| August 26, 2022 |  | | Hello Reader,
Sustainability is going mainstream.
Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) has outlined a $25 billion plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2046. The country’s biggest refiner’s plan is in line with India’s goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2070.
Recent media reports suggested that Norway’s Climate Investment Fund and the Nordic country’s biggest pension company, KLP, are investing about $35 million in a 420-megawatt solar power project developed in Rajasthan.
Meanwhile, German energy giant RWE and Tata Power have partnered to develop offshore wind projects in the country.
And, if reports are to be believed, investments related to sustainability in India are projected to grow to $125 billion by 2026 at a five-year CAGR of 46%.
In other news, Penn State and the US Air Force researchers have developed a soft polymer material that can simultaneously sense, think, and act upon mechanical stress .
So, Flubber is real?
In today’s newsletter, we will talk about: -
Wanted: Drone pilots -
A door to Web3 -
SaaS for edtech Here’s your trivia for today: What colour is Mars’ sunset? | | |
| Jobs | | Wanted: Drone pilots |  | | The drone industry is witnessing a spurt in demand for talent across roles and functions. With demand outweighing supply, what are drone startups doing to attract and retain employees?
YourStory spoke to startups and employees to understand the ground reality.
Flying high: -
One of the reasons for this surge in the demand for talent could be the large tenders floated by the central government for drone services. -
For most startups, the key hiring objective is to onboard smart, interested college students and train them in-house. -
As they cannot always match the salaries offered by other startups, founders need to find employees naturally inclined toward the drone space. | | Read More | | | | | | |
| | | | | | $6.2M | | HealthAssure
Pre-Series B | | | |
| Web3 | | A door to Web3 |  | | It’s tough to build accessible Web3 products. In a mobile-first generation, apps in the Web3 space have a subpar mobile experience, and partly why they’ve struggled to gain prominence, especially in emerging markets.
Looking to solve this is ZKX, a startup founded in 2021 by Eduard Jubany Tur, Naman Sehgal, and Vitaly Yakovlev.
Promising efforts: -
ZKX is leveraging Zero Knowledge (ZK) to build an accessible and user-friendly ‘Layer 3’ ecosystem on top of Ethereum. -
ZKX is building its first product—a decentralised derivatives exchange for traders—which it claims has a waitlist of over two lakh users. -
It is important to note that the tech ZKX is betting on is yet to be proven on a larger scale. But there are some promising efforts. | | Read More | | | | |
| Edtech | | SaaS for edtech |  | | While COVID-19 came as a blessing in disguise for edtech startups, it presented a rude shock to educational institutions that had to rush to adapt quickly.
This gave TriByte Technologies a window of opportunity. Founded in 2010 by Seethaprasad Mandikel, Bengaluru-based B2B edtech startup TriByte provides educational institutes with a SaaS-based, interactive learning management system (LMS).
Key takeaways: -
The LMS is a multipurpose platform that supports learning requirements for self-paced learning, online tutoring, and large-scale assessments. -
It is deployed in eight languages, including Bahasa, French, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, and English. -
TriByte provides browser-based access to learning material, a learning app with over 1,000 downloads, and an admin where live classes can be conducted. | | Read More | | | | |
| News & Updates | | | -
Quantum leap: Chinese search engine giant Baidu Inc revealed its first quantum computer–dubbed Qianshi on Thursday. It is ready to make available to external users, joining the global race to apply the technology to practical uses. -
Chip subsidy: President Joe Biden on Thursday will sign an executive order on the implementation of the $52.7 billion semiconductor chips manufacturing subsidy and research law, the White House said. -
QR code: Instagram now allows users to share anyone’s posts or Reels through a QR code. What’s more? Users can also share a QR code location through its searchable Map experience. | | |
| Upcoming Event | | | | |  | | Nomoshkar কলকাতা, Brands of New India is coming to your city!
Join us at the next pitstop of D2C Carwaan powered by Shiprocket in Kolkata on 2nd September & be a part of an event that brings together stakeholders of the D2C space to help grow your brand & much more! | | Register Now | | |
| Here's what else we have for you | | | | Why do founders need to think about building a moat? Freshworks’ Girish Mathrubootham shares insights | | In association with FreshWorks | | "During these difficult times, we can really power through by innovating constantly", shares Girish Mathrubootham, CEO of Freshworks. Read how Freshworks for Startups is helping startups boost their growth journey with customer and employee solutions that are extremely simple to use, cost-effective, and come with powerful automation. | | Read More | | | | Meet the winners of Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship (QIF) India 2022 | | In association with Qualcomm | | The Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship (QIF) India 2022, entered its seventh year and announced its winning teams' names for this year, covering it all from Machine Learning, to Autonomous Driving, along with Multimedia Computing, and Communication Techniques. Want to know about all of these? Read on. | | Read More | | | | Get ready to decode the future of Web3 with CoinDCX’s UNFOLD 2022 | | In association with CoinDCX | | As we get closer to CoinDCX's #UNFOLD2022, the Web3 industry is already buzzing with anticipation. Join the most spectacular event and listen to the most committed and successful Web3 leaders. | | | | upGrad launches job-enabled courses for college freshers and working professionals | | In association with upGrad | | upGrad’s job-enabled course portfolio will allow first-time job seekers and working professionals to take their own branded courses, thereby also accelerating employment within the country. Read on to know more about its offerings. | | Read More | | |
