Latest news with #Emerging
Time of India
04-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Nasscom Foundation launches CSR initiative for marginalized youth with support from nine tech SMEs
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads New Delhi: Nasscom Foundation , in collaboration with the Nasscom SME Council , announced the launch of the project, 'Ascend: Skilling Youth in Emerging Technologies' that brings together nine tech SMEs from the Nasscom on the success of last year's collaborative effort, the project aims to address the skilling and employability gap among marginalized youth—while also enabling SMEs to contribute meaningfully to social impact through Global Skills Gap Report cites that 92% of employees in India believe that there is a massive skills gap in the country. The project aims to close these gaps through skilling 150 marginalized youth across Delhi-NCR, Trivandrum, and Pune. Participants will be trained in high-demand domains like Data Analytics and Java Full Stack, complemented by soft skills development and career readiness support. To bridge the gap between skilling and employment, selected trained and certified students will also be offered placement opportunities within relevant the significance of this collaboration, Jyoti Sharma, CEO, Nasscom Foundation said, in a statement, "Enabling TechForGood lies at the heart of everything we do at Nasscom Foundation. This initiative is a powerful example of how collaboration can drive meaningful social impact, making technology-led skilling accessible to marginalized youth. By bringing together nine visionary tech SMEs in this cohort, we are not only equipping the young minds with future-ready skills but also empowering businesses to embrace inclusive and responsible growth. Together, we are creating a scalable model that transform lives, fosters equity, and ensures that technology becomes a force for sustainable progress."Despite their critical role in driving India's innovation economy, many SMEs face challenges in executing impactful CSR—ranging from budget constraints and regulatory complexity to limited awareness of CSR frameworks. Recognizing these constraints, Nasscom Foundation has designed a collaborative model that fosters shared responsibility, deeper impact, and inclusive growth. By bringing together like-minded SMEs under a unified CSR platform, this approach not only eases the operational burden on individual enterprises but also significantly amplifies collective impact. More importantly, it fosters a strong sense of community, shared purpose, and mutual accountability, enabling SMEs to contribute meaningfully to social development while growing Bhansali, CEO, NetWeb Software Pvt. Ltd. & Chair – SME Council said 'The success of last year's initiative clearly showed the power of collective action among SMEs to drive social change. We are excited to once again partner with Nasscom Foundation to take this vision forward. This collaboration not only enables us to contribute to nation-building through skilling but also reflects the SME Council's commitment to creating inclusive opportunities for youth, especially young women from marginalized communities. Together, we are proving that when purpose and partnership align, how purpose-driven SMEs can create a big impact.'The initiative will be delivered in a hybrid model (80% physical and 20% virtual) through SME training partners, emphasizing diversity and inclusion, with a strong focus on gender equity, targeting 60% women beneficiaries. Participants will also gain real-world exposure through mentorship from industry experts, project-based learning, and corporate engagements.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Investment firm Emerging names G.J. Hart as managing partner
You can find original article here Nrn. Subscribe to our free daily Nrn newsletter. Emerging, a growth capital firm investing in restaurant innovation, technology, and experiential entertainment, has named G.J. Hart, the former Red Robin executive, as managing partner, the company said today. The Chicago-based company said the veteran restaurant executive will help scale portfolio companies. Hart formerly served as president, CEO, and director of Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc. and serves on the boards of Portillo's Inc. and Dutch Bros Inc. 'G.J. brings unmatched expertise and a proven track record of leadership across some of the most well-known brands in the restaurant industry,' Mathew Focht, managing partner of Emerging, said in a statement. 'His insight, character, and operational rigor are a perfect fit for the next chapter of Emerging as we invest in the future of hospitality and guide our portfolio companies to scale.' Hart's career includes CEO and executive leadership roles at Torchy's Tacos, California Pizza Kitchen, and Texas Roadhouse, where he expanded the business from 60 to more than 450 locations and grew revenues from $63 million to more than $1 billion. "I've spent my career helping great brands grow, and I see that same potential across Emerging's portfolio,' Hart said. 'This is a rare opportunity to support the next generation of category-defining concepts with the resources, capital, and strategic thinking needed to scale with purpose.' Emerging backs a portfolio of hospitality and entertainment brands that are reshaping how people gather, dine, and play. Investments include Puttshack, F1 Arcade, Flight Club, 1Huddle, Batbox, Botrista, Chowly, F&B Insights, Leasecake, Overproof, Poolhouse, Tablz and Taiv. Contact Ron Ruggless at Follow him on X/Twitter: @RonRuggless Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Perth Now
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Forbidden skate ramp sculpture wins Community Art Exhibition
A sculpture of the Telstra building in the Perth CBD has taken out the top prize at this year's City of Joondalup Community Art Exhibition. Created by Harry Young, the sculpture titled Forbidden Skate Ramp was crowned most outstanding artwork and earned praise from the judges for its clever play on scale and strong connection to the city's lore. 'This small-scale concrete sculpture resonates for its economy of detail, inspiring curiosity about how it is made,' the judges said. Your local paper, whenever you want it. 'It captures a local iconic building within Perth's skyline — the Telstra building — and reflects on the local folklore of the building's unique roof architecture, which looks like a skate ramp. 'The work's striking play with scale transforms a large skyscraper into a cute miniature that contrasts its real-scale corporate edifice.' The Forbidden Skate Ramp sculpture won top prize at Joondalup's 2025 Community Art Exhibition. Credit: Stewart Allen Young received $4000 as the top award winner for his work. He is no stranger to the Community Art Exhibition, having previously won the 2013 Artist in Focus award which led to a solo exhibition with the city. Soyang Lee received the highly commended award for her painting 'My Garden', a 'dreamy composition' blending illustrative and impressionistic styles, and was praised by judges for her poetic techniques. Soyang Lee received the highly commended award for her painting 'My Garden'. Credit: Stewart Allen Fred Maris won the celebrating Joondalup award for his painting Burns Beach, depicting the foreshore and cafe, with judges describing the style as reminiscent of filmmaker Wes Anderson. The student award went to Pippa Rivett for 'Emerging', an 'energetic and playful' painting depicting a whale breaching the water, symbolising breaking through via growth and transformation. Pippa Rivett with mayor Albert Jacob and her painting 'Emerging'. Credit: Stewart Allen City of Joondalup mayor Albert Jacob said all the artists participating in this year's exhibition had enriched the city with their creativity and congratulated them for their contributions. 'First held in 1998, the Community Art Exhibition is a favourite event on our cultural calendar with an impressive array of artworks on display,' Mr Jacob said. 'The arts are valued in Joondalup, as is the creativity and vibrancy that the visual arts community brings to our region. 'I'm proud to see the Community Art Exhibition continue to provide a platform for our local artists and tell us about the life and character of this place.' Fred Maris (left) won the Celebrating Joondalup Award for his painting of the Burns Beach foreshore. Credit: Stewart Allen More than 150 artworks are on display in the exhibition, which is at Lakeside Joondalup Shopping City until Saturday, June 28. Exhibition attendees can vote for the popular choice award, with the winner to be announced at the event's conclusion once all votes are tallied. Artworks can be bought at the shopping centre's sales desk.
Business Journals
25-06-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
The Beat: Emerging names G.J. Hart managing partner
Welcome to Chicago Inno's The Beat, a twice-weekly look at the people, companies and ideas that are shaping Chicago's innovation economy. The Big One G.J. Hart — a man with nearly four decades of experience in the restaurant industry — is joining a local venture capital firm with a war chest dedicated to investing in innovations for restaurants. GET TO KNOW YOUR CITY Find Local Events Near You Connect with a community of local professionals. Explore All Events Emerging, a Chicago VC firm that aims to bring new technologies to the food and beverage space, announced Hart as managing partner on Tuesday. He hopes his role there will help younger companies grow in new ways. "I think I can add a little bit of experience and hopefully some wisdom along the way to provide ways that they can scale and add strategic direction," he told Chicago Inno. "At this point I've been a CEO for almost 40 years, and I think it's time to do something a little different." READ MORE: Restaurant industry veteran G.J. Hart joins Chicago VC firm Emerging to help shape future of dining More tech news to know As corporate giants continue to pour billions into adding artificial intelligence technologies to their operations, Chicago startup Moonnox has raised $2M to help small to mid-sized consultancies stay relevant. has raised $2M to help small to mid-sized consultancies stay relevant. Nautilus Solar Energy said it's moved its headquarters from Summit, New Jersey, to downtown Chicago. said it's moved its headquarters from Summit, New Jersey, to downtown Chicago. Chicago logistics company FourKites announced the FourKites Summit 2025 will be taking place Aug. 26 and 27 at the Swissôtel Chicago. Why a Chicago software startup brought on a new CEO One of Chicago's fastest-growing software startups has made a change up top. Ocient, a data analytics company that closed a $132M Series B in April, named John Morris as its new chief executive officer and board director. A seasoned tech veteran, Morris will continue to "help big companies with big problems" in his new role with Ocient, as he has his whole career, he told Chicago Inno. "What I'm trying to do is step back, make sure that ... we're hiring ahead for some of these growth opportunities that are going to be coming and that we're thinking about the pipeline for the next three to five years not just the next year or so," Morris said. READ MORE: Why Ocient brought on John Morris as its new CEO Sign up for Inno's free twice-weekly newsletter to receive the latest innovation news impacting Chicago.
Channel Post MEA
23-06-2025
- Business
- Channel Post MEA
Cohesity: UAE Workforce Ahead Of Its EMEA Peers In Cyber Confidence And Readiness
Cohesity has released the findings of a new study examining employee preparedness in the face of cyber threats. The research shows that the UAE workforce is ahead of its EMEA peers across several indicators of cyber-readiness, underscoring the country's progress toward its national vision for digital resilience and AI-enabled defence. Conducted among full-time office workers in the UAE, United Kingdom, France, and Germany, the study assessed how confident employees feel in identifying and responding to cyberattacks. Among the standout results, 86 percent of UAE employees expressed confidence in recognising a cyber threat—compared to 81 percent in the UK, 80 percent in Germany, and just 62 percent in France. Nearly nine in ten (89%) UAE respondents also said they trust their organisation's ability to prevent and recover from attacks. Beyond awareness, the study reveals encouraging signs of action-oriented behaviour. Two-thirds of UAE employees say they would report suspicious activity to their cybersecurity team, showing an apt response, in comparison to respondents from the UK (61%), Germany (53%), and France (48%). Amongst other UAE employees, over half would notify their IT department. This instinct to act is supported by ongoing education: 66 percent have received some form of cybersecurity training in the past year. However, the research also highlights areas where further progress is needed. A small but notable group of employees say they would either attempt to resolve a threat on their own (15%) or turn to personal contacts first (19%), indicating a gap in internal reporting clarity, and a potentially risk to the entire organisation that mis-understanding of how important it is that reporting through the correct processes is critical to the quickest resolution of any potential risk of cyber attack . Among those hesitant to report incidents correctly, the leading reasons include fear of blame or confusion (46%), a belief that it isn't their responsibility (27%), and worry about overreacting (14%). Johnny Karam, Managing Director and Vice President, International Emerging Region at Cohesity, commented: 'The findings reflect the UAE's clear leadership in cybersecurity readiness across the EMEA region. With initiatives driven by the UAE Cybersecurity Council and a strong national focus on AI and digital transformation, it's no surprise that employee awareness is rising in step with enterprise investment.' 'What stands out is not just awareness, but the willingness to act. The next step is closing the gap—equipping employees with the tools, clarity, and – perhaps most importantly – confidence to respond without hesitation. If we educate all employees of the serious risks to the organisation of not correctly reporting any potential cyber risks they see, encouraging a mentality that they will not get in trouble for doing so, and highlighting their individual capability to maximise the speed of response all UAE organisations can be more resilient. At Cohesity, we believe true cyber resilience is built on both technology and a culture of empowered people,' Johnny continued. Workforce Preparedness in Step with UAE's Cyber Vision The UAE's continued investment in cybersecurity infrastructure, most recently through advanced threat detection systems activated under the direction of the UAE Cybersecurity Council, demonstrates a firm national commitment to securing the digital landscape. The study shows that employees are already aligning with this vision: Two-thirds of the respondents have undergone cybersecurity training, with 39 percent participating in multiple sessions in the past year. Over half (51%) would report a suspicious incident to IT, while 67% would notify a cybersecurity team, demonstrating a willingness to escalate issues through formal channels. 77 percent are familiar with the term 'ransomware', showing widespread awareness of key threat types. Awareness of cyber threats is on the rise in the UAE, with 77% of employees familiar with the term 'ransomware'. This strong baseline offers an ideal foundation to build upon. By expanding education beyond surface-level awareness to include real-world examples and practical training, companies can empower their teams with the confidence and clarity needed to respond effectively. Bridging the Gap Between Awareness and Action While confidence in reporting and escalating potential ransomware threats within the organisation is high, the study reveals opportunities to further strengthen internal reporting behaviour. Around 15% say they would attempt to resolve a threat themselves, and 19% would first alert their personal contacts, These responses highlight a proactive mindset, which organisations can harness by further strengthening internal reporting protocols and promoting awareness of the appropriate escalation paths. Among the smaller group of employees who expressed hesitation in reporting a potential incident, the most common reasons included: UAE employees showed a strong sense of fear of blame or not understanding the issue (46%), while EMEA employees had a more neutral perspective (UK – 26%, Germany – 20%, and France – 15%). 27 percent of the UAE respondents believed it wasn't their responsibility, showing a much bigger gap to appreciating their role in their organisations cyber safety as compared to their EMEA counterparts (UK -10%, Germany – 12%, and France 19%). 14 percent UAE employees feared overreacting, in-tune with 18 percent of German respondents 15 percent from the UK and 11 percent of French respondents showing similar sentiment. These insights present a valuable opportunity to reinforce a culture of psychological safety, where reporting is easy, supported, and encouraged. By removing the fear of repercussions and clearly defining roles, organisations can build employee confidence and ensure every individual knows how to respond swiftly and correctly. The UAE Advantage: A Workforce Ready to Respond With the UAE government actively advancing national cybersecurity capabilities and frameworks, the country is uniquely positioned to lead by example. Employees are ready and willing: confidence is high, training is widespread, and the instinct to act is evident. To fully unlock this potential, organisations must ensure that every employee, from the frontline to the C-suite, knows their role in safeguarding the business. Mark Molyneux, CTO, EMEA at Cohesity, added: 'These findings confirm what we're seeing across the region: employees are increasingly aware of cyber risks and are willing to step up, which is largely due to the UAE Cyber Security Council's approach to increasing security awareness across the Emirates. But this awareness must be matched with action. The future of cybersecurity will be defined by how quickly organisations can enable secure, informed decisions at every level. That means embedding cyber resilience into daily operations, investing in smart automation, closing the gap between detection and response, and instilling a culture that supports employees in raising concerns early in a safe space. In fast-moving threat environments, AI-powered data security is not a luxury, it's an operational necessity.' Methodology The research was carried out by OnePoll between 28 May – 2 June 2025. The survey captured responses from 500 full-time office workers in the UAE to understand employee beliefs, behaviours, and preparedness about ransomware and other cyber threats. OnePoll is a certified member of the Market Research Society (MRS), adheres to its Code of Conduct, and complies with ESOMAR 37 guidelines for online research. The organisation is also a member of the British Polling Council and Cyber Essentials Plus certified for meeting rigorous cybersecurity standards.
