Swiggy pilots travel and lifestyle concierge app Crew
This marks the Bengaluru-based company's entry into a new business after food delivery, dining out, quick commerce and professional services.
The app, which involves human concierges in addition to generative artificial intelligence (AI), helps users plan trips, going beyond simply suggesting itineraries.A Swiggy spokesperson did not comment on the development.Last year, ahead of its initial public offering (IPO), the company had started testing Rare Life, a personalised concierge service focused on elite and exclusive experiences. However, this project was discontinued after Swiggy decided not to scale it up beyond a small cohort.
In January, the company rolled out professional services marketplace Pyng, signalling that it was following a house of apps strategy similar to Chinese tech giants Alibaba and Meituan, which have also had multiple apps for various services.
This is in contrast to the 'superapp' strategy, where consumers are expected to come for one basic use-case and transact across multiple services. Also, superapps are yet to see any noteworthy success at scale in India.Besides Crew and Pyng, Swiggy now has the main app, which houses food delivery, quick commerce, dining out and its events platform Scenes. The quick commerce unit, Instamart, also got a separate app in January.The launch of Crew was first reported by Entrackr.
Swiggy recently suspended its peer-to-peer parcel delivery service Genie, which was available in 70 cities. The company has also licenced its cloud kitchen brands to food service outfit Kouzina, with plans to fully transfer these businesses upon fulfilment of certain conditions.
On Friday, Swiggy shares ended 3.1% higher at Rs 385.90 on the BSE.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
27 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
‘Worst 48 hours of my life': Indian entrepreneur robbed in Spain, rescued just in time
An Indian entrepreneur has revealed what he did after his passport and cash were stolen in Spain. Ayush Panchmiya said the theft occurred on a Saturday, and he couldn't approach the Indian Embassy for help as it was closed over the weekend. In posts shared on X and LinkedIn, he recalled the shock he felt when he realised that all his belongings had been stolen in a foreign country. Ayush Panchmiya received an emergency certificate after his belongings were stolen in Spain. (X/@lets_ash) He called the two days that followed 'the worst 48 hours of his travel life'. 'I lost my passport, US visa, all my cash' 'I lost my passport, US visa, and all my cash… in Spain. Let me walk you through the worst 48 hours of my travel life and how I got out of it,' Panchmiya wrote. The co-founder of Blockwee, a startup that provides specialized marketing services to Web3 brands, said that he and his team members had landed in Barcelona after a 'heavy week' at a crypto conference in Cannes, France. They were working at a Starbucks outlet, editing content for some clients, when Panchmiya stepped outside to take a call. He left his bag under the table, thinking nothing of it. It was 'something I'd done a hundred times on trips like these,' said the Mumbai-based entrepreneur. Unfortunately for Panchmiya, leaving his bag under the table proved to be a mistake. When he came back, he realised it had been stolen. Red tape in Barcelona In his X post, Panchmiya revealed that his bag contained his credit cards, a good chunk of his cash and his passport with his US visa. 'Panic hit me. I'd heard all the travel warnings: Be extra careful in Spain, especially Barcelona. But hearing isn't the same as experiencing,' he said. Panchmiya immediately approached the staff at Starbucks, requesting them to let him review the CCTV footage. The staff, however, refused, claiming that police had to get involved to review the CCTV footage. The Indian entrepreneur then approached the nearest police station and relayed his predicament. 'And then came the real shock,' he said, revealing that police told him it would take 15 to 20 days to review the CCTV footage. Time was a luxury that Panchmiya did not have. The theft occurred on a Saturday, and he was due to fly back to India on Monday. Indian embassy steps in 'The Indian embassy was shut. So I waited, helpless, until Monday morning. Walked in as soon as they opened,' he recalled. The embassy proved extremely helpful and issued an emergency certificate in just four to five hours. An emergency certificate works like a temporary passport – and Panchmiya was able to board his flight back to India that same evening. 'Now I'm in the middle of applying for a new passport, redoing my visas from scratch, and dealing with everything that comes after such a loss,' he said. The entrepreneur said he was sharing his experience not to rant but to help people understand their options if they find themselves in a similar situation. 'If you travel often, especially around Europe, this can happen to anyone,' he said. 'Ask for an emergency certificate. If your flight is close, they can issue one in hours.'
New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
Puttur entrepreneur leads edtech innovation in Tirupati
TIRUPATI: In the small town of Puttur, Satheesh Kanchi, 50, grew up learning the values of diligence, education, and community service from his father, a clerk in the State Electricity Board. These principles have shaped him into a self-styled global leader, recognised by VISION-2047 and Make in India as a next-gen entrepreneur. Satheesh's remarkable journey has transformed Tirupati into hubs of innovation through his three software companies—DevRabbit IT Solutions, OneHubPOS Solutions, and Mindtronix—while also leading Sloka-The Birla School, a franchise of Birla Open Minds International School, as a beacon of progressive education. Satheesh's enterprises span technology, education, and culinary sectors, seamlessly connecting global markets with local roots. DevRabbit IT Solutions, founded in 2016, is a California-based tech consulting firm with offices in Tirupati and Hyderabad, employing over 100 professionals specializing in Salesforce, ServiceNow, Business AI, and NetSuite. OneHubPOS Solutions, launched in 2019, offers a cloud-based point-of-sale system for restaurants and retail, integrating sales, inventory, payments, and analytics. With a $3 million seed round raised in 2023 alongside Loomis AB, OneHubPOS employs over 40 people across California, Tirupati, and Bengaluru. Mindtronix, co-founded with technologist MSA Srivastav, exports curriculum-mapped DIY learning kits to the USA, focusing on robotics and interactive STEM tools, empowering students globally. At the heart of Satheesh's educational vision is Sloka-The Birla School. Nestled amid fertile fields, the school integrates agriculture into its ethos, with classrooms entwined with creepers and blackboards overlooking crops like paddy, corn, and coriander.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Arcil Investors to offload 32.57% stake via IPO
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel New York-based Avenue Capital Group State Bank of India , an affiliate of Singapore's GIC , and Federal Bank will sell 105.4 million shares, a 32.57% stake in Asset Reconstruction Company (India) Ltd (Arcil), marking the first initial public offering by a bad loan aggregator in company filed its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) on which currently holds a 69.73% stake in the company, will sell 68.7 million shares, reducing its holding to 48.57%. SBI will offload 19.4 million shares, trimming its stake from 19.95% to 13.96%, as per the DRHP. GIC affiliate Lathe Investment will fully exit the company by selling its 5% stake (16.2 million shares), while Federal Bank will sell 1 million shares, lowering its holding to 0.95% from 1.27%.Arcil is not issuing any fresh shares in the IPO. IIFL Capital, IDBI Capital, and JM Financial are the lead managers to the in 2002, Arcil was India's first asset reconstruction company, backed by banks such as IDBI Bank , SBI, and ICICI Bank . It is currently the second-largest ARC in India by assets under management (Rs 15,230 crore). The company generates revenue through management and trusteeship fees, portfolio recovery fees, investment income, and the years, several banks have exited the company, with Avenue acquiring most of their stakes. At present, Avenue and SBI are the promoters, jointly holding 89.68% of the 2022, Avenue Capital acquired a 44.6% stake from ICICI Bank, IDBI Bank, and ICICI Home Finance for nearly Rs 840 crore (Rs 58 per share). Punjab National Bank was the latest to exit, selling its 10% stake in March 2023 at Rs 60.53 per the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025, Arcil reported a net profit of Rs 355.31 crore on revenue from operations of Rs 596.42 of March 2025, it had acquired total principal debt of Rs 72,657.30 crore at a cost of Rs 38,155.63 crore or 52.51% of the principal amount and had made recoveries worth Rs 28,459.70 crore.(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of the Economic Times)
