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India Insights from Times Bridge: February 2024

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India Insights from Times Bridge: February 2024

Times Bridge
February 21, 2024

Dear Reader,

We hope you've been doing well.

With 2024 underway, we are delighted to share some of the latest highlights from the Times Bridge portfolio, The Times of India Group, and the country’s ever-evolving tech ecosystem. 

Happy reading!

TIMES BRIDGE INSIGHTS

Congratulations to Uber on completing a decade of growth and leadership in India's gig economy!

While India became the first nation to land a lunar mission near the Moon’s south pole last year, Uber's drivers in India have covered the distance from the Earth to the Moon 86,000 times since the company started its India operations 10 years ago.

In collaboration with Dezan Shira Associates, a leading international advisory firm, we published “India’s Economic Rise: How Global Tech Giants are Chasing the Next Big Growth Engine” — an article that drills down on India’s attractions for global companies as it prepares to become the world’s second-largest economy by 2075. Click here to read the article.

In our latest edition of India Immersion Stories, we dove into our work helping Smule, the world’s leading karaoke app, when it launched India’s first digital-only singing reality show.

Read more to learn how ‘1,2,3 Riyaaz’ helped Smule grow its engaged community of young singers, weave its way into local culture — and propel India into one of its top three markets globally.

PORTFOLIO HIGHLIGHTS

Our portfolio partner companies have had an impressive few months, generating outsized impact and growth in India and, in so doing, advancing their global position as well.

Our partner Coursera continues to localize its offerings for its second-largest global market. CEO Jeff Maggioncalda spoke about the company’s India plans last week at the ET Now Global Business Summit 2024 in New Delhi. Coursera is leveraging AI to offer over 4,000 courses in Hindi — in line with its mission to provide universal access to world-class learning.

MUBI recently held the South Asia premiere of Sofia Coppola’s widely-acclaimed film “Priscilla” at the prestigious Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. MUBI owns the exclusive India rights to the film, which will release across the country in partnership with PVR-INOX theaters — the latest example of MUBI bringing the world’s most-loved films to Indian cinephiles.

Separately, MUBI has been awarded Apple TV App of the Year at the 2023 App Store Awards.

UK-based nonprofit Girl Effect co-authored a cutting-edge report that investigates the key attitudes, trends and behaviors influencing youth's mobile access and usage across seven low- and middle-income countries. Their findings from India reveal gender-based discrepancies in mobile phone ownership, the narrative of internet safety, and other important areas. The report and its findings are particularly salient in India, which has an estimated 1.2 billion mobile phone users.

Adding to its slew of global accolades, Headspace was named the Best Meditation App by Wirecutter, the product recommendation service of the New York Times. Headspace continues to stand out with its world-class mindfulness content as it stays true to its mission of improving health and happiness around the globe.

TIMES OF INDIA GROUP HIGHLIGHTS

The Economic Times Startup Awards wrapped up late last year and brought together the country’s top entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders. Now in its ninth edition, the ET Startup Awards demonstrate ET’s longstanding commitment to not only inform but also actively engage business leaders and entrepreneurs in India and beyond.

The Economic Times continues to outpace the competition with over 40 million unique digital visitors each month. Over 60 years after its founding, the Economic Times remains India’s premier news platform in the business and finance genre.

INDIA INSIGHTS

In late 2023, credit card usage in India surpassed debit card usage for the first time, as reported by Bloomberg. The value of credit card transactions remains on the rise, demonstrating increasing average incomes and growing consumer awareness.

“Given the different profiles of India and China’s respective consumer classes, it is not a question of whether one will displace the other, but rather of the joint importance their markets will exert over the next decade,” writes the Brookings Institution. One-fifth of the world’s youth consumer market will be based in India by the end of this decade, presenting a compelling opportunity for the world’s top companies and brands.

India’s travel market continues to show promising growth, with travel spending expected to increase from $150 billion in 2019 to $410 billion by 2030. But what is driving the wanderlust? According to a report from Booking.com and McKinsey, Indian travelers mainly get their travel inspiration from social media platforms, TV shows, and Indian cinema — demonstrating the power of digital content in the world’s largest open Internet market.

Thanks for reading. Until next time!

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India’s Economic Rise: How Global Tech Giants are Chasing the Next Big Growth Engine

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India’s Economic Rise: How Global Tech Giants are Chasing the Next Big Growth Engine

Times Bridge
December 8, 2023

India's meteoric economic ascent, forecasted to surpass Japan by 2030 and potentially become the world's second-largest economy by 2075, stems from multifaceted strengths. Anchored by strategic positioning, a commitment to digitalization, and demographic advantages, India stands as a tech haven amid global turmoil. Major tech firms like Apple, Microsoft, and Meta witness exponential growth in India, showcasing the country's resilience amidst global headwinds. With a burgeoning middle class and a robust supply of skilled workers, India offers a thriving market for global tech giants. Infrastructure enhancements, innovation, and an enabling policy landscape further fortify the country’s appeal, demanding nuanced strategies for successful market entry and growth. India not only beckons as a thriving market but also a crucible for global business success, offering both local and international growth opportunities.

India's emergence as an economic juggernaut garners acknowledgment not only from local enthusiasts but also from a chorus of global analysts. Recent reports from S&P Global Market Intelligence forecast India's ascent, positioning it to surpass Japan as the world's largest economy by 2030. Goldman Sachs paints an even more ambitious picture, predicting India to become the world’s second-largest economy by 2075. This surge is underpinned by India's strategic geographic location, its burgeoning influence in the Asia-Pacific region, and its robust role as a geopolitical player. 

The country’s promising future is anchored by several pivotal factors: a growing workforce, the transformative influence of multinational corporations in global supply chains, and India's rapid strides in digital innovation. This convergence not only shapes India's prospects for the coming decade but also, according to Bob Sternfels of McKinsey & Company, positions it as a significant player during this century.

India's resilient tech haven amidst global headwinds

In the aftermath of the challenging global landscape following the pandemic, India is emerging as a beacon of growth for major global tech firms, as highlighted in the "Navigating the Storm" report by the World Bank in 2022. This report emphasized India's robust resilience in managing global spillovers, setting it apart from numerous other emerging markets. Recent disclosures from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs further underline a notable trend: revenue growth rates for key companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Meta in India have outpaced their global expansion rates during the financial year (FY) 2023.

Despite the tech industry's worldwide upheavals marked by project closures and substantial layoffs, India stands firm with consistent growth. Notably, India's growth, starting from a comparatively lower base, signals a promising trajectory, hinting at the country's potential to hold a more significant position in the future revenues of these companies and their category-leading peers.

Apple strategically positioned India as a pivotal manufacturing hub under its China+1 strategy, resulting in record-breaking revenue figures during FY 2023, boasting a remarkable 48 percent annual growth, soaring to US$5.9 billion. Similarly, Meta witnessed a robust 13 percent growth in gross ad revenue in India during the same fiscal year.

Meanwhile, Microsoft India reported a staggering 39 percent surge in revenue during FY 2023, surpassing the global revenue growth of the firm, which stood at a mere seven percent year-on-year for the three-month period ending on March 31, 2023.

These trends underscore India's relatively insulated economy amidst global recession concerns. The consistent upward trajectory of these global tech companies in India, despite turbulent global conditions, speaks volumes about the country's potential as a lucrative market and a stronghold for future expansions.

India’s competitive edge: What’s driving global tech companies to India?

India's economic trajectory marks it as the world's fastest-growing major economy, propelled by robust private consumption and investment. A decade of substantial foreign direct investment reflects confidence in India's long-term growth potential, buoyed by a youthful population and escalating urban household incomes.

A convergence of diverse favorable trends within India's business landscape propels this narrative, supported by multifaceted factors influencing both demand and supply, further facilitated by an enabling business environment.

Despite possessing a sizable talent pool and cost advantages in labor compared to more developed economies, global tech giants perceive heightened motivations for investing in the country at present. India is immersed in rapid digitization, emerging as a focal point for technological advancements. Notably, it boasts the title of the world's second-largest smartphone market, with inexpensive data plans and cellular devices now available to India's burgeoning middle-class consumers.

Commenting on these trends, Rohan Joseph, Vice President and Head of Global Investments & Corporate at Times Bridge, explained, “In many ways, India is a microcosm of the world. From working in India alongside top global tech companies like Uber and Airbnb, we’ve seen how India offers both a robust consumer market and an ideal context for developing and piloting cutting-edge innovations. We continue to feel strongly about our mission of bringing the world’s best ideas to India and sharing India’s best insights with the world.”

Consumer base and middle-class surge

At the heart of India's growth narrative is its vast consumer base of 1.4 billion people, driving domestic consumption and investments. A report from the Brookings Institution underscores the unprecedented growth of the global middle class, with over one billion people entering its ranks from 2015 to 2022. India's contribution to this phenomenal rise stands at 380 million, eclipsing even China's substantial addition of 350 million people. No other nation comes close to reaching even half of these figures.

The forecasted explosion in India's middle-class consumption is astonishingly significant. Starting at US$2.1 trillion in 2015, less than half of the US, India is projected to reach a whopping US$10.7 trillion by 2030, more than double the US's anticipated consumption. This trajectory positions India as the most impactful driver of global middle-class consumption growth.

Echoing similar sentiments, Frost & Sullivan's estimations also indicate a parallel expansion of the middle class. Expected to double from 28.5 percent in 2019 to an astonishing 53.8 percent by 2030, this surge, accounting for 350 million individuals within the current population, is poised to exceed the entire population of the US. 

Supply-side dynamics: demographic dividend and skilled workforce

A look at India’s supply-side dynamics further reinforces this optimistic narrative. India's demographic dividend, which consists of the world's largest pool of English-speaking STEM graduates, a low dependency ratio of 31.2 percent, and a working-age population which is expected to reach 1.04 billion by 2030 , presents a significant advantage. Moreover, with robust access to finance, India’s financial market performance has been strong. With opportunities in China cooling off, investors are eyeing India as the closest alternative. The MSCI India Index, designed to measure the performance of the large and mid-cap segments of the Indian market, has surged 12 percent this year, overshadowing the 2 percent increase in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.

Infrastructure revolution: physical and digital

Infrastructure enhancements, both physical and digital, are transforming India's landscape. Notably, the country has been consistently adding 10,000 km of highways annually, doubling the number of airports since 2014, and developing upgraded train systems to connect economic hubs efficiently. These advancements directly impact companies’ ability to operate in India and serve a widespread audience.

India's strides in digital infrastructure have significantly enhanced its global appeal. With a staggering 881.25 million internet subscribers, India ranks second in the world for internet-enabled populations, closely following China. This robust connectivity has facilitated the establishment of a pioneering digital public infrastructure, serving as a benchmark for nations worldwide. It streamlines digital payments, implements population-scale unique identity systems, and offers accessible online documentation for citizens.

Technological advancements and innovation

India's ascent in the Global Innovation Index, surging from 81st to an impressive 40th position in eight years, showcases its commitment to innovation. The country stands as the third-most sought-after investment destination for technology transactions, boasting a thriving startup ecosystem that ranks third globally. Technological advancements in internet access, cloud computing, and state-of-the-art data centers have contributed significantly to India's prominence in the global tech landscape.

Enabling policy landscape

Thriving in India's competitive landscape mandates catering to lower price points, compelling competitors to reengineer activities, production, and supply chains.

India's recent structural economic reforms have significantly improved the country's business environment by reducing regulatory burdens, enhancing compliance processes, and attracting foreign investment. These reforms eliminated over 39,000 regulations, digitized compliance procedures, relaxed restrictions on foreign investment, modernized bankruptcy and labor laws, and eliminated retroactive taxation. Consequently, India has become more appealing to businesses due to reduced costs, improved efficiency, increased access to capital, greater flexibility in operations, and enhanced certainty for investments. As a result, there has been a surge in foreign investment, an influx of multinational companies, and a burgeoning startup ecosystem in India.

Navigating India's dynamic market for global business success

Tech companies entering the Indian market have diverse motivations, from tapping into the vast untapped internet user base to capturing a significant share of the burgeoning middle-class consumer market. India presents exceptional local and global growth prospects for various organizations, provided they deeply understand the specific strengths of the Indian market they aim to leverage. 

Drawing upon more than three decades of diverse experience in establishing and effectively overseeing multinational corporations, Rohit Kapur, as Managing Director - India at Dezan Shira and Associates, emphasizes, “India's vibrant business landscape beckons with immense promise, yet many falter at the outset due to failure to comprehend the intricate tapestry of India's multi-layered markets. A bespoke strategy that factors in these vital variables is essential to seamlessly navigating the multifaceted layers of our geography, income disparities, and consumer behaviors.”

Success in India pivots on prioritizing profitability and astute capital utilization instead of simply replicating models from developed nations. It's about tailoring products to meet India's unique aspirational needs, striking a balance between quality and pricing, and leveraging digitally empowered distribution channels.

Businesses globally attuned to India’s nuances not only unlock disruptive growth opportunities in a new market but also gain access to a repository of tried-and-tested innovations that can be adapted for other promising global markets.

This article is co-authored by Naina Bhardwaj and Samantha Chai. Naina Bhardwaj is an International Business Advisor at Dezan Shira & Associates, which is a pan-Asia, multi-disciplinary professional services firm, providing market entry, legal, accounting, tax, HR, technology and operational advisory to international investors. Samantha Chai is an Investments & Operations Manager at Times Bridge, the investment and partnerships arm of The Times Group, with a mission of bringing the world’s best ideas to India and sharing India’s best insights with the world.


By Samantha Chai

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India Insights from Times Bridge: August 2023

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India Insights from Times Bridge: August 2023

Times Bridge
September 12, 2023

Dear Reader,

We hope you've been doing well.

As we step into the latter half of 2023, we are delighted to share some of the latest highlights from the Times Bridge portfolio, The Times Group, and India’s ever-evolving tech ecosystem. 

Happy reading!

TIMES BRIDGE INSIGHTS

INDIA STACK 101

In our latest blog post, we’ve attempted to explain India's much-loved and widely successful digital public infrastructure, known as the "India Stack." Ushering India's vast population into the digital age, the India Stack facilitates access to the foundational elements of identity, payments, data, and networks. This comprehensive array of services seamlessly converges as a unified digital structure that caters to various stages of the value chain. 

The role of this technology stack in India’s development has garnered international attention, acclaim, and adoption. For more insights, plus a glossary, you can find the full story here.

INDIA IMMERSION STORIES

This quarter we unveiled our latest initiative: India Immersion Stories!

With the complexities and nuances that lie in the vast Indian market, we at Times Bridge have always used a localized approach to strengthen the presence of our portfolio partners across the subcontinent. In each edition of our LinkedIn Newsletter, we aim to delve into a specific intervention we have undertaken with our global partners, shedding light on the opportunities, challenges, and meticulous processes that led to their success.

In our first edition of India Immersion Stories, we took a deep dive into how we built inroads for Canva’s education offerings with students and teachers around the country. You can read more here — don’t forget to subscribe!

TIMES GROUP HIGHLIGHTS

As part of The Economic Times Conversations series, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, sat down with Satyan Gajwani, Vice Chairman of Times Internet, for a stimulating discussion on AI and its implications for businesses, employment, and societal dynamics — in India and at large.

The packed crowd included policymakers, executives from top technology startups, and prominent business leaders. You can watch a replay of the conversation here.

PORTFOLIO HIGHLIGHTS

Our portfolio partner companies have had an impressive 2023 so far, generating outsized impact and growth in India and, in so doing, advancing their global position as well.

AIRBNB

Following last year’s collaboration with Goa's state tourism department, Airbnb and the Indian Ministry of Tourism have forged a fresh alliance, highlighting the nation's heritage accommodations and advancing cultural tourism as part of the Ministry's "Visit India 2023" campaign. Airbnb continues to play a pivotal role in unlocking novel economic and societal prospects through travel, especially in lesser-known Indian destinations.

UBER

Uber's worldwide pledge to become a zero-emission mobility platform by 2040 is materializing in India, where its operations span more than 120 cities. The company launched its Uber Green initiative in June, introducing 25,000 electric four-wheelers and plans to deploy an additional 10,000 electric two-wheelers in New Delhi by 2024.

COURSERA

Emphasizing India’s central role in its global growth strategy, Coursera has introduced Coursera Hiring Solutions as a pilot program before any other market in India, where the company has its largest user base of nearly 20 million learners. The innovative employment platform is poised to reshape the international hiring arena, while leveraging Generative AI for burgeoning employment opportunities.

MUBI

Award-winning actor-filmmaker Konkona Sen Sharma recently collaborated with MUBI, meticulously curating iconic films for audiences to rediscover on the streaming platform. The partnership exemplifies MUBI's ongoing commitment to serving the refined tastes of Indian cinephiles, while solidifying its status as the world’s premier hub for thoughtfully-crafted cinema.

SMULE

Smule teamed up with Sony Music India to orchestrate a singing competition for the popular Hindi melody "Bairiya.” The contest gave a platform to India's gifted and aspiring vocalists, forging positive social connections that have become representative of Smule’s community-led programming and outreach in India.

STACK OVERFLOW

Stack Overflow has recently announced OverflowAI, an expansion of its AI capabilities across both its enterprise product — Teams — and its public site. The new offerings will be available to developers all over the world, including in India, one of the fastest-growing SaaS markets and the second-largest traffic generator for Stack Overflow’s public site.

HEADSPACE

In June, Headspace won the Apple Design Awards for the Social Impact category. Since its inception, Headspace has maintained its position as the benchmark for mental health apps — a particularly remarkable feat considering the complexity of addressing mindfulness and mental health via an app. The awards honor excellence in innovation, ingenuity, and technical achievement in app and game design. 

INDIA INSIGHTS

With Generative AI finding its way into multiple sectors in India, AI4Bharat is leading the charge for public investment in open-source technologies for regional Indian languages — championing the country’s vast diversity and empowering every voice.

India's embrace of diverse cultures powers its integration with the global economy. Right now, Indians are enamored by Korean culture — from music and movies to beauty and food. Data shows that the K-pop boyband BTS generated 778 million views from India on YouTube, while 35% of Indian women claim that 25% of their beauty products are Korean. 

Music from India's iconic Bollywood movies has long been the heartbeat of its melodies, but times are changing. Thanks to social media and streaming platforms, independent artists are finding a chance to shine brighter than ever — and indie music is now India’s fastest-growing category on Spotify.

Thanks for reading. Until next time!

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India Stack 101: A Primer on India's World-Renowned Digital Public Infrastructure

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India Stack 101: A Primer on India's World-Renowned Digital Public Infrastructure

Times Bridge
August 29, 2023

Take a stroll down one of the buzzing, vibrant streets of any Indian city. Amidst this stimulating sensory experience, you will notice the ubiquitous, physical manifestation of India’s new-age digital payment infrastructure — the UPI QR code. Whether transacting at a ticket counter or engaging with street vendors, the QR code will be available as a popular payment option. Such is the remarkable reach and accessibility of the India Stack, the country’s revolutionary digital public infrastructure. 

India Stack is the moniker for a set of open APIs and digital public goods that aim to bring the country’s vast population into the internet age. It works on a massive scale, with Indians — cutting across states, urban/rural areas, socioeconomic classes, languages, and professions — regularly engaging with one or more India Stack products to unlock the foundational elements of identity, payments, data, and networks. 

The diverse range of services within the India Stack seamlessly converge into a unified digital infrastructure, catering to various layers of the value chain. At the core of the India Stack lies the vision of treating digital infrastructure as a public good, fostering digital, financial, and social inclusion for all sections of society.

A bit complicated? Chalo, join us as we explore the India Stack through a day in the life of a fictional character named Sheela.

As we can see, the India Stack ecosystem is pervasive, especially for India’s 600 million smartphone users. And the ecosystem remains ever-evolving, constantly incorporating enhancements and new pieces of infrastructure. What began with the Aadhaar national identity platform in 2009 has now grown into an interconnected ecosystem, with the new Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) enabling e-commerce for all. Some of the most noteworthy consequences have been a surge in bank account openings, wider adoption of digital payments, and increased uptake of government subsidies for those who qualify. 

Following huge domestic success, the India Stack is also gaining international recognition and acceptance, transcending its namesake to become relevant across both emerging and developed nations. Several countries have already started adopting the underlying technology of the India Stack. Soon, eleven countries, including the US, UK, UAE, and France, will allow Indians to access UPI services abroad without relying on an Indian phone number.

Such widespread adoption of the India Stack, applauded by government ministers, the private sector, and international organizations such as the World Bank, stands as a testament to its robust underlying technology. That technology serves as one of the most foundational forces propelling India’s flourishing digital economy, which remains poised to grow from ~$175 billion in 2022 to $1 trillion by 2030. Rightly so, the India Stack has become an integral part of modern India’s growth story and core identity, connecting the diverse landscape of the country — and capturing the world’s attention.

Glossary of terms:

Identity:

The bedrock of the India Stack is a set of digital identity products centered around Aadhaar, India’s national identity program. Aadhaar, which translates from Hindi to “foundation,” was created to provide a unique identification system, addressing the challenges of identity verification, while streamlining service delivery, promoting financial inclusion, and building a robust digital infrastructure. With over 1.35 billion (95%) Indians enrolled in Aadhaar, about half of whom have their bank account linked, Aadhaar aims to ensure inclusive access to services, eliminate duplication and corruption, and enhance efficiency in governance while safeguarding privacy and security.

DigiLocker is a secure platform offered by the Government of India, which allows citizens to digitally store and access their official documents, such as tax documents or vaccine certificates. The platform eliminates the need for physical document storage, promotes paperless processes, and facilitates easy sharing of documents with authorized entities. DigiLocker has gained significant popularity and usage since its launch in 2015, with millions of users registered on the platform.

Payments:

India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is a real-time payment system that enables individuals to make instant, secure, and hassle-free digital transactions directly from their bank accounts using a mobile device. It has revolutionized the way people send and receive money, offering a convenient and interoperable platform that supports a wide range of payment services and applications. And, in just 5 years, UPI has grown from an ambitious idea to the world’s 5th largest payment network by volume, behind only Visa, Alipay, WeChat Pay, and MasterCard. It is the driving force behind the exponential growth in India’s digital transactions. 

Data:

The Data Empowerment and Protection Architecture (DEPA) is a framework that aims to empower individuals with control over their personal data and enable them to securely share it with authorized entities. Rolled-out in India’s financial sector in 2020 and now being tested in the health sector and others, DEPA facilitates the seamless and consent-based exchange of personal data, promoting transparency, privacy, and innovation in the digital realm.

Following the DEPA model, India’s Account Aggregator (AA) is a consent-based, data-sharing system that enables individuals to aggregate all of their financial information in one place and securely share it across various institutions, such as banks, insurance agencies, and other financial players. AA strengthens the overall financial ecosystem by providing individuals with an audit trail of past income and widening the addressable market for financial institutions.

Networks:

Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) is a framework introduced by the Government of India to foster a competitive and inclusive digital commerce ecosystem. It supports the digitization of small businesses by linking them with a payments and logistics infrastructure. The initiative has set an ambitious target of $48 billion annual gross merchandise value and 1.2 million sellers by 2027.

Open Credit Enablement Network (OCEN) democratises credit for small borrowers and enables lending as a feature for marketplaces. A 2021 pilot saw loans as small as $2.50 authorized through the network, as compared to the average loan of $475. 
India’s Unified Health Interface (UHI) has been conceptualized as a digital platform that will integrate and streamline health-related data across various healthcare systems and stakeholders in the country. Proposed to serve as the backbone of India’s healthcare system, UHI will centralize patient information, including doctor and test appointments, teleconsultations, and ambulance services.

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India Insights from Times Bridge: April 2023

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India Insights from Times Bridge: April 2023

Times Bridge
May 10, 2023

Dear Reader,

We hope you've been doing well.

With 2023 underway, we are delighted to share some of the latest highlights from the Times Bridge portfolio, The Times Group, and India’s ever-evolving tech ecosystem. 

Happy reading!

Times Bridge Insights

In collaboration with BCG and TiE Delhi-NCR, Times Bridge unveiled the "Road to Hyperscaling in India" report — a study that aims to present a perspectives-rich playbook for late-stage startups in India. 

Click here to read the full report.

Portfolio Highlights

Our portfolio partner companies had an impressive quarter, generating outsized impact and growth in India and, in so doing, advancing their global position as well.

Luminary

Luminary, the world’s leading subscription podcast network, and its new made-for-India shows have been featured prominently on streaming platforms over the last few months: "Barefoot Boys" featured in Spotify's "Fresh Finds" section, while "How I Masaba" featured on Apple Podcasts and ranked first in the Society & Culture category. The success of these shows demonstrates how Luminary continues to further its mission of informing, educating, and entertaining the world with a high-quality podcast experience.

MUBI

MUBI continues to engage India's cinephiles by showcasing and engaging with award-winning global content, most recently by hosting a roundtable with Indian filmmakers and critics to reflect on the buzz around independent cinema throughout this past awards season. Separately, in February, MUBI collaborated with New Delhi's annual India Art Fair, the country’s leading platform showcasing modern and contemporary art from South Asia.

Uber

In India’s largest electric vehicle deal by a ride-sharing company to date, Uber has signed an agreement to purchase 25,000 such vehicles and plans to introduce them to its fleet over three years. The company also recently announced a noteworthy new feature called Uber Reserve, which aims to make airport pick-ups smoother for both drivers and users in India. The two developments further cement Uber’s position as the leading innovator in climate-conscious mobility — and India as its innovation hub for the world.

Business Insider India

The second edition of Business Insider India’s Future of Work Summit, in collaboration with Google Cloud and AON, delivered compelling insights on the transformations that enterprises will undergo throughout this decade. The event featured more than 20 industry icons from the local government, public companies, and private organizations, who defined how the changes might play out across regulations, technology, wellness, productivity, and culture.

Smule

In January, Smule organized an in-person singing meet-up in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad with attendees performing songs throughout the day. The event’s spirited performances demonstrated how Smule is immersing in India’s zeitgeist and strengthening community bonds across regions and languages through the shared love of music.

Headspace

For the second consecutive year, Headspace was the #1 revenue-grossing Health & Fitness app in India across app stores, according to the year-end rankings by data.ai. The milestone capped off an eventful year for Headspace in India — one that included philanthropist Neerja Birla's elevation to the International Advisory Board and high-impact partnerships with leading Indian and global companies.

Times Group Highlights

Streaming platform MX Player was recognized as the third-most downloaded video streaming app globally, according to data.ai. Localized, original content was one major factor that gave MX Player an edge in the world's largest open internet market.

Times Internet recently inked a four-year deal with the International Cricket Council (ICC), continuing Willow’s broadcasting and digital rights in the United States and Canada and solidifying the platform as the official destination for ICC cricket for a consolidated audience of 30 million enthusiasts.

India Insights

India is projected to become a $10 trillion economy by 2035, reported UK-based economics consultancy CEBR, thanks to the country’s unicorn startups, national policies such as "Make in India," and higher consumer spending, among other factors. Despite global headwinds, economists see India as a beacon of light, poised for strong and sustained advancement.

According to The New York Times, India’s digital payments ecosystem is one of the world’s largest, encompassing nearly 300 million individuals and 50 million merchants. Its distinctive QR codes, which have been embraced by vendors and consumers who previously only transacted in cash, adorn everything from auto-rickshaws to snack carts, market stalls, and roadside barbershops.

Thanks for reading. Until next time!

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Customer stickiness to solving unit economics early: Lessons in hyperscaling startups, according to BCG - Times Bridge - TiE Delhi-NCR report

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Customer stickiness to solving unit economics early: Lessons in hyperscaling startups, according to BCG - Times Bridge - TiE Delhi-NCR report

Rounak Jain
March 23, 2023

Business Insider India decodes key findings, including a multi-themed playbook for late-stage startups to excel in traversing their good-to-great journey, from the Road to Hyperscaling in India report by Times Bridge, BCG and TiE Delhi-NCR.

Read More

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Investors to continue ‘wait-and-see’ approach on late-stage startups: BCG, Times Bridge, TiE Delhi-NCR report

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Investors to continue ‘wait-and-see’ approach on late-stage startups: BCG, Times Bridge, TiE Delhi-NCR report

ETtech
March 23, 2023

The Economic Times writes on key trends in the Indian startup landscape, and the strategies for late-stage startups to successfully hyperscale in India, as delineated in the Road to Hyerscaling in India report co-authored by Times Bridge, BCG and TiE Delhi-NCR. The report was released on March 18, 2023.

Read More

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Road to Hyperscaling in India: Report by Times Bridge - BCG - TiE Delhi-NCR

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Road to Hyperscaling in India: Report by Times Bridge - BCG - TiE Delhi-NCR

Times Bridge
March 22, 2023

Decoding the good-to-great journey of India’s late-stage startups

Rohan Joseph | Abhinav Bansal | Rajiv Gupta | Nimisha Jain | Shaleen Sinha | Sidharth Madaan | Geetika Dayal

Read the full report here.

Executive Summary

Over the last two decades, the entrepreneurship and startup landscape in India has undergone enormous change, blossoming into the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem — and the fastest-growing globally.

This growth has been eye-catching from various angles, including the number of active startups, now pegged at 40,000. Investors are finding a way in: India’s startup ecosystem has attracted over $130 billion in funding in the past decade, led by companies in fintech, e-commerce, and enterprise tech and with rising representation from consumer services, media, and deeptech.

The increasing maturity of India’s startups, including the 106 unicorns it has minted thus far, has been another bellwether of growth. Companies are able to increase their value more quickly, and the time required to reach unicorn status has been cut in half. 

But don’t get us wrong — this study isn’t as much about the Whats as it is about the Hows. How have the most successful companies seized the India opportunity — and endured? How can late-stage startups remain relevant after attaining critical mass and copious funding? And how can unicorns further unlock new avenues of growth in an economically viable manner?  

While conducive macroeconomic factors, the inflow of investments, and a transformed policy environment have been key enablers of growth, some companies made conscious choices that helped them win over the market and successfully hyperscale, while their competitors were snared by challenges.

Based on conversations with India’s most respected industry leaders, including some from our Times Bridge portfolio, this report unpacks 8 key themes that have helped late-stage startups in their hyperscaling journey in India. 

These companies learned to:

  1. Expand the market & bring in new users
  2. Deepen their moats for customer stickiness
  3. Solve for unit economics early
  4. Leverage capital optimally
  5. Build the right teams
  6. Scale the startup culture
  7. Innovate around technology scalability
  8. Unlock the full potential of the ecosystem

Now more than ever, with today's global macroeconomic outlook, late-stage startups will need to stick to these fundamentals to survive and continue driving sustainable, long-term growth in India's enormous and vibrant market.

We hope this report will be useful for founders, business leaders, and other readers who share a keen interest in India’s startups, development, and prosperous future. At Times Bridge, we will let these findings be a roadmap as we continue the journey of helping both global and Indian late-stage companies immerse in the subcontinent. 

Read the full report here.

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Hyperscaling in turbulent times: A BCG - Times Bridge - TiE Delhi-NCR report

Press Release

Hyperscaling in turbulent times: A BCG - Times Bridge - TiE Delhi-NCR report

March 18, 2023

New Delhi, March 18th, 2023: Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in association with Times Bridge and the Delhi Chapter of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE Delhi-NCR) today, unveiled a report titled, ‘Road to Hyperscaling in India’. 

The entrepreneurship and startup landscape in India has witnessed breakout growth over the last few years, transforming India into the third largest startup ecosystem in the world, just behind USA and China. Last few years witnessed the rise of 100+ unicorns – a valuation milestone, which has often been celebrated by founders, investors, and media. The impact, however, has been much deeper and broader, with 40K+ active start-ups till FY22. 

In the last decade, several late-stage companies managed to ride the coveted ‘hockey stick curve’, while many more failed while trying to grow too fast too soon. The report shares learnings from the hyperscaling journeys of successful late-stage startups in India. In the context of the evolving macroeconomic environment and the resulting funding winter, the report also provides a framework for emerging startups to align their priorities and hyperscaling aspirations to the new realities. 

Key highlights from the successful late-stage start-up journeys

Leveraging conversations with leading startup founders and investors, the report shares stories of successful Indian and global late-stage startups along eight key themes, that helped them hyperscale in India. While there is no one-size-fits-all pathway, the leading founders and investors have uncovered strategies and tactics from setting up the right business model to expanding the target customer groups and harmonizing the unit economics objectives with hypergrowth. For instance, some stories and examples covered in the report include:

  • How Meesho deployed a creative customer acquisition strategy via their reseller business model to target the less trusting and less tech-savvy tier 2/3 city consumers. While many Indian startups struggled to replicate big city success in small towns and had to scale back, Meesho successfully rose with 70% share from Tier 2/3 towns.
  • For Policy Bazaar, finding and nurturing mini-founders within the organization was key to unlocking scale and creating leverage for the founders. This allowed them to not just set up and grow new businesses (e.g. Paisa Bazaar), but also build a culture of entrepreneurship, with different business unit owners driving growth and constructive experimentation within their own business scope. 
  • For the SaaS startup - Icertis, strategic partnerships with top-tier software and professional services players unlock a rapid pace of growth, which they would have never been able to drive alone. Those relationships enabled the start-up to leverage well-established B2B sales ecosystems quickly and, at the same time, add immense value to their partners’ portfolios of offerings.
  • Many Indian start-ups have attempted but struggled to scale up businesses successfully in other major international markets. The report also shares inspirations from global leading startups – such as Uber and Airbnb, who managed to successfully adapt their business models to suit the specific local needs of Indian customers. While driving localization, they focused on not just leveraging existing strong global tech platforms, but also exported successful local innovations for India back into the global platforms and playbooks.
  • …and many more similar stories that emerging startup founders could learn from!

The report not only highlights the success stories of these start-ups but also cautions against the potential pitfalls at the time of hyperscaling. In the euphoria of scaling up, one may attempt to grow too fast too soon, loosen governance and controls, and miss scaling critical tenets that helped them succeed in the first place.

The path forward 

Overall, while picking up learnings from the good-to-great journey of startups in the last decade, one must adapt them to the new market realities and own context as well. Venture funding for startups suffered a 40% drop in 2022. To add to that, only 18 out of 100 start-ups are profitable in India, as per 2021-22 estimates. Silicon Valley Bank's failure and associated events have further added to the volatility and uncertainty in the near term. The tendency to ‘scale fast’ by burning cash always backfires, if done without clear sight of long-term customer value and unit economics. Survival and extension of financial runway must the top priority for startups in these times.

There is however a silver lining. Many India-focused funds are sitting on large amounts of unallocated dry powder to be deployed at an opportune moment. The younger promising start-ups will continue to attract capital, and so would the well-run late-stage start-ups. Founders may have to be more flexible on valuation in the near term though, as well as be open to alternative sources of funds, such as venture debt. As a leading venture capitalist expressed “This is the best time to build your business if you have sorted out your basics. The worst thing you can do is to want to keep to your old valuation because of ego and lose your market share.”

Rohan Joseph, VP, Head of Global Investments and Corporate at Times Bridge, said, "India’s entrepreneurship and technology landscape has seen enormous growth in recent years, making it the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem. This report showcases the innovative strategies deployed by leading startups and global companies as they scale up in India’s dynamic business climate. At Times Bridge, we enable purpose-driven companies to enter India, and this report reaffirms our conviction in the market’s potential for entrepreneurs across all sectors."

Sidharth Madaan, a Partner at BCG, opined, “Time and again, we have seen the well-run start-ups emerge significantly stronger with reduced competition out of a crisis. In the current volatile environment as well, start-ups with stronger business models, unit economics, customer retention, and sharper growth focus will be not just be able to stay afloat, but also consolidate their lead and emerge as leaders on the other side of the crisis.”

“How ephemeral can time be. When we started our interviews and research for this report late last year, funds were aplenty, valuations were skyrocketing, and growth was the only objective in one’s mind. And within a few months, while growth is still the holy grail, other parameters like strong business models, customer retention and above all, unit economics, have assumed centre stage. Those start-ups that will be able to juggle all of these without dropping any balls through this period of crisis are the ones that will come out stronger and as leaders from the current volatile environment,” says Rajiv Gupta, MD, Senior Partner and Leads Technology, Media and Telecom for BCG India. 

“The Indian Startups story has entered a new era with a focus on creating scalable yet sustainable startups with the clear path on profitability. Hyperscaling is integral to this journey.  

For over 2 decades at TiE Delhi-NCR we have witnessed the rise and rise of the startup ecosystem in India and have played a key role in its development. The report shows our commitment to fostering the spirit of entrepreneurship for the new economy," said Alok Mittal, Co-Founder & CEO, Indifi Tech and Board Member TiE Delhi – NCR.

The founders and leaders need to ensure survival as well as keep one eye on the future. While managing burn will be critical on one end, one must capture opportunities smartly to invest and grow in the long term.

A copy of the report can be downloaded here.

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Keeping up with India's Health Tech ecosystem

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Keeping up with India's Health Tech ecosystem

Times Bridge
January 27, 2023

Once a year, runners flock to Mumbai for a chance to cross the city’s famed Sea Link bridge by foot. The experience is only possible during the Tata Mumbai Marathon, which, with over 55,000 runners this January, is Asia’s biggest 26.2 miler. 

The race’s popularity reflects India’s growing interest in running and community-oriented fitness. India has seen explosive growth in competitions; for running alone, India held 176 races in 2013 and nearly 1,600 in 2019. The famed Ironman organization, known for hosting grueling triathlon competitions around the world, came to India in 2019 with a race in Goa and returned for a second edition at the tail end of 2022. Many of the country’s running and cycling communities — which have popped up in every major city — kept up virtual training during the pandemic using apps and other equipment, which connect people with clubs, challenges, virtual races, and more.

Facing a paradigm shift in their everyday habits, 58 million fresh active users contributed to an unprecedented 156% rise in the number of downloads of health and fitness apps in India during the first half of 2020, compared to a 46% rise worldwide. Yes, the digitization of health and fitness — and the associated gadgets and technology — has been a popular global trend, but the circumstances turbocharged the interest in India, shaping it into a major market. 

Health tech, a category that broadly encapsulates the companies that leverage technology to improve health or deliver care, has become increasingly popular in the US and other western countries over the past decade. A multitude of B2C offerings, including stationary bikes, recovery tools, and digital products, have become popular among die-hard athletes and casual consumers alike because of their promise to optimize health and wellness with measurable statistics and insights.

We at Times Bridge are looking ahead with these three subsectors in mind: 

A. Wearables and Equipment

Perhaps the most popular health tech subsector globally, wearables and equipment include popular hardware like smartwatches and stationary bikes. Global products of all price ranges have proved remarkably successful in India, where the wearables market is expected to surpass that of the United States this year with 117 million units, led by the growing demand for smartwatches. Apple’s best-selling smartwatch has been the Series 7, indicating that a sizable population is willing to pay a premium for the latest global products. 

Domestic players including metabolic fitness platform Ultrahuman and smartwatch brand Noise have sprouted up to meet the surging demand. Indoor equipment is especially beneficial in the Indian context, given that shoddy infrastructure, busy roads, extreme weather conditions, and air pollution are a pain-point of outdoor athletic endeavors. Even without the pandemic restrictions that boosted the popularity of wearables and equipment in western markets, India’s extreme urban conditions will continue to propel the demand for such products. Celebrity athletes, including national cricket icon Virat Kohli, have used their star power to further expand the brand recognition of various wearables and equipment and solidify the products within the mainstream Indian consciousness.

B. Nutrition Trackers

The world’s largest obesity epidemic is taking place in India — the country’s own national health survey concluded that one in every four Indians is obese. In response, the Government of India has been pushing a “FIT India” initiative along with a homegrown app that tracks calorie intake, steps, sleep, and other health metrics. Indian startups, which face global competition from the likes of Noom and MyFitnessPal, have also come to the rescue with solutions for those seeking dietary changes. 

For example, Bangalore-based HealthifyMe leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to process data from millions of Indian users and provide personalized nutrition advice and insights. Among the features was calorie counting for Indian foods, a clear advantage over foreign competitors. The Indian diet and palate are distinctive, with more vegetarians than any other country, by percentage and raw number, and with typical consumers unwilling to compromise on taste. Given the importance of finetuned product-market fit, the most successful start-ups in the nutrition realm will be those localized for an Indian lifestyle.

C. Mental Health Products

Mental healthcare in India, as elsewhere, has been oft overlooked. But the global conversation on mental health has opened up drastically in recent years and was pushed into the spotlight because of the pandemic. High-profile Indians, like philanthropist Neerja Birla, are now championing mental health causes. And we’ve witnessed first-hand the rising popularity of platforms like our partner Headspace, which offers meditation and mindfulness exercises as a form of preventive mental healthcare — quite relevant in a country with distinguishable groups, including students and healthcare workers, experiencing high rates of immense stress and burnout.

Additional mental health solutions are coming to the fore. For example, Bangalore-based Wysa, a Hindi-language mental health app, has planned to launch a pilot in early 2023, with services also available via WhatsApp, India’s most popular messaging service. But with increasing social media usage, a results-oriented educational system, and a competitive job market, India could see the demand for mental health offerings continue to rise. Affordable internet and smartphones will ease the adoption of digital platforms.

Conclusion

Over the last two years, investors pumped approximately $100 billion into health tech startups globally, signifying the sector’s potential to reach more consumers with new features and cutting-edge technology. These tools have revolutionized how everyday consumers can harness technology for preventive health care, fitness, and wellness.

India’s own health tech startups have garnered considerable interest, with 288 receiving funding and four achieving unicorn status in the last two years. As we have seen, some of the most popular companies offer Indian replicas of Western products, addressing the demand for products that remain unavailable domestically while often incorporating a localized user experience.

The increased demand for such products will likely continue. India’s health tech sector is growing at a CAGR of 39%, and new health-specific, India-focused VC funds have been raised. Both suggest that the considerable increase in health tech downloads and purchases over the past few years mark a paradigm shift in consumer attitudes toward the ecosystem of wearables, equipment, and apps. The market is projected to grow to $21 billion by 2025, and a wide range of available products will suit a swelling consumer base.

The burgeoning health tech sector presents a compelling opportunity for domestic and global companies seeking to capitalize on the growing demand from Indian consumers. And, as has been the case within our portfolio, we expect the most successful players to be those willing to go the extra mile with world-class offerings and an India-specific playbook.


By Samantha Chai

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India Insights From Times Bridge: December 2022

News

India Insights From Times Bridge: December 2022

Times Bridge
December 20, 2022

Dear Reader,

We hope you've been doing well.

As 2022 comes to a close, we are delighted to share some of the latest highlights from the Times Bridge portfolio, The Times Group, and India's ever-evolving tech ecosystem.

Happy reading!

PORTFOLIO HIGHLIGHTS

Our portfolio partner companies had an impressive H2 ‘22, generating outsized impact and growth in India and, in so doing, advancing their global position as well.

MUBI

On MUBI’s third anniversary in India, we wrote a comprehensive account of its inspiring journey in a country brimming with diverse filmmakers, artists, stories, and cinema. Together, we set an India playbook into motion that primed MUBI — the world’s leading curated streaming platform — to carve out a niche for itself in India’s burgeoning video streaming market. The biggest levers of MUBI’s India immersion include the following:

a. Influence and thought leadership within India’s entertainment zeitgeist

b. Brand equity among India’s discerning cinephiles 

c. Sustained growth through experience- and distribution-focused partnerships

d. Indian content slate for localization and relevance

Read the full story here. 

LUMINARY

Luminary, the world’s leading subscription-based podcast and audio entertainment network, has officially launched in India with two shows featuring iconic business and creative leader Masaba Gupta and national award-winning actress Konkona Sen Sharma. The new shows mark the beginning of Luminary’s South Asia library, elevating high-quality, regionally-relevant content for listeners seeking entertainment, self-improvement, and awareness. Given India’s significance as the third-largest podcast market in the world, we are committed to furthering Luminary’s vision of revolutionizing the non-music audio entertainment space in the country.

UBER

This quarter, Uber launched a WhatsApp chatbot accessible to riders in New Delhi — among the company’s largest markets by volume globally — whereby riders can book a ride in either English or Hindi. By making the application more accessible to new users, the product innovation will further cement Uber’s position as the leading ride-hailing app in India and worldwide.

COURSERA

The number of Coursera learners in India, the company's fastest-growing market, is expected to surpass that of the US within the next 18-20 months — which will soon make India the top market for Coursera in terms of aggregate subscribers. Recently, Coursera also launched an online Bachelor's degree course alongside BITS Pilani – a top Indian technology institute. Such programs have aided Coursera’s goal to expand access to first-class education for learners all over the globe.

HEADSPACE

For World Mental Health Day, Headspace joined hands with Pinterest to support the creator economy. As part of this partnership, Pinterest creators in India and 19 other countries gained access to Headspace's world-class mindfulness content, furthering the meditation app's reach among creators experiencing burnout. Such initiatives have helped our partner advance its mission of improving health and happiness around the world. 

MALARIA NO MORE

Malaria No More convened key public health stakeholders for August’s World Mosquito Day to showcase the results of their ongoing efforts. Malaria No More’s initiatives in India have led to more than a 40% reduction in transmission, a 100% treatment completion rate, and zero malaria deaths in its areas of operation — genuine accomplishments in what had previously been some of the worst-affected areas for malaria in India and the world. Such milestones are bound to energize Malaria No More’s mission of eradicating malaria from India by 2030.

GIRL EFFECT

The Girl Effect India team won the Global Digital Health Innovation Award 2022 in New Delhi for their chatbot, Bol Behen (“Speak, Sister”), which has touched over 10 million adolescent girls across the country. In October, the team presented Bol Behen at the WhatsApp Incubator Program Demo Day, a one-day program showcasing how enterprises deliver personalized healthcare successfully through chatbots. This recognition further bolsters Girl Effect’s impact in India to build media that girls want, trust and need. 

BUSINESS INSIDER

Business Insider India partnered with AWS to host SaaS Scions, a 6-part video series chronicling India’s leading SaaS visionaries who have defined this multi-billion dollar ecosystem and transformed the technology space globally. The episodes, which featured visionary founders, included Girish Mathrubootham, Co-Founder and CEO of Freshworks, and Jay Vijayan, Founder and CEO of Tekion Corp and former Tesla CIO. The initiative was just one instance through which Business Insider cemented its role as the leading voice for cutting-edge business and technology news and insights in India. 

WATTPAD

After the success of the first collection of stories, Wattpad is extending its partnership with Audible to launch 6 new audiobooks based on some of Wattpad's most popular stories. The collection will be available in Hindi, catering to Wattpad's millions of storytelling fans in India, which is one of the company’s fastest-growing markets internationally. 

NOTES FROM TIMES BRIDGE

India completed 75 years of Independence this August. The timing was apt for unpacking the playbook global businesses should consider when evaluating the world’s largest democracy. Viral Jani, EVP and India Country Head at Times Bridge, shared his thoughts with award-winning host Saikat Pyne on the You Inc business podcast.

You can hear the entire podcast here, where Viral shares more about Times Bridge and the India opportunity. 

TIMES GROUP HIGHLIGHTS

Earlier this year, Times Internet won the media rights to the world’s biggest cricket league: the Indian Premier League (IPL). For the next five years, the foreign streaming and broadcasting rights for the second-most valued sports league in the world will build upon Times Internet’s global reach while spreading the joy of cricket that is so palpable on the Indian subcontinent and beyond. 

Siva Sundaram, Chairman of the Executive Committee of Bennett Coleman & Company (BCCL), took a Gen-Z digital reporter through the Times of India newspaper printing process in this fascinating video by Brut India. The video showcased the legacy of what Siva calls “a 180-year-old startup,” the inner workings of each story, and the printing press that produces three million newspapers every year, while also addressing how newspapers are more relevant today than ever. 

Earlier this year, The Times Group’s wealth tech platform, ET Money, launched a new product called ET Money Genius to help new investors enter the world of systematic wealth planning. The product helped ET Money reach a milestone of $4 billion in retail mutual fund investments on its platform amidst volatile markets.

Thanks for reading. Until next time!

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How MUBI is Animating India's Love for World-Class Cinema

Blog

How MUBI is Animating India's Love for World-Class Cinema

Times Bridge
December 9, 2022

“We are very ambitious with our prospects in India. It is a unique opportunity for us to engage with a passionate community with deep cultural ties to film,” said Efe Cakarel, CEO, MUBI

MUBI, one of the world’s leading curated film streaming platforms, a production company and a distributor, recently clocked three enriching years in India — a nation that boasts one of the richest and most diverse cinema legacies across the globe. MUBI believes that in India, it has only begun its journey of establishing itself as the platform of choice for consuming great local and global cinema. Along the way, the platform is doubling down on presenting diverse filmmaking talents and narratives in all possible languages. 

But what makes this platform — that blends the enchanting worlds of movies and art — strike a chord with heaps of Indian cinephiles? Why, over the coming years, is the Indian market well-placed to feature among the top global growth frontiers for MUBI? And finally, how has MUBI, with support from Times Bridge, gone about advancing its mission in India? Let’s dive in. 

A. Video-streaming in India: A bundle of opportunities 

The Indian film industry ranks amongst the world’s largest, in terms of the number of movies produced, and is most diverse, encompassing multiple languages, dialects, styles, and narratives. India is also one of the largest markets for video streaming and digital content services, thanks to its large population and deep penetration of affordable mobile internet. Indian audiences are now swiftly embracing subscription-based services, with their willingness to pay for high-quality, niche content at an all-time high. In 2021, India recorded 80 million digital video subscriptions and over 400 million viewers. The number of screens is expected to top 1 billion by 2024-25, making India an appealing destination for streaming service providers. India’s diversification from being only a user base-market to a revenue-market is evidenced by the quadrupling of streaming revenues from ~$330M in 2020 to over $1.3 billion in 2022. The market will further expand at a CAGR of ~15% to scale to ~$2.6 billion by 2026. 

It is this rare medley of a large and expanding market size, rising propensity to pay for content, and the fast-growing consumption of global and regional language content in India - alongside English and Hindi - that places MUBI at the forefront of this opportunity. 

B. A primer on MUBI, the platform

MUBI is a place to discover beautiful, interesting, incredible cinema. A new hand-picked film arrives on the platform every single day, ranging from brand-new work by emerging filmmakers to modern masterpieces from today's greatest icons. The films, all carefully chosen by MUBI’s curators, are presented alongside the platform’s own ambitious productions. 

Present in more than 190 countries, it is the world’s biggest community of film lovers with over 10 million members around the world. MUBI prides itself on catering to linguistic diversity, and giving a platform to diverse filmmaking voices from all corners of the world while maintaining a high standard for editorial and curatorial excellence. 

C. MUBI’s playbook in India and Times Bridge’s go-to-market push  

In early 2019, MUBI and Times Bridge began to design a roadmap that would carve out a niche for the film platform in India’s massive but cluttered streaming market. The endeavor was, and shall always be, to establish MUBI as the leader in bringing the world’s best arthouse and independent cinema to India and elevating interesting Indian stories globally. Together, we devised a thoughtfully-crafted playbook that would press on many go-to-market levers in a coherent fashion. A brief exploration of that playbook follows.

C.1 The pre-launch and launch phase

In the run-up to MUBI’s India launch in late 2019, the teams at MUBI and Times Bridge invested months in meticulously researching and landscaping the market to arrive at the right platform positioning, identifying MUBI’s prospective audience of core and early adopters and calibrating MUBI’s global pricing to suit the Indian appetite. Simultaneously, efforts to establish touch-points with influential Indian voices and celebrities began in earnest — through personalized outreach, early product access, closed-door meetups, and culture-centric conversations in avenues such as the Twitter Blue Room.    

With all of the above - and much more - MUBI's launch narrative was then put into motion across several Times Group and external media assets, which earned an enthusiastic reception from India’s public figures and cinephiles alike. MUBI’s India entry was also special because India was one of the first global markets where MUBI launched a dedicated channel to exhibit local content, stories and artists —  setting the tone for India to become the company’s global innovation ground.  

C.2 Building influence and immersing in India’s entertainment zeitgeist

In every global market, MUBI strives to embody and showcase the local culture and zeitgeist. The platform crafts a spot for itself in pop culture and the consumer psyche through two key drivers: thought leadership-led influence and brand-building.

MUBI views collaborations with India’s entertainment sector — represented by actors, directors, critics, film journalists, film organizations, et al — as the gateway into India’s cinema consumption trends. Since 2020, the streaming platform has partnered with Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI), India's leading platform for cinematic disruption and discovery; leading film festivals; and film academies such as IFFI Goa, Dharamshala Film Festival, and the India Film Project. Furthermore, its guest curation program became a forum for credible voices (including A-listers Vikramaditya Motwane, Ram Madhvani, Prahlad Thakkar, and Sonal Dabral) to share their movie recommendations and curated lists with Indian audiences. The Travel the World with MUBI initiative was one such unique curation partnership between MUBI and Business Insider India to enable people to experience the cultures of 12 different countries in a virtual but immersive manner. It was strategically activated in mid-2020 - a period when real-world traveling had come to a screeching halt.     

On the brand-building front, MUBI has leveraged the reach and familiarity of several Times Group media assets to co-create several original IPs, shows, and high-octane brand campaigns across print, TV, and digital mediums. Many such initiatives were timed and contextualized with key cultural moments such as Indian festivals, MUBI’s own anniversaries, exclusive movie releases, and more. 

C.3 Fueling sustained growth through ecosystem partnerships 

With a deep focus on strengthening its partner ecosystem in India, MUBI continues to forge meaningful and long-term associations with like-minded platforms in India. Driven by both MUBI and Times Bridge, these partnerships have aided MUBI’s growth in the country and helped more people experience unique works from Indian and international filmmakers that are otherwise difficult to discover and access.  

One primary focus area has been experience-focused partnerships. One with PVR Cinemas, India’s largest cineplex chain, reintroduced MUBI GO this year, allowing MUBI’s subscribers to relish one movie in their nearest PVR theater every week. Tie-ups with India’s most premium members’ clubs, like Soho House, The French Institute of India, The Quorum, and others have further disseminated MUBI’s signature offline screening experience among India’s most discerning, top-of-the-pyramid consumers. 

MUBI has also done well securing partnerships that power at-scale product distribution and sampling among diverse demographics and geographies within India. Think telecom operators, leading consumer banks, boutique direct-to-consumer brands, some of the largest digital loyalty programs, and content platforms including Amazon Prime Video, Airtel Xstream and Film Companion. 

C.4 Indian content slate as the driver of localization and relevance 

There is hardly any other country where as many film industries exist in different languages, dialects, and styles as India. That alone makes the country a unique space for film curation. To stay on top of it, MUBI has acquired a diverse selection of Indian and global films like Shiva Baby, Sweat, Nainsukh, Gamak Ghar, The Booth, Maheshinte Prathikaram, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Ema, and Certified Copy. The specials on iconic movie creators such as Kieslowski, Kiarostami, Satyajit Ray, and Amit Dutta have found great resonance with audiences all across the country. Unsurprisingly, MUBI’s Indian content has also received a great response from its global audience. Impressed with the global love for Indian cinema, MUBI also did a deep-dive on one of Bollywood’s timeless epics ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ in its popular global podcast series. 

D. Summarizing

Movies are inextricably linked to India’s long-standing heritage and, in a country with rapidly-changing tastes and ever-evolving consumer preference for quality content, MUBI  strives to continuously delight a massive audience that seeks the best of global and Indian cinema. For a market like India, which is home to many unique audiences who crave high-quality theatrical and streaming experiences, MUBI is well-positioned to redefine content consumption in the country and we, at Times Bridge, are proud to advance its mission in this part of the world.

Until next time!

By Abhinav Bansal

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India’s Passion Economy Offers Opportunities for Platforms

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India’s Passion Economy Offers Opportunities for Platforms

Times Bridge
June 24, 2022

Arrival of the new micro-entrepreneur

India has long been reputed for its entrepreneurial spirit. The country has forged 100 unicorns; beyond those, over 63 million micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) provide employment to hundreds of millions of workers across sectors. And, in the past few years, the country has witnessed the emergence of a new type of micro-entrepreneur: the content creator. Think travel bloggers, comedians, foodies and even Virat Kohli, minus the cricket bat.

These digital-age, creatively-oriented entrepreneurs—known as creators—are participating in the passion economy, through which they can share their skills and personality as monetizable brands. Creators reach their audience through a platform, like YouTube or Instagram, while often (but not always) marketing themselves on social media channels. In the last ten years, the passion economy has swelled to over $100 billion globally, creating significant value for creators, platforms and other players. In India, content consumption on passion economy platforms doubled within one year of the pandemic, as lockdowns pushed users online and compelled many workers to find new sources of income.

In a world that increasingly relies on social media, every online interaction presents an opportunity for companies and advertisers, who now see social commerce as a key part of their marketing strategy. They are tapping into the power of consumers finding ideas, products and entertainment through people they know or admire. Meanwhile, those who create content relish the flexibility not available in traditional corporate jobs. Above all, it has become sustainable—with comprehensive benefits and lucrative pay, in some cases—to convert a passion into profit. 

Indian users crave content

In India, a confluence of factors have created a massive and growing audience that constitutes a huge demand for content. Network coverage has improved and gotten cheaper—starting at less than $2 per month—thanks to deep telecom penetration and substantial industry changes. The rapid adoption of online connectivity among India’s 1.2 billion phone subscribers occurred alongside the omnipresence of cheap, 4G smartphones. The ease and normalization of new fintech platforms and UPI (India’s inter-bank payment system) have established high trust in digital payments among the general public, including the 190 million Indians who now transact online. 

This environment has created an insatiable demand for content. Indian users already spend more time online—over 5 hours a day for smartphone users!—than those in other countries, including China. The trends are equally impressive when looking more closely at specific forms of content. Bain & Company reports that the Indian short-form video (SFV) market has grown dramatically in the past two years, with its user base tripling and total time spent consuming SFVs increasing 12-fold. There are presently over 200 million Indians watching SFVs, and that figure could rise to 650 million by 2025, according to the consulting firm. And while Indian audiences are mesmerized by celebrity star power, 70% of the current user base hails from Tier-II and -III cities and small towns, which provides an opportunity for creators to find a niche outside of big cities.

A vibrant array of creators

India’s user base is expected to grow considerably given the vibrancy of its creator landscape, with an estimated 100 million creators spread across categories, languages and regions. Big-ticket celebrities and, more recently, micro-influencers and regional creators are profoundly shaping India’s digital culture. Creators from Tier-II and -III cities add diverse content in regional languages that are relatable to their fan bases. Beyond content categories that appeal to mass audiences (think: food, travel, and tech), regional creators have found unique niches in exotic parrots, Punjabi songs, and the famous sounds of Chennai. These regional niches sometimes spread beyond a creator’s immediate vicinity and catch on among fans across India and beyond. Over 3,000 Indian creators have already amassed at least one million subscribers or followers across platforms.
The bigger the audience, the more routes to monetization. These options range from subscription content to product recommendations, ticketed experiences and exclusive paid communities. Creators who are able to find a niche and hook their audience can—and have—earned handsomely. India’s highest-paid YouTuber, 22-year-old Carry Minati, reportedly earned $4 million from his gaming and comedy videos. But such instances remain uncommon.

The role and opportunity for digital platforms

Digital platforms, given their creator dependence, have an incentive to lure and support promising creators that have a big reach. In a competitive market like India, where over half a dozen start-ups are vying to become the default replacement for TikTok, the quality of content can be a key differentiator. India’s most celebrated founders and top creators have invested in creator empowerment platforms to nurture and scale the passion economy ecosystem. Several existing platforms are also helping creators pave their growth stories. The varied offerings have included YouTube’s crash courses and Facebook’s music distribution capabilities for independent artists.

In India, even after collecting a base of followers, it has proved difficult for creators to monetize. Opportunity lies within India’s passion economy for a standout platform that democratizes monetization, given that only a small percentage of creators are primed to produce the high-quality content that generates substantial compensation. While models like live-streaming and social commerce have emerged as meaningful revenue streams, other creators rely on promoting a plethora of consumer goods, CPG and direct-selling brands. Left behind are the long tail and niche creators, demonstrating a huge need-gap for platforms that can democratize monetization. In the U.S. and elsewhere, platforms like Patreon and Substack fill this gap by creating opportunities for fans to become patrons. India awaits a platform to win over this role, which would provide monetization routes for a greater number of creators and reduce their dependence on brands. 

The success of passion economy platforms in India will be self-determined. Available data suggest that the supply of creators and demand for content will remain robust. Thus, enough space exists for global players and homegrown competitors to take advantage of India’s untapped market opportunity.


By Samantha Chai

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Times Bridge unveils its first annual i3 Summit

Press Release

Times Bridge unveils its first annual i3 Summit

April 7, 2022

The i3 Summit by Times Bridge brings together visionary global and Indian leaders to share insights on immersing global ideas in India and scaling Indian ideas on a global stage

New Delhi, April 7, 2022: Times Bridge, the global investment and venture arm of The Times Group, successfully concluded its first annual i3 Summit, bringing together visionary leaders from global and Indian organizations. The i3 Summit by Times Bridge is an annual platform where business leaders share insights on India's complexities, challenges and opportunities for global and Indian audiences. This inaugural edition was joined by iconic business leaders, including Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO, Uber, Sanjeev Bikhchandani, Founder, Info Edge and Satyan Gajwani, Vice Chairman, Times Internet.

Commenting on the success of the i3 Summit, Rishi Jaitly, Founding CEO, Times Bridge, said, “We are delighted by the global response to Times Bridge’s inaugural i3 Summit. The engagement we witnessed from around the world is an indication that purposeful leaders crave uncommon insights about places that matter, including and especially India. I’m grateful for the ideas and insights this year’s speakers shared, and am looking forward to the i3 Summits in years to come.”

The i3 Summit by Times Bridge was kicked off by Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO, Uber where he shared insights on what it takes to win in India and how global, category-leading organizations can look at the market holistically. Mr Khosrowshahi also spoke about his experience of disrupting mobility worldwide and the relevance of looking at the Indian market from a long-term perspective. The second fireside chat was joined by Sanjeev Bikchandani, Founder, Info Edge who spoke about his experience of building a  world-class Indian internet company with complete immersion in India’s diversity and culture. He also shared his learnings around succeeding in India and key growth drivers in the Indian market. The last fireside chat was joined by Satyan Gajwani, Vice Chairman, Times Internet who shared his learnings from building and scaling an Indian business and finding success amid a digital revolution. Mr Gajwani also shared unique insights on how the Times Group, with a rich legacy of nearly 200 years, has reimagined digital through Times Internet. 

Viral Jani, EVP & Country Head - India, Times Bridge, added, “As one of the fastest growing major economies in the world, India provides tremendous opportunities for businesses looking to expand internationally. The i3 Summit by Times Bridge reiterates our belief in the India market opportunity and exemplifies Times Bridge’s commitment to  enable mission-driven entrepreneurs across all sectors to realize their India and global opportunity. Each year going forward, the i3 Summit will host one global leader representing "the world's best", one national leader representing "India's best,” and one senior leader from the Times Group to share incisive insights, real-world learnings and experiences from scaling global ideas in India and transplanting Indian ideas globally.”

Times Bridge is the global investments and venture arm of The Times Group, India’s oldest and largest media and digital company, whose mission is to ally with the world’s most purposeful companies to enable their entry, scale and impact across India. Times Bridge’s growing global portfolio of category-creating, category-leading companies includes Airbnb, Stocktwits, Coursera, Headspace, Houzz, Smule, Stack Overflow and Uber, among others.

Speaker sessions from the i3 Summit by Times Bridge can be accessed here -

Winning in India with Dara Khosrowshahi 

Leading in India with Sanjeev Bikhchandani

Insights from India with Satyan Gajwani

You can also read more and find the summit sessions on https://www.i3bytimesbridge.com/ 

About Times Bridge

Times Bridge is a leading investment and partnerships firm with a mission of bringing the world’s best ideas to India and sharing India’s best insights with the world. Its current portfolio includes Airbnb, Coursera, Girl Effect, Headspace, Houzz, Luminary, Malaria No More, MUBI, Smule, Stack Overflow, Uber and Wattpad, among others. By providing unmatched market leadership to its select global partners, Times Bridge accelerates growth and immersion across the Indian subcontinent for leaders and companies who believe in winning in and learning from India. For more information, visit https://timesbridge.com/ and follow @timesbridge across social media.

For media queries, please contact:

Khushboo Mehra 

Khushboo@timesbridge.com +91 9871226459

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The inaugural i3 Summit By Times Bridge

News

The inaugural i3 Summit By Times Bridge

Times Bridge
March 17, 2022

INDIA. IDEAS. INSIGHTS.

We are pleased to present the first annual i3 Summit by Times Bridge on April 6, 2022.

The inaugural session of the i3 Summit by Times Bridge seeks to bring together visionary leaders helming the best global and best Indian organisations to share insights on immersing global ideas in India and scaling Indian ideas on a global stage. From sharing past experiences from our portfolio partners to understanding the trends of the next decade, we hope to break down India's complexity, challenges and opportunities for global and Indian audiences.

Click here to watch all the sessions of this year's i3 Summit.

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India in 2021: A Summary of Learnings

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India in 2021: A Summary of Learnings

Times Bridge
January 7, 2022

Throughout 2021, India showcased resilience and strong market opportunities, with the pandemic as a catalyst in accelerating the country’s technology-forward growth story. India boasts the world’s largest open internet market with over 800 million internet users, yet the ~45% internet penetration rate indicates that digital growth prospects are far from finished. With the rising purchasing power of Indian consumers, the blossoming of fintech platforms and the growing preference for digital payments, India has shown that its economy is primed for the digital era—and remains poised to become the third largest economy by 2030.

As part of The Times Group, India’s largest and oldest media conglomerate, we at Times Bridge saw the force of the digital revolution firsthand. 80% of Indians are now using one of The Times Group’s digital products every day. Times Internet has been crowned the world’s number one news and information destination on mobile devices. The Times Group’s short video platform, MX TakaTak, became the most downloaded Indian app globally in 2021, while streaming platform MX Player topped one billion downloads. 

Among our portfolio of the world’s leading companies, successes emerged within three broad themes: cultural immersion, community building and growth milestones. Above all, India came to the fore during a challenging year with promising prospects for 2022.

Cultural Immersion

The Times Bridge portfolio stayed culturally relevant through a series of in-market initiatives, from connecting users in new ways online to curating millennial-oriented content. Another key immersion strategy has been high-profile partnerships, which have helped our portfolio partners reach new consumers and build salience. Partnerships between Coursera and India’s leading technology institutions, Stack Overflow and key tech CXO communities via top business news platforms, and Malaria No More and government agencies demonstrate how our partners found their way into the top echelons of Indian influence. 

Partnerships also unlocked a series of “firsts”. Headspace’s tie-up with India’s leading premium lifestyle membership led to its first-ever live meditation event for the Indian market. MUBI collaborated with Amazon Prime and Times Prime to reach new audiences across India and, for the first time, found its way into the International Film Festival of India, demonstrating the new-age prominence of streaming platforms. We remain convinced that the key to cultural immersion is through localized content, top-tier partners and relevant events.

Community Building

Above all, one of the defining aspects of 2021 was coming together as a community. We are proud to share that our portfolio companies were able to use their unique expertise and positions of privilege to help those in need.

Last January, India launched one of the world’s largest vaccination drives to boost its economy and build a safer, stronger nation. Uber offered free rides for vulnerable groups travelling to and from vaccination centers, while Headspace extended free subscriptions to health care professionals. Other partners found varied ways to foster support, connection and appreciation: Girl Effect extending telehealth services to girls; Houzz honoring India’s top home design professionals; Malaria No More spreading awareness and knowledge to at-risk communities; Wattpad fostering an online communities for storytelling and reading enthusiasts; and Smule sponsoring events to fundraise for worthy causes. These connections signal our deep commitment to the communities where we operate and serve.

Growth Stories

As our companies cemented their leadership status globally, they also reached new milestones in India as life returned to normal. New trends gained momentum, such as hybrid learning models and trips combining work and leisure. Indian consumers continued to soak up all-things digital, setting new benchmarks across video streaming, podcasts—and even weather-related social media reporting, which went viral on several occasions. And with our newest partnerships with Luminary and Stocktwits announced in 2021—while our other companies doubled down on hiring, expanded into new cities, elevated India as an APAC hub and innovated for the world—we saw how India is becoming increasingly central to global corporate strategy.

Reflecting on 2021, we are proud to see that our companies harnessed their digital capabilities and maintained an adaptive mindset to continue winning across India. Looking ahead to this year, we expect to see digital penetration increase in small cities and towns, boosting the already-high engagement with edtech platforms, video and audio streaming content and other digital offerings. Online users will continue to seek exciting content from around the world, as well as communities of other like-minded individuals. The best companies will gain a competitive edge by immersing themselves in local trends and adapting to the needs in their ecosystem.

After all, our experiences in India’s dynamic markets have sharpened our philosophy: that growth, immersion and community building are synergistic, rather than mutually exclusive, in the making of a truly global company.

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Stocktwits announces investment partnership with Times Bridge

Press Release

Stocktwits announces investment partnership with Times Bridge

December 17, 2021

The strategic alliance will enable Stocktwits’ expansion into the Indian market on the heels of its $30 million Series B funding round

Mumbai/New York, December 17, 2021: Stocktwits, the original social platform for investors and traders across various asset classes including stocks, crypto and other emerging investments, today announced a strategic partnership with Times Bridge to expand its offerings to Indian consumers. This development is part of Stocktwits’ Series B fundraise of $30 million led by Alameda Research Ventures, and which also includes an investment from Times Bridge. 

With this partnership, Stocktwits joins Times Bridge’s growing global portfolio of category-creating, category-leading companies, including Airbnb, Coursera, Headspace, Houzz, Smule, Stack Overflow and Uber, among others. Times Bridge is the global investments and venture arm of The Times Group, India’s oldest and largest media and digital company, whose mission is to ally with the world’s most purposeful companies to enable their entry, scale and impact across India. Times Internet, a division of The Times Group, is India’s largest homegrown digital platform with 557 million+ active monthly users across categories as varied as news, streaming, music, real estate, cricket and finance.

Founded in 2008 as the world’s first social platform for investors, Stocktwits set out to transform the retail investing space by becoming a global hub for conversations among investors - from beginners to veterans. Indeed, the  “cashtag” was invented on its platform. Stocktwits’ India launch corresponds with growth in the investing landscape across the country: in FY21, the total number of retail investors in India increased by 14.2 million, with participation from Tier II and III cities - including first-time investors under the age of 25 - fueling this growth. Stocktwits’ social-first philosophy will cater to this new generation of Indian consumers with not only retail-investor participation growing across the country, but also with people turning to one another - and social media - for making investing approachable and successful. As part of this partnership, Times Bridge will catalyze strategic partnerships, platform localization, and content for Stocktwits to drive adoption and impact across India.

Commenting on the partnership, Rishi Jaitly, Founding CEO of Times Bridge, said, “Times Bridge’s mission is to advance India's entry, scale and leadership for the world’s best ideas in India. Stocktwits is one such idea that has, for years, offered groundbreaking social solutions, and access, for retail investors worldwide. And building on the growing dynamism of the investor landscape in India, we at Times Bridge - and across The Times Group - are looking forward to harnessing the power of our assets and know-how to support the localization, growth and impact of the Stocktwits platform across the length and breadth of India.”

Rishi Khanna, CEO of Stocktwits, said, “India is an incredibly dynamic investor market and we are thrilled to be partnering with Times Bridge to advance our mission and expand our reach in the subcontinent. We are looking forward to making a significant mark for ourselves in the Indian market where investors spanning many generations are ready for new and innovative platforms to learn, connect, educate and profit.”

Stocktwits’ global mission is to reimagine the future of financial-media investing and trading services by advancing a platform that hosts global conversations for investors and traders across assets, styles and experience levels. Today, Stocktwits has more than 6 million users from around the world, with over 1 million monthly active users. In 2021 alone, Stocktwits witnessed 50% year-on-year growth. 

About Times Bridge

Times Bridge is a leading investment and partnerships firm with a mission of bringing the world’s best ideas to India and share India’s best insights with the world. Its current portfolio includes Airbnb, Coursera, Girl Effect, Headspace, Houzz, Luminary, Malaria No More, MUBI, Smule, Stack Overflow, Uber and Wattpad, among others. By providing unmatched market leadership to its select global partners, Times Bridge accelerates growth and immersion across the Indian subcontinent for leaders and companies who believe in winning in and learning from India. For more information, visit https://timesbridge.com/ and follow @timesbridge across social media.

About Stocktwits

Stocktwits unlocks the social nature of investing for individual investors. Powered by its mission to become the global hub of conversation for all investors - from novices to veterans - Stocktwits is dedicated to providing a steady pulse on the markets and encouraging access for all.

The company is headquartered in New York and investors include Alameda Research Ventures, ffVC, Foundry Group, Social Leverage, Times Bridge, and True Ventures.

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Malaria No More — and the collaborative approach that’s making its vision come alive in India

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Malaria No More — and the collaborative approach that’s making its vision come alive in India

Times Bridge
October 25, 2021

"Malaria No More is fighting malaria in India by building awareness among at-risk populations and elevating the conversations about malaria among key stakeholderswith strategy and marketing expertise from Times Bridge and The Times Group."

Over 400,000 people are estimated to lose their lives from malaria: a mosquito-transmitted disease that is life-threatening, but entirely preventable and curable. India, which is among the countries with the highest malaria burden globally, is aiming to eliminate it by 2030.

Malaria No More (MNM), a non-profit organization that has been working towards reducing the devastating impacts of malaria, was started in 2006 and began its India operations ten years later. It launched an eradication programme in Odisha, the hardest-hit state, which accounted for only 3% of India’s population, but a disproportionately large percentage of its malaria cases and deaths. Through Malaria No More’s intervention, the state achieved a staggering 80% decline in the total case count after a year. 

In April 2019, following their success in Odisha, the Malaria No More team partnered with Times Bridge to augment their impact across India—particularly with developing localized multimedia content for at-risk populations, strengthening policy advocacy, and building media partnerships and influencer coalitions. Through these three channels, Times Bridge has helped elevate malaria on the national health agenda as a top public health priority.

Malaria No More has helped reduce malaria cases in India drastically. (Photo: Malaria No More India)

Malaria No More reaches over 130M people at-risk through Times Bridge’s advocacy initiatives 

When COVID-19 arrived, many experts feared that the prevalence of malaria would increase while the global community—and its resources—remained focused on the pandemic.

During monsoon season, the annual peak of malaria transmission, Malaria No More India launched the “Bite Ko Mat Lo Lite” initiative with Times Bridge leading the strategy and day-to-day operations of the marketing component. Designed for at-risk communities, this initiative harnessed digital and traditional media platforms to emphasize malaria prevention tips—like sleeping with a mosquito net, applying insect repellent and seeking early care for common symptoms like fever.

Times Bridge further strengthened advocacy efforts by engaging celebrities, including Kamal Haasan, Madhuri Dixit and Dr. Shriram Nene, and partners Facebook and Star-Disney to increase the reach and messaging impact of the Malaria No More campaign. Moreover, the Times Group’s storytelling resources provided a far-reaching and engaging platform for presenting content in three different languages. Using traditional media forms, supplemented with interactive webinars and discussion forums, has strengthened discourse and outreach beyond a two-dimensional, social media-led marketing initiative. 

Bite Ko Mat Lo Lite ultimately reached more than 130 million people in its first year and has returned in 2021with the same goals and a revamped messaging strategy.

The Dadi (Grandmother) figure featured in Bite Ko Mat Lo Lite 2.0

At the end of 2020, Times Bridge worked end-to-end with Google India’s product team to build and launch Malaria No More on Google Assistant for Indian Android users. The innovative tech integration allows mobile users to converse with a virtual bot about malaria prevention tips, symptoms and treatment. Designed largely for rural audiences, the feature is free of cost and available in both English and Hindi.

Wrapping up the year with a technological integration solidified one thing: 2020 was a year of rapid innovations—and ready adaptations. 

Public policy & systems strengthening efforts: from state- to central-level

Malaria No More’s progress on the public policy side has been no less remarkable, with several innovative, public initiatives. 

Most notable has been the organization’s cadre of on-the-ground workers and its role in establishing India’s first state-level Strategic Support Unit, which provides management support to the malaria program in Odisha. For example, Malaria No More has improved data management and proposed recommendations, enabling the state to work more effectively towards its malaria goals. 

Beyond Odisha, Times Bridge has been the main strategic partner and facilitator to Malaria No More’s transition to central-level policy advocacy. Times Bridge organized speakers for Malaria No More’s World Malaria Day panel, which rallied champions across the media and political spectrum to join the anti-malaria movement. This momentum has brought new voices to the cause, including the Vice President of India, who, at a global summit, called upon Indian doctors working abroad to collaborate on research for malaria. Parliamentarians from different Indian states have also pledged their support for India’s malaria elimination efforts. 

Most recently, Malaria No More has been supporting the Government of India’s program against vector-borne diseases with a social and behavior change communication strategy. After all, mosquitoes don’t stop at state borders—and neither should malaria elimination efforts.

Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, India’s Vice President, motivating others to fight against malaria. (Photo: Twitter)

Times Bridge brings together Malaria No More and The Weather Company to initiate climate partnerships

For decades, scientists have proven that the burden of mosquito-borne diseases, including malaria, is highly determined by weather and climate. 

To leverage this information, Times Bridge introduced Malaria No More and The Weather Company—a pair that ultimately launched Forecasting Healthy Futures, which harnessed technology and weather data to improve the timing and targeting of interventions against mosquito-borne diseases. The global initiative kicked off in Odisha, honoring Malaria No More’s previous success in India.

Most recently, Malaria No More partnered with Cognizant to launch Malaria Mapathon, and teamed up with two government agencies to form the India Interagency Expert Committee on Malaria and Climate. These cross-sectoral partnerships will further improve Malaria No More’s weather-based prediction model—a precise and cost-effective strategy to bolster India’s malaria prevention and treatment interventions.

Malaria No More has been a founding member of the India Interagency Expert Committee on Malaria and Climate. (Photo: Times Bridge)

By continuing to explore new avenues, like the climate-malaria interface, Malaria No More is adapting to the times and creating a cutting-edge strategy to mitigate the burden of mosquito-borne disease in India. Tapping into Times Bridge’s core strategy and marketing competencies has significantly amplified Malaria No More’s reach—making in-roads with at-risk Indians through the applications they use most. 

We at Times Bridge have been encouraged by the progress, and are humbled to support India's fight against vector-borne diseases. 

Until next time! 


By Viral Jani

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Luminary partners with Times Bridge to bring its premium podcast platform to India

Press Release

Luminary partners with Times Bridge to bring its premium podcast platform to India

July 15, 2021

The strategic partnership comes as Luminary expands internationally to advance its mission of informing, educating, and entertaining the world with a high-quality podcast experience built by and for passionate listeners and creators

Mumbai, 15 July 2021:  Luminary, among the world’s leading subscription platforms for high-quality podcasts, today announced a partnership with Times Bridge to bring its premium audio experience to Indian consumers. Times Bridge, a leading global investments and partnerships firm, will enable Luminary to launch, scale and expand its reach in India, the world’s largest open Internet market. 

With news of this strategic partnership, Luminary joins Times Bridge’s global portfolio of market-leading, mission-driven partners who see India as essential to their global business: consumer and enterprise businesses alike, including Airbnb, Coursera, Headspace, Houzz, Stack Overflow, Smule, Uber and Wattpad, have all generated outsized global value for themselves in recent years by partnering with Times Bridge in India. Times Bridge is a division of The Times Group, India’s oldest and largest media and digital company. 

Founded in 2018 and backed by marquee global investors including NEA, Luminary has set out to transform the global podcasting industry by offering an elevated experience for both listeners and creators. The company offers a subscription service for its premium content - which features personalities such as Russell Brand, Lena Dunham, Trevor Noah, and Dave Chappelle - and has amassed a slew of accolades, most recently from The New Yorker, The Webby Awards and Adweek. In April, Luminary announced that its podcasts would be offered on the Luminary channel of Apple Podcasts, making them available globally.

Luminary’s official launch in the Indian market coincides with exceptional growth in audio consumption across India in recent years. The country is now the world’s third-largest podcast market, after China and the United States, with a monthly listenership of 58 million and expected growth to 200 million by 2024. Luminary aims to meaningfully cater to India’s vibrant cultural, demographic and linguistic diversity with soon-to-be-launched exclusive Indian content. 

Drawing on Times Bridge’s local know-how, its operational support and the unmatched reach of Times Group assets, Luminary will forge strategic partnerships, launch original Indian content, build a localized brand voice and contextualize its product experience for the Indian market. Times Bridge’s unique influence-and-insight oriented approach and dedicated resources will accelerate the growth of Luminary’s platform and advance its mission in India.   

Simon Sutton, CEO of Luminary Media, said, “India is an incredibly exciting audio market and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to serve it with Times Bridge. We can’t wait for Indian audiences to experience our unique content offering. Over the course of the next year we plan on becoming a part of the robust Indian podcast ecosystem.“

Rishi Jaitly, CEO of Times Bridge, added: “Times Bridge’s mission is to bring the world’s best ideas to India and share India’s best insights with the world. Luminary is an original idea with proven appeal with audiences who are passionate about high-quality audio experiences. With podcasting as a medium on the rise in India, and with millions of Indians now developing a habit of educating and engaging via audio, we are confident Luminary will delight new audiences in India - and unlock new stories from India for the world.”

About Luminary

Luminary is a subscription podcast network with an award-winning lineup of original shows you won’t find anywhere else. Subscribers enjoy unlimited access to the full collection of Luminary Original Podcasts, featuring celebrated creators, diverse voices, and important stories told through a new lens. You can find Luminary’s original content via the Luminary app, available on iOS, Android, and the web, and it has been available on Apple Podcasts’ Luminary channel since June 2021.

Luminary was founded by Matt Sacks in 2018 with backing from NEA. Driven by a love for podcasts, Luminary is elevating the podcasting experience for both listeners and creators.

About Times Bridge

Times Bridge is a leading investment firm with a mission to bring the world’s best ideas to India and share India’s best insights with the world. Its current portfolio includes Airbnb, Coursera, Headspace, Houzz, Smule, Stack Overflow, Uber and Wattpad among others. By providing unmatched market leadership to select partners, Times Bridge accelerates growth and immersion across the Indian subcontinent for leaders and companies who believe in winning in and learning from India. For more information, visit www.timesbridge.com and follow @timesbridge on Twitter.

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Why India is the next frontier of growth for global language learning platforms

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Why India is the next frontier of growth for global language learning platforms

Times Bridge
July 12, 2021

Not long ago, English was spoken by mostly wealthy and well-educated Indians living in large cities. As India races towards development, the language has begun to penetrate the population more deeply. Now there are over 129 million speakers across all 29 states. Outside of the United States, India claims the largest population of English speakers globally and still, English speakers make up less than 10% of the population.

The opportunity exists for English to make further in-roads amidst a booming edtech sector in India, which presents a $4.8 billion market opportunity among school-age children for low-cost edtech products and services. 

Furthermore, the existing edtech market is in short supply of pure digital language learning platforms, for which India provides both scale and scope. The market opportunity for language learning platforms primarily rests in two broad areas- 

  • Tier 3 and 4 cities and villages. For people in these locations, learning and speaking in English is an aspiration. An online language learning platform can democratize learning and speaking English helped by the ubiquity of cheap smartphones and even cheaper data. Before, in the pre-internet economy, every Indian city boasted of popular English-speaking classes with special attention given to fluency and clarity in accents. 
  • Elite, urban Indians who are already familiar with English provide the scope for additional foreign languages to make early in-roads.

The English advantage

The advantages of English knowledge begin at an early age. Reading and speaking in English gives a competitive edge in exams and interviews like those for the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology, Indian Institutes of Management, the civil services and more. Many struggle to practice speaking because the language at home is their mother tongue; therefore, even cash-strapped families are willing to pay higher fees to send their children to English-medium schools. And as the children grow older, Indian parents look for prospective partners that understand the language—after all, English is perceived as the key to a good life.

IIT Bombay is one of the premier universities in India (Photo: IBM News Room)

The need for English in the workplace

English is the most prevalent language in the private-sector workplace for both multinational and domestically-owned companies. These jobs offer lucrative opportunities for white-collar Indians, who flock to urban offices from widespread corners of the country. 

Major cities also attract a blue-collar workforce from small towns and villages in search of work. Learning the local language is essential, particularly for opportunities in the gig economy that include ride-hailing services, home wellness and maintenance services, and food and e-commerce delivery. Online language learning platforms would be keen to target this group—ultimately enabling migrants to locate work opportunities, upgrade their skills, and execute sales with the confidence of a local. 

Amazon’s largest office globally is located in Hyderabad (Photo: Amazon India Blog)

Language and culture in entertainment

For entertainment, understanding English and other languages has made foreign-language music, films, and shows accessible and immensely popular among Indians. The sensational buzz around South-Korean singer Psy’s “Gangnam Style” in the summer of 2012 stoked the ongoing K-pop fervor in India, particularly for groups BTS and Blackpink. The enthusiasm has spread to K-dramas, which underwent a 370% increase in their Indian consumption during the pandemic-induced lockdown days. Other international content has found immediate success and a particularly dedicated fan-following in India, including Netflix’s German sci-fi series ‘Dark’ and Spanish-language shows ‘Money Heist’ and ‘Narcos.’ 

Now more than ever, Indians are voraciously consuming content from around the world, fueling an interest in foreign cultures and languages. 

An actor in ‘Dark,’ who discussed Indian fan theories (Photo: Netflix India)

Why now is the time to capitalize on India

The Indian population is rapidly learning and communicating in English for educational, professional, and recreational purposes. As the edtech sector thrives, the opportunity for language learning platforms has never been greater.

The desirability of English in India will provide a long-term scale, given the language’s established roots and an immense population. As many more Indians reach middle-class status in the next decade and major cities continue to grow, the number of English learners will skyrocket. Beyond English, there is scope for promoting other foreign languages that Indian children study in school, with French, German, and Spanish being the three most popular. These languages will appeal more broadly to those who wish to travel abroad, understand other literary cultures, or simply enjoy learning something new.

As India grows in its aspirations and globalizes more each day, so does the necessity and hunger for languages. There never has been a better time to invest in this booming language market. After all, the one sure-fire way of knowing the world is through understanding the way it talks.

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Getting India singing with Smule

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Getting India singing with Smule

Times Bridge
April 12, 2021

Nothing substitutes for a good story. Smule, the world’s leading social-singing and karaoke app, is one such product with a delightful origin story - globally and in India - with its dedication to make music-creation accessible to all. What has further powered its business in India is an unwavering focus on community development, an array of partnerships with music industry stakeholders, and thoughtful localisations for the market. 

So, how did a social singing app go on to build an Indian audience that spends an average of 70 minutes per day on the app? India is amongst Smule’s top 3 global markets today, and its success can be decoded by studying its evolution in the market. 

Authenticity and Purpose

Smule’s founder Jeffrey Christopher Smith is a music enthusiast with a PhD in music from Stanford University. He wanted to bring back participatory consumption of media – take users away from being sole consumers, but become creators in equal parts. The app's studio experience puts the user at the center. It brings back the age-old participative and communal nature of singing. His authenticity also plays out in his strategy, particularly when thinking of expansions. "We couldn’t drop in a couple of expats to figure it out,” he says when he talks of Smule’s growth in India. “A critical partnership was forged locally.” It was through the local insights that Smule was able to navigate this rich, ethnomusical landscape as well as a burgeoning mobile-first audience’s insatiable appetite for creator-centric apps and eventually, fame.

Smule’s Playbook in India

Almost half of India’s urban youth speak more than one language. Overall, one in five Indians is bilingual. The concept of native language – a language spoken at home – and one spoken outside and professionally is common. Smule figured out early enough that native languages make India tick - an insight evidenced by the boom in regional language content consumption. As a result, Smule, today, lets its Indian users experience the app in seven local languages. 

Smule tapped into untapped, emotional territories. Promoting singing in regional languages, collaborating with artists who may not always have big labels backing them but certainly have big fanbases, Smule understood which genres appealed to the next half a billion users. They also brought together a network of nationally popular artists, making it an inclusive platform across musical genres and tastes. All these aspects of local relevance have been wrapped in an India-specific pricing strategy to drive subscriptions for the premium offering. Acknowledging the value-conscious nature and vastly different spending appetite of different consumer segments in India, Smule’s subscription bundles straddle the entire range of the pricing band with different offerings for India’s Android and iOS users.  

As a global first, Smule also developed a localized brand voice that was resonant. Smule created a cultural connect with Indian users by deploying a repeatable playbook that encompasses languages, festivals, cricket and popular cultures of different regions of the country and tailored it to fit their themes. As a result, it has been among the top revenue-grossing music apps of India since 2019. A big chunk of Smule’s global monthly active users is constituted by Smule India and its India user base is among the fastest-growing for the platform in the world.  

Community and Partnerships 

Smule built market relevance and user engagement by thoughtfully associating with and co-creating marquee national and regional intellectual properties including Mirchi Music Awards (Grammys equivalent of India), the largest radio-led musical talent hunt of India, and the first-ever digital reality show of India. It partnered with established media houses, IPs and labels, amongst them local giants like Dharma Productions and Indian Idol and global ones like Sony Music and Universal Music. It took the familiar -  regional languages, old classics, resonant formats - and also got the users hooked to the emergent - global trends including K-pop that are on the rise in India.

An average Indian Smule user spends market-beating ~8 hours a week on the app. Smule offers partners/brands the opportunity to tap a deeply committed user base in immersive ways. Users have found love, solace, friendships and connection on Smule. Today, almost all the major cities of India have local community chapters that are co-nurtured by Smule and the users themselves. Users belonging to these city-wise chapters engage in various offline meetups and on-app group activities. Unsurprisingly, they use the metaphor of a ‘family’ for their community!

To sum it up, Smule built familiarity and user engagement through meaningful local collaborations and product localisation. However, it was its emphasis on the nuance that led to its success. For a brand, forging connections is essential. Through authenticity, purpose, and familiarity with the cultural landscape, the product is now a part of the social fabric of a diverse nation. It is not for nothing that brands focus on a strong alignment with India’s zeitgeist - it’s the only way to crack this rather difficult market! 

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Stack Overflow Announces Strategic Partnership with Times Bridge to Expand SaaS Offering into India Market

Press Release

Stack Overflow Announces Strategic Partnership with Times Bridge to Expand SaaS Offering into India Market

December 1, 2020

The world’s largest and most trusted online community for developers and technologists offers its Teams SaaS product in  India as part of new strategic partnership and investment

Mumbai/Bengaluru, 1 December 2020: Stack Overflow, the most trusted platform for developers and technologists visited by more than 100 million people each month, today announced a strategic partnership with Times Bridge in order to bring its SaaS knowledge management and collaboration offering, Stack Overflow for Teams, to India. Times Bridge, a leading global investments and partnerships firm, will enable Stack Overflow to launch, scale and expand its reach in India, the world’s largest open internet market. 

Times Bridge, a division of The Times Group, India’s oldest and largest media company, also made an investment as part of Stack Overflow’s Series E fundraise of $85 million, announced in July, which was led by GIC with participation from Silver Lake Waterman and existing investors Andreessen Horowitz, Index Ventures, Spark Capital, and Union Square Ventures (USV). The round brings Stack Overflow’s total funding to $153M.

With news of this strategic partnership and investment, Stack Overflow joins Times Bridge’s global portfolio of market-leading partners, mission-driven companies, which includes consumer and enterprise businesses like Airbnb, Coursera, Headspace, Houzz, Smule, Uber and Wattpad, among others.  

Stack Overflow is one of the 50 most popular web destinations in the world, with India bringing the largest share of traffic to the site. This partnership enables the Teams product  to enter and gain traction in India at a dynamic time for the SaaS sector: at more than 3 million, the Indian software developer population is the second-largest in the world after the US. The SaaS market in India is growing at 30 percent CAGR, having touched $3.5 billion in revenue by FY20, per National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM), a trade association of Indian Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing companies. 

The partnership will focus on rolling out Stack Overflow for Teams across the Indian market. Stack Overflow for Teams is a secure collaboration platform for developers and technologists to break down silos and work asynchronously to ship products faster, accelerate onboarding, improve customer experience and drive innovation. Stack Overflow for Teams is used by thousands of companies including Bloomberg, Box, Elastic, Expensify, Microsoft, and Zapier. Stack Overflow for Teams is seeing rapid adoption as startups and large enterprises embrace platforms to streamline developer and technologist workflows and integrate tools for transparency, security and confidential communication. Over 200,000 paid users across more than 5,000 teams use the platform across Engineering, Product Management, Data Science and Customer Support. Millions of Indian developers already rely on Stack Overflow’s public platform, and the adoption of Teams will enable mission-critical knowledge management for enterprises.    

By providing subcontinent-wide market leadership and drawing on the unmatched reach of Times Group assets, Times Bridge’s initiatives will ensure Stack Overflow’s product, partnerships and positioning are optimized for adoption and impact across India. In addition to being a strategic partner, Times Bridge will also be Stack Overflow’s sales partner in India and will introduce its Teams product to enterprises across a wide range of sectors, including IT/ITES, Consumer Tech, Telecom, BFSI, and Consultancies, among others. Times Bridge’s unique influence-and-insight-oriented approach and dedicated resources, will accelerate the growth of Stack’s SaaS offering and advance its mission in the world’s most developer-rich market. 

Prashanth Chandrasekar, Stack Overflow’s CEO, said, “India is among our largest and most vibrant user markets but remains largely untapped in the context of our Teams SaaS product. We are thrilled to partner with Times Bridge and The Times Group, whose enterprise partnership experience, local know-how and reach across the Indian market will help us empower developers and technologists in every corner of the country to collaborate and innovate together.’’  

Rishi Jaitly, CEO of Times Bridge, said: “At Times Bridge, our mission is to enable India immersion and impact for the world's best ideas -- and Stack Overflow is, without doubt, one of the world's premier, proven ideas. We're delighted to welcome Stack Overflow to our global portfolio of partners -- and to partner with a company ready to approach the Indian market with energy and empathy, and unlock outsized global value along the way.”

About Stack Overflow
Stack Overflow is helping developers and technologists write the script of the future. More than 100 million unique visitors come to Stack Overflow’s public platform every month making it one of the 50 most-visited websites in the world. Stack Overflow’s products include a SaaS knowledge management and collaboration offering, Stack Overflow for Teams, in addition to Stack Overflow Advertising and Stack Overflow Talent. Through its products Stack Overflow partners with top companies such as Bloomberg, Box, Microsoft, Expensify, and more to help them enable, understand, hire, and engage the world's developers and technologists. Founded in 2008, Stack Overflow is headquartered in New York.

About Times Bridge
Times Bridge is a leading investment firm with a mission to bring the world’s best ideas to India and share India’s best insights with the world. Its current portfolio includes Airbnb, Coursera, Headspace, Houzz, Smule, Uber and Wattpad among others. By providing unmatched market leadership to select partners, Times Bridge accelerates growth and immersion across the Indian subcontinent for leaders and companies who believe in winning in and learning from India. For more information, visit https://timesbridge.com/ and follow @timesbridge on Twitter.

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#Deeptake - The Wattpad India Story

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#Deeptake - The Wattpad India Story

Times Bridge
September 4, 2020

Wattpad, the world’s largest social storytelling platform, just completed a year in India. How does a global giant reimagine itself in a market with story and song in its ethos?  

Three and a half million users, 90% of them under the age of 30, 65% women and with a fair split between metros and other town classifications. Those are rather impressive numbers for a long-form platform in the age of constant distraction! How do these millions of youngsters, who spend a whopping 30 minutes on Wattpad every day on an average, continue to remain engaged?  

Beyond its numbers, Wattpad in India has carved its niche as somewhat of a progressive, inclusive platform. Stories on LGBTQ themes, mental health, anti-bullying – conversations not being had elsewhere are popular on the platform.  How then did it tap into this latent sentiment and give a platform to these unheard voices simply by creating a safe space? In simpler words, why are Indian youth thronging to Wattpad?  

The answer is rather simple - and has a history! Armed with deep insights into the market Wattpad had just the right opening to make the right moves; to tap into the pulse of a nation, and gently nudge to let the platform do what it does best - encourage expression.  

#Immerse

Have you wondered why all Bollywood films are full of songs? Often puzzling and sometimes downright amusing to watch serious storylines being broken up by a song and dance routine, the answer is simply that storytelling in India is full of song and lore. Much more in line with the idea of a musical – much more wholesome.  

The term ‘Indian’ is very often reductionist - one that clubs together vastly different geographies, languages, and cultures together. Few things unite the different regional contexts within India but storytelling is one of the few.  In prose and in verse, Indians have for centuries been consuming story with song. Marketing and promotion is tied to song and star power – and Bollywood is the prime entertainer for all audiences. Regional language film industries, sizeable giants in their own right, too follow this pattern. Soundtracks are released before the film as promotional material. Even before the film is out on screens, chatter on the street is discussing whether they’ll watch it or not depending on how good the songs are. And it all ties back to the tradition of storytelling that has been alive and fed in all parts for centuries - borrowing from contact with others from the Silk Route, through spice trade and by the Indian Ocean.  

Songwriters have, through history, been famous poets as well - their acclaim offscreen often holding much more power and sentiment than their works on screen and in song. The tradition of spoken poetry in India merely found an outlet in film and song. As a means of expression it continued to thrive in all its literary glory off screen; the poets as stalwarts in their own right. 

This bit of a background captures a vast history of storytelling and song in a few sentences. A background you needn’t necessarily know but will help understand the Wattpad India growth story better. 

Tailored Wattpad to the tune of India 

Cashing in on the celebrity power of musicians and song-writers, Wattpad ran a masterclass on Lyrics Writing and then a contest inviting the Wattpad community to write cover lyrics for a popular Sony Music Artist. Lyricists are often also distinguished poets or literati – so there is an element of reverence to writing lyrics. Combined with the tradition of punctuating a story with song, both the masterclass and the contest resonated with many for whom the act of crafting song lyrics in itself is an expression of aspiration. 

Unsurprisingly, the platform registered 7.5M+ impressions, 50K reads and 300+original lyrics submissions!  

Wattpad Masterclass 

Another striking thing common across India, or rather the subcontinent, is the teacher-taught tradition in a way fosters community. Traditional education centered around the teacher is a trend we see across the country. Together with a skill-based mindset, in a context of high youth employment, Indian market loves traditional pedagogy. Wattpad’s spin on this was what was developed and piloted as their online masterclass and it went onto be replicated globally. 

Tapping into the two most popular genres – self-help, and skilling – in this aspirational market, they delivered two classes with celebrities with face value and got a combined reach of 75k reads. Both classes were delivered completely digitally and saw both uptake and engagement. 

Summarizing  

We often hear of Tinder co-founder Whitney Wolfe going across campuses in the US, from sorority house to frats, and getting users onto the app. In India, Wattpad tweaked this just a bit – and how! 

Tying up with institutions with the underlying reverence associated with institutions to promote writing, and tapping into the India college networks had an effect. Times Bridge & Wattpad together and very deftly, cashed in on some key sentiments and the right networks to create this powerhouse of progressive storytelling and reading. Going all in and beyond traditional partnership – influencers, brands, publishing houses – they uncovered latent sentiments through understanding culture – online and offline. The engagement with and immersion into the quotidian lives of the youth of India has ensured they keep their growth growing.

In India, Wattpad has created a category of its own reimagining its offerings. This is how it makes for a wonderful tale into how deep insight into the cultural landscape can help companies rewrite the rules of a game - and their own play.

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Times Prime partners with MUBI to offer hand-picked cinema to its members

Press Release

Times Prime partners with MUBI to offer hand-picked cinema to its members

May 29, 2020

MUBI is part of Times Bridge’s portfolio of global companies that includes Uber, Airbnb, Coursera, Smule, Headspace, Houzz, Wattpad among others...

Premium lifestyle membership, Times Prime has entered into a strategic partnership with the curated film streaming service, MUBI, to bring Indian and international cinema to its members through its two film channels MUBI INDIA and MUBI WORLD. Times Bridge, the global investments and partnerships arm of the Times Group, sculpted this partnership between Times Prime and MUBI to expand MUBI’s reach among India’s digitally-savvy populace.

MUBI is part of Times Bridge’s portfolio of global companies that includes Uber, Airbnb, Coursera, Smule, Headspace, Houzz, Wattpad among others. Through this collaboration, Times Prime members will get to savour MUBI’s distinguished content of internationally-acclaimed, hand-picked cinema for 90 days.

Vivek Jain, business head, Times Prime, said, “MUBI introduces a new exquisite movie every day on each of its film channels, and its ever-changing line up resonates well with Times Prime’s vision of improving the everyday lives of its members. Our members will gain access to MUBI’s collection of hand-picked films from new directors to award winners from around the world, including films that can’t be found elsewhere.”

Efe Cakarel, founder and chief executive officer, MUBI, said, “This collaboration will add great value to Times Prime’s members, allowing them to discover incredible and interesting movies from India and around the world every day.”

Viral Jani, SVP, investment operations, Times Bridge, said, “Indians are embracing subscription-based services and their willingness to pay for truly unique and high-quality content is at an all-time high. Enabling MUBI’s partnership with India’s most prominent digital membership will keep us at the top of this trend and fuel MUBI’s growth further in the world’s second-largest internet market.”

About MUBI
MUBI is a curated streaming service. An ever-changing collection of hand-picked films. From new directors to award-winners. From everywhere on earth. Beautiful, interesting, incredible movies — a new one, every single day. Always chosen by us. MUBI is available to watch in 190 countries, and the films we pick are guided by local cultures and cinema. We are the world’s biggest community of film-lovers, with over 9 million members around the globe. You can stream or download all our movies, anytime. On any screen or device, anywhere. And you’ll never see a single ad on MUBI. Ever. Subscription plans include INR 499 a month or INR 4,788 for 12 months. MUBI is available on the web, Amazon Fire TV, Hisense, LG, Sony, and Samsung Smart TVs, as well as on mobile devices including iPad, iPhone, and Android. MUBI has offices in London, New York, Kuala Lumpur, and Mumbai.

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Immersing with Intention: Our Portfolio Leans Further into India

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Immersing with Intention: Our Portfolio Leans Further into India

Times Bridge
April 30, 2020

As a firm that brings the world’s best ideas to India, we put culture at the forefront of our partner companies’ approach to India immersion, growth, and scale. Enabling a product or platform’s participation in the cultural zeitgeist means more than just understanding values and traditions. In the present context, it means finding new ways to be relevant to more than 1.3 billion Indians whose lives have been upended, and who are searching for ways to deal with the ripple effects of COVID-19. Our portfolio companies - which consist of some of the world’s best-known consumer technology companies, including Uber, Airbnb, Coursera, Headspace, Smule, and Wattpad - recognize that success comes from blending true cultural relevance with both compassion and creativity. In doing so, our companies have been able to find new cultural currency in India and, by focusing on customer well-being, have showcased the opportunities that abound in this market.

Uber and Airbnb: Addressing logistical challenges faced by health workers, consumers

One of India’s biggest challenges is the shortage of skilled healthcare workers. Uber, which completes over 14 million rides per week in India, realized that if the gap between healers and patients was to be minimized, the logistics problem needed to be solved immediately. Under its partnership with the National Highway Authority, Uber will initially facilitate 150 cars to transport frontline medical workers free of cost. Another concern Uber has been addressing is that of last-mile delivery of essential items. It has partnered with BigBasket across multiple cities to deliver essential items to buyers’ homes.

Also helping close the gap has been Airbnb, which is providing free or subsidized stays at its properties to 100,000 COVID-19 relief workers around the world, including in India. These “frontline stays,” coupled with their recently-launched online experiences, affirm the value of togetherness that Airbnb has always stood for.

Coursera: Helping institutions, learners tackle academic disruptions

We’re seeing watershed shifts and impactful interventions in the field of education. The temporary closure of once-teeming campuses has affected hundreds of millions, if not billions, students worldwide.

Online learning platform Coursera has stepped into the breach, allowing impacted universities to access and deliver 3,800 of its online courses to their students. This is being offered free of cost for much of 2020. In doing so, Coursera is not only helping universities speedily switch to e-learning, but also mitigating the consequences of lost classroom-teaching hours on students' academic progress. 

In India, the digital learning platform is offering free access to its course catalog for impacted universities under its Coursera for Campus initiative. Over 1,200 Indian universities and colleges have signed up and new registrations saw a 500% jump year-on-year, accentuating the fact that India continues to be Coursera’s second-largest market in the world. 

Headspace: Offering a healing touch in times of stress

Businesses are seeing massive disruptions due to the COVID-19 crisis, too. As a result, stress, worry, sleeplessness, lack of focus, and inactivity have emerged as risks for professionals as well as their employers. 

The world’s leading meditation and mindfulness platform, Headspace, is offering an in-app selection of free wellness resources under its ‘Weathering the Storm’ library. These meditation, mindfulness, and movement resources have benefited countless people around the world: ordinary citizens, healthcare workers, business leaders, and many others. In addition, Headspace’s co-founder Andy Puddicombe - a former Tibetan Buddhist monk - also leads daily virtual #TakeTen sessions, to help people cope better in these tumultuous times.

Smule and Wattpad: Enabling human connection through expression and experience

Meanwhile, Smule is using the transcendental power of music to help people sing together from the safety of their own homes. Using the Smule app, users croon their favorite songs with friends and family across geographies and timezones. This not only gives them a greater sense of connection but provides a break from the grim news all around. 

Something similar is happening at the social storytelling platform Wattpad, recently named one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2020. Wattpad is seeing a 25% surge in overall activity in India, with writing activity doubling in recent weeks. We believe that people are increasingly using storytelling to cope with the changes around them, to share their hopes and fears, and to connect with thriving creative communities for encouragement and support. And Wattpad’s compelling writing, community-building, and publishing resources have made it the perfect platform to chronicle these heartfelt, vivid stories.

Even as the world fights back against COVID-19, we believe these times will inspire the best in companies around the world as they rethink how they connect to customers, partners, and society at large. And there’s no better place in the world in which to reimagine and reinvent for a new world than India, a microcosm of all the world’s markets.

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Content-driven cinema finds a home on OTT platforms

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Content-driven cinema finds a home on OTT platforms

Times Bridge
April 28, 2020

Viral Jani, Senior Vice President, Investment Operations, Times Bridge, argues here is a novel opportunity that is augmenting the influence of content-driven cinema – on OTT platforms and beyond – and it is maturing fast

To keep up with the ever discerning and ever aware audiences, content is increasingly becoming compelling, differentiated and message-driven. Nowhere is this truer than in cinema showcased on OTT platforms. Online audiences are driving the metamorphosis of films towards nuanced stories that go beyond escapism.

The key advantage of OTT platforms stems from the breadth of content on offer – from maestros like Satyajit Ray and Hrishikesh Mukherjee to new-age filmmakers like Karan Johar and Anurag Kashyap as well as global cinema in multiple languages, such as ‘Parasite’. One can experience this range across platforms like MUBI, Netflix, MX Player, Amazon Prime Video and more.

This is particularly relevant at a time when people are indoors amid the coronavirus-triggered lockdown – a recent Nielsen report found that this could lead to a near 60% rise in the amount of content they consume.

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Wattpad in association with Bloomsbury India to Host a Masterclass by Bestselling Author Shunali Khullar Shroff

Press Release

Wattpad in association with Bloomsbury India to Host a Masterclass by Bestselling Author Shunali Khullar Shroff

April 27, 2020

The best-selling Bloomsbury author of ‘Love in the time of Affluenza’ will shed light on the writing process and how to build a compelling narrative

Wattpad, the global multi-platform entertainment company for original stories, and Shunali Khullar Shroff, best-selling Bloomsbury author of  ‘Love in the time of Affluenza’ and ‘Battle Hymn of a Bewildered Mother’ are teaming up to host a Master Class in writing. Hosted on Wattpad India’s Instagram page and on the Wattpad Platform on April 29, the Master Class session will help demystify the writing process, including developing characters, writing dialogue, and giving the Wattpad community a professional’s perspective on the craft of storytelling.

The master class will involve a primer on how to go about writing. Shunali will share insights on three broad topics:

  • The Blank Slate: How to move from an idea to getting the first words on a page 
  • Technique: Researching and planning a story, and how to create a consistent voice

Reaching the finish line: Writing as rewriting, the editing process and how to land on the best version of a finished story 

The session will culminate in a contest encouraging aspiring authors to share their short stories on Wattpad. Three winners will receive personalized feedback from Shunali.

Devashish Sharma, Country Manager, Wattpad India, said: “Community and connection are cornerstones of the Wattpad experience. Writers around the world know that Wattpad is a place where they can hone their craft, find a community of other writers, and build a global audience. We’re thrilled to introduce Shunali Khullar Shroff to the Wattpad community and offer this unique opportunity to learn together in a Master Class setting.”

Shunali Khullar Shroff said: “This is an interesting collaboration and I look forward to taking this masterclass and discussing the craft of writing. I look forward to speaking with the Wattpad audience through this initiative.”

Viral Jani, Senior Vice-President, Investment Operations, Times Bridge, said: “Wattpad is democratizing storytelling and we are constantly finding ways to create value for our users.  Through the association with an author as well-known as Shunali Khullar Shroff, we want to encourage users to write and expand their horizons by helping them understand the writing process better.”

Previous editions of the Master Class had the likes of Anand Neelakantan, author of the ‘Bahubali’ trilogy, and Durjoy Datta, author and screenwriter.

Known around the world for its engaged community of readers and writers, Wattpad has a growing pan-India community of 2.6 million users who have shared more than 4 million story uploads. . The global Wattpad community is made up of 80 million people, including 4 million writers.  

Readers and writers all over India have participated in the company’s ‘Wattpad Campus Talks’ and the ‘Wattpad India Awards.’ In India, Wattpad has also partnered with publishing giants such as Penguin Random House, Harper Collins and Aleph, as well as with leading music labels and entertainment companies. 

Wattpad is backed by Times Bridge, a leading investment firm that seeks to bring the world’s best ideas to India and India’s best ideas to the world

About Shunali Khullar Shroff

Shunali Khullar Shroff is a Mumbai-based writer who has worked as a journalist, a corporate communication professional and been the owner of a successful PR firm. She is the author of the bestselling book ‘Battle Hymn of a Bewildered Mother’ and “Love in the time of Affluenza” she writes regularly for publications such as Conde Nast Traveller and HT Brunch on modern Indian life and feminism.

About Wattpad

Wattpad’s vision is to entertain and connect the world through stories. Using the power of community and technology, the global multi-platform entertainment company is unleashing the full potential of stories to the world – in any format. Wattpad’s flagship app is the world’s leading social storytelling platform, home to a community of more than 80 million people who spend over 23 billion minutes a month engaged in original stories. Wattpad’s Story DNA Machine Learning technology allows the company to understand and discover stories among the more than half a billion uploads that have been written on the platform. The company is proudly based in Toronto, Canada. Learn more at http://company.wattpad.com/

About Bloomsbury India

The India office of the leading Independent Publishing House, Bloomsbury India upholds Bloomsbury Publishing’s tradition of publishing books of the highest quality in Fiction, Non-Fiction, Children’s, Academic, Business, and Education by both Indian and international authors. Our prolific catalogue of authors includes J.K. Rowling, Khaled Hosseini, Elizabeth Gilbert and Kamila Shamsie; Nobel Prize winners Nadine Gordimer and Patrick Modiano; Booker Prize winner Margaret Atwood; Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Kolbert; Orange Prize winners Madeline Miller and Anne Michaels and cookery books by Michelin-starred chefs Anthony Bourdain, Vikas Khanna, Heston Blumenthal, Atul Kochhar and Raymond Blanc.

https://www.bloomsbury.com/in/

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India could see a resurgence of Malaria as health systems are busy containing Covid-19

News

India could see a resurgence of Malaria as health systems are busy containing Covid-19

Preeti Soni
April 25, 2020

  • India witnesses an increase in Malaria cases every year during the monsoon in July.
  • With most hospitals and medical staff busy containing COVID-19, it might be difficult for the country to diagnose and treat Malaria
  • According to the World Health Organisation, India is among countries with the 5th highest burden of malaria in the world

As India fights the coronavirus pandemic, another health crisis might be lurking around which requires attention - Malaria.

India witnesses a surge in Malaria every year during the monsoons around the month of July. The local authorities step up their efforts ahead of it, with sanitation and awareness drives. However, this year, most health authorities are busy controlling the COVID-19 pandemic and experts believe that it might lead to a resurgence of Malaria.

“India has proved its dedication to end malaria, reflected through the diverse involvement in malaria programs of political, government leadership, community leaders, civil society. This has led to steady progress since 2000 and significant progress in the last two years. India has an opportunity to protect this progress. If these effective programs could start immediately – and safely – after the lockdown is lifted and before the onset of monsoon rains in early June, India’s progress against malaria can be maintained,” said Sanjeev Gaikwad, India country director of Malaria No More — an NGO which aims to end Malaria within a generation. It also supports India’s goal of Malaria elimination by 2030.

According to the World Health Organisation, India has the 5th highest burden of malaria in the world. It reported 430,000 cases of Malaria in 2018 alone. Experts fear an outbreak as most of its population resides in M alaria-endemic regions.

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Headspace co-founders discuss the importance of addressing stress, goals for Headspace, and the power of meditation and routine

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Headspace co-founders discuss the importance of addressing stress, goals for Headspace, and the power of meditation and routine

Team YS
April 20, 2020

Headspace co-founders Andy Puddicombe and Richard Pierson sit down with Shradha Sharma to talk about meditation, mental health, and introducing meditation to the West. In this conversation, the Headspace founders open up about how the importance of addressing and dealing with stress.



Read more

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Smule’s ‘India Jam Karega’ Calls For Unity Over Shared Passion For Music.

Press Release

Smule’s ‘India Jam Karega’ Calls For Unity Over Shared Passion For Music.

April 2, 2020

Mumbai, April 2, 2020: In togetherness lies magic. In togetherness lies music - that’s what the brand Smule is all about- Coming together and Jamming together. With the new creative positioning of “India Jams Here” the brand aims to establish the word “Jam” as a synonym for the social singing network. The fabric of this new positioning inspires all of India to make friends with music and music with friends.

Smule is inviting music-lovers across India to come together and jam online together. Whether it's singing a duet, crooning away with an international or local artist, creating an original, cheering each other on, making friends across the globe, sparking the creative energy of Indians and getting music lovers across languages and geographies together.

The new brand campaign - India Jam Karega, tells a musical story highlighting the tenets of the social singing app. Set to a groovy, foot-thumping anthem by the inimitable Sneha Khanwalkar, sung by Benny
Dayal and Shalmali Kholgadhe, they are expressing the joy of jamming that people in India enjoy, the film weaves through various situations showing people from all corners of the country singing together. It has a friendly and inviting vibe, completely in sync with the essence of the brand- a community of music lovers uniting across the globe, including jamming with the biggest names in the music industry like Darshan Raval, Neha Kakkar, Salim Merchant, Papon & many others. Playing up the authenticity factor, the lyrics encourage people to sing with pride and without fear of any judgment. The film also brings out the features of the app where users can show appreciation for each other's singing by awarding virtual ‘gifts’.

Bill Bradford, President, Smule said: “Music has the inter-cultural ability to cross frontiers. It’s a language the world understands and that connects societies. We believe it's more crucial than ever to invoke the power of music to bring people closer, while encouraging, engaging and exciting anyone who likes to sing, anytime, anywhere. We aim to be the one stage where all of India unites to celebrate its passion for music. This campaign is an invitation for Indian music lovers to join our growing community of millions of music lovers – the rookie, the enthusiast and the expert.”

Viral Jani, Sr. VP Investment Operations, Times Bridge said: “At Times Bridge, it is our endeavor to work with our global partners to help them find a brand voice that will resonate with the discerning Indian consumer thereby become a part of the Indian cultural zeitgeist. The campaign “India Jam Karega” is an expression of how the Indian consumer connects over music and forms new connections that are driven by the passion of singing together from north to south, east to west of India and across the world. This campaign is a true reflection of how the Smule community of singers in India come together to Jam and unite on this platform.”

Smule is backed by Times Bridge, a leading investment firm that seeks to bring the world’s best ideas to India and India’s best ideas to the world.

Links to Campaign Films:

URL 1: https://www.instagram.com/p/B-CooSTJYut/
URL 2: https://www.instagram.com/p/B-FJg6lJipY/
URL 3: https://www.instagram.com/p/B-btdYkJEDx/

About Smule

Smule enables consumers to form social connections and bond over their passion for creating music together. Connecting the world through a global community of millions of active users, Smule’s flagship app lets people sing with each other, and even Jam with major artists around the world, like Ed Sheeran, Nick Jonas, Anne Marie, Neha Kakkar, Darshan Raval, Salim Merchant to name a few. Smule is available on iOS and Android devices.

About Times Bridge

Times Bridge is a leading investment firm with a mission to bring the world’s best ideas to India and share India’s best insights with the world. Its current portfolio includes Airbnb, Coursera, Uber, Houzz, Smule, MUBI and Wattpad, among others. By providing unmatched market leadership to select partners, Times Bridge accelerates growth and immersion across the Indian subcontinent for leaders and companies who believe in winning in and learning from India. For more information, visit
https://timesbridge.com/ and follow @timesbridge on Twitter.

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Meditation app Headspace plans a tailor-made approach for India

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Meditation app Headspace plans a tailor-made approach for India

Samar Srivastava
March 6, 2020

The California-headquartered company hopes to capitalise on the country's rich culture of meditation, offering a digital alternative to a young market

Over the last few years, meditation has become serious businesses—several apps such as Calm, Inscape, Buddhify and Headspace are competing for users. Headspace, which has been downloaded 62 million times by users in 190 countries, launched French, German as well as Latin American Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese products in 2019. They are now eyeing an India launch. In an email interaction, Headspace co-founder Rich Pierson shares their plans for the Indian market. Edited excerpts:

Q. How did the idea behind Headspace come about?

When Headspace started in 2010, we were an events company, bringing meditation to the masses through a variety of events and sessions. We’ve seen such an exciting growth trajectory since then, thanks mostly to our app, which launched in 2012. Launching in new markets is simply a staging thing, and we have always sought to do this in a very thoughtful and considerate way.

Q. Your co-founder, Andy Puddicombe, spent time in India learning meditation. How much of a role did that play in the development of the Headspace product?

Andy spent 10 years traveling and studying with many great masters. He studied first as a lay-person and novice monk in the Burmese tradition of Mahasi Sayadaw, before taking full-ordination in the Karma Kagyu lineage of the Tibetan tradition, with His Eminence Tai Situpa Rinpcohe, at Sherab Ling monastery in Bir, Himachal Pradesh. His monastic name was Karma Norbu Gyaltsen.After completing his monastic commitment in 2004, Andy returned to the UK with a huge-yet-simple goal in mind: To demystify meditation and mindfulness, and make them accessible to all. Soon after, while offering one-to-one meditation at a health clinic, we met and began a skill swap, where I offered him marketing advice for his clinic, and he taught me how to meditate.That exchange changed my life and I saw firsthand what a difference meditation could make if taught in a more accessible way. I have not missed a day of meditation since that first meeting. It felt only natural to want others to experience the benefits too, so we began working together on Headspace and launched the project officially in 2010.

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BCCL’s Times Bridge bets on US-based meditation startup Headspace

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BCCL’s Times Bridge bets on US-based meditation startup Headspace

Narinder Kapur
February 13, 2020

Headspace Inc., which runs an online meditation and mental health platform, has raised $93 million (approximately Rs 664.51 crore at current exchange rates) in mixed equity and debt funding round.

The equity portion of the Series C round, comprising $53 million, was led by Blisce, the US-based growth stage venture firm. Others that participated in the round include Waverley Capital and Times Bridge, the investments and partnerships arm of Bennett Coleman and Co. Ltd’s Times Group.

Existing investors The Chernin Group, Spectrum Equity and Advancit Capital also participated in the round, Headspace said in a statement.

California-based Headspace has secured the remaining $40 million in the form of debt capital from US-based Pacific Western Bank, a commercial institution.

The startup says it will use the funds to boost its direct-to-consumer business, enhance its business-to-business segment, Headspace for Work and accelerate its growth in international markets.

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Headspace Announces Investment from Times Bridge

Press Release

Headspace Announces Investment from Times Bridge

February 13, 2020

The global leader in mindfulness and meditation brings platform to India as part of $93 million funding round

Mumbai, 13 February 2020: Headspace, a global leader in mindfulness and meditation, today announced an investment from Times Bridge as its Series C funding comprised of $53 million of equity from participating investors and $40 million of debt capital. Times Bridge, a global investments and partnerships firm, will enable Headspace to launch and scale in India, the world’s second-largest internet market. 

Times Bridge has previously invested in and partnered with many market-creating, mission-driven companies, including Airbnb, Coursera, Houzz, Smule, Uber and Wattpad.

As a world-leading platform for mindfulness and meditation, Headspace has more than 62 million users across 190 countries. Headspace is transforming the well-being and mindfulness space, with innovative partnerships with a range of global companies including Nike, Google, Starbucks, Hyatt and the NBA.

Times Bridge will enable Headspace’s launch in the Indian market, accelerate its growth, and advance its mission. By providing subcontinent-wide market leadership and drawing on the unmatched reach of Times Group assets, Times Bridge’s initiatives will ensure Headspace’s product, partnerships, and positioning are optimized for adoption and impact across India. 

India is known for centuries of heritage in meditation and holistic living. Headspace will enable Indian users to integrate the practice of mindfulness and meditation into their daily lives, through easily-accessible mindfulness routines, including sleep, movement and meditation, among other features. Even today, Indian users can explore bite-sized audio sessions on everything from focus and productivity to stress and anxiety. The courses are led by the guiding voice of co-founder Andy Puddicombe, a former Buddhist monk who spent 10 years traveling around the world, culminating with ordination as a Tibetan Buddhist monk in Northern India.

Richard Pierson, Headspace co-founder and CEO said: “Headspace’s mission is to improve the health and happiness of the world. While the scale and diversity of India is widely known, our opportunity to make a significant impact in the ancient home of meditation is unique. We are excited to pair this time-honored 2,000 year old practice and bring it to a large audience around the world. We are delighted to partner with Times Bridge and The Times Group to expand Headspace’s reach in the Indian market.”

Rishi Jaitly, CEO of Times Bridge, said: “Times Bridge's mission is to bring the world’s best ideas to India, and share India’s best insights with the world. Headspace is one of those bold, original trailblazer companies with founders and a wider team sincerely committed to a more mindful world, and to India in particular. We’re delighted to work with a partner that sees India holistically and is ambitious about its opportunity to create value across the subcontinent.”

About Headspace

Headspace was created with one mission in mind: to improve the health and happiness of the world. Reaching more than 62 million users in 190 countries, Headspace was one of the first meditation apps in the world and remains a leader in mindfulness and mental training. Headspace is committed to advancing the field of mindfulness through clinically-validated research, having one of the largest research pipelines of any digital health and wellness company. Headspace operates a B2B business (Headspace for Work) to offer its mindfulness products and services to more than 600 companies, such as Hyatt, Adobe, GE, and Starbucks, to help them build healthier, more productive cultures and higher-performing organizations. Headspace partners with many of the world’s most recognizable brands, including Apple, Amazon, Google, and more. Headspace also partners with brands like Nike, NBA, and the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team to offer sport and movement content. In 2018, Headspace launched Headspace Health, a digital health subsidiary pioneering new ways to incorporate the Headspace mindfulness experience into digital medicine. For more information please visit us at www.headspace.com, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Times Bridge

Times Bridge is a leading investments firm with a mission to bring the world’s best ideas to India and share India’s best insights with the world. Its current portfolio includes Airbnb, Coursera, Uber, Houzz, Smule, and Wattpad, among others. By providing unmatched market leadership to select partners, Times Bridge accelerates growth and immersion across the Indian subcontinent for leaders and companies who believe in winning in and learning from India. For more information, visit https://timesbridge.com/ and follow @timesbridge on Twitter.

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HBR Interview: How to Do Things That Bring You Joy

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HBR Interview: How to Do Things That Bring You Joy

Vasundhara Sawhney, Rakshitha Arni Ravishankar
December 13, 2019

When both your parents are doctors, and you choose History as your major, it can be one difficult conversation to have at home. But Rishi Jaitly managed to convince his parents with his enthusiasm and conviction for the subject. Jaitly is currently the CEO of Times Bridge. Times Bridge’s current portfolio includes Uber, Airbnb, Coursera, Smule, Houzz, Mubi, and Wattpad among others. Before his role at Times Bridge, Jaitly was the VP of Twitter (India) where he led Twitter’s entry into markets across Asia and the Middle East.

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Here’s How Smule Is Engaging Its Users More Than TikTok, Facebook

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Here’s How Smule Is Engaging Its Users More Than TikTok, Facebook

Inc 42
December 11, 2019

Since the internet has been flooded with user-generated content being shared over social media applications —TikTok, Musically, Like, among others — individuals have started to stick to their mobile devices. And now one such social media platform, Smule, has confirmed the increased usage of these apps globally by confirming that its users are spending close to one hour daily on its app.

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With just two movies a day, MUBI is trying not to overwhelm Indian cinephiles

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With just two movies a day, MUBI is trying not to overwhelm Indian cinephiles

Quartz India
December 6, 2019

India is a poster child for internet adoption, and over-the-top (OTT) platforms are banking on that.

There was a time when a couple of large platforms enjoyed a near-monopoly over the Indian OTT market. But now, as the number of internet users have increased, so have these content offerings. The latest international player to join this universe is MUBI, a London-based curated streaming service founded in 2007.

With an India-specific channel and subscription plan, MUBI’s launch on Nov. 16, could possibly herald a change in viewing habits among OTT viewers in the country. Unlike Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, EROS Now, and Hotstar that offer an ever-increasing collection of films and TV series, MUBI handpicks films and puts up one recommendation a day. “We make our films available on MUBI in a way that doesn’t overwhelm or frustrate people,” Efe Cakarel, founder and CEO of MUBI, told Quartz India.

Other than the curated list of films, the genre of films available on MUBI also sets it apart from other OTT platforms. The films on the platform are generally arthouse cinema, documentaries, or short films, that are guided by the local culture of the country that cinema represents. Rarely do mainstream feature films, especially in terms of the most direct understanding of Bollywood, appear on the list of MUBI’s curation. The only exception in the Indian context is perhaps Andaz Apna Apna, which is a cult unto itself.

In a unique partnership with PVR Cinemas, MUBI also announced the MUBI GO programme on Nov. 27. Under this, MUBI subscribers will be able to redeem one ticket for a “film of the week” at any PVR hall that is screening it. This could be an interesting game-changer, especially in terms of bringing more audiences to watch films that often go unnoticed. MUBI is currently available for Rs199 for the first three months, and Rs499 per month subsequently.

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Deadline 2030: Fight against malaria the way you fought to eradicate polio

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Deadline 2030: Fight against malaria the way you fought to eradicate polio

TNN
November 22, 2019

A not-for-profit organization, MNM is working with the Odisha government to support malaria-free goal. Odisha is one of the most malaria-endemic states in India. However, due to sustained efforts from government agencies and the accredited social health activists (ASHAs), Edlund said there has been a significant decline in cases over the last two years.

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Chernin, Times Internet, Star tie up to end malaria by 2030

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Chernin, Times Internet, Star tie up to end malaria by 2030

ET Bureau
November 19, 2019

Not-for-profit Malaria No More, Times Internet and Star India have come together for a nationwide campaign to end malaria in India by 2030. The organisations plan to scale up the campaign in the same way India did for the eradication of polio.

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Office 4.0 - How Technology is Reshaping the Way We Work

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Office 4.0 - How Technology is Reshaping the Way We Work

Viral Jani
November 14, 2019

The workplace of yore might be a distant memory for many of us, but it's hard to forget what a grand mess it was. Dust-laden files, storage space submerged in paper, communication that was both expensive and sluggish, the necessity of physical presence for everything from meetings to office management and impossibly long hours wasted on mundane, repetitive manual tasks. But as technology advanced, first with a revolution in telecom, followed by high-speed internet and now in the new frontiers of digital transformation like AI and IoT and cloud, the experience of working in modern-day offices is radically different.

Modern video communications tools like Zoom are increasingly replacing in-person meetings, project management has become seamless by platforms such as Trello and services such as Slack & GSuite products are allowing people to collaborate in real-time and co-create deliverables, with big upshots on building trust, transparency, and accountability. By reducing the operational inconveniences of running an enterprise, technology has been greatly responsible for allowing employees to place more emphasis on creativity & innovation and achieve greater productivity with limited resource allocation.

At Times Bridge we believe that the consolidated impact of these dramatic shifts has been avowedly positive. We are a future-ready workplace. Technology is an essential part of our work culture and it helps us win with the ‘Less is more’ approach. It is helping global companies like Times Bridge overcome the challenges of distances, integrate remote operations, collaborate optimally across geographies and time zones, enhance productivity & performance. The adoption of technology has also fuelled the rise of a flexible, mobile workforce that's connected 24x7 and can deliver work anytime, and from anywhere.

Tech adoption is part of our DNA & it helps us stay ahead of the curve. It helps us score higher on HR metrics including workplace happiness. Apart from the usual KPIs, our core value at work is versatility. By using technology to un-complicate the lives of our people, we encourage them to contribute outside of their mandate and drive synergies across teams. This unleashes their creative output exponentially. Our exposure to global companies also enables us to have a continually updated mindset and remain up to speed with the latest cultural & technological trends in the workplace.

While we fully recognize the structural shifts technology and automation are effecting at the workplace, we aren't purveyors of hyperbolic tech dystopia. We believe tools like AI & machine learning can significantly enhance the human condition, and our relationship with technology needs to be viewed from an altered vantage.

We need to see the onset of the 4th Industrial revolution not as a battle between man and machine but as a prolific collaboration. We don't buy the notion that technology will replace jobs. Human ingenuity & emotional quotient doesn't have an easy substitute. The nature of work will change. We must await this era of disruption with a sense of anticipation rather than anxiety. We must remain ready & equipped to conquer the future. At Times Bridge, that remains our continuing endeavour.

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India's Music Industry is Echoing Tunes of Optimism

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India's Music Industry is Echoing Tunes of Optimism

Viral Jani
November 4, 2019

In September this year, a video of Ranu Mondal—an impoverished woman singing at the Ranaghat station in West Bengal—went viral. A month later she recorded a song for Bollywood music director Himesh Reshammiya. It garnered nearly 30 million views online. Mondal's instant success succinctly illustrates the changes sweeping through India's music industry, as a confluence of deeper smartphone penetration, hectic streaming activity, an emerging non-film independent scene and a wider acceptance of regional talent breaks Bollywood's established hegemony and sets the music industry on a path to hyper-growth.

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Introducing Chhaa Jaa, Girl Effect's first youth programme in India

Press Release

Introducing Chhaa Jaa, Girl Effect's first youth programme in India

October 11, 2019

Introducing Chhaa Jaa (Go Forth and Shine), Girl Effect’s first youth programme in India aimed at empowering adolescent girls in India through digital media content. Chhaa Jaa’s focus is to inspire, inform and equip girls with the right skills and confidence to navigate their teenage years and reach their potential.
Reflecting the seismic shift in India’s digital media landscape, Chhaa Jaa comes to life online and on social platforms to meet girls where they are already looking for information or increasingly will be. Chhaa Jaa launches with three digital media properties across social media platforms (Facebook Youtube and Instagram) designed to reflect the choices girls face as adolescents using entertaining, informative and authentic storylines. The content is underpinned by innovative behaviour change science designed to empower girls to make informed decisions about their future - from accessing information about sexual and reproductive health, to negotiating with parents about choices for their education, or preparing to find a first job.

Chhaa Jaa’s launch content is based on Girl Effect’s core belief that to deliver long-term change it is crucial to build up a girl’s sense of self, her identity and her ability to ask questions. Arre Sunn Na uses sketch comedy to tell the story of two friends - Sweety and Tannu - to deliver powerful messages on the need for girls to stand by their decisions, think of themselves as being more than their relationships, and show how to navigate difficult everyday situations. Khullam Khulla and Tumhari Meri Baatein follow the story of an everyday girl, Rani who busts common myths teens have, and hopes to take on the shame and stigma around sexual and reproductive health (SRH) knowledge.
These storylines and characters are rooted in local culture and were co-created with girls, media, gender and culture experts after months of field research with girls, boys, parents and communities across India. A members-only online community called Bak Bak Gang will provide a moderated online space to take forward discussions raised by Chhaa Jaa’s content on topics like social pressures, relationships and career readiness.

Elaborating on the vision for Chhaa Jaa ahead of International Day of the Girl, Girl Effect CEO, Jessica Posner Odede, said: “Technology puts power in the hands of girls. Through Chhaa Jaa we see an incredible opportunity to use the power of mobile to engage girls with content they trust and empower them to make informed, positive decisions about their lives. Our ambition is to connect girls to services around them and create lasting change.”

Over the next two years, Chhaa Jaa aims to deliver tangible, measurable change in the lives of teenage girls in Rajasthan, while also driving towards scale across urban centers in the Hindi belt. To help gauge the impact of Chhaa Jaa's programmes in India, Girl Effect deploys cutting edge quantitative and qualitative research expertise. Girl Effect’s Technology Enabled Girl Ambassadors (TEGAs), have uncovered authentic insights into the lives of adolescent girls and will enable Girl Effect to test and improve Chhaa Jaa’s content through feedback from girls and their communities.

Girl Effect’s lead in India, Kanishk Kabiraj, added: “Despite better access to education, employment and health opportunities than ever before, girls still experience massive societal barriers and expectations that limit their potential. Chhaa Jaa is accessible on platforms that girls are using everyday and speaks to them in a language they understand about the reality of their choices and constraints. Girls have few role models in mainstream media to look to for support and guidance, and we want Chhaa Jaa to be the go-to for girls as they make decisions that will define their own futures.”

Chhaa Jaa is currently funded by the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and the Vodafone Foundation, supporting its aim to digitally connect girls to information and services they need.

Hisham Mundol, Executive Director, India and Child Protection at CIFF, commented: “We are proud and excited to partner with Girl Effect. Their model – which is a combination of fit-for-purpose digital channels, brand and community building as well as giving voice and knowledge to young girls – holds enormous promise in India. This will serve hundreds of thousands of young lives.”

P Balaji, Chief Regulatory and Corporate Affairs Officer, Vodafone Idea Limited and Director in the Vodafone Foundation India, said: “At Vodafone Foundation, we harness the power and potential of mobile technology to drive impactful social change. With women and girls being the primary drivers of the desired change, their empowerment is crucial. We are delighted to introduce Vodafone Foundation's global partnership with Girl Effect in India with Chhaa Jaa, combining our expertise to deliver real change for young girls and women in India. I am confident that many young girls and women in India will benefit from Chhaa Jaa and will make more informed decisions about their well-being.”

About Girl Effect

Girl Effect is a creative non-profit working to support girls through adolescence and empower them to make positive choices so they can reach their potential. Founded by the Nike Foundation in 2004, Girl Effect is now an independent organisation working from nine global locations and active in over 50 countries. Using a unique understanding of girls and innovative behaviour change science, Girl Effect creates media brands that girls love, with content that is entertaining, informative and relevant to their everyday lives. Girl Effect uses technology to reach girls at scale and works with partners to drive demand and link to information and services available to them.

To partner with us in India, contact India.Info@girleffect.org or visit www.girleffect.org/ for more information. To see the content Follow Chhaa Jaa on Youtube, Facebook and Instagram

About TEGA

TEGA is Girl Effect’s digital, peer-to-peer research tool that gathers authentic insights to inform programmes and brands, ensuring that the voices of young people are heard. Girl Effect runs TEGA networks in Rajasthan and Bihar.

About Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF)

CIFF is one of the largest donors globally focused on adolescent sexual and reproductive health. It is working with Girl Effect to build a scalable model in India that uses digital content to drive supply-side uptake of services by girls.

About Vodafone Foundation

Over the last 25 years, Vodafone Foundation network has focused on combining Vodafone’s expertise with the company’s charitable giving to do social good around the world. As Vodafone’s reach continues to expand - moving from mobile to connectivity - there are greater opportunities for Vodafone Foundation to harness these advancements for the benefit of society. In India, Vodafone India Foundation focuses on addressing challenges relating to education, equality and access. We are committed to enable people and technology to drive innovation, disseminate knowledge and create shared value to improve lives. We work in partnership with key charities, development agencies and the community to drive social change on a large scale in India.

Globally, Vodafone Foundation is a significant Girl Effect partner to drive innovation and empower young people through mobile. Vodafone Foundation is a UK registered charity -1089625.

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Houzz India Survey Reveals Top Home Renovation Trends

Press Release

Houzz India Survey Reveals Top Home Renovation Trends

September 18, 2019

More than one third of homeowners on Houzz renovated in 2018 (35 percent), at a median spend of ₹3,00,000, according to the annual Houzz & Home India survey of more than 2,500 respondents in India. Millennials (ages 25 to 39) and Gen Xers (ages 40-54) combined represent more than three quarters of the renovation activity (78 percent), at a median spend of ₹3,00,000 and ₹2,50,000, respectively. Similar to expectations from previous years, 26 percent of homeowners planned to continue or begin renovations this year, with 41 and 35 percent of Millennials and Gen Xers, respectively, anticipating new projects.

Despite a number of headwinds for the global and national economy, renovation activity continued to keep pace in 2018 and will likely experience growth in 2019,” said Sanjay Nadkarni, Country Operations Manager, Houzz India. “Pent up demand continues to be the biggest trigger for renovations today, as homeowners prefer to stay put and invest in the design and functionality of their current home over moving to a different home. We are delighted to share through Houzz & Home report these insights back with our community to give homeowners greater confidence in the choices they make for their homes and provide pros with additional insights on Indian homeowners’ preferences”, Mr Nadkarni added.

As homeowners consider whether to renovate their current home or to purchase a new home, the top two considerations for renovations are to stay in their current home or area, significantly outranking return on investment (42 and 36 percent, versus nine percent, respectively). Wanting to stay in the current home or area are the biggest decision drivers for Gen Xers and Millennials, whereas Baby Boomers (ages 55 to 74) chose to stay in their current home and renovate because they want a personalized home that fits their vision.

Most Popular Rooms to Renovate

Homeowners tackle an average of three rooms per project, with more than one third of homeowners renovating kitchens (33 percent). Living rooms, guest bathrooms, master bathrooms and master bedrooms are also common projects (28, 27, 25 and 25 percent respectively).

Funding Renovation Projects

The majority of renovation homeowners pay for their projects using cash from savings (81 percent), followed at a distance by credit cards that can be used anywhere (14 percent) and loans from friends and family (eight percent).

Finding the Right Professional for the Job

A significant portion of homeowners hired a professional in 2018 (97 percent), with carpenters, electricians and plumbers in greatest demand (81, 76 and 63 percent, respectively). Of all generations, Gen Xers are the most likely to hire professional help, though the gap is surprisingly narrow.

Making “Smart” Decisions

More than a quarter of homeowners prioritize smart technology during home renovations (29 percent), purchasing products like home assistants, streaming media players and thermostats. Millennials are most likely to incorporate home assistants (26 percent), compared with Gen Xers and Baby Boomers (12 and six percent, respectively).

Improving Energy Efficiency

While improving the design and functionality of a home are the top priorities during renovations, more than half of homeowners prioritize energy efficiency (53 percent), replacing windows and insulation, for example. This is particularly important for Gen Xers when compared to Millennials and Baby Boomers (61 versus 50 and 45 percent, respectively).

The Final Touch

The majority of renovating homeowners in 2018 also decorated or furnished their home the same year (72 percent). Millennials were significantly more likely to decorate following home renovations than Baby Boomers (76 versus 58 percent), purchasing products such as curtains, blinds and lamps.

The Houzz & Home Survey

The annual Houzz & Home survey is the largest survey of residential renovating, building and decorating activity published. The survey covers a wide range of renovation projects in 2018, from interior remodels and additions to home systems, exterior upgrades and outdoor projects. Data gathered includes historical and planned spends, professional involvement, motivations and challenges behind building, renovation and decorating projects, as well as planned activities for 2019. The 2019 study includes more than 2,500 respondents in India alone, providing insights into the home improvement activity of the more than 40 million monthly unique users of the Houzz site and mobile apps.

The Houzz & Home Survey was sent to registered users of Houzz IN and fielded in April 2019.

Houzz has over 19 million photos of professionally designed interiors and exteriors, including completed kitchen and bathroom projects, and more than 2.4 million active home renovation and design professionals including architects, interior designers, home builders and design-build firms.

About Houzz:

Houzz is the leading platform for home renovation and design, providing people with everything they need to improve their homes from start to finish – online or from a mobile device. From decorating a small room to building a custom home and everything in between, Houzz connects millions of homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home improvement professionals across the country and around the world. With the largest residential design database in the world and a vibrant community empowered by technology, Houzz is the easiest way for people to find inspiration, get advice, find products and hire the professionals they need to help turn their ideas into reality. Headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif., Houzz also has international offices in London, Berlin, Sydney, Moscow, Tel Aviv and Tokyo. Houzz is a registered trademark of Houzz Inc. worldwide.

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Times Bridge And Girl Effect Come Together To Empower Young Girls In India

Press Release

Times Bridge And Girl Effect Come Together To Empower Young Girls In India

September 9, 2019

Times Bridge, the global investments and partnerships arm of The Times Group of India, today announced its strategic partnership with Girl Effect, an international non-profit organisation that works to empower adolescent girls to change their lives. The partnership will accelerate Girl Effect’s India focused plans.

Founded by the Nike Foundation in 2004, Girl Effect is now an independent organisation working from nine global locations and active in over 50 countries. Using a unique understanding of girls and innovative behaviour change science, Girl Effect has a globally-proven journey to create media brands that girls love, with content that is entertaining, informative and relevant to them.

In India, Girl Effect has a 15-member team of digital-media, brand and gender experts based in Mumbai focused on creating digital-first content that is co-created with and for girls. Working with partners to drive demand and link to information and services available, Girl Effect India’s branded media content is designed to debunk myths, challenge gender stereotypes and change behaviours so that girls are equipped with the right skills and confidence to make decisions about their future.

Through the partnership, Times Bridge will support Girl Effect India across the board - from market partnerships and the creation of an India Advisory Board to activating public advocacy initiatives and more - as it seeks to create a generation of girls who are able to define their own trailblazing journey and become a part of the India growth story. To date, Times Bridge has already initiated strategic alliances with national and regional influencers to advance awareness of Girl Effect’s work in India. Drawing on the resources of the Times Group, this partnership will also focus on bringing onboard culturally relevant distribution platforms and facilitating conversations with stakeholders - both public and private.

Commenting on the new association, Rishi Jaitly, CEO, Times Bridge, said:
“Times Bridge’s mission is to bring the world’s best ideas to India and share India’s best insights with the world. Girl Effect is a bold idea, and one that has proven itself by successfully launching compelling youth brands around the world. We at Times Bridge are honored to bring to bear our resources to build on recent momentum and advance Girl Effect’s mission across India.”

Jessica Posner Odede, CEO, Girl Effect, said: “We are delighted to have the support and confidence of Times Bridge as we launch in India. This partnership will accelerate our ability to scale and grow Girl Effect India, facilitating new partnerships that ultimately enable us to empower more girls to make positive choices. Girls in India face many barriers to reaching their potential - simply because they are girls - and negative norms, experienced in adolescence, will go on to impact a girl’s place in society for the rest of her life. With the digital revolution in India, there is now an unprecedented opportunity to use media and mobile at scale to empower girls to transform their lives. I’m grateful to Rishi and the team at Times Bridge for supporting us on this journey.”

About Times Bridge

Times Bridge is a leading investment firm with a mission to bring the world’s best ideas to India and share India’s best insights with the world. Its current portfolio includes Airbnb, Coursera, Houzz, Smule, Uber and Wattpad, among others. By providing unmatched market leadership to its select partners and by harnessing the assets of The Times Group, India’s largest media company, Times Bridge accelerates growth and immersion across the Indian subcontinent for leaders who believe in winning in and learning from India.

About Girl Effect

Girl Effect is a creative non-profit working to support girls through adolescence and empower them to make positive choices so they can reach their potential. Founded by the Nike Foundation in 2004, Girl Effect is now an independent organisation working from nine global locations and active in over 50 countries. Using a unique understanding of girls and innovative behaviour change science, Girl Effect creates media brands that girls love, with content that is entertaining, informative and relevant to their everyday lives. Girl Effect uses technology to reach girls at scale and works with partners to drive demand and link to information and services available to them.

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How Has Content & Technology Captured The Millennial Audience

News

How Has Content & Technology Captured The Millennial Audience

Viral Jani
September 3, 2019

It wouldn't be amiss to say that the burning question in the minds of today's brand marketers is: How to capture the imagination of the millennials? Broadly speaking, millennials refer to the group of people born between 1981 and 1996. Also loosely categorized as generation Y, the term describes the generation that is currently a key player in the social, economic and cultural space.

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Aptronix Partners With Smule For The First Ever Smule All Star Jam

Press Release

Aptronix Partners With Smule For The First Ever Smule All Star Jam

August 2, 2019

Apple’s largest Premium Reseller in India, Aptronix is partnering with Smule, world’s #1 singing app for the launch of Aptronix’ first major retail experience in the country. The launch is slated for this weekend in Mumbai.

Smule is a community of music lovers and brings together fans, artists and their unflinching passion for music. The fact that Smule is a top grosser on the App Store is testimony to its popularity and success. Smule in partnership with Times Bridge aims to bring music back to its roots by playing a pivotal role in transforming the music landscape from one of passive listening to collaborative creation.

To celebrate this partnership, Smule has organised a Smule All Star Jam, which will be a first of its kind Live Smule experience in India. The event will include live performances, musical sessions and a masterclass with leading Indian music artists, including renowned music composer and singer Salim Merchant, popular playback singer Nikhita Gandhi and the winner of India's first Smule Mirchi Cover Star - Ashmik Patil.

For the first time, for an Indian live audience, Salim Merchant will share insights on the art of composing while also singing some of his favourite milestone tracks. The event will also witness the first ever Live Duet with fans, led by popular singer Nikhita Gandhi performing with talent from the Smule community.

Music composer and singer Salim Merchant said, "I’m excited about the masterclass and I’m really looking forward to meeting budding musicians and sharing my journey with them."

Singer Nikhita Gandhi said, "I love that we live in a world that can connect singers with fans so easily because at the end of the day we are all just fans and avid lovers of music! Thank you Smule for making karaoke so fun and I'm surely looking forward to the LIVE experience!"

Commenting on the partnership Viral Jani, Sr Vice President, Times Bridge said, “We are delighted with the overwhelming response that Smule has received from the Indian music enthusiasts, and what better way to celebrate it than with the All Star Jam, bringing together people who are passionate about music, under one roof. The partnership for the launch of India's first Flagship Apple Premium Reseller Store by Aptronix is special as Apple has been a great global partner for Smule.”

Commenting on the unique launch, Meghna Singh, Director, Aptronix – Premium Lifestyle & Fashion India Pvt. Ltd. (PLFIPL), said, “Connecting not just people but souls the world over, music is a language that spells love, joy and passion. In tandem with today’s technologically savvy and fast paced world, Smule comes in as a wave of melodic freshness and rhythmic notes.”

“Taking the concept of sharing beyond borders, I love that the Smule app lets one sing and create music to share with friends and artists around the globe! Enabling music to go a full circle, they have created a world of their own and I am happy to be a part of it. I look forward to putting technology at its best use - to connect people and make the world a closer and harmonious place striking a peaceful chord!” she added.

About Aptronix:

Aptronix is the leading Apple Premium Reseller in India. Through its 31 retail stores and 10 service centres, it offers the complete range of iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple watch and Apple TV together with a large number of accessories and software. The company is an entity of Premium Lifestyle & Fashion India Private Limited (PLFIPL) which is known for bringing brands such as Max, Calvin Klein, Louis Philippe, Peter England, Ray-Ban, Luxottica, Prada, Lyf and so much more to the country. A business that stays strong to its core values, PLFIPL is helmed by Meghna Singh, Sutinder Singh and Nikita Singh.

About Smule

Smule is the leading social network for music, connecting the world through a global community of 50 million monthly active users. Smule’s flagship app lets people sing and make music with friends and major artists around the globe—helping to bring music back to its roots of creation and participation. Smule is available on iOS and Android.

About Times Bridge

Times Bridge is a leading investment firm with a mission to bring the world’s best ideas to India and share India’s best insights with the world. Its current portfolio includes Airbnb, Smule, Wattpad, SCMP, Coursera, Houzz, Uber, and MUBI, among others. By providing unmatched market leadership to its select partners and by harnessing the assets of The Times Group, India’s largest media company, Times Bridge accelerates growth and immersion across the Indian subcontinent for leaders who believe in winning in and learning from India.

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Guneet Monga, Oscar-winning Executive Producer, Joins Mubi India As Content Advisor

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Guneet Monga, Oscar-winning Executive Producer, Joins Mubi India As Content Advisor

July 25, 2019

Following the recent announcement of curated global streaming service, MUBI’s expansion into South-East Asia, Guneet Monga joins MUBI as Content Advisor for MUBI India as it expands its operations in the region. Times Bridge and MUBI announced a strategic investment and partnership last year.

Guneet is an Oscar-winning Executive producer and Bafta-nominated producer, having won an Academy Award for her short film Period. End of Sentence, and has to her credit films including the smash hits like The Lunchbox and Gangs of Wasseypur.

At MUBI India, Monga will take on the position of Content Advisor and take forward the overall programming and acquisitions strategy for MUBI India. She brings with her a wealth of experience within the Indian film industry that will help define the content profile.

Efe Cakarel, Founder and CEO of MUBI has said: “We bring great cinema to audiences across the globe, and in recent years have localized our service to cater to film lovers in more countries and more languages than ever before. With our upcoming launch in India, following our recent Malaysia launch, we are thrilled to expand our value proposition with the introduction of bespoke channels to showcase content from across the region, appeal to local tastes, and champion the work of local filmmakers.”

Guneet Monga, film producer said: “I've been a fan of MUBI for many years now. To see a new curated film everyday through my own little window to the world of cinema, has brought me unparalleled joy. And now, as the MUBI India content strategy consultant, I am thrilled to be a part of the Times Bridge – MUBI partnership, and share with the Indian audiences the delight that this platform can be. Looking forward to bringing movies from across languages and film industries to MUBI India and watching them with the rest of the country. I will, alongside this wonderful opportunity, continue to produce movies and build my company, Sikhya entertainment.”

Viral Jani, Sr. Vice President, Investment at Times Bridge said: “As part of our India playbook for MUBI, we want to build a strong connection with the Indian content ecosystem and drive strategic partnerships for wider distribution. We are excited to have Guneet on board to advise on content strategy & acquisition for MUBI India. We look forward to jointly working on localising the MUBI experience for India to bring curated high quality movie consumption experience to viewers.”

After the strategic partnership and investment by Times Bridge in January last year, MUBI CEO Efe Cakarel met with leading Indian film industry names during the 2018 Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI) kick-starting important conversations in the region. As part of Times Bridge’s investment in MUBI, they will also be providing the company with local market expertise, talent outreach and access to commercial and festival partnerships.

MUBI recently announced that it is expanding into South-East Asia, with offices now open in Kuala Lumpur running a localised service for the platform, and further plans to launch across more territories in the fast-developing region.

By the end of the year, MUBI India will host a channel dedicated to curated Indian cinema as part of its offering to audiences here.

About MUBI

MUBI is a hand-curated cinema streaming and download service. It is also the home to the world’s largest community of film lovers with over 8 million registered users. Instead of offering thousands of films, MUBI proudly presents just 30. Every single one chosen by a human, not an algorithm. Cult classics to award-winning masterpieces, forgotten gems to festival-fresh independent releases, from the hard-to-find to the never-heard-of-that-before. Every day new selection is added to the 30, and every day the oldest one is removed. All 30 films are available to watch or download for 30 days. MUBI is available globally. And there are no ads. Ever. mubi.com

About Times Bridge

Times Bridge is a leading investment firm with a mission to bring the world’s best ideas to India and share India’s best insights with the world. Its current portfolio includes Airbnb, Smule, Wattpad, SCMP, Coursera, Houzz, Uber, and MUBI, among others. By providing unmatched market leadership to its select partners and by harnessing the assets of The Times Group, India’s largest media company, Times Bridge accelerates growth and immersion across the Indian subcontinent for leaders who believe in winning in and learning from India.

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Penguin Random House India Partners With Wattpad To Showcase Exclusive Content

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Penguin Random House India Partners With Wattpad To Showcase Exclusive Content

July 9, 2019

Penguin Random House India announces a new collaboration with Wattpad, the world’s largest social storytelling platform. In this partnership, authors of the publishing house will be featured on the storytelling platform, interacting with a global community of 70 million readers and writers.

Wattpad’s massive community of story-lovers will now have the opportunity to preview exclusive content from Penguin authors about their upcoming books. The publishing house will also bring their authors and editors for ‘Ask Me Anything’ (AMA) sessions on Wattpad, where they will interact and answer questions posed by Wattpad followers.
Commenting on the association, Penguin Random House India spokesperson said, ‘This is a symbiotic relationship where we join forces to inspire, inform and entertain. Wattpad is an excellent platform for our authors and editors to connect with a large and relevant audience base. We are looking forward to engaging with readers and writers; sharing exciting content and helping people discover new books.’

Devashish Sharma, India Country Manager, Wattpad said, ‘All over the world, writers have built a massive community of followers on Wattpad. We are working every day to create opportunities for Indian writers, so it’s amazing to see prestigious names like star fantasy fiction writer Krishna Udayasankar, bestselling authors Durjoy Datta and Sudeep Nagarkar and debut writer Roshan Ali joining the Wattpad community.’

Viral Jani, Sr VP, Operations at Times Bridge added, ‘We are happy to see Wattpad welcoming writers from one of the world’s biggest publishing houses. By joining Wattpad, Penguin’s roster of literary trailblazers will be able to inspire and encourage published authors, budding writers and enthusiastic readers to interact and create a more vibrant literary community. Penguin’s enviable list of authors and content and Wattpad’s worldwide audience of literary enthusiasts makes for a perfect match. We are confident this will be a success and aim to bring more unique collaborations on the table for Wattpad this year.’

Times Bridge, a leading investment firm that brings global companies with bold ambitions to India, recently invested in Wattpad. Times Bridge is working alongside Wattpad to forge new publishing and entertainment partnerships that will increase Wattpad’s market footprint.

About Penguin Random House India

Penguin Random House India is the largest English-language trade publisher in the subcontinent, publishing over 250 new titles every year and with an active backlist of over 3000 titles. With a strong fiction and non-fiction list, it publishes across every segment including biography, travel, business, politics, history, religion and philosophy, lifestyle, cookery, health and fitness, sports and leisure, visual books and children’s books. The children’s titles are published under the Puffin imprint.

Penguin Random House India's illustrious list includes Booker Prize-winning novels and winners of virtually every major literary prize, including the Nobel Prize, the Magsaysay Award, the Jnanpith Award, the Sahitya Akademi Award, the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and the National Film Award for Best Book on Cinema. Several of PRHI’s authors are also recipients of the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, India’s highest civilian honours.

Penguin Random House India is also the exclusive distribution partner for several leading local and international publishing houses in India and the subcontinent.

About Wattpad

Wattpad’s vision is to entertain and connect the world through stories. Using the power of community and technology, the global multiplatform entertainment company is unleashing the full potential of stories to the world -- in any format. Wattpad’s flagship app is the world’s leading social storytelling platform, home to a community of more than 70 million people who spend over 22 billion minutes a month engaged in original stories. Wattpad’s Story DNA Machine Learning technology allows the company to understand and discover stories among the more than 565 million uploads that have been shared on the platform. Wattpad Studios and Wattpad Books are transforming entertainment and publishing, using data-backed insights to turn Wattpad stories into books, films, TV shows, and digital projects. Wattpad Brand Partnerships offers a full suite of advertising products to help brands build deep engagement with Millennial and Gen Z consumers. Tap by Wattpad, the company’s second storytelling product, offers immersive interactive entertainment experiences in over a dozen languages. The company is proudly based in Toronto, Canada.

About Times Bridge

Times Bridge is a leading investment firm with a mission to bring the world’s best ideas to India and share India’s best insights with the world. Its current portfolio includes Airbnb, Smule, SCMP, Coursera, Houzz, Uber, and MUBI, among others. By providing unmatched market leadership to its select partners and by harnessing the assets of The Times Group, India’s largest media company, Times Bridge accelerates growth and immersion across the Indian subcontinent for leaders who believe in winning in and learning from India.

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Business Insider India growing at an impressive pace

Press Release

Business Insider India growing at an impressive pace

June 14, 2019

Business Insider India is now the fastest growing global digital news brand and the second-most read business publication in India, according to the 2019 Reuters survey. 25 million+ monthly active users now prefer India's youngest news outlet to feed their appetite for the latest and sharpest insights from the world of business.

Business Insider India covers news and trends from India in the widely popular and easy to consume manner and share storytelling-format of Business Insider global.

Business Insider India has seen impressive growth of 150% in the last six months in monthly active users and 67% in terms of page views. The page views on its website alone have organically crossed 50 million; evidence of our strong connection with our target audience. From news, culture, trends, technology to toons and videos, we are the go-to platform for millennials.

Viral Jani, Sr Vice President, Investment Operations, Times Bridge said, “We have doubled down on important national moments like the general elections to bring a simplified, easy to consume perspective on cluttered news environment for an audience with fleeting attention span. Our approach to localise the global Business Insider playbook for India has resulted in unprecedented growth in audience reach and engagement over the last few months”.

With the lowest bounce rates in the news industry in India, especially among those in the business news genre, BI was also able to engage its audience on its platform for about a minute compared to only 35 seconds for other Indian publications.

From news on technology to information for decision-makers of the digital age; Business Insider India continues to be the most credible business news platform to gain insights about the narrative on the Indian economy. Markets or politics, education or entertainment, pop-culture or environment, science or signs of change-- whether you like to snack or binge, read or watch, hear or humour-- BI is a one-stop shop for all savvy netizens seeking a simple, credible, and an easy to consume narrative about the world's fastest growing economy.

About Times Bridge

Times Bridge is a leading investments firm with a mission to bring the world’s best ideas to India and share India’s best insights with the world. Its current portfolio includes Airbnb, Coursera, Houzz, Smule, Wattpad, Uber, and MUBI, among others. By providing unmatched market leadership to its select partners and by harnessing the assets of The Times Group, India’s largest media company, Times Bridge accelerates growth and immersion across the Indian subcontinent for leaders who believe in winning in and learning from India.

About Business Insider India

Business Insider was started six years ago by the former No. 1-ranked Internet analyst Henry Blodget. It has quickly become the digital news source for the emerging generation of business leaders, reaching more than 25 million monthly readers. At BI India readers get amazing synergy between India and its foreign counterpart - News that has great appeal and relevance for Indian readers. Business Insider India has a mix of cutting-edge business and technology happenings, entrepreneurial initiatives, creative exchanges, lifestyle concepts and leadership insights. BI India comes under the banner of Times Internet Limited (TIL), which is India's number 1 Internet network since 2011.

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How To Retain The Success Of A Global Brand In India?

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How To Retain The Success Of A Global Brand In India?

Viral Jani
June 5, 2019

A plethora of global companies have entered into the Indian market in the past few years – Spotify, Ikea and Beccos being the latest major additions. It’s interesting to note how the commitment, of a lot of them, towards the Indian market, is limited to creating a hullabaloo of their arrival, roping in a marquee brand ambassador and being complacent with the initial tranche of a million users.

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MUBI’s parade of roses

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MUBI’s parade of roses

Uday Bhatia
May 24, 2019

Mint reports on Toshio Matsumoto’s ‘Funeral Parade of Roses’, a one-of-a-kind queer classic live streamed on MUBI, a kind streaming platform that offers auteurist and independent cinema.

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Dharma’s Student Of The Year 2 and Smule join hands to host the biggest Bollywood singing contest

Press Release

Dharma’s Student Of The Year 2 and Smule join hands to host the biggest Bollywood singing contest

May 9, 2019

The much-awaited Dharma Productions' Student Of The Year 2 has partnered with Smule for the biggest Bollywood singing contest where music enthusiasts can showcase their talent and win a chance to fly and perform in the US. The star-studded cast of SOTY2, featuring Tiger Shroff, debutantes Ananya Panday and Tara Sutaria, will be reaching out to Smule’s community of 50 Million monthly users to take part in the contest. The Smule users will also get an opportunity to sing along with Tara Sutaria, who’s also a professional opera singer, on the Smule app.

Smule, through its contest - ‘Smule pe gaao America jaao’, aims to reach out to its huge yet tightly knit community of music lovers to come, sing along and fulfil their dream of visiting the US. The ‘Smule pe gaao America jaao’ contest has got not just the users, but also original singers and star cast of the movie, including Tara Sutaria and Dev Negi to sing SOTY2’s songs on Smule.

The artist community of Smule which includes Shahid Mallya, Nikhita Gandhi, Akshay Dhawan et al will also be coming onboard to encourage the user community to be part of the contest. Additionally, Smule’s community influencers, including Ashmik Patil - the winner of Smule Mirchi Cover Star, have already expressed their excitement about what’s in store for them and the entire community of singers.

If an all-paid trip to the USA was not enough, one lucky winner will also get a lifetime opportunity to perform live at the largest Bollywood music festival in North America - the Gaana Music Festival, alongside the likes of popular voices such as Vishal & Shekhar, Sunidhi Chauhan, Divine, Alka Yagnik, Hariharan, Jassie Gill, Babbal Rai and more.

It’s not the first time that Smule has organized or partnered with something really interesting and empowering for its millions of users. Post an investment and partnership with Times Bridge, Smule has partnered with a few high-octane properties like Indian Idol 10, Mirchi Music Awards, and multiple artists like Armaan Malik, Amaal Mallik, Naezy, Darshan Raval and Nikhita Gandhi. Within a short period of its launch in India, Smule has become the largest and the most preferred social networking platform for singers to engage with and simply share the joy of singing with each other.

About Smule

Smule is the leading social network for music, connecting the world through a global community of 50 million monthly active users. Smule’s flagship app lets people sing and make music with friends and major artists around the globe—helping to bring music back to its roots of creation and participation. Smule is available on iOS and Android.

About Times Bridge

Times Bridge is a leading investment firm with a mission to bring the world’s best ideas to India and share India’s best insights with the world. Its current portfolio includes Airbnb, Smule, SCMP, Coursera, Houzz, Uber, and MUBI, among others. By providing unmatched market leadership to it’s select partners and by harnessing the assets of The Times Group, India’s oldest and largest media company, Times Bridge accelerates growth and immersion across the Indian subcontinent for mission-driven leaders who believe in winning in and learning from India.

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Times Bridge And Malaria No More Announce Partnership To Help End Malaria In India

Press Release

Times Bridge And Malaria No More Announce Partnership To Help End Malaria In India

April 2, 2019

Times Bridge, the global investments and partnerships arm of The Times Group of India, today announced a strategic partnership with Malaria No More, a leading, global non-profit organization whose mission is to ensure no one dies from a mosquito bite. This partnership with Times Bridge will build on Malaria No More's recent momentum in support of India’s malaria elimination goal and add capacities - particularly as it relates to building coalitions of influencers, strengthening policy advocacy, and producing and distributing regionally adapted, multi-media content- to elevate the issue on the national agenda.

Established in 2006 by business leaders Peter Chernin and Raymond G. Chambers, Malaria No More works with governments, non-government organizations, communities and the private sector to mobilize the political commitment, funding, and innovation required to end malaria within our generation. As part of the partnership, Times Bridge will rally national and regional influencers from across many subsets of Indian culture to advance mass awareness, promote progress amongst government decision makers, and popularize actions and behaviors individuals must take to protect themselves, their families, and communities from malaria. Drawing on the vast storytelling resources of The Times Group, Times Bridge will also lead the production and distribution of actionable, cross-platform media, including optimization for mobile/digital contexts, that informs and engages at-risk populations in key regions of the country regarding the disease, while also giving a wider swath of Indians an opportunity to take action in support of the campaign.
The partnership will build on Malaria No More’s innovative work with the central government and the government of Odisha, where malaria cases declined by more than 80% in the last year. These efforts are critical steps toward achieving a Malaria Free India by 2030, a vision Indian Prime Minister Modi set forth at 2015’s East Asia Summit in Malaysia. Among Malaria No More’s Board members are prominent Indian leaders including Walt Disney Asia Pacific President Uday Shankar, former Fortune 500 CEO Surya Mohapatra, and Former US Ambassador to India, Richard Verma.

Commenting on this partnership, Rishi Jaitly, CEO of Times Bridge and Member of Malaria No More’s India Advisory Board, said, “Times Bridge’s mission is to bring the world’s best ideas to India and share India’s best insights with the world. Malaria No More is a bold, original idea, founded and led by some of the world’s most accomplished social entrepreneurs, with real results to speak of in many countries, including India. We at Times Bridge are honored to bring to bear our resources to advance Malaria No More’s critical elimination mission in India.”

Martin Edlund, CEO of Malaria No More, said, “India is key to humanity’s ambition to eliminate the disease. It was true for smallpox and polio, and it will be true for malaria. But we can only accomplish this goal if we work hand-in-hand with India’s most entrepreneurial companies and inspire the public to take up this historic challenge. Times Bridge has an unmatched record of bringing innovations to India and shaping consumer culture. We’re convinced they’ll be transformative in helping India to end mankind’s oldest, deadliest disease.”

According to the World Health Organization’s World Malaria Report 2018, more than half of the malaria-affected world is within reach of elimination. There remains significant work to be done, however, as cases increased in 10 of the 11 highest-burden countries. India was the only one among the highest burden countries to reduce malaria cases, registering a historic 24% decrease in malaria cases.

About Times Bridge

Times Bridge is a leading investment firm with a mission to bring the world’s best ideas to India and share India’s best insights with the world. Its current portfolio includes Airbnb, Smule, SCMP, Coursera, Houzz, Uber, and MUBI, among others. By providing unmatched market leadership to its select partners and by harnessing the assets of The Times Group, India’s oldest and largest media company, Times Bridge accelerates growth and immersion across the Indian subcontinent for mission-driven leaders who believe in winning in and learning from India.

About Malaria No More

Malaria No More is a global non-profit organization that envisions a world where no one dies from a mosquito bite. More than a decade into our mission, our work has contributed to historic progress toward this goal including 7 million lives saved, 1.3 billion malaria cases averted, and $2 trillion in economic benefits unlocked in malaria-affected countries since 2000. Now, we’re mobilizing the political commitment, funding, and innovation required to achieve what would be one of the greatest humanitarian accomplishments – ending malaria within our generation.

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Wattpad and Times Bridge Announce Strategic Partnership to Grow Wattpad’s Presence in India

Press Release

Wattpad and Times Bridge Announce Strategic Partnership to Grow Wattpad’s Presence in India

March 13, 2019

Wattpad, the global multi-platform entertainment company for original stories, and Times Bridge, the global investments and partnerships arm of The Times Group, today announced a new partnership and strategic investment to grow Wattpad’s presence in India and reach new users.
The partnership will give Wattpad a strategic advantage in expanding its Indian operations. Working with Times Bridge, Wattpad will grow its local community of readers and writers, establish new strategic partnerships, and create opportunities for Wattpad Studios to work with local partners to turn Wattpad stories into books, TV shows, films, and digital projects.

Allen Lau, CEO & co-founder, Wattpad said: “We’re thrilled to work with Times Bridge expand our footprint in the region and create more opportunities for India’s rich literary community to tell their stories, reaching new audiences in India and around the world.”
Rishi Jaitly, CEO of Times Bridge, said, "Times Bridge’s mission is to bring the world’s best ideas to India and share India’s best insights with the world. Wattpad is a bold, proven idea that has changed how audiences around the world create and experience stories. Our investment will advance Wattpad’s mission, and original storytelling, across the Indian subcontinent, unlocking the creativity of many millions along the way. We are delighted to be working with a partner who sees growing creativity, diversity and value across the Indian market.”

The deal follows Wattpad’s recent announcement that Devashish Sharma has joined the company Wattpad’s first Country Manager for India.
Devashish Sharma, Country Manager for India at Wattpad said: “Millions of Indian readers and writers have already found a home Wattpad. Times Bridge and The Times Group have an unmatched media and entertainment portfolio, and connections with some of India’s most-respected authors and cultural figures. We’re excited to work together to create new opportunities for Indian storytellers.”

With a global community of more than 70 million people, Wattpad empowers diverse storytellers from all over the world, helping local storytellers connect with readers everywhere. The company’s Story DNA machine learning technology allows it to discover stand-out stories among the 565 million on the platform, which are then transformed into books, TV shows, films, and digital projects. Some of Wattpad’s international entertainment partners include iflix, Huayi Brothers Korea, Bavaria Fiction, Sony, SYFY, and many others. Wattpad recently launched Wattpad Books, a new publishing division that will bring Wattpad stories to bookshelves everywhere.

Times Bridge’s previous investments include Uber, Airbnb, Coursera, Houzz, MUBI and Smule among others.

About Wattpad

Wattpad’s vision is to entertain and connect the world through stories. Using the power of community and technology, the global multiplatform entertainment company is unleashing the full potential of stories to the world -- in any format. Wattpad’s flagship app is the world’s leading social storytelling platform, home to a community of more than 70 million people who spend over 22 billion minutes a month engaged in original stories. Wattpad’s Story DNA Machine Learning technology allows the company to understand and discover stories among the more than 565 million uploads on the platform. Wattpad Studios and Wattpad Books are transforming entertainment and publishing, using data-backed insights to turn Wattpad stories into books, films, TV shows, and digital projects. Wattpad Brand Partnerships offers a full suite of advertising products to help brands build deep engagement with Millennial and Gen Z consumers. Tap by Wattpad, the company’s second storytelling product, offers immersive interactive entertainment experiences in over a dozen languages. The company is proudly based in Toronto, Canada.

About Times Bridge

Times Bridge is a leading investments firm with a mission to bring the world’s best ideas to India and share India’s best insights with the world. Its current portfolio includes Airbnb, Smule, Coursera, Houzz, Uber, and MUBI, among others. By providing unmatched market leadership to its select partners and by harnessing the assets of The Times Group, India’s largest media company, Times Bridge accelerates growth and immersion across the Indian subcontinent for leaders who believe in winning in and learning from India.

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Smule to co-power Mirchi Music Awards 2019

Press Release

Smule to co-power Mirchi Music Awards 2019

February 11, 2019

Smule, the leading music social network will be co-powering Radio Mirchi’s annual Mirchi Music Awards 2019 which honours both the artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Hindi music industry in India.

Smule aims to bring music back to its roots – it is playing a pivotal role in transforming the music landscape from one of passive listening to collaborative creation, and Times Bridge is supporting this vision in India. Post investment by Times Bridge, Smule has partnered with Gaana Originals which has allowed it access to some trending artists to create collaborations with and also became the title sponsor for India’s largest cover star hunt - Smule Mirchi Cover Star. Now Smule will be co-powering India’s biggest music awards – the Mirchi Music Awards being held on 16th February 2019.

Mirchi Music Awards will witness some entertaining performances by celebrated musicians and artists of the Hindi film industry. Ashmik Patil, the first winner of the Smule Mirchi Cover Star will get a chance to perform and share the stage with popular singers from the industry at India’s biggest music awards night. Smule Mirchi Cover Star is a country-wide platform that is redefining talent selection from all across India and helping participants fulfil their dream of becoming a cover artist. It received over 15000 entries from as far as Leh-Ladakh. This activity has provided a platform for identifying new and promising talent and allowed them to share their musical gift with the world.
“We are extremely proud to be part of India’s biggest night for music and help one artist showcase their talents in front of a global audience. The Smule Mirchi Cover Star competition is a fun way for our creative community to sing, collaborate and celebrate the best voices this country has to offer. This event also allows Smule to celebrate the growing Indian music scene and bring our social network for music to life.”, said Bill Bradford, President, Smule.

Commenting on the occasion, Mahesh Shetty, COO, Radio Mirchi said, “The biggest thing that any aspiring singing star looks for is a platform to perform. It was our attempt to provide that platform to the winner of Smule Mirchi Cover star. We believe that to be able to showcase their talent in front of the entire music fraternity at music’s biggest event - Mirchi Music Awards – is going to be an experience they will never forget.”

About Smule

Smule is the leading social network for music, connecting the world through a global community of 50 million monthly active users. Smule’s flagship app lets people sing and make music with friends and major artists around the globe—helping to bring music back to its roots of creation and participation. Smule is available on iOS and Android.

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How to Tap the Potential of India for Your Global Start-Up

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How to Tap the Potential of India for Your Global Start-Up

Viral Jani
January 18, 2019

In the past, several companies have entered the Indian market, but many have failed to maximize economies of scale or tap the buzzing potential of the country. The key to being successful in India is to do business the Indian way rather than use global business models. Currently, the Indian economy is viewing a growth trajectory that no other global economy can compete with. An exciting mix of a booming domestic market opportunity, highly skilled manpower & a progressively open regulatory environment is what the country has to offer to the global companies. India has become the most sort after destination for global companies who are looking to expand their footprint and create long-lasting business success.

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Times Bridge and South China Morning Post Announce Strategic Partnership

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Times Bridge and South China Morning Post Announce Strategic Partnership

October 22, 2018

Times Bridge, the global investments and partnerships arm of The Times Group, India’s oldest and largest media company, and South China Morning Post (SCMP), a leading global news media company that has reported on China and Asia for more than a century, today announced a strategic partnership.

As a part of this alliance, select content from SCMP will be published on Times of India's digital, mobile and web platforms, and Times of India will be SCMP’s primary partner in India for content syndication. This partnership will be the first of its kind between SCMP and any media company in India. The unique alliance will give Times of India’s readers access to international news from China and Hong Kong.

India has the world's second largest English-speaking population and a rapidly expanding internet user base, which is expected to reach 850 million by 2022. This partnership is a bold step towards the growing base of Times of India’s digital platforms, which has a significant number of monthly readers across web and mobile.

SCMP is undergoing a significant transformation as it expands from being Hong Kong’s paper of record to a global media company. It has added three digital media platforms to its portfolio – Abacus, Inkstone and Goldthread – and entered into partnerships with key media around the globe. This partnership also bolsters SCMP’s recent expansion in the Southeast Asia region, which includes new hires and its first China Conference outside of Hong Kong, to be held in Kuala Lumpur this October.

Margot Ling, GM, Greater China, Times Bridge, said, “It brings us immense pleasure to be a part of this unique alliance. In this era of connected worlds, Indian readers are always on the lookout for news from across the globe, and this partnership will enable them to easily access content from Greater China, due to Times of India’s high reach.”

“As an independent, English newspaper reporting on China, India is a natural market for SCMP,” noted Gary Liu, CEO, SCMP. “In our increasingly interconnected world, this partnership will give Times of India readers further insight into China and will continue to expand SCMP’s global reach.”

Puneet Gupt, COO – News, Times Internet, said, “As the leading digital news platform in India, Times of India is dedicated to bringing both local and global insights to its readers. This strategic partnership with SCMP creates a gateway for our readers to understand more about Greater China via our digital platforms.

About Times Bridge

Times Bridge is a leading investments firm with a mission to bring the world’s best ideas to India and share India’s best insights with the world. Its current portfolio includes Airbnb, Coursera, Houzz, Uber, and MUBI, among others. By providing unmatched market leadership to its select partners and by harnessing the assets of The Times Group, India’s largest media company, Times Bridge accelerates growth and immersion across the Indian subcontinent for leaders who believe in winning in and learning from India.

About South China Morning Post

South China Morning Post is a leading global news company that has reported on China and Asia for more than a century. Founded in 1903, SCMP is headquartered in Hong Kong, where it is the city’s newspaper of record, with a growing correspondent staff across Asia and the United States. SCMP's vision is to “Elevate Thought” and its mission is to “Lead the global conversation about China”. Additionally, SCMP publishes a portfolio of premium lifestyle and fashion titles in Hong Kong including Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Esquire, and Harper’s BAZAAR. SCMP is also home to Abacus, a digital news brand focused on China's tech industry; Inkstone, a daily news brief for those curious about China's growing impact around the world, and Goldthread, a social first, video-driven platform created for digital explorers and the globally curious.

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Smule Announces Strategic Investment from Times Bridge in India

Press Release

Smule Announces Strategic Investment from Times Bridge in India

October 17, 2018

Smule, the leading social network for music, today announced a strategic investment from Times Bridge, the global investments and partnerships arm of The Times Group, India’s oldest and largest media company. This long-term partnership with Times Bridge will give Smule a strategic edge as it scales up operations in India, its second-largest international market.

With 50 million monthly active users, Smule is playing a pivotal role in transforming the music landscape from one of passive listening to collaborative creation and expressive sharing. On Smule, users are able to collaborate with and listen to all types of music, with anyone from anywhere in the world. To support this vision, Times Bridge has entered into a strategic partnership with Smule and concluded an investment worth over $20 million in the company. This is Times Bridge's third investment this year, after investing in MUBI and Houzz, in their bid to expand their existing investment portfolio of innovative consumer tech companies.
Times Bridge will also guide Smule in engaging India’s multi-lingual music culture. Leveraging its vast network of media assets, Times Bridge will partner on varied aspects such as community building, collaborations with top artists, targeted regional programs and advertising. Smule is the first social music platform to partner with Times Bridge in India.

India has a long and rich history of music. Its varied culture and shared passion for music makes it a priority market for Smule. With this investment, Smule plans to increase its exposure in the Indian digital music market and grow the market organically. Smule is keen to tap into India’s flourishing diverse music culture and is pioneering a unique way for people to create and engage with music. In May 2017, Smule raised $54 million in a financing round led by Chinese technology giant Tencent Holdings Ltd.
“Indian audiences are passionate about connecting through music. We want to enhance those connections in an authentic way and we are thrilled to partner with Times Bridge to marshal the best of The Times Group on Smule’s behalf,” said Jeffrey Smith, Smule’s CEO and co-founder. “Smule is about empowering our community to do more of what they love – from singing with their favourite celebrities to collaborating with friends to discovering new music. We're thrilled to find a partner that both shares our vision and has the cultural insights and market reach to deliver it.”

Rishi Jaitly, CEO of Times Bridge, said, "Times Bridge’s mission is to bring the world’s best ideas to India and share India’s best insights with the world. Smule is a deeply original, bold idea with a mission of changing the way the world experiences music. Our investment will advance Smule’s music mission across the Indian subcontinent and unlock the creativity of many millions along the way. We are delighted to be working with a partner who approaches India with the empathy, conviction and optimism that the Indian market warrants.”

About Smule

Smule is the leading social network for music, connecting the world through a global community of 50 million monthly active users. Smule’s flagship app lets people sing and make music with friends and major artists around the globe—helping to bring music back to its roots of creation and participation. Smule is available on iOS and Android.

About Times Bridge

Times Bridge is a leading investments firm with a mission to bring the world’s best ideas to India and share India’s best insights with the world. Its current portfolio includes Airbnb, Coursera, Houzz, Uber, and MUBI, among others. By providing unmatched market leadership to its select partners and by harnessing the assets of The Times Group, India’s largest media company, Times Bridge accelerates growth and immersion across the Indian subcontinent for leaders who believe in winning in and learning from India.

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Nicolas Winding Refn, India’s Times Bridge Invest in MUBI Streaming Service

News

Nicolas Winding Refn, India’s Times Bridge Invest in MUBI Streaming Service

Patrick Frater And Stewart Clarke
January 17, 2018

Variety reports on the investments made by Danish film maker, Nicolas Winding Refn and Times Bridge in specialty streaming service MUBI.

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Houzz Announces Strategic Partnership with Times Bridge

Press Release

Houzz Announces Strategic Partnership with Times Bridge

October 11, 2017

Strategic alliance with the investment unit of The Times Group, India’s largest media company, will support Houzz as it scales in one of world’s fastest-growing Internet and real estate markets

Houzz Inc., the world’s leading platform for home remodeling and design, today announced a strategic partnership with Times Bridge, the investments business of The Times Group, India’s oldest and largest media company. As part of its investment, Times Bridge will integrate Houzz content into all of The Times Group’s digital properties, including the flagship Times of India, helping more homeowners and home professionals across India discover the Houzz platform.

“From its unique design aesthetic and products to its professional talent and expertise, India has become an important part of the global design language Houzz is facilitating,” said Adi Tatarko, Houzz CEO and cofounder. “We’re delighted to partner with The Times Group and connect even more Indian homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home professionals with our global platform.”

Since Houzz launched a dedicated platform for India in January 2017, its local community of homeowners and home design enthusiasts has grown 50 percent. The Indian professional community on Houzz has also grown exponentially, to more than 80,000 active home professionals in over 60 categories, including architects, interior designers and product designers.

Rishi Jaitly, CEO of Times Bridge said, “Times Bridge’s mission is to bring the world’s best ideas to India and share India’s best insights with the world. In the last eight years, Houzz has proven itself as an iconic company. We look forward to harnessing the unmatched assets of Times Bridge and The Times Group to ensure Houzz’s platform empowers users and professionals alike across the length and breadth of a rapidly-changing India.”

In June 2017, Houzz announced the close of a $400 million Series E financing led by ICONIQ Capital, with participation from Wellington Management Company, Sequoia, Zeev Ventures and GGV Capital, among others, to accelerate the growth of the company’s platform and business around the world. Since July 2014, Houzz has launched localized platforms in 14 countries outside of the U.S. to meet demand from both homeowners and home professionals. In 2013, prior to the company’s international expansion, less than 30 percent of new Houzz users came from outside the U.S. Today, over 50 percent of new Houzz users come from outside the U.S.