaba in talks to buy Flipkart stake
Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group. If the Flipkart-Alibaba deal goes through, it will make Alibaba one of the three most important investors in India, along with Tiger Global Management and Japan’s SoftBank Group. Photo: Bloomberg New Delhi/Bengaluru: China’s Alibaba Group, which has backed Paytm and Snapdeal, is looking to increase its footprint in India […]
NEWS March 4, 2016 Here’s why Microsoft bought SwiftKey for $250 million—artificial intelligence
Photo: Bloomberg New Delhi: On Tuesday, London-based predictive technology company SwiftKey said it has joined the Microsoft family. The deal, first reported by the Financial Times, is believed to be around $250 million. SwiftKey, for most smartphone users, comes through as just another third-party keyboard app, an upgrade on the default keyboard that most platforms […]
