All stories by Samreen Ahmad
What if kirana shops run out of stock?
Rediff.com29 Mar 2020'90 per cent of the food and grocery business is still with the kiranas.' 'If kiranas are not allowed to operate, it becomes a serious issue.'
Coronavirus: 'Govt needs to allow treatment by private hospitals'
Rediff.com27 Mar 2020'We are going to be overwhelmed by the need for hospital beds. There are simply not enough beds in government hospitals.' 'We will need a large number of medical professionals and without the private sector's involvement, the government won't be able to expand capacity.'
Coronavirus fear now spreads to the start-up ecosystem in India
Rediff.com31 Jan 2020Around half a dozen Chinese venture capital firms with active presence in India have postponed their trips to the subcontinent.
Zoomcar to be electric vehicle-driven by 2025
Rediff.com29 Dec 2019The company, which rents cars by the hour, day, week and month, has Mahindra E2O Plus and Tata E Tigor available on the platform for which it charges a subscription fee of Rs 15,000-20,000 per month.
Marriott's mega India dream: 50 hotels in 5 years
Rediff.com27 Nov 2019The hotels in the pipeline will include a range of Marriott brand portfolios such as JW Marriott, Tribute Portfolio and Sheraton.
Titan's mega plan to become leader in India's smartwatch space
Rediff.com26 Nov 2019Titan is investing heavily on research and development, which will do things beyond a smart watch can do today such as switching off lights, locking, and unlocking doors and making payments. Titan is also working closely with start-ups, too, to develop such futuristic features.
Retailers making the most of 'new' Bharat
Rediff.com23 Sep 2019Riding on this change in aspirations, V-Mart a value retail chain is growing close to 22 per cent year-on-year, and is aggressively looking to expand its footprint, with 60 new stores this year.
FMCG firms staring at worst slump in 15 years
Rediff.com19 Sep 2019The slowdown had been brewing since 2016 but was intensified further by several disruptions in the past two years including demonetisation.
Why Google chose this firm for its first Indian start-up investment
Rediff.com13 Dec 2018After the Google investment, the company's monthly transactions have spiralled up from 65,000 to nearly one million in just a year. According to reports, the start-up is in fresh talks to raise about $6 million from investors, including Google, says Samreen Ahmad.
Tiger Global back on the prowl in Indian start-up arena
Rediff.com6 Dec 2018The investor has now put together a fund of $3.75 billion to back private companies.
Yulu bikes: Pedal your way to beat the traffic
Rediff.com5 Dec 2018Yulu founder Amit Gupta believes bicycle sharing is the next big thing.
The Complete Man shuns online, sticks to physical stores
Rediff.com17 Nov 2018In this era of online commerce and virtual shopping, Raymond Ltd, one of India's oldest textile manufacturers and retailers, has tailor-made an offline strategy to maintain a strong foothold in the tier III and IV towns. Samreen Ahmad reports.
Swiggy's losses double, but revenue jumps 4-fold
Rediff.com29 Oct 2018Swiggy had in June entered the elite Unicorn club after raising $210 million from a group of investors
Akshaya Patra takes tech help to better feed 1,761,734 children a day
Rediff.com11 Oct 2018Its newly-built Jigani kitchen in Bengaluru is piloting the use of technologies such as data analytics, blockchain and Internet of Things to speed up the huge volume of its operations while ensuring strict quality control, reports Samreen Ahmad.
Soon, you will be able to be 'Vokal' in 6 regional languages
Rediff.com20 Aug 2018TaxiForSure's Aprameya Radhakrishna's new venture, Vokal, is a peer-to-peer content generation platform that is a cross between Reddit and Quora.
How Allergan plans to boost Botox sales in Indian market
Rediff.com15 Aug 2018While the Botox segment is growing annually at around 20-25% in the country, Allergan India's aesthetics business is growing at 60%
Tata Cha brews some nostalgia along with tea
Rediff.com22 Jul 2018Tata Cha cafes hope to create a feel of a roadside tea cart, casual college canteens, old Irani cafs and even the chai joints encountered on journeys through the Indian countryside.
Now Tata's coffee at Starbucks' Seattle stores
Rediff.com11 Jul 2018Tata supplies coffee beans to over 100-odd Starbucks outlets in India but is now also looking to become a supplier of coffee for the Seattle-based company globally
How a Bengaluru-based firm is using AI to change the retail game
Rediff.com2 Jul 2018Capillary Technologies building AI-backed products to empower offline retailers
Mumbai still the most expensive Indian city for expats
Rediff.com27 Jun 2018India's Silicon Valley, Bengaluru, which has a high population of expatriates driven by the information technology sector, is getting more reasonable on cost of living