ZF India Secures Major Win with AxTrax 2 Nomination
Chennai, India – April 17, 2025 – ZF Commercial Vehicle Solutions, a division of ZF Group and a leader in mobility solutions, recently secured a multi-year business nomination from one of India’s leading CV OEMs for the supply of its AxTrax 2 Electric Axles. This significant deal marks a critical milestone in the country’s shift towards electric mobility. This also underlines ZF’s commitment to electric and sustainable solutions for the future of mobility.
ZF will supply its AxTrax 2, an integrated and modular electric axle for medium duty buses, providing a more efficient, high-performance solution. The contract covers a supply of several thousand units over multiple years, further deepening the presence of ZF CVS in India’s commercial vehicle electrification sector.
Innovative Technology for Future Mobility
Building on ZF’s powertrain, e-mobility and CV experience, the AxTrax 2 electric axle is designed to replace the engine, transmission and conventional axle to electrify a commercial vehicle. Part of ZF’s modular e-mobility kit, the AxTrax 2 integrates in-house developed components into an innovative axle-based solution that is highly efficient, compact and lightweight in design. Furthermore, the minimized space requirements enable OEMs to reimagine the design of CV platforms.
Pioneering the Future of Commercial Vehicle Electrification
With this strategic business nomination, ZF’s commercial vehicles division in India further cements its market leadership in electric mobility by pioneering technologies that set new benchmarks in performance and sustainability.
Akash Passey, President ZF Group in India noted, “ZF Group has an established presence in India’s commercial vehicle sector, consistently leading the charge in pioneering advanced technology solutions that enhance safety, efficiency, and sustainability in mobility. This business nomination highlights our pivotal role in delivering innovative mobility solutions tailored to meet the evolving needs of our OEM partners.”.
In announcing this strategic achievement, P Kaniappan, Sr. Vice President – CVS Division (India), ZF Group, stated, “AxTrax 2 represents evolution of our journey towards market leadership and sustainability for the next generation of mobility in India. This milestone reinforces ZF Group’s position as the industry leader in e-mobility while delivering significant advancements for both our customers and the Indian market.”
Commitment to Sustainable Innovation
As India’s No. 1 supplier of driveline and transmission systems, ZF knows the market requirements for eCVs. ZF’s broadest range of commercial vehicle solutions in domains like Automated Driving, Electric Mobility, Shared Transportation and Digitalization technologies.
ZF Group in India partners with customers to introduce integrated and innovative solutions that positively impact the commercial vehicle’s lifecycle, from cradle to grave.
mobility. This also underlines ZF’s commitment to electric and sustainable solutions for the future of mobility.
ZF will supply its AxTrax 2, an integrated and modular electric axle for medium duty buses, providing a more efficient, high-performance solution. The contract covers a supply of several thousand units over multiple years, further deepening the presence of ZF CVS in India’s commercial vehicle electrification sector.
Innovative Technology for Future Mobility
Building on ZF’s powertrain, e-mobility and CV experience, the AxTrax 2 electric axle is designed to replace the engine, transmission and conventional axle to electrify a commercial vehicle. Part of ZF’s modular e-mobility kit, the AxTrax 2 integrates in-house developed components into an innovative axle-based solution that is highly efficient, compact and lightweight in design. Furthermore, the minimized space requirements enable OEMs to reimagine the design of CV platforms.
Pioneering the Future of Commercial Vehicle Electrification
With this strategic business nomination, ZF’s commercial vehicles division in India further cements its market leadership in electric mobility by pioneering technologies that set new benchmarks in performance and sustainability.
Akash Passey, President ZF Group in India noted, “ZF Group has an established presence in India’s commercial vehicle sector, consistently leading the charge in pioneering advanced technology solutions that enhance safety, efficiency, and sustainability in mobility. This business nomination highlights our pivotal role in delivering innovative mobility solutions tailored to meet the evolving needs of our OEM partners.”.
In announcing this strategic achievement, P Kaniappan, Sr. Vice President – CVS Division (India), ZF Group, stated, “AxTrax 2 represents evolution of our journey towards market leadership and sustainability for the next generation of mobility in India. This milestone reinforces ZF Group’s position as the industry leader in e-mobility while delivering significant advancements for both our customers and the Indian market.”
Commitment to Sustainable Innovation
As India’s No. 1 supplier of driveline and transmission systems, ZF knows the market requirements for eCVs. ZF’s broadest range of commercial vehicle solutions in domains like Automated Driving, Electric Mobility, Shared Transportation and Digitalization technologies.
ZF Group in India partners with customers to introduce integrated and innovative solutions that positively impact the commercial vehicle’s lifecycle, from cradle to grave.
Mr. Om Birla: PHDCCI’s Journey Key to Achieving Viksit Bharat by 2047
Celebrating 120 years of its legacy, PHDCCI today hosted a special evening graced by Shri Om Birla, Hon’ble Speaker of the Lok Sabha. The Hon’ble Speaker appreciated PHDCCI’s contributions towards shaping the roadmap of Viksit Bharat and commended Mr. Hemant Jain, President, PHDCCI for his leadership.
He added, in this 120 year journey PHDCCI has made a significant contribution for a long time in how the sectors of industry and trade can move forward for the country’s development. Even after such a long journey, PHDCCI continues its efforts and is working towards making Indian industries self-reliant, updating them about the latest developing technologies, and serving as a strong bridge.
We all need to reflect that the era now is of AI, data analysis, green and clean energy, and if we want to make our industries competitive we must use better technologies, he added
In the technology sector, out of all the companies in developed countries, 25% are led by Indians, and our youth are leading them. We can further improve this with the help of PHDCCI and through these dialogues, added Hon’ble Speaker
The event also featured a message by the Hon’ble Prime Minister. An excerpt from his message says: “As the nation marches ahead confidently to realise the vision of Viksit Bharat, the PHDCCI’s contribution will continue to be important for the future of innovation, sustainability, and global partnerships.
Shri Hemant Jain, President, PHDCCI, informed that PHDCCI has been blessed with legendary industry captains at its helm, presidents who were not just business leaders but nation builders. Their foresight, courage, and commitment to India’s growth have been the bedrock of PHDCCI’s success. We have the honour of having around 18 Former Presidents in attendance today. These leaders did not just represent business interests — they represented national interest.
As we stand at the cusp of India’s Amrit Kaal, the next 25 years present an unprecedented opportunity to transform India into a $30 trillion economy, a global manufacturing and innovation hub, and a developed nation by 2047, added Mr Jain
Shri Rajeev Juneja, Sr. Vice President, PHDCCI appreciated the Hon’ble speaker for his work and informed that around 220 bills are passed in his present tenure. These bills, such as women’s reservation and digital data protection, will have a strong impact on our lives. This shows that Parliament is working with 95% efficiency, he added.
He further informed that PHDCCI’s 120 year journey reflects its unwavering commitment to India’s growth story of bridging policy with progress, and tradition with innovation.
The event also witnessed felicitations of the Former Presidents of PHDCCI by the Hon’ble Speaker.
While presenting the formal vote of thanks Mr. Anil Gupta, Vice President, PHDCCI, appreciated the presence and unwavering support of the government for the Indian industry.
Litmus World, RepUp Unite to Launch AI CX Platform
New Delhi, April 18, 2025 – Litmus World, a leading enterprise SaaS platform, and RepUp, a Gurgaon-based AI-driven CX platform have signed a binding agreement to merge and unify their business operations, creating an AI-native Customer Experience (CX) platform for enterprises. This strategic merger combines the complementary strengths of both companies to deliver an integrated, data-driven solution that empowers businesses to transform stakeholder experiences through advanced AI automation and actionable insights.
The combined entity will operate under the Litmus World brand and will leverage advanced AI, Natural Language Processing (NLP), and automation to enhance customer engagement and sentiment analysis.
“Our vision is to redefine enterprise CX by leveraging AI and automation to create intelligent, proactive, and personalized interactions, By joining forces with RepUp, we are combining deep domain expertise with cutting-edge AI capabilities to build a truly transformative platform that addresses the evolving needs of modern enterprises.” said Sandip Sen, CEO at Litmus World.
“This merger marks a defining moment for enterprise CX transformation, By integrating with LitmusWorld, we are uniquely positioned to expand our AI-native social listening capabilities to enterprises across key sectors enabling them to deliver exceptional experiences at every touchpoint” said Pranjal Prashar, Founder at RepUp.
The new unified platform will enable enterprises to unlock deeper customer insights, optimize engagement strategies, and drive customer-centric transformations at scale. As enterprises increasingly prioritize customer-centricity as a competitive differentiator, this merger represents a significant milestone in advancing AI-driven CX solutions.
The completion of the merger is subject to necessary regulatory approvals, including sanction from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). Until approval, both companies will align and intend to unify operations.
The merger brings together Litmus World’s robust enterprise SaaS platform with RepUp’s cutting-edge expertise in AI-powered reputation management, customer analytics, and omnichannel engagement, resulting in a unified solution designed to elevate customer experience and brand reputation. The integrated platform will empower businesses with real-time AI-powered sentiment analysis and predictive insights, intelligent response automation and engagement orchestration, seamless integration with enterprise CRM and marketing automation systems, and proactive reputation management with advanced social listening capabilities.
Fabric Business Cards: A Stitch of Identity, Dignity, and Action
Bengaluru, 17 April 2025: As part of its ongoing #Invaluables initiative, BBC Media Action today unveiled a unique business card that serves as a reminder to recycle responsibly. A business card is usually for networking, but this is the one that reminds you to take action, while for the first time, enabling them with a title that truly reflects their contributions in the waste value chain and circular economy.
When it comes to recycling, #InvaluableRecyclers have the expertise, skills and knowledge to prepare a piece of cloth to be recycle-ready. The business card is part of the newly launched campaign ‘Got Old Clothes?’ which urges Bengalureans to responsibly discard their old clothes by sending the post-consumer textile waste to the #InvaluableRecyclers – aka the waste pickers of Bengaluru.
Spotlighting the vital role of the wastepickers in addressing the mounting textile waste that often ends up in landfills, the campaign builds on the critical role of waste pickers in diverting a massive 38,32,50,000 kilograms (Namma Bengaluru’s Happy Number) of waste from going to landfills every year. According to a report by Enviu[1], India generates 7.2 million tonnes of textile waste annually, of which 3.94 million tonnes is post-consumer textile waste discarded by households. This poses severe environmental challenges, causing air, water and soil pollution and contributing to climate change through carbon emissions.
The cards have been created using discarded clothes collected from Dry Waste Collection Centres (DWCCs) and fabricated by waste picker families at Sambhav Foundation-run skill development centres fostering micro-entrepreneurship. Sambhav Foundation is also part of the Saamuhika Shakti initiative.
Speaking of the card and the campaign, , Soma Katiyar, Executive Creator Director, BBC Media Action, India, said, “With this phase of the #Invaluables, we wanted to move from awareness to action, and reframe them as professionals. There is an urgent need to recognise these professionals who are the backbone of our waste value chain and circular economy. At the heart of the ‘Got Old Clothes?’ is this fabric business card, which is more than just a symbol. The card represents a shift in how we see and value waste pickers. By calling them #InvaluableReyclers, we’re not giving them a title, we’re simply telling the story of their contributions. When design, storytelling, and community action come together, we can create powerful narratives that not only inform but transform.”
The cards will not only create awareness but also provide a call to action for Bengalureans. A centralised WhatsApp number will facilitate the collection drive:
- For old clothes quantities exceeding 50 kilograms, doorstep pickups can be arranged by Hasiru Dala; for quantities lower than 50 kilograms, residents are guided to the nearest DWCC for drop off
The decentralised system of daily collection of post-consumer textile waste from the 16 wards through the DWCCs and the aggregation centre, Textile Recovery Facility, to recycle textile waste has been operationalised by Saamuhika Shakti partner Circular Apparel Innovation Factory in tandem with Hasiru Dala.
The #Invaluables campaign by BBC Media Action is part of Saamuhika Shakti, a collective impact initiative, the first of its kind in India, where 12 partners have joined forces to enable waste pickers to have greater agency to lead secure and dignified lives.
The press event was joined by city-based Actor and Creative Impresario Danish Sait, who has played an important role in this new campaign, along with representatives of organisations working with Saamuhika Shakti and BBC Media Action.
Talking about his involvement in the campaign, Danish Sait said, “Talking about his involvement in the campaign Danish Sait said, “As a storyteller connected to Bengaluru, who also believes in the power of influencing for good, I’m excited to collaborate and contribute to the ‘Got Old Clothes?’ campaign. The opportunity to share this story and highlight the crucial role our #InvaluableRecyclers play in protecting Namma Bengaluru’s environment especially when it comes to textile waste is very important to me. I sincerely hope this campaign inspires all of us to dispose of old garments responsibly and support our #InvaluableRecyclers in preventing waste from ending up in landfills.”
Highlighting the support received from Saamuhika Shakti partners, Varinder Kaur Gambhir, Country Director, BBC Media Action, India, said, “The journey of #Invaluables from being invisible to an individual recognised and respected by Bengalureans wouldn’t have been possible without the support and collaboration of our partners from Saamuhika Shakti. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our partners for their unwavering trust, deep commitment, and collaborative spirit.”
Recently, the Indian Prime Minister, in his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat, voiced concern over the country’s escalating textile waste problem. The address highlighted the critical role of waste pickers in the waste value chain and their first right to claim, access, sort, and sell recyclable materials, ensuring their welfare and fair renumeration.
Bengaluru itself generates a significant volume of textile waste. Research by Hasiru Dala estimates that ~60% of discarded textiles received at DWCCs in Bengaluru have recycling potential if collected separately and uncontaminated. Estimates also suggest that approximately 22,500 people are engaged in waste picking, significantly contributing to the city’s waste management system.
BBC Media Action’s new campaign builds on the success of its earlier campaigns, which includes ‘Happy Number’ and ‘Wash the Dabba’. Research findings post ‘Wash the Dabba’, which exhorted people to empty, rinse and dispose plastic food containers responsibly, revealed:
- 93% of Bengaluru residents recalled the campaign
- 60% reported having begun washing plastic food containers before disposal, a small act with major impact on recyclability and safety of waste pickers
Navyug Global Pumps INR 160M into Shrinithi Capital
India, 17th April 2025, Navyug Global Ventures, the investment platform founded by serial investor Nikhil Chandan, has announced a strategic investment of INR 160 Million and another INR 100 Million in the first quarter FY 25-26 in Shrinithi Capital Private Limited, a Chennai-based NBFC focused on commercial vehicle finance and EV Segment. With this new investment, Shrinithi Capital Private Limited will accelerate its efforts in expanding financial access, deepening its presence in underserved regions, and driving impact-driven lending initiatives.
Shrinithi Capital, with its 50 plus branches and 600 plus on-field manpower, has been enabling access to credit for rural entrepreneurs, commercial fleet operators, and small business owners in the Used Vehicle Auto Segment through its grassroots network and sector-specific financial products. The new funding will support its geographic expansion, tech-driven lending models, and targeted financing for electric mobility. Known for backing high-impact, future-forward enterprises, Nikhil Chandan has built a track record of identifying early-stage financial and clean-tech opportunities that drive both economic and social outcomes. This latest investment into Shrinithi Capital reinforces Navyug’s commitment to fostering inclusive, sustainable growth in India’s lending ecosystem.
Commenting on the investment, Mr Nikhil Chandan, MD & CEO of Navyug Global Ventures, said “We back teams that understand the ground realities and build for scale. Shrinithi Capital stood out not just for its numbers but for its mission. Their disciplined approach to rural lending and growing focus on EV finance reflects where the future is headed. This investment, much like our earlier bet on Taxi’na in the shared mobility space, reinforces our commitment to backing sunrise segments that blend innovation, inclusion, and long-term sustainability. We’re excited to partner with them at this pivotal stage and contribute to a more financially inclusive India.”
Mr Sellamani Srinivasan, CEO & Director- Shrinithi Capital said “From our first discussions with Nikhil and the team at Navyug, it was clear that this partnership extends far beyond capital. Navyug brings a wealth of experience and strategic synergies that will help Shrinithi Capital scale efficiently. This collaboration will empower us to penetrate deeper markets, access technology, and acquire new business in Green Mobility, Ride hailing Auto & Taxis, and other new markets.”
Statiq Expands EV Drive in Chandigarh, Kerala & Bengaluru
New Delhi, 17th April 2025: Statiq, India’s largest EV charging network, has rolled out an ambitious city-level marketing campaign across Chandigarh, Kerala, and Bengaluru to boost local awareness, drive app adoption, and reinforce its leadership as the most accessible and trusted EV charging solution in the country. This hyperlocal initiative marks a significant step in Statiq’s mission to accelerate India’s transition to sustainable mobility, taking the EV conversation closer to people’s homes, streets, and neighborhoods.
With a growing network of over 8000 chargers, Statiq is powering India’s evolving EV ecosystem by enabling seamless charging access through its app and infrastructure. Through this campaign, the company is focusing on deeper city-level engagement—blending on-ground activations, regional influencer collaborations, high-impact OOH, digital promotions, and print and radio outreach to reach EV users in a meaningful, localized way.
Speaking on the campaign, Mr. Akshit Bansal, Founder & CEO, Statiq, said: “EV adoption in India is no longer restricted to Tier-1 metros. Real change is happening at the hyperlocal level—in residential neighborhoods, on highways, and in community hubs. With this campaign, we want to build lasting relationships with our users by being visible, trustworthy, and accessible at every touchpoint. Chandigarh, Kerala, and Bengaluru are just the beginning—we’re excited to take this momentum to more cities in the coming months.”
Each of the three campaign cities has been chosen for its emerging EV user base and growing infrastructure. In Kerala and Bengaluru alone, Statiq’s public charger footprint has already surpassed 400 and 600 chargers, respectively. These numbers are being brought to the forefront of local storytelling, combined with the promotion of city-specific offers through the app installs and promo codes such as KRL200, CHD150, and BLR100—designed to incentivize first-time downloads and usage. The campaign also includes real-time digital advertising on platforms like Meta and Google, complemented by WhatsApp broadcasts and push notifications targeted at lapsed users.
Trust-building and local relevance are at the heart of this campaign. Statiq is partnering with regional influencers to share EV stories in local languages, contextualized to the daily lives and mobility patterns of each city. Radio and newspaper collaborations are also helping reach non-digital audiences, particularly older users and potential EV adopters who may be new to charging networks.
Additionally, on-ground activations include community events and promotional stalls to showcase Statiq’s charging ease and app features. New users are being offered instant wallet credits and cashback promotions to encourage trial and repeat use, while the app itself continues to serve as a one-stop platform to access multiple public and partner charging networks.
By combining tech innovation, local storytelling, and user-centric incentives, Statiq is not only promoting EV adoption but also creating a sense of familiarity and confidence in India’s green mobility journey. The campaign aims to set a benchmark for how EV infrastructure brands can connect with users on the ground—where the real shift toward electric begins. Statiq has been proactively addressing the challenges around EV charging through similar initiatives. It had recently launched the ‘One Country, One App, All EV Chargers’ campaign—bringing charging stations from multiple networks onto a single platform to create a seamless experience for all EV users.
CropLife International President and CEO Emily Rees is announced in B20 co-Chair role
Brussels, 17 April 2025: CropLife International has on 16 April warmly welcomed the appointment of its President and CEO, Emily Rees, to the role of B20 Sustainable Food Systems & Agriculture Taskforce co-Chair under the South African Presidency of the G20. The Taskforce will provide the G20 Agriculture Ministers with strategic recommendations for endorsement by Heads of State in November, furthering its stated purpose of promoting sustainable agricultural practices, enhancing supply chain resilience, and ensuring equitable access to nutritious food.
Building upon the work of the Brazilian Presidency last year, the South African G20 in 2025 will continue to emphasize the food security imperative as it fosters global cooperation to address the world’s most pressing challenges. The promotion of sustainable productivity growth through access to and adoption of new technologies is central to CropLife International’s purpose as it represents the businesses at the forefront of R&D in agriculture and plant-science, and as such the Association is aptly placed to once again make a meaningful contribution to the Taskforce’s work.
Commenting upon her appointment, Emily Rees said “At a time when the fragility of our environment and geopolitical systems alike becomes ever more pressing, CropLife International is honoured to once again bring both its expertise and unswerving commitment to bear in the Taskforce’s work. Last year, under the able representation of our Chairman Livio Tedeschi as co-Chair, we saw the role of sustainable agricultural productivity in fostering resilient food systems as a central theme. This year, we have the opportunity to turn this declaration of intent into a catalyst for progress. I look forward to serving the Taskforce in driving tangible and implementable outcomes to improve food security and build more resilient food supply chains”.
ParamNetwork Unveils India’s First Agentic AI Platform
Bangalore – ParamNetwork today announced the global launch of ⦃param⦄ ai/studio, India’s first enterprise-grade Agentic AI platform designed to meet the complex requirements of modern enterprises. Developed entirely in India, ai/studio allows organizations to build, deploy, and manage sophisticated Agentic AI workflows with enterprise-level security, governance, and scalability.
Mr. Vaideeswaran Sethuraman, Founder of ParamNetworks
Unlike platforms that evolved from consumer applications and were later repurposed for business use, ai/studio has been engineered from the ground up with a distributed architecture that includes redundancy, advanced security controls, and full-spectrum governance. The platform is built to integrate seamlessly into existing enterprise environments.
“Enterprise AI adoption requires more than just powerful algorithms—it demands reliability, explainability, and alignment with existing architecture,” said Vaideeswaran Sethuraman, Founder of ParamNetwork. “Our ai/studio addresses these needs through a composable system built to work across enterprise tools, workflows, and compliance frameworks.”
The platform is powered by three proprietary technologies developed by ParamNetwork: L⚡RAG, a next-generation retrieval augmented generation engine that processes structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data for faster and more accurate insights. Quantum Minds, a low-code prompt programming tool equipped with pre-built agentic operators; and MCP Streams, a model-agnostic integration layer based on Model Context Protocol, capable of connecting to multiple data sources and compatible with any large language model of the user’s choice.
With this architecture, ai/studio offers complete model flexibility, secure enterprise data integration without duplication, responsible AI features including explainability and audit trails, and deployment options across public cloud, VPC, or on-premises environments. Internal benchmarks indicate a 40 to 60 percent reduction in computational resource consumption compared to traditional approaches, delivering significant cost efficiencies while meeting enterprise-grade performance standards.
ai/studio has already been deployed in production across multiple industries. Among the early adopters is the Aditya Birla Group. Rahul Chopade, Head of Digital at UltraTech Cement, noted, “ai/studio is transforming how we analyze operational data. Its ability to connect patterns across structured and unstructured sources helped us identify specific fuel quality variations affecting production efficiency. Most importantly, it puts powerful analytics directly into the hands of our operations team, enabling faster decisions and a culture of data-driven operations.”
Dr. Gokul Dharani, CEO of 3Analytics, a Silicon Valley-based startup, highlighted its impact on regulated sectors, stating, “Leveraging ParamNetwork’s ai/studio enables pharmaceutical and medical device companies to reduce the time and cost associated with compliance. We are also seeing its potential to transform clinical operations by accelerating time-to-market and reducing the cost of clinical trials.”
Built around a collaborative intelligence framework, ai/studio ensures that AI systems work alongside human expertise in defined workflows. This human-in-the-loop design prioritizes accountability and oversight, positioning the platform not just as a tool for automation, but as an engine for decision intelligence.
As a comprehensive generative AI environment for ETL, business intelligence, and intelligent automation, ai/studio delivers real-world solutions—not experimental capabilities. It features stakeholder-specific interfaces to support business users, data scientists, compliance teams, and executives, providing appropriate control and visibility across the AI lifecycle.
ParamNetwork’s latest offering is a natural extension of its broader mission. The company has spent six years perfecting secure, decentralized data solutions that support seamless collaboration across organizational boundaries. With ai/studio, ParamNetwork turns static data ecosystems into dynamic intelligence engines, enabling businesses to extract strategic value from previously siloed information.
By combining scalable architecture, secure data handling, and AI innovation, ParamNetwork enables organizations to deploy intelligent solutions with complete confidence in data governance and sovereignty. Through ai/studio, the company is delivering TCO-driven transformation and redefining how enterprises use data to create sustainable competitive advantage.
Futureverse Announces Acquisition of Candy Digital
Brands Including MLB, Netflix & DC Comics Enter the Futureverse Ecosystem Leading to a New Chapter of AI Powered Fan Experiences
GLOBAL (April 17, 2025) – Futureverse, the leader in revolutionary, generative AI and open gaming technologies, has announced its acquisition of Candy Digital, home to blue chip brands like Major League Baseball (MLB), Netflix, Getty Images, Warner Bros. Discovery, and DC Comics with the goal of bringing AI to the forefront in the next chapter of immersive experiences for brands and sports entertainment.
In today’s modern media landscape, consumers already spend most of their time in front of screens—the digital world is where attention lives. Brands and IP are challenged with the constant question of what happens next in a fragmented sea of content? Brands must find innovative ways to utilize emerging technology to break through to consumers and create interesting experiences that people actually care about.
With the acquisition of Candy, Futureverse is setting out to help these brands break through the noise by injecting its patented, state of the art AI and metaverse technology into Candy’s high-profile IP including over 4M digital collectibles and a massive customer base of over 1.5M accounts.
“Brands like MLB and DC Comics already sit at the intersection of digital and real-world fandom,” said Aaron McDonald, Co-Founder and CEO, Futureverse. “By bringing them into Futureverse’s ecosystem, we can leverage our technology to build the kind of immersive experiences that enhance brand loyalty and create a new format for great brands, beloved characters and world class stories to deepen their user engagement.
“Candy combines emerging technology with purpose-driven design to create loyalty programs, digital ticketing, on-chain gaming, and fan marketplaces that reward participation and strengthen fan communities,” said Matt Novogratz, Co-Founder and SVP of Candy Digital. “It’s a natural move for us to join forces with Futureverse who are true industry leaders with patented technology that is defining how brands will engage in this ever-evolving digital world where most interactions take place.”
Candy’s premium IP and expansive content library will be integrated into The Root Network, Futureverse’s layer 1 blockchain, which will address brand concerns around AI, creative rights, and ownership. No longer relying on outdated legal frameworks, Futureverse embeds IP protection directly into its technology—giving these brands the power to unlock new revenue and allow their protected assets to be safely used across gaming and new digital experiences in this next phase of the internet.
Futureverse’s tech stack will open new doors for Candy’s partners to engage with fresh, digitally native audiences, fostering creativity. Futureverse is creating the ultimate next-generation fan experience—one where digital ownership is real, gameplay is truly interoperable, and accessibility is easy for everyday people.
Candy Digital is backed by industry-leading investors, who are now welcomed to the Futureverse ecosystem, including Galaxy Digital, ConsenSys Mesh, HENI, 10T Holdings, Microsoft, Griffin Gaming, RRE Ventures, Arcadia, Martis Capital, Third Kind Venture Capital, Warner Brothers, The Lao, Wakem Digital, and Jay Street Holdings, among others.
IHCL Expands with 100 New Locations in FY25
Chandigarh, APRIL 16, 2025: Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), India’s largest hospitality company, increases its footprint with 100 new locations, with 74 signings and 26 openings in FY2025, taking its portfolio to 380 hotels.
Ms. Suma Venkatesh, Executive Vice President – Real Estate & Development, IHCL said, “IHCL in the last fiscal year has clocked a record 74 signings with over 95% of these signings being capital light and resulted in an industry leading pipeline of 137 hotels. This was enabled by IHCL’s strong brand presence across market segments coupled with the sustained demand buoyancy. In alignment with our strategic roadmap Accelerate 2030, a significant share of the signings were in Gateway and Ginger brands, reflective of the fast growing Upscale and Midscale segments in India. This year, we continued to build scale in each of the brands with Ginger crossing a 100-hotel portfolio and Vivanta reaching the 50+ hotel mark.”
She added, “In line with our strategy of growing with the Taj brand in key international markets, we forayed in the cities of Bahrain and Ras Al Khaimah in the Middle East with over 800 keys, strengthening our footprint in the region.”
IHCL’S PORTFOLIO AS ON 31st MARCH 2025
| BRANDS | OPERATING HOTELS | PIPELINE HOTELS | TOTAL | ||||
| Taj | 87 | 42 | 129 | ||||
| Claridges Collection | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||||
| SeleQtions | 26 | 16 | 42 | ||||
| Tree of Life | 18 | 2 | 20 | ||||
| Vivanta | 28 | 24 | 52 | ||||
| Gateway | 9 | 22 | 31 | ||||
| Ginger | 73 | 30 | 103 | ||||
| TOTAL | 243 | 137 | 380 |
Ms. Deepika Rao, Executive Vice President – Hotel Openings & New Businesses, IHCL added, “IHCL opened 26 new hotels in FY25, with Ginger leading the way with 9 hotels across diverse markets including commercial centres of Nagpur and Coimbatore, industrial townships like Jamshedpur, leisure destinations like Srinagar, Udaipur and Diu as well as in state capitals of New Delhi and Goa.
She added, “Building on its legacy, IHCL pioneered new tourism destinations with SeleQtions and Gateway hotels in Diu and expanded its presence in spiritual destinations with a Taj resort in Puri. Undertaking select investments, we opened a 111 key Taj hotel at Cochin International Airport and forayed with Taj brand in state capitals of Dehradun and Patna. Across these 26 new hotel openings, IHCL created over 2,500 direct jobs contributing to local economies and livelihoods.”