According to a senior government official who spoke with an international news agency recently, India is reevaluating its position on cryptocurrencies in light of changing perceptions of the virtual asset in other nations. A discussion paper on cryptocurrencies that was scheduled for release in September 2024 may be further delayed by the review, which comes after US President Donald Trump announced policies that are favourable to cryptocurrencies.
Regarding the use, acceptance, and perceived significance of cryptocurrency assets, more than one or two jurisdictions have altered their positions. India’s Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth stated in an interview, “In that step, we are looking at the discussion on the paper again.”
No Unilateral Stance on Cypto
India’s attitude cannot be one-sided, according to Seth, because such assets “don’t believe in borders.” He made no mention of the US, where Trump fulfilled his pledge to restructure US crypto policy last week by directing the formation of a working group on cryptocurrencies to develop new rules for digital assets and investigate the establishment of a national cryptocurrency reserve.
Despite the country’s strict regulations and high trade taxes, Indians have been investing heavily in cryptocurrencies in recent years. In December 2023, nine offshore cryptocurrency exchanges received show-cause notices from India’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) for violating local regulations.
Why Indian Authorities are Keeping a Close Eye?
Despite the increasing use of digital assets in the nation, India has so far adopted a stringent regulatory approach to cryptocurrency. For the second consecutive year, India led the world’s adoption of cryptocurrencies in 2024, according to a Chainalysis study. In 2022, India imposed a steep 30% capital gains tax and a 1% tax deducted at the source on cryptocurrency transactions over INR 10K.
India’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) sent show-cause notices to nine cryptocurrency exchanges in December 2023, including Binance, Kucoin, and Bitfinex, for allegedly “illegally” conducting business in the nation through offshore businesses. Several federal organisations are currently looking into WazirX after hackers took about $235 million from one of its wallets in July of last year.
Over 4 million Indians have yet to fully recoup from the losses caused by the breach. Several cryptocurrency companies, including OKX, Pillow, Flint, and WeTrade, have had to close their doors as a result of India’s crackdown on the sector.
India’s market watchdog suggested last year that multiple regulators monitor cryptocurrency trading, indicating that at least some Indian officials are willing to permitting the usage of private virtual assets. The country’s central bank, which has insisted that private digital currencies pose a macroeconomic danger, disagreed with that stance.
According to the Centre, 19,774 people have received training in various artificial intelligence (AI) courses thus far under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana’s fourth iteration (PMKVY 4.0). In order to increase job prospects in the AI industry, the government offers short-term training, upskilling, and reskilling courses to youth nationwide.
In response to a query, the government disbursed INR 7.13 Cr as of December 31, 2025, under the PMKVY 4.0 initiative to close the AI talent gap, according to Jayant Chaudhary, minister of state for skill development and entrepreneurship. With 2,561 and 2,055 people trained under the program, respectively, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were the top two states. With 2,109 “orientated” applicants, Tamil Nadu came in third, followed by Andhra Pradesh (1,735) and Telangana (1,726).
The candidates received training in subjects like AI (business intelligence analyst), AI (data architect), and AI (data engineer), among others, under PMKVY 4.0. Nearly 20.9 lakh candidates have registered on the FutureSkills PRIME portal thus far, the minister added. Of them, 8.96 lakh people have signed up for different courses, and 4.34 lakh candidates have finished their AI and big data analytics courses successfully. There are presently 157 courses available in the two domains on the FutureSkills PRIME platform.
DGT’s Partnership with Microsoft and Edunet Fuelled the Growth
Choudhary added that 442 trainees have been enrolled in a year-long AI programming assistant (AIPA) course under the craftsmen training scheme (CTS) at 19 National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs) nationwide by the Directorate General of Training (DGT), in collaboration with Microsoft and the Edunet Foundation. Chaudhary added that the “YuvAi initiative for Skilling and Capacity Building” has been launched by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in partnership with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and social media behemoth Meta. By enabling students and young developers to use open-source large language models (LLMs) to tackle real-world problems, the program seeks to reduce the nation’s AI skills gap.
Government Pushing for Enhancing AI Skills of its Younger Generation
Additionally, the minister announced that all Craftsman Training Scheme (CTS) trainees at Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) nationwide will now have access to a 7.5-hour micro-credential course for AI. In light of concerns about job disruptions, the government has accelerated efforts to upskill India’s youth in AI technologies.
To prevent widespread job displacement, the Centre is concentrating on reskilling and upskilling. In her Budget 2025–2026 address last week, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman suggested creating five new CoEs for skill development. Experts predict that this would enable the nation to transition from assembly lines to high-value manufacturing, such as the creation of semiconductors.
As of September 2024, 10,208 type-certified commercial drones were registered on the Digital Sky platform, according to information provided to the Parliament by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol. In response to a query, the MoS stated that 96 type certificates had been granted thus far to various unmanned aircraft system (UAS) types by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) based on their “purpose.” Of these, 31 are “logistics and surveillance-based,” while 65 are based on agriculture. The internet platform used by the DGCA to oversee unmanned aircraft systems in India is called DigitalSky.
Additionally, he stated that around 86% of Indian airspace is “green” and open to drone operations. Three zones—red, yellow, and green—are designated for drone operations in Indian airspace under the current regulations. Drones with an “all-up weight” of up to 500 kg can operate in the green zone without any license. Red zones are designated as “no-drone zones,” while yellow zones require approval from the relevant air traffic control authority.
The response also mentioned that there are currently 9,969 “airspace red zones” and 147 “airport red zones.” He went on to say that there are 294 “airport yellow zones” overall, which are between 5 and 8 km and 8 and 12 miles.
DGCA to Chalk Regulatory Framework for VTOL and eVTOL
The DGCA intends to create a regulatory framework for vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) and eVTOL aircraft, Mohol stated in response to a different query. Similar to a helicopter, an eVTOL is a battery-powered aircraft that can carry two to six people, including a pilot. Informally, they are known as flying taxis or air taxis.
The minister also stated that new requirements for advanced air mobility (AAM) solutions’ operations, such as airworthiness/type certification, pilot certification and training, and other operational procedures, will be established by the new regulations. Vertiports, air routes, and other infrastructure required for safe and effective AAM operations would be built in accordance with the regulatory framework, Mohol continued.
Using Unmanned Aircraft Traffic Management (UTM) systems in conjunction with current Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems to optimise air traffic flow in the airspace, de-conflict the movements of multiple small aircraft, and integrate autonomous drones in the same airspace, the operations would be managed both strategically and tactically.
Government Collaborating With National and International Players
According to Mohol, discussions with a range of domestic and international stakeholders are presently taking place in order to provide guidance materials on a number of advanced air mobility-related topics. He went on to say that the DGCA is working on the subject in coordination with organisations like the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
This occurs at a time when the government is doing everything it can to support the domestic drone industry. To support the industry, the Centre announced the liberalised drone regulations in 2021. The Centre released the UAS certification program in 2022 in an effort to create a worldwide drone certification and accreditation system and implement suitable safety measures for commercial use. The ministry also changed the drone regulations last year, doing away with the need for a passport to register, de-register, and transfer drones.
Priyanka Gill, a co-founder of the Good Glamm Group and a previous partner at Kalaari Capital, is launching her own business after leaving the Bengaluru-based venture capital firm. As the market for reasonably priced synthetic diamonds grows, Gill is introducing Coluxe, a lab-grown diamond (LGD) brand. This comes after a number of domestic lab-grown diamond brands recently entered the market. In May, her new venture is all set to launch its online sales, and that is followed by an introduction of a physical store. Solitaire rings, pendants, earrings, tennis bracelets, necklaces, and distinctive items will all be available at Coluxe. Because lab-grown diamonds are more affordable and of higher quality than real diamonds, they have become more and more popular worldwide.
Lab Grown Demands Getting Popular in Indian Market
According to business consultants Technopak, the market for lab-grown diamond jewellery in India was estimated to be worth $264.5 million in 2022. Sales of lab-grown diamond jewellery are anticipated to expand at a 14.8% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) at the end of the following ten years, from $299.9 million in 2023 to $1.1 billion in 2033. However, the market for lab-grown diamonds has seen price adjustments due to an excess of supply. According to Gill, it is uncommon for new consumer behaviours—in this case, the switch from natural to lab-grown diamonds—to be widely adopted. “It is taking place in the fine jewellery industry,” Gill stated.
However, Gill said that rather than leveraging design and variation as a differentiator, the majority of current firms are marketing LGDs as a less expensive substitute for mined diamonds. The most startling statistic, she continued, is that only 6% of Indian gold jewellery customers really own diamonds. There is a lot of capacity for growth.
Right Time to Join the Industry
India is one of the world’s biggest consumers of gold jewellery, with more people buying the yellow metal for investment purposes and auspicious events like weddings. Only a minor portion of these purchases include diamonds. But with investor Fireside Ventures supporting lab-grown diamond company Aukera, the market has witnessed a flurry of activity. After obtaining early-stage investment to launch her business, Gill stated that she is looking to acquire a Series A round.
Gill’s Entrepreneurial Journey Till Now
In 2020, Gill established PopXo, a content community that was purchased by Good Glamm, a company supported by Prosus. She later became a co-founder of the group. At the end of 2023, Gill resigned from her position at the Good Glamm Group. She became a partner at Kalaari Capital in February 2024 and is in charge of the company’s CXXO project, which makes investments in women-led companies. Gill was not in charge of any funding rounds while she was employed at Kalaari. On January 15, she resigned from her position at Kalaari. PopXo received financial support from Kalaari Capital prior to its acquisition by the currently distressed Good Glamm, previously known as MyGlamm.
Picture a classroom where repetitive work is made easy, the lesson plans take minutes to prepare, and individual feedback is given based on each student’s pace of learning. AI tools for educators are changing education by lessening workloads and facilitating more interactive, dynamic teaching approaches. Until then students should be “equipped with free AI tools”, which should be used to create a self-driven, creative, and skills-based learning experience. These sophisticated environments are transforming how teachers can talk to their students and students can come to terms with content autonomously, offering a dynamic and effective learning experience.
Delivering real-time responses and supporting interactive learning are transferable tools for student research and writing. Automated grading, immediate feedback, and charting abilities for parents/guardians are valuable for educators. Customized learning opportunities arise with artificial intelligence (AI) driven assessments, which respond flexibly to an individual’s strengths and weaknesses. Math tools deliver on-the-spot real-time answers, and applications based on gamification encourage the use of language in a fun and enjoyable way.
Querium is an AI-driven learning service that aims to enhance students’ mathematical abilities through personalized tutoring and adaptive evaluation. It employs the latest technology to provide students with an individualized experience of learning. It ensures that the students are provided with the necessary resources to succeed in the acquisition of complex mathematical concepts in a meaningful and efficient manner. Querium provides tools both to make learning easy and to make learning exciting.
Main functionalities include dynamic question generation based on the patented technology, which enables the generation of an uncountable number of math problems from a single template for complete practice. StepWise AI Tutor produces step-by-step guidance, as taught by a master tutor, and adjusts to the pace of the different students. Adaptive assessments have diagnostic questions that can be used to target strengths and weaknesses individually and tailor the learning experience to those needs. Comprehensively, the availability of knowledge 24/7 over a long time enables students to broaden their learning space based on the flexibility of their schedule.
Pros
Tailors instruction to the needs of the individual student and increases comprehension and retention of math concepts.
Developed for easy adoption within the current education systems and delivered on multiple platforms (smartphones, tablets, pc).
Provides scalable solutions to address many students.
Cons
Advanced features can be accessed with a paid subscription
Limited Subject Focus with restriction towards maths/science.
Pricing
Querium offers custom pricing; contact them for a quote.
MagicSchool
WEBSITE
WWW.MAGICSCHOOL.AI
Rating
4
Free Trial
Yes
Platforms supported
Google Classrooms, Microsoft Tools
MagicSchool – Best AI Education Tool
MagicSchool is an advanced AI-based platform with over 60 special feature tools to modify teaching and learning for teachers and learners. This new paradigm simplifies lesson plans, enhances student engagement, and provides for heterogeneous learning needs (i.e.dynamic, an accessible learning environment). No matter the scale, from optimizing lesson plans to encouraging student engagement and participation, MagicSchool provides the tools to enable impactful and engaging teaching and learning.
The key feature is the lesson plan generator, which produces a single plan based on the educational frame and class-level requirements. Its quiz and assessment functionalities. enable teachers to create interactive assessments to evaluate students’ learning holistically. In this kind of real-time feedback, the student monitors his/her state and recognizes his/their state and requirement in real-time. The platform offers, for example, interactive learning toolkits with features enabling collective work, interaction, and simulation to incite participation. In addition, the way embodiments, as driven by the Common Misconception Generator and the bodies modified to coordinate the Common Misconception Generator) can be realized for various learning applications.
Pros
Time-saving for Teachers since they can save 7-10 hours per week in lesson planning
Simple integration with platforms such as Google Classroom streamlines the teaching workflow.
Provides a broad suite of tools to represent a variety of topics and learning approaches, increasing interest and understanding.
Cons
Advanced use can only be accessed by activating a higher cost.
Gradescope is an online platform designed to simplify the grading process for educators while enhancing feedback for students. AI-enabled functionalities and learning management systems (LMS) integration allow grading large-scale exams to be processed efficiently and accurately in record time. The main characteristics are auto-grading for standard competency-based testing (e.g., multiple choice) and auto-grading with artificial intelligence for both ease of implementation and accuracy. Teachers can use flexible rubrics, which, in turn, will allow a homogeneous and transparent assessment of all the submissions. Gradescope is reportedly a range of assignment types such as bubble sheets or code, and therefore clearly a highly flexible platform in much of the subject that one wants to teach.
Auxiliary tools, such as anonymity in grading, can be used to make an objective assessment. Detailed analytic calculations can provide insightful information regarding class performance, recurrent errors, and the student’s path. The platform is directly used on the leading LMSs, such as Canvas and Blackboard, to facilitate the easy implementation of assignment management and data sync.
Pros
Reduces time spent grading by educators, particularly in large lecture settings.
A faculty member can use this to give precise feedback on a student’s submission.
Provides useful clues to the student literacy level, aimed at pinpointing deficient components.
It can handle both digital and paper submissions, so it is flexible for multiple approaches to teaching.
Cons
Assignments must be submitted as images or PDFs, which restricts some kinds of work (e.g., spreadsheet files or coding files).
Premium applications accessible only through a subscription could be a limiting factor for some institutions.
Pricing
Gradescope offers custom pricing; contact them for a quote.
Woot Math
WEBSITE
ED.WOOTMATH.COM
Rating
2
Free Trial
Yes
Platforms supported
All web-enabled devices
Woot Math – Best AI Education Tool
Woot Math is an AI-based educational program designed to improve mathematics learning for students in grades 3-7. Using adaptive technology, Woot Math provides custom teaching so students can learn difficult concepts such as fractions and decimals. Through its new generation of instruments and resources, the platform closes the gap between concrete and theoretical mathematical concepts, thus promoting interactivity and effectiveness in learning.
Critical features are adaptive learning technology that goes beyond simple yes/no evaluation of student responses to identify errors, target areas of difficulty, and tailor the instruction to help them. Interactive digital manipulatives offer hands-on learning opportunities where students learn by actively engaging with mathematical concepts. The platform provides ongoing feedback so students can learn from their errors right after they make them and thus master them well. Teachers benefit from an extensive problem bank organized by topic and standard, ideal for creating engaging adaptive practice sessions. Further, Woot Math has flexible assessment tools to construct and share quizzes, formative assessments, and warm-ups which can be tracked in real time.
Pros
Interactive functionalities on the platform enable students to learn mathematics in a fun and productive way.
Easily used by teachers and students and, therefore easy to implement in a classroom.
Developed per the science of cognition and with effective pedagogical methods for improvement of mathematics teaching.
Cons
Restricted to students from Grades 3-7.
Educators are required to spend time familiarizing themselves.
Tutor AI is a new generation of teaching systems that utilize intelligent computing to create individual learning experiences that are individually tailored to satisfy each student’s particular needs. Adapting to each learner’s learning pace and personal learning style Tutor AI takes an extremely personalized approach to teaching and learning so that students are learning in a way that gives a deeper explanation of the subject matter while also maintaining motivation and engagement.
One of the platform’s main features is its ability to offer students unique learning paths sensitive to their styles and provide a personalized educational experience for greater effectiveness. Gamification features are enjoyable teaching implications, adding game-like features that are engaging for younger students, and promoting repetition of learning. Tutor AI, available round the clock (24/7), delivers students with, on-demand (anytime), support such as feedback and guidance for course materials. Interactive resources (e.g., learning models and materials) lead to improved learning and increased concept recall. Furthermore, real-time counseling allows students to get immediate corrections, effectively filling knowledge gaps and reinforcing critical ideas.
Pros
Adapts to individual students’ needs, promoting effective learning.
Always and everywhere, with the flexibility to suit different learners.
Tracks progress in real-time and thus enables timely adaptations of the learning plan.
Cons
Only a limited range of subject topics are explored in depth.
The AI will sometimes get a question wrong or respond less accurately.
Pricing
Plan
Price
Mentor
$14/month
Genius
$19/month
Conclusion
Educational technology tools teaching the concepts of artificial intelligence are transforming the future of education by delivering an adaptive, interactive, and effective pedagogy for students and teachers. These are platforms designed for the use of the latest technologies to take into account the specific requirements of the learners, for the automation of routine activities, and therefore, for a substantial enhancement of the learning process. Suppose these tools are incorporated into the classroom practice. In that case, educators can provide differentiated learning opportunities to meet the needs of each student, to develop a more effective, caring, and suitable learning environment for academic success.
The best AI Education Tools are Querium, MagicSchool, Gradescope, Woot Math and Tutor.ai.
Do AI education tools work for all age groups?
Yes, AI tools cater to various age groups, from young children learning basic skills to university students and professionals looking for advanced education.
AI story generators use advanced artificial intelligence, including Natural Language Processing (NLP), machine learning, and neural networks, to craft engaging and unique narratives from user prompts. Technologies are developed and can be used for storytelling in all genres because they provide functionality such as configurable inputs, and modalities, where a user must define the genre, the situation, the character, and the theme for the personalized story.
They use highly effective algorithms, typically based on GPT models, to guarantee consistency, creativity, and contextual pertinence. Most are conditioned across multiple genres, for example, fantasy, sci-fi, and romance, and are capable of capturing a range of writing styles. These applications facilitate writers to break out of creativity slumps and bring forth new ideas, story plot points, or complete story structures. Some focus on detailed character development, ensuring narrative consistency.
AI story generators also ensure originality and do not cheat by reproduction by creating unique content (rather than regurgitated text). Easy to use and quick to put to work, they need very little input in return for instant output, and so are well suited for use by writers, amateur and professional alike.
Jasper AI is a state-of-the-art writing tool based on sophisticated machine learning that aims to help users create high-quality content in fast and effortless ways. The name of Jarvis has been changed to Jasper and, Jasper has become a general-purpose platform, designed to suit a variety of content creation needs, particularly in the areas of marketing and blogging. As an extremely flexible technology, that addresses user needs, Jasper has emerged as the solution of preference for corporations and content providers.
It offers its users over 60 content templates available on the platform, and it allows them to produce, for instance, blog posts, social media posts, emails, or advertisement text. Because of its simple, useful unied interface, it has utilities that allow easy use and navigation, as well as content management, even for inexperienced users. Jasper also underlines how consistency in branding is important. Adding to this power are features such as Jasper Chat (to create interactive content) and Jasper Art (to transform textual concepts into visual art), among others. Unlimited word credits on the plans give a high level of flexibility to write as much as one wants to.
Pros
Generates articles in a very short period <20 mins) and speeds up the writing process nearly instantly.
Can be used in any industry and over any type of content,
Uses the technology of the GPT-3.5 model, which creates well-grounded text.
Cons
Monthly subscription plan can be quite costly for single users or small companies.
Users are requested to check AI content for correctness and usefulness before publishing.
Sudowrite is an AI-powered writing assistant built to help creative writers tell better stories and troubleshoot the frequent problems inherent in the writing process. Based on state-of-the-art natural language processing models such as GPT-3 and GPT-4 it provides features for assisting authors to brainstorm story, character-plane, and story idea. Sudowrite represents an indispensable aid to creative writers at each step of the creative journey of storytelling.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the platform is the Story Engine, its unique feature that helps users to create (in all their detail) novel outlines, including character descriptions and chapter outlines. The brainstorming tools that Sudowrite offers have the immediate effect of generating plot ideas and characters, respectively, offering novel viewpoints for writers. For writing blocks, the Expand and Write functions can generate essays from given prompts with ease. Describe function augments the image by providing a highly evocative, sensory lush description, and its Tone Shift function enables the author to control how emotionally powerful their work will be. Furthermore, visualization tools permit authors to generate images from natural language contexts, making the plots graphical elements of their narratives.
Pros
The tool is available in more than 30 languages and thus appeals to a worldwide user.
Due to its intuitive design, it’s easily understandable by writers of any level of expertise.
It addresses every stage of the writing process, from brainstorming to drafting.
Cons
It does not substitute the author’s input and editing.
High-quality control might Needed on the output.
Pricing
Plan
Pricing
Hobby & Student
$10/month
Professional
$22/month
Max
$44/month
Writesonic
WEBSITE
WWW.WRITESOIC.COM
Rating
4.7
Free Trial
Yes
Platforms supported
Email, LinkedIn, Notion documents
Writesonic- Top AI Story Generator
Writesonic is an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) writing tool specifically designed for user use to produce quality content efficiently and easily. Designed to accommodate a broad spectrum of authoring needs, an excellent solution for marketers, bloggers, and businesses in general. Writing everything from brief commercials to comprehensive articles, Writesonic’s flexibility makes it the preferred platform for a wide range of content creation tasks.
The instrument offers a wide variety of templates for designing blog posts, ads, landing pages, social media, etc. Its Long-Form Assistant gives authors the capacity to compose lengthy, opinion-based articles and reports, broken into logically defined outlines, which is ideal for creating engaging content of high quality. Writesonic also offers SEO optimization features to generate search-engine optimized content which achieves high search engine ranking. Through multi-lingual support, it opens access to an internationalized community of the Internet and enables multi-lingual content generation. Due to the intuitive interface of the platform, the whole workflow is vastly reduced and enables to create good quality content by users, without any prior skills.
Pros
Flexible Pricing plans for those with a variety of budgets and requirements.
Able to provide coherent and meaning-specific content in a variety of forms.
Certain plans have unlimited word generation
Cons
Content Review Required to reach quality requirements.
Costs might be variable based on the selected plan or the number of options.
Plot Factory is a web-based tool for the writing and story planning type, which is made to help writers structure their writing, to better define their characters, and to create rich fictional worlds. Suitable for both beginners and experts, with the ability to ease the creative workflow due to the aggregation of the most useful writing steps into a single convenient container. Plot Factory, thanks to its intuitive interface and robust tool set, can demystify the transition from idea to finished product plot.
The tool offers a selection of storyboard templates with which authors can structure their storyline effectively, while still preserving the story arc and tension, etc. It is also feasible for the user to create detailed character profiles, meaning all relevant information is accessible when the story is being written. The power of Worldbuild allows authors to keep a history of the characteristics of their imaginary world and relate them to a story or a few stories, to establish a seamless continuity. Platform portability allows for writing from any platform, with the Plot Factory serving as a flexible and powerful tool for developing interesting stories.
Pros
Integrates planning, organizing, and writing functions in a single dashboard
It is easy to use.
It is browser-based, it can be run on anything that has access to the web.
Cons
Not suitable for taking longer narratives.
Has limitations for non-fiction writers.
Time is required to learn more complex functions.
Pricing
Plan
Pricing
Hobbyist
$9/month
Enthusiast
$14/month
Novelist
$19/month
Toolsaday
WEBSITE
TOOLSDAY.COM
Rating
5
Free Trial
Yes
Platforms supported
Any device that supports a web browser
Toolsaday – Top AI Story Generator
Toolsaday is a new web service with a collection of AI-powered writing tools that aim to stimulate the creative process and automate the writing process. One of its characteristic features is the AI Story Generator which is an able tool to help users get out of writer’s block and quickly generate interesting stories. No matter whether you’re writing a whole, a chapter, or a scene, Toolsaday can be easily adjusted to your situation.
With top-of-the-line natural language processing, the AI Story Generator produces consistent content, contextually appropriate, and genre-appropriate. Using an extensive training corpus of the literature, the tool can capture the unique features of various genres, rendering it versatile. It further gives character consistency through narrative, e.g., delivering plausible and coherent stories. In particular, Toolsaday ensures that the created text is not plagiarism, and creates a plagiarism-free, personalized original text, i.e., considering the texts’ genres and character classes. Toolsaday is an efficient and trustworthy solution for the users of the writing process, using technology and creativity together.
Pros
Easy to use, so any writer, from novice to expert, can use it.
Provides an infinite number of plot ideas, character motivations, and plot surprises to enrich the storytelling.
Its tight integration within existing workflows enables the generation and refinement of content.
Cons
Limited Advanced Features
The quality of the generated content depends greatly on the parameter the user has defined.
Pricing
Plan
Pricing
Standard
$7.99/month
Pro
$19.99/month
Conclusion
AI story generators are handy tools for writers who wish to deepen their creativity and accelerate their story writing. These tools provide a wide range of functionality, including brainstorming and plotting, characterization, and full narrative generation, all suited to different areas of writing. They can also be employed as a tool to overcome writer’s block, as an engine to generate new ideas, and as a tool to turn writing into a pleasurable and productive experience.
These platforms can be accessed by all types of users with an intuitive user-based interface. Flexible payment models such as free trials allow individuals to try and decide for themselves before incurring a substantial financial price. However, as AI technology grows, these systems are predicted to become more sophisticated, allowing writers to increase the strength and effectiveness of their output while also allowing them to creatively interact.
DMart is the largest supermarket chain in India offering quality products at a cheaper price. The company maintains the highest level of customer base and is perceived as one of the fastest-growing chains in the retail business. Therefore, this achievement cannot solely be accredited to a well-organized supply chain management of the brand.
DMart was founded in 2002 by Radhakishan Damani with the opening first store in Mumbai. And today after so long, the company has now crossed over 250 stores in 11 states. The company is listed in NSE & BSE under Avenue Supermarts Limited with a market price of INR 4000 and a P/E ratio over 110.
Since the IPO in 2017, the company’s share price has gone up by 550% and delivered more than 20% annual ROCE. The brand has now opened more than 40 new stores since 2022-23, but still it faces the competition of brands like Spencers, Reliance, and Big Basket.
DMart vs Reliance Retail and Other Online Grocery Stores
The Indian retail sector is fast-growing and one of the least tapped segments in the market. The market is highly unorganized but with some top players taking over the market, it is but time that the retail sector will become the next big thing. Some of DMart’s biggest competitors are:
Reliance Retail: The brand operates multiple chains such as Reliance Mart, Reliance Fresh, and JioMart, that compete directly with DMart in terms of pricing and product range.
Online Grocery Stores: Brands like Blinkit, BigBasket, and ZeptoNow are gaining a large traction in online grocery shopping that caters to their customer base.
The following is the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats Analysis:
Strengths:
DMart’s EDLP strategy helps attract the middle-class audience
Efficient supply chain management and operational processes helped boost the brand
Wide range of food and non-food products at lower rates
Consistent growth of revenue and profits of the brand
Weakness:
Lacks global presence and lesser geographic reach without any focus on opening stores in new locations
Bad online presence and promotion
Due to the low pricing of products, it can affect vendors and lead to disruptions in the supply chain.
DMart stores follow a basic layout that is unattractive to new customers.
Opportunities:
Focus on the penetration of North and East India
Invest in online delivery services to compete with eCommerce retail vendors
Implementing automated technologies in distribution centers to reduce costs and streamline operations
Threats:
Increase in online grocery shopping with apps such as Blinkit, and Jio Mart.
Faces tough competition from supermarkets and local stores
Changes in the retail sector and anti-competition policies impact business operations
Marketing Mix of DMart
A marketing mix is what the brand uses for its products to get them noticed by the right customers at the right time. This model is based on the 4Ps: Product, price, place, and promotion. So, let’s take a look at the marketing mix of DMart:
Product Strategy of DMart
The Product Strategy of DMart is divided into three categories – Food, non-food, and General Merchandise & Apparel.
Food: Groceries, processed food, staples, frozen, dairy, beverages & confectionery, fruits & vegetables. This contributes to over 52% of the total revenue.
Non-food: This covers homecare products, toiletries, personal care products, and other over-the-counter products. This contributes 21% in revenue.
General Merchandise & Apparel: Toys, bed & bath, plastic goods, footwear, crockery, utensils, garments and home appliances. This contributes 29% of total revenues.
DMart sells multiple products under its own brand names such as DMart Premia, DMart Minimax, Dutch Harbour, and D-Homes.
DMart offers highly discounted merchandise as compared to its competitors. Because of this strategy, the brand has succeeded in creating an image of a low-cost retailer that attracts consumers who are price-sensitive. The company prides itself in providing affordable prices to customers whether they live in rural or urban areas. The pricing of products is generally less than the MRP except for medicines, vegetables, and fruits. During festivals, these low prices are perfect for customers who want to purchase in bulk, which in turn results in high sales. The pricing strategy of DMart is one of the biggest reasons why the supermarket chain is successful.
One of the fast-growing supermarket retail brands in India, DMart has about 214 stores in 11 states, with a large presence in cities like Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, and more. All of the stores are strategically built to help the brand gain a competitive edge while attracting more customers, which leads to proper operations-relating functioning. The brand is also moving into online ordering and delivery options with its DMart Ready sector.
Promotion Strategy of DMart
Considered to be one of the largest multi-brand organizations in India, it maintains its positioning as a supermarket that offers products at lower rates. Thanks to multiple coupons, rewards, and offers, the brand boosts sales, especially for bulk purchases.
For example, in festive seasons, the brand provides 15% off on sweets and other products, with some products going up to 50% off.
The brand does not engage in aggressive marketing options but promotes itself through Outdoor ads and newspaper ads. Recently, the brand collaborated with HDFC Bank to provide additional discounts on payments made with HDFC Cards.
DMart’s Collaboration with HDFC Cards
DMart Marketing Strategy
Today’s ever-changing retail sector has intense competition where customer preferences are constantly evolving. In this stage, DMart is now building itself as a leader. With priority offered in value and pricing, DMart has revolutionized the Indian retail landscape. So, let’s take a look at the key factors of the winning marketing strategy of DMart:
Customer Satisfaction: DMart is considered a leader in the retail market by prioritizing customer satisfaction by exceeding expectations and creating positive shopping experiences. The brand includes well-organized stores that are easy to navigate, knowledgeable staff, and swift checkout options, both online and in-person.
Streamlining Operations: DMart has a streamlined approach to its store decoration and focuses more on functionality rather than elaborate store design. This cost-effective strategy helps the brand allocate resources to its product variety and affordability.
Asset Acquisition: DMart is prioritizing buying its own properties instead of leasing them. This long-term strategy eliminates any rental expenses that contribute significantly to their profit.
Expansion Plans: DMart does not rush into expanding rapidly. They prefer to make smaller moves that not only help them manage their supply chain while keeping a close eye on inventory.
Digital Marketing Strategy of DMart
When it comes to offline presence, no other retailer can compete with DMart. But sadly, this does not extend to their digital marketing strategy. This is because the brand does not believe it needs one.
We know that digitization is highly important especially for retail stores as there are more competitors online than offline. This is why, DMart is now slowly embracing the idea of digitization by launching DMart Ready and installing a chatbot on FB Messenger. But this major retailer has a long way to go. DMart generally uses Facebook to clarify customer doubts but is not present on other platforms such as Twitter and Instagram. This major drawback means that the brand is lagging, especially against its major competitor Reliance.
DMart’s Outdoor and Newspaper Marketing
DMart Marketing Campaigns
CSR Activity – Better School, Brighter Futures!: DMart as a brand is committed to helping its employees by making a positive impact on the lives of those who work for them and those around t hem. With this campaign, the brand helped students gain a better education, access to research facilities, and network with like-minded peers as well.
Promoting through low-cost mediums: DMart mostly uses print ads to promote its brand. The visual components consist of hoardings in major locations and newspaper ads with coupons.
Conclusion
DMart is slowly carving out a unique niche for itself in the retail landscape with a focus on its efficiency, value, and customer satisfaction. By concentrating on its strategic cost management, and providing a seamless shopping experience, the brand is now establishing itself as a leader in the hypermarket sector.
The brand is committed to creating a strong supply chain, with a customer-centric approach that has garnered a loyal customer base for continued success in the Indian retail market.
But, with a rapidly digitizing world, and the entry of big retail giants such as Amazon India, Reliance Retail, Walmart-owned Flipkart, and Tata-owned BigBasket, it is time for DMart to enter into this market as well.
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Fueling with electricity offers a whole lot of advantages that are clearly not available with the conventional internal combustion engine vehicles that we have been using to date. Electric motors react quicker than the latter. They are very responsive and have impressive torque.
Besides, what’s more important is that the EVs follow the path of sustainable development because they are not driven by traditional fossil fuels like petrol, diesel, or LPG. Electric vehicles thus significantly contribute towards reducing the emissions that lead to climate change and smog, thereby putting a stop to many other forms of ecological damage and man-made environmental disasters too.
Choosing electric vehicles for transport has been proven to improve public health and the environment. These are a few of the many reasons why electric vehicles are here to stay.
Among the most popular electric vehicle manufacturing companies is Ather. Ather is an Indian electric vehicle company founded by Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain in 2013 andgoes by the name Ather Energy Pvt. Ltd. It currently manufactures the electric scooters, the Ather 450X and the Ather 450 Plus, where it launched the all-new Ather 450X 2022 on July 19, 2022. Furthermore, it has also established the electric vehicle charging infrastructure, Ather Grid, and is one of the most prominent rivals of Ola Electric.
Ather Energy has become a unicorn (a company valued at over $1 billion) just before its upcoming IPO. The company raised $71 million from the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), which is backed by the government, giving it a total value of $1.3 billion.
Here’s the company profile of Ather Energy: Know all about its owners, story, funding and investors, history, shareholding, business model, revenue model, growth, challenges faced, name, tagline, logo, and more.
Ather Energy is a startup focused on designing and selling premium electric two-wheelers for the Indian market. Ather wants to change the perspective on electric vehicles by building high-performance, zero-maintenance, and smart electric vehicles.
The company has manufactured two scooter models at present:: the 450 Plus and the the 450X. The 450X was upgraded, which helped Ather Energy launch the the 450X 2022 model on July 19, 2022. It has also established an electric vehicle charging network called AtherGrid.
It owns and operates its experience centers (called AtherSpace) to give the customers a complete ownership experience. The company launched the Ather 450 back in September 2018 and released the Ather 450X all across the country on January 28, 2020. The new version of 450X, 450X 3, was launched on July 19, 2022.
Though the sale of new Ather 450 scooters has been discontinued by the company since November 28, 2020, the company has pledged to fill up the gap with their 450X and 450 Plus models, where the latter will be launched soon.
Ather 450x is currently being delivered in 11+ Indian cities so far: Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Kochi, Kozhikode, Kolkata, Coimbatore, and Ahmedabad.
Ather Energy’s customers believe that electric vehicles will shape urban commutes in the years to come. They choose to own the experience of a vehicle that is built from scratch, offers an unparalleled ride, and is powered by intelligence.
Ather Energy – Founders and Team
The founders of Ather Energy are Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain. They founded Ather Energy in 2013.
Ather Energy Founders
Tarun Mehta
Tarun is the co-founder and CEO of Ather. Mehta is an IIT Madras alumnus who has completed a dual degree in engineering design before starting as a deputy manager at Ashok Leyland. He eventually decided to find Ather. Mehta interned at Mercedes Benz and BHEL during his college days.
Swapnil Jain
Swapnil Jail is the co-founder of Ather. He is also an alumnus of IIT Madras and has completed his integrated Master of Technology in Engineering Design. After completing a brief internship at General Motors and BHEL, Swapnil decided to find Ather with his college friend Tarun.
Ather currently operates with an employee strength of 1,001–5,000.
Ather Energy – Startup Story
Ather began its journey in October 2013 at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras Research Park. Mehta and co-founder Swapnil Jain, both IIT-M alumni (BTech and MTech batch of 2012 in engineering design), had set out to build India’s first smart electric scooter. They had brief stints at Ashok Leyland and General Motors, respectively.
Mehta recalls the support of R. Krishnakumar, a professor at the Department of Engineering Design at IIT-Madras. “If a professor says, ‘Leave your job and come back; we will take care of everything,’ I think that is a great morale boost,” says the Ather CEO.
“For the first five-six months, we literally camped out of the department. We were just hanging around in his labs and other department labs before we sort of reached a conclusion that ‘This seems interesting and we should actually start a company and build a product.’ It was a very important phase and he was super supportive then.”
In December 2014, Flipkart founders Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal invested $1 million as seed capital. Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal expressed positive sentiments towards the company and showed an inclination towards energy-efficient vehicles.
In December 2019, Ather Energy signed an MoU with the Government of Tamil Nadu to set up a 400,000-square-foot manufacturing plant for electrical vehicles in Hosur. The invested amount will be around ₹635 crore.
The company added two new products to its portfolio, the Ather 450X and the Ather 450 Plus, in January 2020. The Ather 450X is a premium electric scooter built from the ground up by Ather. A step above the Ather 450 in both features and performance, the Ather 450X has been meticulously designed to redefine the two-wheeler riding experience in India.
Ather Journey
Ather Energy – Name, Logo, and Tagline
Ather Energy Logo
The logo of Ather Energy represents that every electrical circuit is different, but the two things that remain constant are the start, represented by the line, and the stop, represented by the dot, in the circuit. This was much like Ather’s long-term goal of building a company that fundamentally believes in using runnable electric energy as the future of innovation.
Ather’s tagline: “All Brain. All Power. All Electric.”
Ather Energy – Mission
Ather’s mission statement says, “At Ather, we want to build the future of mobility—one that is connected and electric. We truly believe electricity is inevitable; there’s never been a better time. Intelligent vehicles are revolutionizing our commute experience, and the Ather 450 and 450X are on the cusp of this exciting reality. We are also in the midst of exploring the energy chain, including storage and distribution domains.”
The company has announced an online-only purchase model for selling the product with doorstep service. It had set up its manufacturing unit in Whitefield, Bangalore, which commenced production in 2018 with a capacity of 600 vehicles per week. The company has disclosed the price of the Ather 450 to be Rs 1,35,000, and the price of the Ather 450X is Rs 1,38,006.
It also establishes Ather Grid, an electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the cities where it is present. The company has set up over 38 fast charging points in Bengaluru and 14 charging points in Chennai as of July 2020.
Ather Grid
Ather will be setting up its new 400,000-square-foot facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, by the end of 2022. The new facility will be designed to produce 100,000 units annually and is scalable to half a million units.
Ather Energy has been announced as the fourth largest-selling two-wheeler EV in India in the first half of 2021, where the company has successfully sold approximately 63,184 units. Though the valuation of Ather is yet to touch $1 billion, the company is really, witnessing good growth. It is currently operating with 38 experience centers across 32 cities in India. The company further hopes to take the number of experience centers to 150 across 100 Indian cities by 2023.
Ather has claimed that it has witnessed a whopping 800% growth in sales in 2021. The demand for Ather scooters is growing, and Ather is standing fit to deliver them now, revealed Swapnil Jain, co-founder and CTO of Ather. However, it’s true that though Ather has witnessed a surge in demand, it has failed to match the sales figures of its chief rival, Ola Electric.
Ather Energy Launched the 2022 450X 3 Electric Scooter
Ather 2022 450X Gen 3
Ather launched the 2022 450X Gen 3 scooter on July 19, 2022. Here are some of the advantages of the Ather 2022 450X 3 scooters at a glance:
These scooters will be equipped with bigger 3.7 kWh units instead of the earlier 2.6 kWh units
The batteries will be 25% larger than those of the previous generation scooters
These scooters boast an ARAI-certified range of 146 km and a TrueRangeTM of 105 km.
They will also have wider rear tires
The grips of the new generation Ather 450X will be 22% better than the previous generation scooter models.
They will offer the all-new tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
They are also built with a 7-inch built-in display and 2GB integrated RAM
They will be fitted with the newly designed rearview mirrors, offering 2X better visibility and 5X reliability
They will further have a new side-step made of single-cast aluminum
Ather Energy Launches 450S and 450X Electric Scooter
Ather unveiled the 450S on August 11, 2023, with prices starting at Rs 1.30 lakh. This remarkable electric vehicle boasts a 2.9 kWh battery, providing an impressive 115 km of range. When it comes to speed, the 450S can reach up to 90 kmph, making it a versatile choice for urban commuting.
Charging the battery is a breeze. At home, it takes just 6 hours and 36 minutes to charge from 0% to 80%. Alternatively, with the Ather Grid fast charger, the 450S can charge at a remarkable speed of up to 1.5 km per minute.
Ather also offers an upgraded version of the 450X, now available with both 2.9kWh and 3.7kWh battery options, extending the certified range to an impressive 115 km and 150 km, respectively.
Both of these electric scooters come equipped with innovative new switchgear and include two additional switches for added convenience and functionality.
Ather Sales
Ather Vehicle Registrations
Ather Energy scooters have seen a month-on-month growth in their vehicle registrations for some months. However, the month of July was an exception, where the company witnessed a drop of 66%. It registered just 1,283 units in July, in contrast to May and June 2022, when Ather successfully registered 3338 and 3829 units, respectively.
Ather Energy – Financials
Ather Financials
FY24
FY23
FY22
FY21
FY20
Revenue
INR 1,789.1 crore
INR 1,801.8 crore
INR 413.8 crore
INR 88.3 crore
INR 48.8 crore
Expenses
INR 2,674.2 crore
INR 2,666.3 crore
INR 757.9 crore
INR 321.6 crore
INR 268.7 crore
Profit/Loss
INR -1,059.7 crore
INR -864.5 crore
INR -344.1 crore
INR -233.3 crore
INR -219.9 crore
Ather Financials FY24
Ather’s revenue in FY24 was nearly the same as FY23, slightly decreasing from INR 1,801.8 crore to INR 1,789.1 crore. However, expenses increased marginally from INR 2,666.3 crore to INR 2,674.2 crore. As a result, losses widened from INR 864.5 crore in FY23 to INR 1,059.7 crore in FY24, indicating higher costs despite stable revenue.
Ather Energy Revenue
Ather Energy’s revenue remained stable in FY24 compared to FY23, primarily driven by product sales.
Revenue Breakdown
FY24
FY23
Revenue from Operations
INR 1,753.8 crore
INR 1,780.9 crore
Other Income
INR 35.3 crore
INR 20.9 crore
Total Revenue
INR 1,789.1 crore
INR 1,801.8 crore
In FY24, Ather’s total revenue slightly declined to INR 1,789.1 crore from INR 1,801.8 crore in FY23. Revenue from operations dropped marginally from INR 1,780.9 crore to INR 1,753.8 crore, while other income increased from INR 20.9 crore to INR 35.3 crore. Despite this, rising expenses led to higher losses.
Ather Energy Expenses
Ather’s expenses surged due to increased material costs and employee benefits.
Expense Category
FY24
FY23
Cost of Materials Consumed
INR 1,579.2 crore
INR 1,537 crore
Purchases of Stock-in-Trade
INR 27.9 crore
INR 92.3 crore
Employee Benefit Expense
INR 369.2 crore
INR 334.8 crore
Finance Costs
INR 89 crore
INR 65 crore
Depreciation & Amortization
INR 146.7 crore
INR 112.8 crore
Other Expenses
INR 437.5 crore
INR 558.3 crore
In FY24, Ather’s total expenses increased slightly to INR 2,674.2 crore from INR 2,666.3 crore in FY23. The cost of materials consumed rose to INR 1,579.2 crore from INR 1,537 crore, and employee benefit expenses grew to INR 369.2 crore from INR 334.8 crore. However, other expenses declined from INR 558.3 crore to INR 437.5 crore, partially offsetting the overall increase in costs.
Ather Energy Profit/Loss
Losses widened further in FY24 due to increased costs and exceptional losses.
Profit/Loss Metric
FY24
FY23
Gross Profit
INR -1,059.7 crore
INR -864.5 crore
Operating Profit
-INR 885.1 crore
INR -864.5 crore
Net Profit/Loss
INR -1,059.7 crore
INR -864.5 crore
Ather continues to experience high losses in both operating and net profit, though the operating loss remained the same from FY23 to FY24. The company needs a shift in its cost structure to break even and achieve profitability.
Quick Summary
Revenue: Revenue remained stable at INR 1,789.1 crore in FY24, compared to INR 1,801.8 crore in FY23.
Expenses: Expenses increased slightly to INR 2,674.2 crore in FY24 from INR 2,666.3 crore in FY23.
Loss: Loss widened to INR 1,059.7 crore in FY24 due to increased operational and exceptional costs.
Ather Energy – Funding and Investors
Ather Energy has raised a total of $578.3 million in funding over 11 rounds.
The latest funding was done by the Government-backed National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) of $71 million at a valuation of $1.3 billion making it a Unicorn.
The funding of $128 million, which came in on May 12, 2022, was led by NIIF Ltd. and Hero MotoCorp. It previously raised $56.46 million from Hero MotoCorp on January 14, 2022. Ather Energy has also raised Rs 130 crores ($17.24M) before that from Hero MotoCorp. With all this funding, Ather’s valuation is still shy of $1 billion.
The company raised Rs 84 crore from Hero MotoCorp in July 2020, which increased the auto giant’s stake in Ather to 34.58%. Hero MotoCorp currently holds over 34.8% of the stakes in Ather.
Ather Energy is currently funded by 5 main investors. Before the Serie E round, 34.8% stakes in Ather were held by Hero MotoCorp.
Date
Round
Amount
Lead Investors
Aug 13, 2024
Series E – IV
$71 million
National Investment and Infrastructure Fund
Sep 6, 2023
Private Equity Round
$108.4 million
Hero MotorCorp, GIC
Oct 18, 2022
Series E
$48.05 million
Caladium Investments
Sep 29, 2022
Debt Financing
$6.01 million
InnoVen Capital
May 12, 2022
Series E
$128 million
NIIF Ltd. and Hero MotoCorp
Jan 14, 2022
Series D
$56.46 million
Hero MotoCorp
Jul 24, 2020
Series E
$11.2 million
Hero MotoCorp Ltd.
May 28, 2019
Series D
$51 million
Sachin Bansal
Oct 27, 2016
Series C
$11.2 million
Hero MotoCorp Ltd
May 28, 2019
Series C
$51 million
Sachin Bansal
Oct 27, 2016
Series B
$27 million
Hero MotoCorp Ltd
May 29, 2015
Series A
$12 million
Tiger Global Management
Dec 3, 2014
Seed Round
$1 million
–
The company successfully secured a substantial $108.4 million in funding through a private equity round, with Hero Motorcorp and GIC as the esteemed investors, on September 6, 2023.
Ather Energy – Shareholding
Ather’s shareholding pattern as of September 2024 sourced from Tracxn:
Ather Energy Shareholding
Ather Shareholders
Percentage
Tarun Mehta
6.5%
Swapnil Jain
6.5%
NIIF
16.4%
GIC
14.6%
Tiger Global Management
6.2%
Three State Capital Advisors
0.9%
RTBI
0.5%
Mehta Family Trust
0.3%
Jain Family
0.2%
Tarun Swarna Family Trust
0.2%
Innoven Capital
0.1%
Herald Investment Management
<0.1%
Volpi Cupal Trust
<0.1%
Scale Venture Partners
–
NKSquared Global
–
Hero MotoCorp
34.3%
Kamath Associates
–
Angel
6.7%
Other People
0.7%
ESOP Pool
5.7%
Other Investors
0.2%
Total
100.0%
Ather Energy – ESOPs
Ather Energy has proposed to increase its ESOP pool size. The quantum of the existing Ather Energy ESOP Plan 2021 will reportedly increase by 7,808 stock options, which will increase the ESOP pool size from 37,209 options to 45,017 options, as per regulatory filings.
The Ather board has also approved the adoption of the founders’ stock option plan for 2022. The pool size, as per the agreement of the Series D shareholders, was 12,356 stock options. This is further reduced to 5,214 stock options, and the balance unused pool of 7,142 is proposed for cancellation, as per a separate filing by the company.
The founder’s stock options at Ather have been accessed for the first time and are estimated to be worth around INR 25 crore.
Ather Energy – IPO
Ather Energy submitted its draft papers to the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on 9 September 2024 for its upcoming IPO. The company plans to raise up to INR 3,100 crore (about $370 million) by issuing new equity shares and will also offer up to 2.2 crore shares for sale, as mentioned in the draft prospectus. The upcoming IPO is set to be valued at $2.4 billion.
Ather Energy – Competitors
The top 10 competitors in Ather Energy’s competitive set are:
To sum up, some of the prominent awards and recognitions that Ather received would be:
The Economic Times Start-up Awards, The Economic Times, 2016
Most Promising Startup Impacting Automotive, IoT Next, 2016
India Electric Mobility Technology Innovation Leadership Award, Frost & Sullivan, 2016
Ather Energy – Challenges Faced
“The biggest challenge and opportunity when you are building an electric vehicle in India is that there is no local ecosystem and that includes not just vendors but also talent among other things. We completely missed out on this when we started the company and that’s why our timelines started looking different. The amount of money started looking very different as we got more and more into it,” says Tarun Mehta, CEO of Ather Energy.
Being a hardware startup, Ather has seen its challenges. Tarun Mehta has pointed out that in the case of Ather, they “can’t ship a minimum viable product.” “With hardware, you can’t move fast and break things”, added Mehta. This impeded the growth and delivery of Ather hugely, but the promising EV startup is finding ways to improve the delivery process and fasten the growth of the company.
Mehta also stated that for the EVs, “there’s no ecosystem in place in India”, which might have distributed the workload. Ather Energy CEO further added that the company is the sole manufacturer and distributor of the scooter, its batteries, and other accessories, and therefore, it must test all of them thoroughly.
Another challenge for the scooters is that there isn’t a promising culture of designing and developing products locally. “Finding the right talent to work at Ather has been challenging,” the Ather CEO said.
Ather e-bike fire accident
Ather reported a fire accident in one of its Chennai showrooms on May 27, 2022, which is the first fire accident that the bike manufacturers witnessed in their EVs. Within a few hours of the accident, the company confirmed via its official Twitter handle that the accident occurred in one of its damaged vehicles on water entering through the cracks of its battery pack.
Ather Energy – Partnerships
The company has partnered with like-minded organizations to “accelerate the adoption of electric mobility for a sustainable future,” says the Ather website. Some of the other popular partners of Ather Energy are WeWork and Altair. Here are some of the latest partnerships.
Vaidya Energy
On October 9, 2023, Ather Energy entered into a partnership with Vaidya Energy, a division of Vaidya’s Organization of Industries & Trading Hoses. With the help of this partnership, the business will facilitate product sales and services in Nepal and install fast charging stations.
OTO
In order to make it easier for young people in India’s Gen Z population to acquire Ather cars, OTO, a digital commerce platform and operator in the two-wheeler finance market, formed a strategic digital business relationship with Ather Energy on November 16, 2023.
Ather Energy – Future Plans
According to Mehta, the big challenge that now lay ahead of them was how to not make Ather feel like a boring automotive company keeping the culture and excitement alive while still bringing in the rigors and discipline that they need to get a world-class hardware product out.
With the factory plant in Whitefield, Bengaluru, the company is ready to begin production, and the orders coming in. Ather is getting ready with the first lot of production.
“The first lot planned is for 2,000 vehicles and over a year’s time, the production planned is 10,000 vehicles. Based on the supply chain constraints, we will have to decide the batch size of production,” says Jain, adding next will be ramp up both in sales and the product map. “When you do a new product, it is not very easy to assemble… manufacturing challenges will pop up. So, we will improve product from that perspective to be able to ramp up really fast.”
The team has begun work on developing a new vehicle platform that it says will be more scalable. It is slated to be ready soon. He won’t go with much financial detail, but according to Mehta, the 50,000-unit sales mark, when calculated on a per-unit basis, ought to be able to break even. The challenge for electric two-wheeler companies, though, will be to attract new customers.
Tarun Mehta, CEO of Ather Energy is looking to increase the capacity of the company to manufacture 35,000 scooters by this year from the present mark of 10,000 and aims to further hit the capacity of 1 million by next year.
Ather stands big and tall in the growing space with DNA going back to research labs, a design built from scratch, and a product that can be traced to custom spec sheets. Will that give it customers and success as a scooter company? Time will tell. But its journey this long is all about learnings, sucker punches, small wins, big bets, uncharted paths, and early positioning in a market that holds promise.
Ather Energy is a startup focused on designing and selling premium electric two-wheeler vehicles for the Indian market. It is one of the best electric scooter startups in India. The company has offered two electric scooters for the Indian market, Ather 450 and 450X. Ather has recently introduced their latest electric vehicle, the 450S, to the market.
Who are Ather Energy owners?
Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain founded the Indian electric vehicle company Ather Energy in 2013.
What is the price of Ather 450X in India?
The price of the Ather 450X starts at Rs.1.18 Lakh and goes up to Rs.1.38 Lakh. Ather 450X is one of the two products offered by Ather Energy.
Ather is from which country?
Ather is an Indian company. The electric vehicle company was founded by Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain in 2013.
What is the headquarters location of Ather Energy?
Ather Energy is an Indian electric vehicle company headquartered in Bengaluru.
Which companies does Ather compete with?
The top 10 competitors of Ather Energy are GoGreenBOV, Ampere, Ola Electric, Okinawa Scooters, AVERA, Bajaj Auto, Hero MotoCorp, TVS, Pure EV, Tork Motors Pvt.
Who is Ather CEO?
The Ather CEO is Tarun Mehta.
What is Ather tagline?
Ather tagline is All Brain. All Power. All Electric.
By the end of the year 2024, 78.05 percent of the global population was using smartphones, according to Statista. The report also details that many people use multiple smartphones which results in a higher number of smartphone subscriptions than the physical handsets. What was 6.97 billion smartphone subscribers in the year 2023 is expected to rise to a whopping 8 billion by the year 2028.
The two prominent market leaders in the smartphone industry are Apple and Samsung. Statista also reported that, in the second quarter of the year 20224, Samsung held 18.3% of the global smartphone market share, closely followed by Apple with 17.7%. These two smartphone brands are fiercely competitive and are continuously swapping the top two positions in global market share. The competition between Apple and Samsung is strong, as both companies compete in smartphones, tablets, and other tech products with different features and price ranges. Here’s a look at both these brands and their journey, highlighting their fierce competition.
Origin
Apple Inc.
Apple’s first product, the Apple I, designed by Steve Wozniak
Headquartered in Cupertino, California, Apple currently enjoys the status of the world’s biggest company by market capitalization. As of January 31, 2025, Apple’s market value is $3.55 trillion. Over the past year, it has grown by 24.91%. As valuable as the company is, its story is one that has been told many times. Suffice it to say that Apple Computer Company was founded in the year 1976 by Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs, and Ronald Wayne to develop and sell Apple I Computers. A year later the company changed its name to Apple Computers, Inc. and then went public in the year 1980. Management disagreements and power struggles between the executives led Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak to step back from their respective roles and pursue other individual ventures. The company landed in more trouble over the next decade and brought back Steve Jobs in a bid to guide the company back to success.
Apple – iPhone, Mac, and the iPod
It was then, that Steve Jobs turned Apple Inc., around by introducing a number of tactics and devices that included the iPhone, Mac, and the iPod. Through the years it launched many memorable campaigns, opened Apple Store retail chain, and acquired numerous companies to broaden its product portfolio. The brand enjoys a high level of customer loyalty and has been consistently ranked as one of the world’s most valuable brands.
The South Korean company was founded in the year 1969 and is headquartered in Suwon, South Korea. It was established as an industrial part of the Samsung Group. It was the result of a joint venture that was named Samsung-Sanyo Electric with Sanyo and Sumitomo Corporation. Samsung-Sanyo Electric was the predecessor to today’s Samsung Electronics.
Samsung SH-100 – Samsung’s First Mobile Phone
The company went on to produce electronic and electric appliances including televisions, calculators, refrigerators, air-conditioners, and washing machines. Since then, over the years, the company has grown its product footprint and expanded its presence across the globe. The company launched its first mobile phone in the South Korean market in the year 1988. It was only in the year 2007, that the company became the world’s second-largest smartphone manufacturer.
Samsung Electronic Products
By the end of the year 2021, Samsung Electronics was ranked at number two as the ‘Best Global Brands’ by the market research firm YouGov, and by mid-2022, PricewaterhouseCoopers ranked it at number 22 on their global top 100 companies by market capitalization.
Both of these conglomerates make some of the best products in the industry. Within the scope of consumer electronics, both these companies make the same products like smartphones, laptops, wearables, etc. Product commonality, however, breeds a very different customer base for both of these giants. The main reasons behind this are differences in design, price, compatibility, functionality, and the elusive idea of brand loyalty.
This is a look at one such common product – smartphones and how each brand fares in this particular product category.
User Experience
Apple and Samsung – Operating Systems
Even though both the smartphone brands work on different operating systems, Android on Samsung and iOS on Apple, the user experience in both is very similar. Samsung has made significant improvements over the years. Having said this, both these brands can improve in terms of design and optimization.
Product Durability
Apple and Samsung – Durability
Historically, both Apple and Samsung had huge issues with product durability. However, in recent years, both companies have made huge leaps and upgraded their products to be waterproof as well as have highly improved glass tensile strength.
Performance of the Product
Samsung is leading on the performance part as they have beaten Apple in 5G Systems by at least a year. However, the chips in Apple phones far outperform Samsung. Apple optimizes its chips rather than sourcing designs from other semiconductors on the open market. Samsung, on the other hand, leads the market with its display screens due to its concentrated R&D efforts. Overall, the product performance of an Apple smartphone in the real world is faster than that of Samsung.
Supply Chain Integration
This is a category in which Samsung is the clear winner as Apple is dependent on Samsung for product parts like OLED displays, NAND flash, and DRAM. Although Apple designs its own chips and is very competent in the area, its dependence on Samsung for procuring some parts reduces its competition with Samsung.
App Ecosystem and Native Services
Apple is unbeatable in this particular category due to its ecosystem in terms of the quality of services it offers on its devices. Samsung is dependent on Google for its services on Android. Also, Google’s apps and services that are implemented on iOS, sometimes work better than the Android version.
Platform Privacy and Security
Samsung’s platform openness versus Apple’s closed and personally managed platform means there is no comparison between the two when it comes to platform privacy and security. Apple has a track record of hardly keeping any personal logs or information about its users which stands it in good stead in the privacy category. Google, used by Samsung, is, at its heart, an advertising company. This means that the company collects data and information about its users for future use. Also, the Android ecosystem is full of malware making its usage a risk.
Product Range Comparison
Apple offers fewer phone options, with only its top models featuring the best technology at premium prices. More affordable choices come from older versions, which may get updates in the future.
Samsung provides a wider range, with budget-friendly options for basic users, high-end models with top performance, and foldable phones that remain expensive.
Pricing Comparison
Samsung is known for its budget-friendly phones. Its most affordable option offers a long-lasting battery, a reliable fingerprint scanner, and regular software updates, making it a solid choice for basic needs.
In countries like India, the UK, and parts of Europe, Samsung’s budget lineup includes phones with large batteries and multi-camera setups. These models sit below the more refined mid-range series but share some features with minor adjustments, including different processors.
Apple, on the other hand, does not offer phones at budget prices. The most affordable iPhones are either older models with outdated hardware and software or second-hand devices.
Apple iPhones have a simple and stylish design. They are easy to use, have a good camera, and a long battery life.
Samsung phones have more features, bigger screens, and more ways to customize.
Samsung offers phones at many prices, from budget to premium. Apple only sells expensive phones, with no budget options.
Apple’s software is smooth and secure, while Samsung gives more control and flexibility to users.
Conclusion
Apple and Samsung competition is strong, with both companies offering different designs, features, and price ranges to attract customers. Both are highly innovative companies that apply their innovations differently.However, customer loyalty is built by product offerings and whether it delivers value for the cost as well as in comparison to its competition. Both these companies are prime players in the consumer electronics sector and each has its own consumer base. It remains to be seen how they will both perform in the coming years.
FAQs
When was Apple founded?
Apple Computer Company was founded in the year 1976 by Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs, and Ronald Wayne to develop and sell Apple I Computers.
Which was the first Samsung mobile phone?
Samsung launched its first mobile phone SH-100 in the South Korean market in the year 1988.
On which operating system does Samsung work?
Samsung works on the Android platform.
Are Apple and Samsung competitors?
Yes, Apple and Samsung are big competitors in the smartphone market.
How does Samsung compete with Apple?
Samsung competes with Apple by offering more phone options, bigger screens, more features, and Android’s flexibility, while Apple focuses on premium, simple, and secure devices.
Why is Samsung Apple’s biggest competitor?
Samsung is Apple’s biggest competitor because it sells the most smartphones worldwide, offers phones at all price levels, and competes in innovation, design, and technology. Both brands lead in premium devices, but Samsung also provides budget and mid-range options, attracting more users.
One of the most well-known companies in the solar solutions sector, Solarium Green Energy, is preparing to go public with its SME IPO on February 6, 2025. Through this offering, the company would raise around INR 105.04 crore, or $12.5 million. For the business, it is a crucial milestone as it continues on its current growth trajectory.
It will issue 5,500,000 shares having a face value of INR 10 apiece, priced between INR 181 and INR 191 per share. The minimum lot size required to participate is 600 equity shares, which translates to a total investment of INR 141,600. The deadline for the offering is February 10, 2025.
The Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs) will receive roughly 2,605,000 shares, or 46% of all shares. Market makers will receive 286,800 shares, while high-net-worth individuals will be eligible for 782,400 shares. With a 33.17% total share issue for retail investors, the company is anticipated to attract a significant number of investors.
How the Company is Planning to Utilise Proceeds?
The primary goals of the IPO’s proceeds are to cover general business needs and working capital requirements. It is anticipated that this calculated action will strengthen Solarium’s operating capacities and help realise its aspirational expansion goals.
For Solarium Green Energy, the IPO marks a critical turning point as it seeks to take advantage of India’s rising demand for renewable energy solutions. Solarium is well-positioned to draw substantial interest from investors wishing to help the shift to sustainable energy because to its strong business plan, track record, and well-defined strategic goals. The company’s significant achievement is particularly highlighted by the SME IPO, although it follows a broader trend in which green technology investment has increased in India.
For the fiscal year that concluded in March 2024, Solarium recorded INR 177.80 crore in revenue and INR 15.59 crore in net earnings. In contrast, its revenue in the first half of the current fiscal year (H1FY25) was INR 81.99 crore, and its net profits came to INR 7.55 crore.
About Solarium Green Energy Limited
Ankit Garg founded Solarium Green Energy Limited, a company that specialises in turnkey solar systems. Design, engineering, procurement, testing, installation, commissioning, and full operation and maintenance (O&M) are among the services it provides. With 11,195 residential rooftop projects, 172 commercial and industrial (C&I) projects, and 17 government projects completed between April 2021 and September 2024, Solarium has made great strides in the solar business since its founding.
This outstanding achievement suggests the company’s market leadership and commitment to implementing renewable energy solutions throughout India. Zunroof, SolarSquare, Cleantech, Mysun, Oorjan, and Freyr Energy are competitors of Solarium, which is the first business in the Indian startup ecosystem to go public with an SME IPO in 2025.
Nitin Konde
