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Hello,

Some news for Indian SMEs.

The Bombay Stock Exchange has introduced new criteria for SMEs seeking to move from its SME platform to the main board. 

To qualify, applicants must demonstrate a net worth of at least Rs 15 crore over the previous two financial years, should have been listed on the SME platform for a minimum of three years, and must boast a shareholder base of 250 individuals.

Meanwhile, TVS Motor Company plans to expand its electric two-wheeler portfolio over the next year, as it looks to cater to customers at multiple price points. It’s also actively developing a three-wheeled electric vehicle.

The company is also poised to launch its latest electric scooter, TVS X, within the current quarter.

Also, the NCLAT adjourned the final hearing of tech giant Google’s appeal against the order by the CCI imposing a penalty of Rs 936 crore for abusing its dominant position in the Play Store ecosystem, Moneycontrol reported.

ICYMI: This is how much Lionel Messi’s 2022 World Cup jerseys could go up for at Sotheby’s auction!

Lastly, US shoppers spent a record $9.8 billion on Black Friday online sales, up 7.5% from last year.

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• Driving gender equity in startup ecosystem
• Using AI to streamline customer support

Here’s your trivia for today: What is considered to be the oldest vegetable?

In-depth

Driving gender equity in startup ecosystem

According to Women in India’s Startup Ecosystem Report (WISER) report, women made up 35% of the startup workforce in 2022. With careful introspection that enables timely and targeted action, the startup community can raise this number to 50% by 2030. 

Here’s a deep dive into how startups—women-led ones in particular—are fostering gender equity at the workplace and how women founders demonstrate understanding and empathy, helping women overcome barriers at the workplace. 

Efforts needed:

• Women founders are more acutely aware of the barriers for women, including safety and care responsibilities. Consequently, they are more likely to introduce policies to address them. 
• To ensure inclusivity, particularly for women, The Good Glamm Group has instituted processes in team meetings wherein managers and leaders ensure everyone has an opportunity to express their thoughts.
• HR practices at startups have evolved beyond traditional employee policies to embrace diverse metrics across the board—from recruitment and performance evaluation to mentorship and more.

Startup

Using AI to streamline customer support

Enterprises globally depend on collaboration tools like Slack for internal communication and customer interactions. However, despite their widespread use, keeping track of important messages within these platforms can be a daunting task. 

Critical messages often go unnoticed, and information gets buried within the platform’s communication channels. San Francisco-based ClearFeed says it offers solutions to this problem. 

Solutions:

• Leveraging AI, the platform streamlines service desks on Slack and converts them into a single queue of requests. This enables businesses to streamline their operations.
• With features like triage channels, service metrics, automated responses, and integration with Zendesk, FreshDesk, Salesforce, Jira, GitHub, and HubSpot, it enables the delivery of accountable customer and employee support, all directly within Slack. 
• In the previous quarter alone, ClearFeed’s solutions were adopted by over 100 global organisations, including industry leaders like Atlan Data, Last9, Sprinto, and Plum Insurance. 

News & updates

• Funding: Neuralink, the Elon Musk-founded company developing implantable chips that can read brain waves, has raised an additional $43 million. The company increased its previous tranche, led by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, from $280 million to $323 million in early August. Thirty-two investors participated.
• Deception: An unsealed complaint in a lawsuit filed against Meta by 33 states alleges the company is not only aware that children under the age of 13 use its platforms but has also “coveted and pursued” this demographic for years on Instagram. 
• Changes: The world’s largest iceberg is on the move for the first time in more than three decades. At almost 4,000 square km (1,500 square miles), the Antarctic iceberg called A23a is roughly three times the size of New York City.

What you should watch out for

• Markets: The stock markets will remain closed on Monday in observance of Gurunanak Jayanti.
• Economic data: On November 30, India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the third quarter (July-September) will be released. Also, the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) data for the manufacturing sector is scheduled to be announced on December 1.
• IPOs: The primary market will remain in action next week too, with a key focus on the five listings—Tata Technologies, IREDA, Fedbank Financial Services, Flair Writing Industries, and Gandhar Oil Refinery—in the mainboard segment, while there will be no new public issue launch in the segment. 
• TechSparks is headed to Delhi! Join us at Pullman New Delhi Aerocity on November 29-30, 2023, as YourStory decodes The Great Indian Techade in its premier edition in the capital city.

What is considered to be the oldest vegetable?

Answer: Peas.

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