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Delhi’s gig workers continue to battle commute restrictions.

While India is well-prepared to host the G20 Summit in the national capital, traffic restrictions in the city are causing a headache to gig workers as many of them can’t complete their deliveries. Even though some apps are incentivising with surge pay, not many food and grocery delivery persons and cab drivers are logging in.

In other news, India’s largest export will be AI expertise, according to NVIDIA Founder and CEO Jensen Huang. During an interaction with the media in Bengaluru on Friday, India has the data as well as human expertise. However, inadequate infrastructure in terms of computing power remains a top hurdle in realising India’s AI ambitions.

NVIDIA also announced two key partnerships—one with Reliance’s Jio Platforms to build cloud-based AI compute infrastructure, and the other with Tata Group to build an AI supercomputer powered by the next-generation NVIDIA Superchip.

Elsewhere, shortly after becoming India’s first unicorn for this year, Zepto has now elevated Ankit Agarwal to the position of Chief Product Officer. Agarwal, who joined the quick commerce firm last August, has over 13 years of product experience and will be in charge of product end-to-end, from consumer to supply chain and last mile.

ICYMI: Inside the mind of the GenZ workforce.

It’s the age of side hustles and flexibility.

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• Made-in-India premium luxury products
• A taste of Burma in India
• Using AI/ML to help visually impaired

Here’s your trivia for today: Which multinational technology corporation started its journey as a paper mill operation in 1865?

Luxury

Made-in-India premium luxury products

For 30 years, Kolkata-based D2 International Pvt Ltd has made and exported leather goods to global brands. In 2021, Vashist Bhatia and his mother Diksha Bhatia introduced Gioia, a brand tailored for the domestic market. 

“We have all the processes and systems set in place and every collection is made in-house which is a big advantage compared to the competition,” says Co-founder Vashisht.

Living on legacy:

• D2 International boasts a production capacity of 60,000 handbags and 75,000 small leather goods per month. 
• Gioia opened its first flagship store in Kolkata at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Airport. It opened a store in Mumbai earlier this year and will establish a third store in Bengaluru.
• The product lineup features handbags, including sling bags, shoulder bags, tote bags, backpacks, and other products designed for both men and women. 

Top Deals of the Week

Startup: IndoSpace

Amount: $150M

Round: Equity

Startup: Ather Energy

Amount: Rs 900 Cr

Round: Rights issue

Startup: Pepperfry

Amount: $23M

Round: Equity

Wine and Food

A taste of Burma in India

Restaurant and tea room Burma Burma integrates Burmese tradition with contemporary presentation. The nearly decade-old restaurant’s new menu, launched in July, is the brainchild of co-founder Ankit Gupta and Chef Ansab Khan, after their recent research visit to Myanmar.

“We were clear about establishing a casual dining restaurant that had an evolved menu and beverage programme where the turnaround time is less than 90 minutes (from start to finish),” explains Co-founder Chirag Chhajer.

Fusion of flavours:

• Burma Burma’s menu also has an array of mock meats and mushrooms that have a texture similar to that of non-vegetarian dishes.
• It includes a variety of small plates–crunchy shiitake fingers, taro and tempeh pan-seared bao, and soba noodles with tea leaf pesto.
• Today, Burma Burma has eight outlets across India, in the cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Gurugram, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Ahmedabad. It is all set to open an outlet in Hyderabad soon.

Innovation

Using AI/ML to help visually impaired

IIT-Kanpur graduate Seetharam Muthangi has developed Smart Vision Glasses to help people with vision impairment make their daily activities less tedious. The device is equipped with a camera, Lidar tech, a Bluetooth microphone, and a small speaker to help the user read, navigate, and recognise objects.

Tech for good:

• The device is made for people with congenital blindness, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, severe glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa, colour blindness, or those who lost their vision in an accident.
• The Smart Vision Glasses, which cost Rs 30,000, also guide and alert the user to obstacles while walking.
• Earlier this year, Muthangi’s Smart Vision Glasses won the Aarohan Social Innovation Award instituted by the Infosys Foundation.

News & updates

• Terminator: Alongside Sydney Harbour, engineers are working on a submarine that will be powered by AI and will have no human crew. The project is being driven by a contest among the U.S., its allies, and China to develop AI-controlled weapons that will operate autonomously.
• Gold rush: Taylor Swift’s high-flying stadium tour has helped boost hotel revenue in the cities she’s visited. Revenue generated per room was higher in cities in the months Swift visited them compared with the national average and the same months a year ago.
• Patched up: Apple has issued an emergency software update after being warned that a previously unknown vulnerability allowed Israel’s NSO Group to inject its Pegasus spyware remotely and surreptitiously onto iPhones and iPads.

Which multinational technology corporation started its journey as a paper mill operation in 1865?

Answer: Nokia

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