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Time of India
6 minutes ago
- Time of India
AI sales enablement platform Sharpsell raises Rs 30 crore
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills Artificial intelligence (AI)-backed sales platform Sharpsell AI has raised Rs 30 crore in its latest funding round , including Rs 10 crore from Equentis Angel Fund This round follows previous fundraises in 2022 and 2023 from Cornerstone Venture Partners and Mistry Ventures, among others. This is the largest single-company investment made by Equentis Angel Fund under its Category I Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) in 2022, Sharpsell provides an AI-based sales automation platform across sectors such as BFSI, automotive, consumer electronics, and pharmaceuticals. The platform offers ready-to-use sales pitches, personalised content, and coaching to support sales team performance."We take a vertical-first approach and spend time on the ground with sales people to figure out the challenges they field. Additionally, we work with experts from the field. Using that, we generate industry-specific synthetic data . We work with over 30 companies and a few lakh users so far," cofounder and CEO Hanuman Kamma said."This funding round will mainly be used to strengthen our go-to-market strategy and enter new sectors. Part of it will also be used to develop our AI agents," he startup will also use the capital to deepen market penetration within existing verticals and support its international expansion plans across Southeast Asia and the MENA aims to address the performance gap faced by sales professionals in India due to a lack of real-time coaching. The company's platform also supports businesses in digitising sales workflows and improving revenue outcomes through SaaS-based Angel Fund, a SEBI-registered Category I AIF affiliated with Equentis Wealth Advisory Services, focuses on early-stage investments in high-growth, technology-driven companies across sectors."While the global spend on sales enablement tools is inching north of $12 billion, the sales playbook automation segment remains largely untapped in India. Against this backdrop, Sharpsell's AI-led platform is delivering clear revenue and productivity gains," Manish Goel, founder and managing director at Equentis, said.
Time of India
6 minutes ago
- Time of India
Qualcomm taps India's auto tech potential in $8 billion growth push
With an existing base of 22,000 engineers in India, it is further open to strategic acquisitions of Indian startups to deepen its local R&D and product capabilities in the mobility space. In an interaction with ET's Shubhangi Bhatia and Muntazir Abbas, Nakul Duggal , Group General Manager – Automotive and Industrial & Embedded IoT at Qualcomm Technologies talks about company's India strategy, market potential, two-wheeler segment, revenue targets, ADAS adoption, and Google partnership. Edited excerpts: How do you see the Indian market unfolding for Qualcomm? It's really about the level of attention we're giving to the Indian market, and that's driven by the future opportunity we see. As the market evolves from being relatively low on digital integration to becoming increasingly digital-first, the potential becomes more compelling. How is Qualcomm viewing the transformation of the automotive sector in India, especially given its extensive work with global OEMs? How do you see India's journey in this space? I began visiting India with a focus on the automotive sector about six or seven years ago, when the spotlight was on EVs and digital-first platforms. It was also my first real exposure to localisation. I observed every major automaker had figured out how to adapt global platforms to meet local needs. But, this process is complex, because you need to build a platform that's competitive within the local ecosystem while still solving challenges that are being addressed in other parts of the world. We were struck by how some OEMs– particularly those operating in highly price-sensitive segments–heavily rely on their Tier-1 suppliers in this effort, and others were focused on bringing differentiation in-house to own the value they created, even if it meant taking on more risk. Over time, global OEMs were putting pressure on the market, and Indian OEMs were increasingly looking outward, observing trends and capabilities emerging abroad. It was clear that everyone needed to figure out how to differentiate. The question shifted from 'if' to 'how'; whether to build in-house, and whether they had the people, culture, and risk appetite. Our role is to support that journey, whether by enabling partners to build on our platforms or working directly with capable OEMs. We've approached India like any global market, to localise solutions to fit. What are the key challenges you're observing in the Indian market, and how is Qualcomm, as a global technology leader, addressing them? There is always a degree of cost sensitivity in the market. But at the same time, I believe we're at an inflection point where customers are now willing to pay more for features they truly value. For instance, we spoke with two manufacturers who shared an interesting insight. They produce a specific motorcycle model in two variants: one with a digital cluster and another with an analog. They initially built 20 per cent of the bikes with digital clusters and 80 per cent with analog ones. The digital version sold out immediately, while demand for the analog version remained largely unchanged. And the price difference was just ₹500 to ₹1,000. This shows that if you tap into the customer's desire for modern, engaging features, something that feels unique and enhances their experience, they're ready to pay a little more. It's about creating a seamless experience that people naturally want to interact with, something that goes beyond what their phone alone can offer. How have you seen investment trends among automakers evolve over the past decade, particularly with connectivity now taking center stage? Yes, the first major shift we've seen is that automakers now recognise the need to own their differentiation. They can no longer rely on tier-1 suppliers to define what makes their products unique. Previously, OEMs would make superficial changes to standardised platforms, by altering colours, layouts, or button placements, while the core software remained identical. That model no longer works. Today, it's not just about customisation, it's about owning the entire user experience. Take our work with Epic Games, for example. By integrating Unreal Engine, which is a high-end graphics platform not traditionally part of automotive, we've enabled OEMs to build sophisticated, custom interfaces. But, this also means OEMs must invest in internal capabilities: learning the tools, specifying design requirements, and driving their own UX vision. This shift deliberately puts control back in the hands of the OEM. If they don't step up and their competitors do, they risk falling behind with outdated interfaces. And as soon as one brand launches a standout digital feature, the rest will be asking, 'How do we match that, and who can help us get there?' How is the Qualcomm Snapdragon Digital Chassis supporting Indian automakers during the course of their transformation? Also, could you share more about your partnership with Google and integration into the ecosystem? The digital chassis is fundamentally about simplifying what OEMs have traditionally sourced from tier-1 suppliers. Typically, automakers interact with a box offering fixed features, without visibility into how the system is built. Our approach changes as we educate and empower OEMs to make informed decisions and co-develop complete, end-to-end solutions with us. We have partnered with Google for over a decade across automotive and smartphones. In the digital chassis, our collaboration focuses on integrating Google's consumer experiences, like Maps, Android OS, voice assistants, and now Gemini AI, into the vehicle environment. However, vehicles require these features to coexist with safety-critical, real-time systems, which is something beyond Google's traditional smartphone focus. We address that by offering a pre-integrated platform with Google's ecosystem built in, dramatically reducing the complexity and friction for automakers. How do you see ADAS adoption evolving in India over the next three to five years? What are the key challenges, particularly around infrastructure, and how prepared do you think OEMs are to drive this transition? India has a unique opportunity to leapfrog by building intelligent infrastructure from the outset. Situational awareness, enabled by technologies like road-mounted cameras, can significantly reduce congestion and accidents by alerting drivers in real time about hazards such as animals, pedestrians, or unlit parked vehicles. Having lived in India, I understand how unpredictable road conditions can be. Embedding intelligence into infrastructure can address this complexity and dramatically improve safety outcomes. Globally, we have seen success with similar systems. If there's one area where we'd like to influence policy, it's ensuring that newly built government infrastructure is designed to be intelligent and capable of broadcasting real-time data. We are ready to work with our partners to integrate V2X (vehicle-to-everything) into vehicles to support this vision. China offers a strong example– five years ago, new highways there included V2X support, and drivers were issued portable units at toll booths to receive real-time alerts. This approach improved road safety without waiting for all vehicles to be V2X-equipped. What is your target revenue from the automobile sector business worldwide in the next few years? We are on track to reach $8 billion revenue by 2029. Currently, we earn around $950 million in quarterly revenue from the automobile business. Are you open to acquiring some new companies, especially start-ups from India in the auto tech sector? Yes, all the time. We invest heavily and many times we acquire. We are open to working and acquiring start-ups coming from India.
Economic Times
36 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Aditya Infotech IPO subscribed 2.78x on Day 2; should you apply? Check GMP, review, and more
Aditya Infotech's Rs 1,300 crore IPO has been booked nearly three times as of the latest update on Day 2 of subscription on July 30. The IPO, open between July 29 and 31, had been subscribed 2.78 times overall, driven largely by strong demand from retail investors who booked their quota 8.83 times, as of 10:35 am. The company has priced the shares between Rs 640 and Rs 675 each. This IPO is a fresh issue of 1.93 crore new shares. In the grey market, the shares are trading at a premium, hinting at a possible listing gain of about 41.6% over the issue price of Rs 675. ADVERTISEMENT On the second day of bidding, Aditya Infotech's IPO was subscribed 2.78 times overall for the 1.12 crore shares available to the public. Retail investors showed strong interest, with their portion subscribed 8.83 times, while the Non-Institutional Investor (NII) category saw 4.34 times subscription. However, there has been minimal participation so far from Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs), who were allotted 60.65 lakh shares. Shares of Aditya Infotech are tentatively set to be listed on both the BSE and NSE on August 5. The grey market premium (GMP) for the IPO was seen at approximately Rs 281 over the issue price of Rs 675, indicating that the shares are trading unofficially at around Rs 956 ahead of their market debut. This translates to an expected listing gain of about 41.6%, reflecting strong investor sentiment and optimism around the IPO. While unofficial, the GMP offers a glimpse into market demand and potential performance before official listing. ADVERTISEMENT Aditya Infotech is a leading value-added distributor (VAD) in India for electronic security equipment. The company partners with global brands like Dahua, Seagate, TP-Link, Panasonic, and others, distributing across 650+ cities with over 15,000 channel portfolio includes video surveillance products, access control systems, and networking solutions—catering to government, corporates, and SMEs. ADVERTISEMENT Between FY22 and FY24, the company's revenue grew at a CAGR of 24%, from Rs 2,090 crore to Rs 3,212 crore. PAT grew from Rs 102 crore in FY22 to Rs 210 crore in margins improved slightly from 9.6% to 10.7% over the same period. However, analysts note that the business remains working capital intensive and exposed to global supply chain risks. ADVERTISEMENT At the upper price band of Rs 675, Aditya Infotech is valued at a P/E of 36.2x on FY24 earnings, which is at a premium to industry peers like Redington and Ingram Micro. The IPO aims to raise funds primarily for working capital needs (Rs 600 crore), with the rest for general corporate purposes. Also read: NSDL's Rs 4,012 crore IPO opens for subscription. Should you apply? Brokerage firm Bajaj Broking has rated the IPO as 'Subscribe with Caution'. While acknowledging the company's strong brand partnerships, consistent growth, and deep distribution network, the note flags its high valuation and moderate return ratios (RoE 22%, RoCE 20%) as concerns. ADVERTISEMENT (Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of the Economic Times) (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel)
