Latest news with #Thiruvananthapuram-based
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Govt-Governor tussle over Bharat Mata portrait escalates, Kerala University registrar suspended for cancelling event
The registrar of Thiruvananthapuram-based University of Kerala was suspended on Wednesday in connection with cancelling an event last week, which was attended by Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, amid tensions over the placement of a Bharat Mata portrait with saffron flag at the university hall. K S Anil Kumar, who has the backing of CPI(M)-led state government, was suspended by Vice Chancellor Mohan Kunnummal, who was given charge of the university last October by former state Governor Arif Mohammed Khan. The suspension has drawn sharp criticism from Kerala's Higher Education Minister R Bindu. 'The V-C overstepped the boundary of his power. He is a person who has proved his loyalty towards the RSS. He is only an in-charge V-C. Certain chancellors (Governor) want to saffronise the state's higher education sector… It is unfortunate that the Chancellor wanted to deliberately make issues in the university,' Bindu told the media. After his suspension, the registrar said, 'I was appointed by the (university) syndicate, so the suspension was illegal.' The Education Minister said that the Vice Chancellor can only place the matter before the syndicate. 'Other than that, there is no provision in the existing law for the Vice Chancellor to take direct action against the registrar,' she said. On June 25, the Sree Padmanabha Seva Samithi had held a function with Arlekar in the university. The registrar had ordered the cancellation of the programme, objecting to the displaying of the Bharat Mata portrait at the university hall. However, Arlekar turned up for the event and lit a lamp in front of the portrait despite protests from Left and Congress workers. Following this, Kunnummal had given a report to Raj Bhavan that the cancellation of the event amounted to insulting the Governor and that the registrar acted under pressure from external forces. This comes amid an ongoing tussle between the state government and the Governor over the presence of Bharat Mata portraits at official events. Minister and CPI(M) leaders have said the portrait is associated with the RSS and should not be used during official events. Last month, Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty had walked out of a function at Raj Bhavan over the presence of the portrait.– PTI inputs
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Zoho ramps up robotics research with acquisition of Asimov Robotics
Chennai: In a bid to expand its capabilities in robotics, Zoho Corporation has acquired Kerala-based Asimov Robotics for an undisclosed sum and opened the company's new campus in Kottarakkara in Kollam, Kerala. Founded in 2012, Asimov Robotics specialises in providing robotic solutions to industries for addressing hazardous, inefficient, and repetitive scenarios. With this, Zoho aims to expand its research and development capabilities into robotics and Asimov employees would continue their efforts from the Kottarakkara office with mentorship from Zoho's team, the company said in a statement. Previously Zoho has invested in Thiruvananthapuram-based Genrobotics, a robotics and AI solutions for sanitation and maintenance processes and Karuvi, Chennai-based mechatronics startup designing and developing consumer and industrial power tools. It also has investments in Yali Aerospace, a drone-tech startup and EV maker Ultraviolette, among others. The Kottarakkara campus has a seating capacity of 250, and will initially be dedicated to AI and robotics research. "Apart from our own work in these fields, we also will be collaborating with like-minded deep-tech organisations to further amplify our efforts. Our goal remains the same, to develop these capabilities in India and make the country self-reliant in terms of critical technology," said Shailesh Davey, chief executive and co-founder of Zoho Corp. It was inaugurated by state chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan with the presence of Tony Thomas, CEO, Zoho US, and Sridhar Vembu, Zoho Corp chief scientist. You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai The company also partnered with Kerala Startup Mission for its deep tech product studio initiative, and formed associations with startups and organisations for a range of R&D collaborations, it said. Zoho's entry into the state further validates the state's startup ecosystem as an enabler to attract big companies through strategic acquisitions, investments, Anoop Ambika, CEO of Kerala Startup Mission was quoted as saying.
New Indian Express
26-06-2025
- Science
- New Indian Express
Indian astronaut Shubhanshu to experiment with Kerala-developed seeds in space
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As India's Shubhanshu Shukla, along with three other astronauts, headed to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom-4 mission on Wednesday, he has taken along with him six varieties of seeds developed exclusively in Kerala, along with other specimens, for conducting various experiments in space. The main aim of the experiment with seeds is to examine how space conditions such as micro-gravity impact the germination, growth, and viability of food crop seeds. Since the conditions in the ISS are limited, the experiment would identify factors that can help in the development of crops in restricted environments. The experiment is the brainchild of the Thiruvananthapuram-based Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, (IIST), established by ISRO. The seeds were developed by Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) in its various centres. The European Space Agency has also partnered in the project for its technical aspects.
Mint
23-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
Big money, small bytes: Why PE firms are crushing on smaller tech ventures
Private equity firms have found their new interest—India's nimble, under-$250 million IT services companies. Global players, including Blackstone Inc., EQT AB and Multiples Alternate Asset Management, are pumping capital into these smaller tech firms, drawn by their faster growth trajectories, lean operations and product-focused strategies. At least three experts attribute this trend to the higher growth prospects and leaner teams of smaller IT companies. Multiples invested $200 million to buy a controlling stake in QBurst in February, whereas EQT bought WSO2 in August last year. EQT also bought Indium in December 2023, and Blackstone bought a controlling stake in R Systems in November 2022. This bet on smaller tech service providers comes as India's mid-caps have outgrown their larger peers for the last two years. Last year, most IT outsourcers earning less than $5 billion in annual revenue grew in double digits, compared with larger peers, which grew between 3% and 5%. Analysts attributed this trend to quicker AI adoption and leaner teams. Also read: Cognizant and Infosys are tapping a new trend in IT deals to combat tough times Multiples Alternate Asset Management bought a controlling stake in Thiruvananthapuram-based QBurst Technologies Pvt. Ltd in February for $200 million, making it the PE firm's largest investment in the tech services space, according to a Mint report on 6 February. Mint could not independently ascertain Multiples PE's stake in the software company. 'Multiples is focused on technology services companies operating in high-growth areas. Companies like QBurst, being nimble and agile, can disproportionately scale much faster by acquiring new customers and expanding services to existing clients," said Manish Gaur, head of enterprise tech at Multiples, in response to Mint's questionnaire on Thursday. 'The PE firm is involved at the board level and providing guidance on overall financial goals and expectations. They are also helping with reviewing the new strategy and getting the right set of external consultants and advisors to work with the new management team on the ongoing transformation," said QBurst in an emailed reply to Mint on Thursday. Also read: TCS and Infosys scramble as top clients trim budgets The PE firm, with nearly $3 billion in assets under management (AUM), is expected to focus on the enterprise tech sector, where it plans to invest nearly $2 billion over the next five years. Small is big 'The company has rich capabilities in digital product engineering value chain, enabling it to grow faster than the market without getting constrained by legacy IT services offerings," said Gaur. At least one analyst echoed a similar perspective. 'With digital technologies driving a structural shift in the industry, PE firms see this as a great opportunity to reimagine the business, operations and financial models of small and mid-sized IT services firms. It's for this reason that they are doubling down on their investments as they believe that they can drive strategic transformation and the growth trajectory of these companies, resulting in outsized value creation," said Ramkumar Ramamoorthy, partner at Catalincs, a tech growth advisory firm. EQT Partners made a similar investment in May last year. The Swedish private equity firm, with an AUM of about $313 billion, acquired California-based software firm WSO2 through its Baring Private Equity fund. The acquisition was completed in August. 'EQT's involvement has added significant momentum to our growth strategy. Their investment and partnership have helped us scale both operationally and geographically. We've been able to accelerate product development, especially in our SaaS offerings, and expand in key markets like North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa," said WSO2 in response to Mint's questionnaire on Thursday. The IT firm added that EQT is 'not driving day-to-day decisions but is a sounding board for long-term thinking." While the company denied plans of an initial public offering (IPO) at this point, it said going public was a possible outcome. However, this was not EQT's first such venture. The private equity firm bought a majority stake in Chennai-based digital engineering firm, Indium Software, months before in December 2023. Supporting quick growth 'BPEA EQT Mid-Market Growth will support Indium in its next phase of growth, drawing on EQT's global experience in tech services with about $11 billion invested in the sector in Asia, in-house digitalization capabilities and a global network of industry experts," said EQT in a release on 22 December 2023. PE companies have also had their focus on listed companies of a similar size. Blackstone, the world's largest private equity firm, invested $359 million in November 2022 to acquire a majority stake in R Systems International Ltd. The PE giant even sought to increase its stake to 90% from 52% in May 2023 to take the company private, but could not draw enough interest from public shareholders. Also read: No more waiting: IT firms go deal-hunting amid slowdown The New Delhi-based digital engineering company reported ₹17.4 billion ($203 million) in revenue last year, up 3.4% from the previous year. Each of the IT firms mentioned above has between 1,000 and 5,000 employees. A second expert attributed the PE bet to leaner teams and AI-led efficiencies. 'PE firms prefer investments in smaller IT firms because they are asset light, teams are more agile, return on capital is decent and more than four-fifths of the revenues are recurring," said Pramod Gubbi, founder of Marcellus Investment Managers. 'There is also scope for higher efficiency gains through AI as they don't have complex, legacy structures," said Gubbi. A third expert said that high PE investments result from most of these firms focusing on software products rather than mundane back-end tech services. 'A lot of smaller IT firms are focusing on software products. There is more hype for such companies as these companies have larger revenue potential and are also asset-light and have fewer employees, which fuels more agility within teams," said an analyst in Mumbai on condition of anonymity. This is not the first time that PE firms have ventured into the sector. Blackstone invested in Mphasis Ltd in 2016 and currently has over 40% stake in the country's seventh-largest company. Tenth-largest Hexaware Technologies Ltd was acquired by Carlyle Group in 2021 from EQT for a $3 billion valuation.
Time of India
20-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Media relations firm aims to help build brand identity for south India talents
(Picture Courtesy: Facebook) (Picture Courtesy: Facebook) (Picture Courtesy: Facebook) (Picture Courtesy: Facebook) (Picture Courtesy: Facebook) 1 2 Thiruvananthapuram-based media relations and reputation management company CTLG hopes to help celebs in south India 'build a media and online identity'. Adwaith S, founder of the company, says, 'South Indian artistes have impressive portfolios, but they often miss out on bigger opportunities, because they underestimate the importance of maintaining a strong media and online presence, including not knowing how to market themselves. ' He points out that in 'today's digital landscape, talent alone isn't enough'. 'I've seen incredibly talented artistes lose major deals simply because they lacked a credible and active online presence and marketing. Also, I've encountered individuals with the potential to go national — even global — but they don't know how to position themselves strategically through media coverage and online branding to showcase their work effectively,' he elaborates. CTLG, established in early 2024, has worked with celebs, like actresses Ayesha Khan, Sreeleela, and musicians King, Bismil and Taba Chake, he informs and adds that the company is now looking beyond working with A-list clients. 'We actively seek high-potential public figures ready to commit fulltime to their careers — whether they're musicians or actors,' says Adwaith. He says media visibility attracts brand partnerships and makes for long-term success. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Switch to UnionBank Rewards Card UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo The company, he reveals, hosted a media conference in April, which 'brought together artistes, content creators, journalists and industry professionals to explore the future of storytelling'. He points out that south Indian artistes often navigate their careers without professional guidance. 'Around 85% of artistes here manage their careers independently. While being hands-on is great, it's equally important to have experts who can strategically position them in the industry and curate what's best for their growth. There is now a shift with directors and actors reaching out to us, but there's still a long way to go,' he concludes.
