Category: Tech

Top 17 roaring unicorns in India

Intro

What is a unicorn startup? The term unicorn refers to privately held companies valued at over $1 billion. India’s startup ecosystem is home to a number of well-known and emerging unicorn startups, out of which Flipkart is the most notable and most successful unicorn startup. The success of Flipkart has been driven by the rapid adoption of online shopping in India and the company’s ability to adapt quickly to the changing market. 

Besides Flipkart, there are about 108* unicorn startups in India, but here, we’re only focusing on the 17 unicorns, which are a mix of already emerged and a few emerging ones, as we’re focusing more on the behind-the-scenes stories. Over the last 10-15 years, India’s unicorn startups have not only made a significant impact in their respective sectors but also have become a symbol of the country’s rapidly growing technology and startup ecosystem.


  • Byju’s

Industry – EdTech

Founded in – 2011

Entered the Unicorn Club in – 2018

Tagline – Fall in love with learning

Valuation – $22 billion

Founders – Byju Raveendran and Divya Gokulnath

Parent Organization – Think and Learn Private Ltd

The Story – 

Byju Raveendran, a B.Tech graduate from a small town in Kerala, was working in a multinational shipping firm as a service engineer. In 2023, he started helping his friends prepare for the CAT entrance exam, as he had a burning desire to make a difference in the field of learning and teaching. While preparing, out of curiosity, he decided to appear in the exam and scored 100%.

Later, he started conducting free mathematical workshops but realised there had to be a better way to teach and learn. Determined to make a change, Byju and his co-founder wife, Divya Gokulnath, started working on a new learning platform, where he offered interactive video lessons on a wide range of subjects, from mathematics and science to history and geography.

The platform they created was designed to make learning more fun and engaging and to help students easily understand complex concepts. Today we call that platform, Byju’s, and it has over 150 million registered students and is valued at $22 billion. With its strong focus on technology, innovation, and scalability, Byju’s is well-positioned for continued growth in the future.

A quote from the founder that can change your perspective

“Education is the single most powerful tool that can shape the way our youth thinks” – Byju Raveendran


  • CRED

Industry – FinTech

Founded in – 2018

Entered the Unicorn Club in – 2021

Tagline – Suraksha Aur Bharosa Dono

Valuation – $6.4 billion

Founders – Kunal Shah

Parent Organization – Dream plug Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

The Story – 

When you’re determined to make your dreams come true, you work tirelessly to build them, and Kunal Shah is one such hard-working individual. He began his career as a software engineer before venturing into the world of entrepreneurship with PaisaBack and FreeCharge. After the acquisition of FreeCharge, he founded CRED in 2018, as he wanted to offer more privileges and benefits to people having good credit scores.

The company was started with a mission to make credit card payments simple and transparent for consumers as the industry was plagued by hidden charges and confusing terms and conditions. CRED was always focused on building a strong brand, and one of the key factors that contributed to the company’s success was its focus on customer experience, which helped the company earn over 7 million users.

What’s next?

To enable a good life for creditworthy individuals.

A quote from the founder that can change your perspective

‘If you look at history, nobody has been rewarded for paying back on time. We want to fix that.’ – Kunal Shah


  • Dream11

Industry – Fantasy Sports Platform

Founded in – 2008

Entered the Unicorn Club in – 2019

Tagline – Jab Dream bada ho, toh koi akela nahi hota. Dream Big, Dream11!

Valuation – $8 billion

Founders – Bhavit Sheth & Harsh Jain

Parent Organization – Sporta Technologies

The Story – 

Every sports fan likes to spend a lot of time discussing their favourite teams and players, but not everyone ends up founding an app for fans to participate in fantasy sports. Harsh Jain and Bhavit Sheth are two such sport-packed souls who saw an opportunity to create a platform that would allow sports fans to create their own teams and compete against each other for prizes.

Without hesitation, Harsh and Bhavit quit their jobs and started their own company in 2008, Dream11. The company has always ensured that it complies with all laws and regulations related to fantasy sports in the countries it operates, which has helped to build trust with users and regulators. Along with cricket today, the platform allows users to play fantasy hockey, football, kabaddi, basketball, volleyball, etc.

To stay on the success path, Dream11 made strategic partnerships with major sports leagues and teams, such as the Indian Premier League and the Pro Kabaddi League. Currently, the company has a presence in many countries, including the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, while the founders have inspired countless individuals to pursue their own dreams of entrepreneurship.


  • Swiggy

Industry – Online Food Ordering and Delivery Platform

Founded in – 2014

Entered the Unicorn Club in – 2018

Tagline – Swiggy karo, phir jo chahe karo!

Valuation – $10.7 billion

Founders – Sriharsha Majety, Nandan Reddy and Rahul Jaimini

Parent Organization – Bundl Technologies

The Story – 

By the time you’ve reached here, you might have ordered something on Swiggy, which speaks volumes about its popularity. The start-up was founded in 2014 by Sriharsha Majety, Nandan Reddy, and Rahul Jaimini, who saw a gap in the market for an efficient and reliable food delivery service in India. On one hot summer day, Sriharsha and Nandan realised the need for better online food delivery options in India as the existing options were slow, unreliable, and the food often arrived cold.

They developed a food delivery app and named it ‘Bundl’ in 2013 but decided to shut it down within a year as they wanted to brainstorm more on the delivery process. While brainstorming, they met Rahul Jaimin and decided to start the Start-up with the name Swiggy. The user-friendly app gained a lot of engagement in a short period, made good returns and significantly changed the food delivery industry. Today, besides India, Swiggy is also operational in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

What’s next?

To elevate the quality of life of urban consumers by providing unparalleled convenience.


  • Fractal Analytics

Industry – AI

Founded in – 2000

Entered the Unicorn Club in – 2022

Valuation – $1 billion

Founders – Srikanth Velamakanni, Pranay Agrawal, Nirmal Palaparthi, Pradeep Suryanarayan and Ramakrishna Reddy

The Story – 

Some start-ups take a couple of years to achieve what they’re looking for, while some take decades to achieve the same. Fractal Analytics is an AI company that provides consumer packaged goods, insurance, healthcare, life sciences, retail, and technology services. It was founded in 2000 by five graduates from IIM Ahmedabad in Mumbai when the word start-up was less mainstream than it is today. Due to internal conflict, it took Fractal over 20 years to earn a unicorn tag.

In 2005, the company decided to move the business to the US, as the country was home to a massive number of clients. However, in a couple of years, two of the co-founders took an exit from the company. Things took a turn when along with two co-founders, the company lost one of its key clients. The circumstances attempted to stop Fractal from getting a tag of a unicorn for over a decade, but the company continued to evolve over the years and improved its platform until it became a unicorn in 2022.


  • Tata 1mg

Industry – E-pharmacy Platform

Founded in – 2015

Entered the Unicorn Club in – 2022

Tagline – Bringing care to health

Valuation – $1.25 billion

Founders – Prashant Tandon, Gaurav Agarwal and Vikas Chauhan

Parent Organization – Tata Digital Limited

The Story – 

Where there’s a will, there’s a TATA, but the backstory of Tata 1mg is something you should know and take notes on. The startup was initially launched as Healthkartplus in 2013, the time when people, especially Indians, started trying their hands at online shopping, be it for books, gadgets, etc. The journey of 1mg began as a consumer awareness platform, helping them learn about their medicines while also comparing prices of the various alternatives for the brand that they were prescribed.

Initially, there were just three employees (only the founders), Prashant Tandon, Gaurav Agarwal, and Vikas Chauhan, but today 1mg has over 200 members across multiple locations throughout India. Back then, there were very few trustworthy online pharmacies in India, which helped 1mg become the most trusted name in the industry in a short time. In June 2021, Tata Digital acquired a majority stake in 1mg, and the company got a new name – Tata 1 mg.

A quote from the founder that can change your perspective

“We must learn to survive, and then we will thrive – Prashant Tandon”


  • LivSpace

Industry – Home Renovation & Interior Designing

Founded in – 2014

Entered the Unicorn Club in – 2022

Tagline – Hassle-free dream home interiors for any budget

Valuation – $1.2 billion

Founders – Anuj Srivastava & Ramakant Sharma

The Story – 

You might have seen the TVC of Livspace starring Virat Kohli (in a TURBAN) and Anushka Sharma. The story of Livspace began when the founders set out to design their dream homes and discovered the industry needed to be more integrated. The omnichannel home interior and renovation company was founded by a Google veteran, Anuj Srivastava & his IIT-Kanpur classmate Ramakant Sharma in 2014. Shagufta Anurag, the founder of Space Matrix, was also the company’s co-founder.

The start-up saves you from all the hustle and bustle you have to deal with, from carpenters to plumbers and confusing rates to unreliable schedules. The designers at Livspace create a mock-up for the customer using Livspace’s proprietary software, and once accepted by the client, they hire third-party contractors to get the job done. Livspace earned the title of a unicorn when it successfully raised $180 million in a round led by KKR, taking the value of the firm to over 1$ billion.


  • OYO Rooms

Industry – Hospitality

Founded in – 2013

Entered the Unicorn Club in – 2018

Tagline – #AurKyaChahiye

Valuation – $9 billion

Founders – Ritesh Agarwal

Parent Organization – Oravel Stays Limited

The Story – 

How often have you stayed at the hotel while on vacation or outing? The chances are at least 10-15 times in your lifetime. Well, the founder of OYO rooms, Ritesh Agarwal, used to travel a lot from the age of 17 and every time he stayed at the hotels, he experienced the scarcity of quality hotels, especially in the budget segment. To help people from having such a horrible experience, he launched Oravel Stays, an online portal for vacation rentals.

The platform collapsed in a short time, but two fortunate things happened. First, the relationships Ritesh had formed with hotel owners helped him a lot and secondly, he got an opportunity of the Thiel Fellowship, a two-year program from PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel. During his stay fellowship in California, he relaunched Oravel Stays as OYO Hotels & Homes to create India’s largest chain of affordable, standardised hotels.

As soon as he arrived in India, he started reaching out to the hotel owners he had worked with earlier during his days at Oravel Stays. With all the hard work, he managed to acquire rooms in hotels across the country and transformed them into OYO, which boosted the hotel’s occupancy rates from 19% to 90% in the first month only. Today, Oyo rooms are widely distributed all over India, in more than 800 cities, with more than 23,000 hotels and 850,000 rooms.

A quote from the founder that can change your perspective

“Start small, nail it and then make it big – Ritesh Agarwal”


  • Meesho

Industry – Retail and E-commerce

Founded in – 2015

 

Entered the Unicorn Club in – 2021

Tagline – Not just a homemaker, a Meesho Entrepreneur

Valuation – $4.9 billion

Founders – Vidit Aatrey and Sanjeev Barnwal

Parent Organization – Meesho Inc

The Story – 

Another startup co-founded by IITians. Now a unicorn, Meesho started as a reseller platform allowing users to resell products via their social channels such as WhatsApp, Instagram etc. The founders, Vidit Aatrey and Sanjeev Barnwal started the company with the goal of empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs in India. In the early days, the team focused on building a solid product and acquiring users through word-of-mouth and referral marketing.

Within a few months, they realised that their target market was primarily women in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities looking for flexible and low-cost ways to earn income and decided to tailor their product and marketing strategies to serve this demographic better. In 2017, the startup raised $3.4 million in a seed funding round, which allowed them to expand and invest in team, technology and infrastructure. Today, Meesho has over 15 million registered sellers and reaches over 200 million customers.

What’s next?

A quote from the founder that can change your perspective

“For growth, focus on your customers. Nothing else matters. – Vidit Aatrey and Sanjeev Barnwal”


  • upGrad

Industry – EdTech

Founded in – 2015

Entered the Unicorn Club in – 2021

Tagline – A journey as dynamic as us

Valuation – $2.25 billion

Founders – Ronnie Screwvala, Mayank Kumar, Phalgun Kompalli, and Ravijot Chugh

Parent Organization – UpGrad Education Pvt. Ltd

The Story – 

We’ve various e-learning options for students, but what about professionals looking to upgrade their careers? Yes, the same thought was the base of upGrad, an EdTech startup founded in 2015 by Ronnie Screwvala, Phalgun Kompalli, Mayank Kumar, and Ravijot Chugh. The journey of upGrad began with the goal of providing quality education to working professionals and students in India looking to upskill and advance their careers. 

Like the rest of the startups, upGrad faced several challenges, including a need for more awareness and understanding of online education in India but managed to conquer all the crises that came in way. The company started with just a single program, in digital marketing and within a short while but quickly expanded its offerings to include programs in data science, software engineering, and business management.

A quote from the founder that can change your perspective

“Failure never stopped anybody who didn’t want to be stopped – Ronnie Screwvala”


  • Zomato

Industry – Online Food Ordering and Delivery Platform

Founded in – 2008

Entered the Unicorn Club in – 2015

Tagline – Every meal matters

Valuation – $5.4 Billion

Founders – Deepinder Goyal, Gaurav Gupta, and Pankaj Chaddah

The Story –  

Back in the 2000s, writing a food review was rare, as people only used to follow word of mouth instead of looking for the review on the internet. The founders of Zomato were working at Bain & Co in New Delhi when they came up with the idea of Foodiebay, now known as Zomato. At first, it started as a food blog, providing information about restaurants in the Delhi region and by providing restaurant information, including menus, prices, and user reviews, through its website and mobile app.

In only nine months, FoodieBay became Delhi’s most preferred restaurant directory, and the founders decided to start the services in Mumbai and Kolkata. In 2010, the name Foodiebay was officially changed to ‘Zomato’, and since then, the company has grown to become one of the most popular food delivery apps in India and across the globe. The company also faced major hurdles during their decade-long journey and always bounced back with a better solution to thrive the crises.

Info Edge (India) played a huge role in the formation of Zomato as they were the first to invest about US$ 1 million when the startup did not have enough funds to start the app. By 2013, Zomato expanded its business in foreign countries such as Sri Lanka, UAE, Qatar, South Africa, the UK, the Philippines, New Zealand, Turkey, and Brazil. Since 2014, Zomato has acquired Poland’s Gastronauci, Italy’s Cibando, and  US-based online table reservation platform NexTable.

A quote from the founder that can change your perspective

“When you are still building an organization, don’t be defensive about your culture –  Deepinder Goyal”


  • Ola Electric

Industry – Automotive

Founded in – 2017

Entered the Unicorn Club in – 2019

Tagline – Ready or not, a revolution is coming

Valuation – $5+ Billion

Founders – Bhavish Aggarwal

Parent Organization – Ola Cabs

The Story –  

EVs are the key to a sustainable future, and Ola Electric wanted to take the lead. The company was founded by the electric vehicle arm of Indian ride-hailing giant Ola with an aim to make electric mobility accessible and affordable for all by deploying a fleet of electric vehicles (EVs) and building a network of charging infrastructure across the country.

The journey of Ola Electric began with the launch of a pilot project in Nagpur, Maharashtra, in 2017. Ola Electric, which started making two-wheelers in 2021, will introduce the sportiest car ever manufactured in India with an electric vehicle that has a range of more than 500 km and even accelerates from 0-100 in less than 4 seconds.

Ola Electric also entered into a partnership with leading automakers such as Mahindra and Tata Motors to develop and manufacture electric vehicles in India. Today, Ola Electric has a fleet of thousands of electric vehicles on the road and more than 100 charging stations in multiple cities across India and is valued at over $5 billion.

A quote from the founder that can change your perspective

“Don’t take shortcuts while building your company, keep trying for the best – Bhavish Aggarwal”


  • Vedantu

Industry – EdTech

Founded in – 2011

Entered the Unicorn Club in – 2021

Tagline – Live Online Tutoring

Valuation – $1 Billion

Founders: Vamsi Krishna, Pulkit Jain, Saurabh Saxena & Anand Prakash

Parent Organization – MTEducare

The Story –  

Bangalore has been a fortress of EdTech platforms, and in the case of Vedantu, it all began with private lessons to a handful of students in their local community. The online tutoring platform was initially founded in 2011 but launched for the public in October 2014. The EdTech platform was founded by four friends from the IITs who were passionate about education and wanted to make a difference in the lives of students – Vamsi Krishna, Pulkit Jain, Saurabh Saxena, and Anand Prakash.

Vedantu provides services to students from grades 4th to 12th for the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) & Central Board of Secondary Education. The EdTec platform uses an innovative Whiteboard Audio Video Education (WAVE) program for their 1-1 student-teacher live sessions. The EdTech company provides education to students with both free and paid classes options and aims to provide test preparation courses for the JEE, NTSE, and PSA exams in the future.


  • PharmEasy

Industry – Pharmaceutical 

Founded in – 2015

Entered the Unicorn Club in – 2021

Tagline – Take it easy, PharmEasy

Valuation – $5.6 Billion

Founders: Dharmil Sheth and Dr Dhaval Shah

Parent Organization – API Holdings Private Limited

The Story – 

Back in 2014, when people were experiencing door-to-door delivery services from the brands like Zomato, Flipkart, Swiggy, and Amazon, the founders of PharmEasy thought, why not deliver health care items right at the door in the same way? The pharmaceutical industry in our country is one of the poorly organised industries, but no one was complaining about it until you’re travelling hundreds of kilometres to buy one tablet.

Dharmil Sheth and Dr Dhawal Shah co-founded PharmEasy in 2014 with the goal of making healthcare a lot more accessible in India. The duo created a healthcare delivery platform to simplify and modernise the healthcare setup in India. Thanks to the digitisation of the pharmaceutical industry, we can now order our medicines online from the comfort of our homes, without any hustle and with the most budget-friendly rates.

A quote from the founder that can change your perspective

“Your belief in yourself will drive everything around you. – Dharmil Sheth”


  • Razorpay

Industry – FinTech

Founded in – 2014

Entered the Unicorn Club in – 2020

Tagline – #Powering Disruptors

Valuation – $7.5 Billion

Founders: Dharmil Sheth and Dr Dhaval Shah

The Story –  

Seeing an Indian company leading the pack is rare, but Razorpay has achieved it in the payment sector. It started as a project to solve the problem of online payments and has since grown into one of the prominent members of the coveted unicorn club. Before co-founding Razorpay, Harshil Mathur and Shashank Kumar decided to work on a crowdfunding platform, but soon, the duo realised that online payment was a problem for small & medium-sized (SME) businesses, particularly e-commerce platforms.

The founders of Razorpay, Shashank and Harshil, studied Mechanical Engineering at NIT Allahabad and IIT Bombay, respectively. They first met on a train journey, and while conversing, they both got stuck on one question – how to accept payments online. They offered lower fees than their counterparts as they wanted to revolutionise payment options and access to several online payment methods for business entities, including credit & debit cards, net banking, and UPI.

A quote from the founder that can change your perspective

“Throwing things around in the calendar does not help… maintain a to-do list – Harshil Mathur”


  • Groww

Industry – FinTech

Founded in – 2017

Entered the Unicorn Club in – 2021

Tagline – There’s just one right way

Valuation – $5 Billion

Founders: Lalit Keshre, Harsh Jain, Neeraj Singh, and Ishan Bansal

Parent Organization – Nextbillion Technology

The Story –  

Spending time with the right people can take you to the right places. Earlier, when it came to investing, people had to do a lot of paperwork and bank visits and stand in long queues, but now we have various options. Today, with startups like Groww, to begin investing and managing your wealth, you need a few things – a bank account, some disposable income, and a smartphone. Groww is one of several startups that have aroused the curiosity of investors.

The startup was founded in 2016 by four former Flipkart workers, Lalit Keshre, Harsh Jain, Neeraj Singh, and Ishan Bansal. The platform was started to make investing more accessible to young people by simplifying the process, and it uses technology to reach the right audience, reducing its operational expense. Groww offers various services to consumers by providing investment offerings in mutual funds, stocks, IPO, and digital gold.

A quote from the founder that can change your perspective

“Always try to understand the business first and then the price of the stock – Ishan Bansal”

 

  • Urban Company

Industry – Household Services

Founded in – 2014

Entered the Unicorn Club in – 2021

Valuation – $2.1 Billion

Founders: Abhiraj Singh Bhal, Raghav Chandra and Varun Khaitan

Parent Organization – UrbanClap Technologies India Pvt. Ltd.

The Story –  

Who empowered professionals from the industries like massage, cleaning and salon? A startup founded by three great minds, Abhiraj Singh Bhal, Raghav Chandra and Varun Khaitan, named Urban Company. Before founding Urban Company, Abhiraj and Varun launched Cinemabox, a service that allowed travellers to stream movies on their phones on planes, trains or buses, which lasted for only 6 months.

Later on, they met Raghav and during one of their intense conversations, they understood the country was lying behind the in-home services market, like finding the right plumber, electrician, or beautician. Right then, they decided to work on the idea and founded Urban Company, formerly UrbanClap, in 2014. Today, it has more than 40,000 service partners across 50+ cities in India, the UAE, Singapore, Australia and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

What’s next?

The company plans to expand and train and upskill 5 lakh service partners, of which 2 lakh will be women partners, by 2030.

Google announces AI features in Gmail, Docs, and more

It looks like AI has finally reached a point in our lives where we cannot escape it. After OpenAI became the inception of what can only be called the AI revolution, many tech giants have made it their primary goal to get on the AI bandwagon and excel. Google has now announced a suite of upcoming AI features for various Workspace apps which includes Google Docs, Gmail, Sheets, and Slides. Check out every AI implementation in Google apps below –

Google goes AI

The new features introduce a revamped way to generate, summarize, and brainstorm text with AI in Google Docs. This is somewhat if not entirely similar to how people use OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Users can also generate full emails in Gmail based on users’ bullet points. AI imagery and the ability to generate audio and visual presentations in Slides will also be present in the new Google AI services. The quick response to the changing AI landscape around the world by Google does hint towards the company’s ambition to catch up to all the competitors currently thriving in the sector.

Reports suggest that Google had declared ‘Code Red’ back in December when senior management of the company asked staff to add AI tools to almost all end-user products. While Google is making waves in the world of AI, the company’s approach to announcing the new services can only be described as hasty. While Google has already announced a plethora of new features, as of now, only AI writing tools in Docs and Gmail will be making their way to a group of ‘Trusted Testers’ in the US. Here are all the AI features coming to Google in the near future as per Google’s recent blog post –

  • draft, reply, summarize, and prioritize your Gmail
  • brainstorm, proofread, write, and rewrite in Docs
  • bring your creative vision to life with auto-generated images, audio, and video in Slides
  • go from raw data to insights and analysis via auto-completion, formula generation, and contextual categorization in Sheets
  • generate new backgrounds and capture notes in Meet
  • enable workflows for getting things done in Chat

Acer x Mercedes – Gaming Becomes Mobile

If you’re anywhere in the PC gaming scene then you surely know about the Predator gaming laptop series by Acer. The Predator series is known to be one of if not the best gaming laptops around the world and we at Exhibit use a number of Predator machines as our daily driver’s thanks for their dependability. Our extensive testing of the Predator Helios 300 has only left us amazed with its gaming performance.

Being a car enthusiast and frequent traveller, a big chunk of my time I spent with cars, and sadly sitting in a car playing games is a hassle in itself. But what if I told you that a new car on the market allows you to play games right on its screen? That’s right! 

The latest EV by Mercedes, the AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+ is a one of its kind luxury offering that widens the horizons of what an electric car can provide its customers.

The Sedan EV has a height of 1515 mm and a width of 1926 mm. The exterior of the car is eye-catching, especially its front, which features a dual light band coupled with the front bonnet that beautifully overlaps the wings. The digital lamps are bright and feature 1.3 million pixels per headlamp which are enough to light up your way effectively. 

The brightness of the digital lamps is furthermore enhanced and controlled by the Adaptive high beam assist plus, which features an anti-dazzle continuous high beam. The rear light band features a 3D helix design, and the tailgate opening features that classy Mercedes Star badge. The light game does not end here, as the car also features an illuminated aesthetic door handle that adds to the overall appeal of this sexy-looking car. 

When I talked about gaming at the beginning, I told you that a new car in the market allows people to play games on its screen. Well, that’s none other than, the Mercedes AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+ which offers MBUX Hyperscreen where you can play Tetris, Pairs, and Sudoku.

The Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+ offers a battery backup of up to 500 kms in one go, while the Predator Helios 300 offers a battery backup of up to 5 hours and 30 minutes. The interior of the car is designed with a sporty touch. It features an AMG performance steering wheel in crisp Nappa Leather that feels good to hold, it also features AMG sports pedals for your ease. The highlight of the interior is definitely the Hyperscreen, that’s 141 cm wide and has AI capabilities to learn driver behavior. It also features 7 co-driver profiles for content individualisation. Thus, you and your loved ones can all gain an individual experience while driving this car.

Another interesting factor is the profile log-in that can be accessed with fingerprint, face, or voice! It is an OLED screen that is backed by Gorilla Glass protection. Besides, the driver need not get overwhelmed by this screen itself as their attention can always be focused on the road. The Head Up Display allows you to locate all the information about your speed, range, and other important information on the front itself without having to look down at the display; that’s definitely something we’ve seen in sci-fi films!

What we have here is also an option to set your car’s interior lighting as per your mood with active ambient lighting. But it’s not the people in the front seat who have all the fun, as people sitting behind can also retain all the control with the help of the MBUX tablet.

Talking about the performance of this car – It features AMG Dynamic Select driving modes that can be set to Moderate, Comfort, balanced, Sport+, Powerful, Dynamic, and more. That’s enough driving modes to make the kid in you happy. It comes with fully variable AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive which means the system continuously distributes and drives torques between the front and rear axles depending on the driving situation. 

The car’s torque is checked 10,000 times per minute and adjusted whenever necessary. It features over 350+ sensors like 12x ultrasonic sensors, moisture sensors, 4x module mode radar, LiDAR, multiple cameras, and much more. We are sure you’ve heard about fast charging on phones, but Mercedes offers it on a car with 30-minute fast charge in DC charging that can take the car from 10 to 80 per cent in just 30 minutes. It can support 200 Kw of max charging with a range of over 500 kms. 

The whole reason behind people going for EVs is because they’re good for the environment, and Mercedes has hit the ball out of the park with its new offering, as the majority of its elements have been sourced from recycled products ranging from steel to cable ducts and even the floor coverings.

When a brand like Mercedes brings its A-Game to the EV car market, the result is the Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+. The car is designed to cater to both the adult and the kid inside you, which makes it a perfect package for EV enthusiasts. 

The car is without a doubt, designed for tech enthusiasts who wish to own a luxury EV that is ahead of its curve. In contrast, the Acer Predator 300 is designed for working professionals who are into gaming on weekends. The car and the laptop bring a style statement to your life by offering features of the best of both worlds!

Poco X5 5G First Impression – A Value Offering

What happens when consumers in a country are well caught up with tech and understanding the nitty-gritty of smartphone devices? You get smartphone companies fighting each other in offering the best specifications at a competitive price. Ultimately, it’s the end-buyer who benefits from the tech giants competing in the market. The OnePlus 11 and 11R are shining examples of similar phenomena and trickling it down to the midrange to budget section we see a bigger plethora of choices that confuse us. 

This is where this new offering by POCO, The POCO X5 5G comes into the picture. Entering at an oversaturated price point between the 15 to 25K range, the POCO X5 5G only further confuses the buyers even more. But that’s what we’re here for! We have been using the POCO X5 5G for a day and here are my first impressions of the device! 

Display

The POCO X5 5G features a vivid 6’67-inch FHD+ super AMOLED display which gives users an immersive experience. The display produces some punchy colours without straining the eyes during longer-watching sessions. It features what POCO calls a sunlight display which features high brightness. The 2400 x 1080 FHD+ display gets pretty bright at 1200 nits. It features a 120Hz of refresh rate which gives it that smooth hyperrealistic feel. Overall the display is eye candy! 

Design

The back design is pretty much similar to the staple POCO design with its branding up top. It’s a plastic back panel that does not scream premium but can be protected using the in-box transparent cover. It features a 3.5mm headphone jack on top and a USB-C type port at the bottom and the standard volume rockers and lock screen buttons on the side. It features a side-mounted fingerprint sensor that is snappy. It is a lightweight device weighing just 189 Grams and 7.8mm in thickness. 

Performance and battery

When it comes to midrange performance, the Snapdragon 695 is a no-brainer chip for companies to go to. This 7nm chipset has proven its prowess in several midrange devices and shines once again in the POCO X5 5G. As the model name suggests, it is a 5G device consisting of 7 5G bands which are more than enough for the current scenario of 5G availability. The X5 I am using is an 8GB/256GB  variant out of which 36GB is occupied by the system. The battery here is 5000mAh which can be juiced up with a 33W charger provided in the box. During my testing, the device juiced up from 33% to 100% in about an hour and fifteen mins which is not bad. It features LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 2.2 storage which is pretty standard for a midrange device. 

Camera

The POCO X5 5G comes with a triple camera setup consisting of a 48MP primary lens coupled with an 8MP ultra-wide camera and a 2MP macro camera. The selfie camera is clocked at 13MP. Here are some camera samples – 

Conclusion

The Poco X5 5G is a capable device that ticks many boxes and does so effectively. The Snapdragon 695 coupled with a smooth 120Hz display and a capable camera setup makes this device an easy choice for many midrange consumers out there. At 20,999 for the 8/256Gb variant, the POCO X5 5G is one of the best options in the market right now. 

How technology is changing work

Nothing’s better than putting in a day of honest work! However, won’t it be better if technology helps make it easier? 

Technology has been changing the way we work for decades, but the pace of technological advancement has accelerated in recent years, bringing about a range of new opportunities and challenges for the workforce. Thanks to the rise of remote working, a big chunk of people now work from the comforts of their homes. But it doesn’t end there as thanks to artificial intelligence, automation and virtual reality, technology is changing the very nature of work and the way we approach it. Check out some of the ways technology has been changing the way we work – 

Remote Work

Remote work may have started off as a compulsion during the pandemic times, but it definitely unlocked a whole new meaning of working. With the rise of collaboration tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, many workers can now work from anywhere with an internet connection. This has the potential to increase work-life balance and reduce commuting times, but it also requires new skills to communicate and collaborate effectively in a remote environment.

Automation

One of the most significant impacts of technology on the workplace is automation. Automation has been used in manufacturing for decades, but advances in technology are now enabling automation in a range of industries, from healthcare and finance to retail and transportation. This has the potential to significantly increase efficiency and productivity, but it also raises concerns about job displacement and the need for new skills.

Gig Economy

Another way technology is changing the workplace is through the rise of the gig economy. Platforms like Uber, Airbnb, and Upwork are enabling individuals to work on a freelance basis, offering their skills and services on demand. This has created new opportunities for people who may not have had access to traditional employment, but on the flip side, it has also raised questions about worker protection and job security.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is also changing the way we work. AI can analyze data faster and more accurately than humans, enabling businesses to make better decisions and improve efficiency. However, it also raises concerns about the ethical implications of using AI to make decisions about people, and the potential for AI to replace human workers in certain industries. The headlines about tech companies undergoing major layoffs are undoubtedly scary while algorithms take over their job positions. It is too soon to judge whether artificial intelligence will ultimately be a boon or a curse to the workforce and humanity as a whole. 

VR and AR

Finally, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) is beginning to be used in the workplace, offering new ways to train employees, visualize data, and collaborate remotely. This technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we work, but it also requires significant investment and training to be used effectively.

In conclusion, technology is changing the way we work in a range of ways. While these changes offer new opportunities and benefits, they also raise important questions about the future of work, including job displacement, worker protections, and the need for new skills and training. As technology continues to evolve, it will be essential for businesses, policymakers, and individuals to stay informed and adapt to these changes in order to thrive in the new digital economy.

AI can now generate images based on people’s brain activity!

AI has been the talk of the town lately thanks to ChatGPT bringing it to the forefront. AI is now capable of generating human-like conversations which in itself is a trip, but that’s not all as the technology is helping automate various tasks in day-to-day life. Sure, there is a flip side to this AI development as concerns about it replacing many human jobs stand strong. However, its jaw-dropping abilities in the current scenario are worth acknowledging. Just when humanity was catching up to AI being able to have casual conversations with real people, researchers have now revealed that the technology can generate images based on people’s brain activity!

AI images from brain activity

Sounds like science fiction, but researchers have successfully trained an artificial intelligence system to recreate images people have looked at based entirely on brain scans. Researchers Shinji Nishimoto and Yu Takagi from Japan’s Osaka University have recreated Hi-Res images from scans of brain activity. The study held at Osaka University suggests that AI algorithm processed information gathered in different regions of the brain that are responsible for perceiving images. The system interpreted information from the occipital and temporal lobes of the brain via fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scans of the brain.

When people look at any image, the temporal lobes register information about its content, whereas the occipital lobes record layouts and perspective. All of this information was recorded using an fMRI that can detect the changing blood flow to the active regions of the brain. The recorded information can then be converted into an imitation of the image according to the researchers. The study was backed by an online data set provided by the University of Minnesota which consisted of brain scans of four people who each viewed over 10,000 pictures.

While this is a big achievement in the world of AI and the technology shows a lot of promise, it still has some limitations. The AI can only recreate images or objects included in its training material which includes data from only four people. Broadening the module will require it to include individual brain scans which is a time-consuming process. As of now, this technology will not be widely accessible anytime soon.

 

MWC Recap: Best of Mobile World Congress 2023

Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023 will go down in history as one of the busiest mobile conventions in several years. The pandemic surely took a toll on in-person events like CES and MWC in the past few years but 2023 saw a complete turnover. This year the MWC attracted over 88,500 attendees from 202 countries. GSMA Ltd’s CEO, John Hoffman revealed in an official statement that the support from partners, businesses, and policymakers exceeded their hopes and expectations. The vibrant display of mobile technology featured more than 2,400 exhibitors and over 1,00 speakers and thought leaders. With a saturation of almost every key player in the mobile industry, it was natural that the MWC brings about a slew of announcements and developments. 

Be it Google, OnePlus or Motorola, MWC 2023 saw big brands making bigger splashes in the mobile arena. Granted, not all companies introduced new devices as they focused on the advancement of mobile technologies. However, these developments are worth looking out for tech enthusiasts out there. Here is Exhibit’s special recap of (almost) everything showcased at the MWC 2023 – 

Xiaomi

Xiaomi brought its A-game during the MWC 2023 as it not just announced the global launch of the Xiaomi 13 smartphone series but also its Wireless AR Glass Discovery edition. Firstly, the company introduced the extensive lineup of the Xiaomi 13 smartphone series including Xiaomi 13, 13 Pro, and 13 Lite. Interestingly, only the Xiaomi 13 Pro has made its way to India at a price tag of Rs 79,999 and the rest of the lineup is yet to be announced in the country. The Xiaomi Wireless AR Glasses won’t be making it to the market anytime soon as they are a concept pair. They offer an immersive AR experience free of any wires and dongles. They feature two Micro OLED screens with a free-form light-guiding prism module that projects content in front of your eyes. The glasses are cool and futuristic, and we definitely cannot wait to see them in action. 

OnePlus

OnePlus is currently basking in the glory of its recent OnePlus 11 series launch which is making waves around the world. OnePlus purists are happy at the company’s return to its roots offering flagship killer devices at competitive pricing. Adding ‘Cool’ to the fire, OnePlus introduced a new concept device which brings a closed-loop liquid cooling system to smartphones. OnePlus is calling this new cooling system ‘Active CryoFlux’ and claims the system can reduce the device temperature up to 2.1 degrees. The Active CryoFlux system is based on a ceramic piezoelectric micropump which circulates fluid through a series of tubes. The back cover of the concept phone is aesthetically pleasing as it allows users to see the tubing underneath which has been illuminated. OnePlus emphasized device cooling by introducing a 45W external liquid cooler which attaches to a smartphone and improves heat dissipation. The company claims that the external liquid cooler can reduce the phone temperature by 20 degrees. OnePlus has not announced whether it will be using the Active CryoFlux system in a production smartphone as not every concept makes it to the end consumer. 

Google

Google was not expected to bring the heat with new hardware at MWC but it surely surprised everyone by announcing new Android features. Google introduced features page zoom on Chrome for Android and noise cancellation in Google Meet. Previously, if users were to pinch-to-zoom on Android, it would pinch the entire page. As of now, Chrome Beta users can pinch-to-zoom and only increase the size of the text, images, video, and more while still retaining the original page layout. Other features include freehand PDF annotations in Drive, faster pairing of earbuds on Chromebooks, Tap-to-pay animations in Wallet, new sounds and display mode for Wear OS and much more. 

Motorola

Motorola had fans surprised as they unveiled their latest innovation at this year’s MWC. Motorola introduced the Moto Rizr at MWC which quickly became one of the most talked-about devices from the entire event. Moto Rizr is the world’s rollable smartphone featuring a 5-inch display that can be rolled up to a 6.5-inch display with just two taps. The device sticks to Moto’s staple pOLED display which expands vertically. The basic idea behind the device is to allow users to have a compact phone which can be extended when they need more screen space for content consumption, gaming and much more. Readers should note that the Moto Rizr will not be making its way to the market anytime soon as it is a prototype device. 

TCL

Though TCL is not a big player in the Indian market, it holds a significant position on the global stage. At MWC 2023, TCL announced a bunch of budget devices exclusive to the US market and two new 11-inch tablets. The TCL 40 X brings capable specifications like Dimesnity 700, a 6.5-inch 90Hz LCD display and a 50MP primary camera at the price of $200. The company also introduced its cheapest 5G device with TCL 40 XE priced at just $170. All the new mobile devices introduced by TCL feature a waterdrop notch putting them in the budget category for the US market. 

Tecno

Who would have thought that Tecno will take away all the attention from legacy players in the mobile arena? With its debut appearance at the MWC, Tecno debuted all guns blazing showcasing two new smartphones including the company’s first foldable smartphone, the Phantom V. The Tecno foldable device is also the world’s first foldable device to feature a left-right foldable design boasting the powerful MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ chipset. The smartphone also sports a 5-lens camera system featuring a 50-MP primary sensor coupled with two lenses at the back and the front. It also introduced the MegaBook S1 laptop with 13th Gen Intel Core processors. Additionally, Tecno left no tables unturned unveiling TWS earbuds, a Wi-Fi security camera, and a Wi-Fi router at MWC. 

OPPO

While the Find N2 Flip was OPPO’s premiere device to showcase at the MWC, it also unveiled a number of IoT devices like a Wi-Fi 6 router, Zero-Power Tag, MariSilicon Y Bluetooth audio SoC, Air Glass 2, and much more. The Find N2 Flip marks OPPO’s first-generation flip device featuring a 3.26-inch cover screen. It features a Hasselblad camera branding similar to the OnePlus flagship devices. One of the key elements of the N2 Flip is that it folds flat when closed. This ensures that nothing gets in between the screen when the device is in your pocket. The device comes with a large battery capacity and charges at 44W. While foldable devices are clearly a niche amongst tech enthusiasts, having more options never harmed anyone. 

Realme

Realme launched its latest flagship device, the Realme GT3 at the MWC 2023. The GT3 comes equipped with 240W charging prowess making it one of the fastest charging devices in the world. It offers the maximum charging power possible under USB-C standards as it is equipped with three maxed-out charging chipsets which work together in achieving 240W charging power. Realme claims that the device’s 4600mAh battery can be charged up fully in just 9 minutes and 30 seconds. 

Honor

Honor may have fallen in trouble in China and US legislations but that did not stop the company from bringing in the heat at the MWC. Honor took the stage to announce the global launch of its premium lineup – Magic5 Pro and Magic5. Both devices are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC and support 66W wired charging. Honor also launched its first foldable device outside China titled – Magic.

Women Safety Apps in India – Living Fearless

We’re living in the digital era which means the human experience is now deeply connected with the digital world. Be it food or clothes, all things required are now just a few clicks away making our lives easier. On the other hand, there are a plethora of applications designed to help people from every walk of life be it kindergarten rhymes or senior citizen support. The digital landscape has undoubtedly changed how people lived their lives but a few grave concerns remain the same. One such concern is that of women’s safety. 

If you’re an Indian reader then I do not need to reiterate the horrors women go through in our country. Robbery, domestic violence, assaults and rapes are over the news in India at a disturbing rate which begs us to ask the question of whether women are truly safe in the country. Celebrating International Women’s Day, we wanted to get our readers acquainted with these women’s safety applications in case of an unfortunate event. Check them out now – 

  • 112 India

Perhaps the most important application when it comes to women’s safety in the country is the 112 India app. It is an all-in-one women’s safety app that can be used to issue SOS alerts with only one single tap in any situation. The application is available on both Android and iOS devices in 23 states and Union Territories across India. Users need to simply register themselves using their phone number and add the necessary information. In addition, users may also be asked to enter an emergency contact number to notify that person in case of an emergency. The app’s functionality is pretty straightforward too as it automatically sends the user’s details like name, age, emergency contact, and location to nearby volunteers and generates an automated call to 112 which is the state emergency control room.

  • My Safetipin: Complete Safety 

In today’s age, women and men function on an equal footing. This means, more and more women are now stepping out of the house to work and provide for their families. However, the unfair threat of safety looms over women which have been effectively addressed by the My Safetipin application. This app’s goal is to make cities safer by generating safety scores for places around the country by collecting massive data. The application sports features like GPS tracking, emergency contact numbers, direction to safe locations around cities, pins and alerts for unsafe areas and also provides the safest route options for women. 

  • Sheroes 

Sadly, social media is also not an entirely safe place for women. Receiving threats and unsolicited pictures is a common occurrence women face around the world. This is where Sheroes comes into the picture, it is a leading social media platform exclusively for women. At Sheroes, women can share their passions through posts and videos in a safe digital environment. Sheroes is not just limited to being a social media platform for women but also a helpline where women can chat anonymously and share their feelings. Community legal support and Mahila Kanoon support are also available at Sheroes. 

  • bSafe

bSafe is a comprehensive safety app for women that boasts a wide range of features. It’s equipped with the bSafe alarm which broadcasts the exact location and an audio-video from the location for ease with your emergency contact. It also features the ‘Follow Me’ feature which allows users to virtually track GPS until their loved ones have arrived at the location. An interesting feature in the application is the fake call feature which helps people escape an unwanted situation by pretending they’re on a call with someone. 

  • Chilla 

Chilla is a unique application that serves the singular purpose of triggering an alert message. Women can be stuck in situations where they are unable to press the emergency button on their phone during an attack, in such cases, they can shout loudly and activate the  SOS alert on their device.

Apple launches iPhone 14 and 14 Plus in new Yellow colour variant

It was back on September 16, 2022, when Apple introduced its iPhone 14 lineup. The release was yet another feather in Apple’s crown as the iPhone 14 series sold like hotcakes with 26.09 million units sold out in the first two months of its release. The iPhone 14 and 14 Plus were available in five colour variants at the time of launch namely midnight, starlight, (PRODUCT) RED, blue, and purple. Now, Apple has updated the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus with an all-new yellow colour variant.

iPhone 14 and 14 Plus new variant

This won’t be the first time Apple has introduced a new colour variant for its previously released iPhones. In 2022, Apple added a green variant for the iPhone 13 lineup, and purple a year before that for the iPhone 12. Readers should note that the changes are only limited to the colour and Apple has done no other specifications changes in the software or hardware experience. The new model features a bright yellow glass back panel which might remind users of the deep yellow of the iPhone XR. However, the aluminium frame of the new variant is similar to its body which is a departure from the iPhone XR design which featured a pale gold colour aluminium frame. However, unlike last year, the new colour variant will not be offered in Pro models and is strictly limited to the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus models as of now.

iPhone 14 and 14 Plus yellow variant availability and pricing

The iPhone 14 yellow variant is priced at Rs 79,990, and the 14 Plus is priced at Rs 89,990. This means the newer variants do not come at an additional cost and the prices remain unchanged. The yellow iPhone 14/14 plus is now available to buy on the official Apple store website. Check it out – HERE

OpenAI makes ChatGPT available for enterprise use

OpenAI’s chatbot ChatGPT has been making waves on the internet ever since it launched back in November 2022. The conversational AI has been the talk of the town gaining 100 million users in just two months since its release. What followed was a number of tech giants releasing ChatGPT-like services be it Microsoft’s revamped Bing search or Google’s Bard. Where other tech companies are struggling to implement AI properly in their systems, OpenAI is well ahead of the curve and will be making the ChatGPT tool available to companies to incorporate into their own apps.

ChatGPT for companies

OpenAI is swiftly moving into the next phase of the ChatGPT expansion offering paid access to businesses and developers who want to use the software’s ability to answer questions and generate texts in their own applications and products. Customer’s in near future will be able to hook their apps into ChatGPT’s programming interface. This will give them access to ChatGPT 3.5 model which OpenAI itself uses at a cost 10 times lower than the company’s existing model. Shopify, Snap, and Instacart are some of the companies that are already using ChatGPT API in their products.

While ChatGpt has undoubtedly become the best-known chatbot AI on the internet, the company needs to figure out how to accelerate its growth in revenue. Back in January 2023, OpenAI negotiated Microsoft Corp.’s investment in the company reportedly adding $10 billion. In February, OpenAI introduced a waitlist for companies and developers who want to use ChatGPT in their own applications and started selling a premium version to individuals.

Instamart, USA’s largest online grocery-delivery company will be implementing ChatGPT into its online application. Customers will be able to ask the app to suggest healthy options for kids and also provide recipes. However, one subjective concern with ChatGPT implementation for consumer apps will be its integration into customer services.

 

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