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Join Admixer at the discussion of programmatic in Berlin
Admixer team returns to Berlin to talk more on programmatic. If you didn’t get the chance to talk last time or want to follow up on certain topics, we’ll be glad to have a chat.
Meet us at ATS Berlin 2017! ExchangeWire is going to bring together industry experts to discuss the state of programmatic advertising technologies in Germany.
The agenda includes the most trending topics from the programmatic ecosystem, such as:
- GDPR and its potential influence on the digital advertising industry,
- the perspectives of data-driven TV,
- how Header Bidding shapes the industry,
- transparency and data darkness in the work of marketers.
You can read the full agenda at the ExchangeWire website.
Admixer is an innovative team of ad tech developers that brings new solutions onto the market to push the progress towards increased transparency and revenue growth.
Our latest moves were to:
- encourage our publishers to use ads.txt,
- offer convenient Header Bidding implementation to our clients, and
- join the movement towards first-price auction model.
We’d like to share the experience at the event, as well as learn from our partners.


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2022 Vintage reveals Sauvignon Blanc’s true colours
Various Stellenbosch wineries were amongst the top 10 best Sauvignon Blanc wines in the annual FNB Sauvignon Blanc SA Top 10. Five of the top 10 awards went to Stellenbosch-based wine producers – Klein Zalze, Spier, Tokara, Zorgvliet and Stark-Condé.
South Africa’s top Sauvignon Blancs are about much more than meets the eye. Wine lovers should take a second look and taste of Sauvignon Blanc from older vintages, as well as wooded styles, according to the judging panel of the 2023 FNB Sauvignon Blanc SA Top 10. No less than seven of the winners are from the 2022 vintage, which again confirms the excellent aging potential of South African Sauvignon Blanc.
Sauvignon Blanc SA announced the winners on Wednesday 25 October at Kleine Zalze in Stellenbosch, with Wolfgang Riebe as magical master of ceremonies. Guests were challenged to solve a Sixth Sense of Sauvignon Blanc Mystery in the Winelands, to figure out the winning wines from 20 finalists by tasting, feeling, listening, smelling, and observing – from seashells and soil to ballet and a box of matches!
This year’s Top 10 (in alphabetical order) are:
De Grendel Koetshuis 2022 (wooded)
Diemersdal Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2023 (unwooded)
Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2022 (wooded)
Le Grand Domaine Our Origin The Pledge Sauvignon Blanc 2022 (unwooded)
Nitida Sauvignon Blanc 2023 (unwooded)
Spier Seaward Sauvignon Blanc 2023 (unwooded)
Stark-Condé Round Mountain Sauvignon Blanc 2022 (wooded)
Steenberg The Black Swan 2022 (unwooded)
Tokara Reserve Collection Elgin Sauvignon Blanc 2022 (wooded)
Zorgvliet Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2022 (unwooded)
This year’s judging panel was convened by Cape Wine Master Dr Winifred Bowman and included the international wine judge and wine writer Fiona McDonald, Johann Fourie, head winemaker of Benguela Cove, Morgan Steyn, winemaker of De Grendel, Gregory Mutambe, sommelier of Rust en Vrede, as well as two protégés, Mahalia Kotjane, assistant winemaker of Lievland, and Shanice du Preez from De Grendel.
“This year’s Top 10 is versatile in style and origin,” says RJ Botha, Chairman of Sauvignon Blanc SA. “Four of the top ten winners are wooded, making this a style to look out for, with a good understanding of oak that gives these wines complexity and depth. The 2022 vintage has developed well over the past year, in line with our panel’s recommendation last year to age those a little longer. Out of the 169 wines entered by 106 producers, South African Sauvignon competes comfortably on the world stage,” says Botha.
Stephan Claassen, Provincial Head FNB of Business in the Western and Eastern Cape, congratulated the Sauvignon Blanc SA Top 10 winners and acknowledged the importance of the agriculture sector as a pillar of stability and growth, even during times of uncertainty, with the wine industry being no exception. “Although the aim is to select the Top 10, we recognise and celebrate all the finalists for their part in the ongoing establishment of the wine industry in South Africa,” Claassen says.
Taste, buy and learn more about the Top 10
A Top 10 booklet with tasting notes is free to download at https://tinyurl.com/43k8jp9x
A technical seminar will be held on Wednesday 22 November 2023 at Allée Bleue in Franschhoek.
For more information, visit https://sauvignonblanc.com/ or call +27(0)82 808 1114.

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OBSERVATIONS FROM THE FINTECH SNARK TANK
If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a technology analyst for more than 20 years it’s this: When companies have good news to report, they don’t hold back on publicizing key performance metrics.
When they don’t have good news to report, however, there’s no shortage of excuses they’ll give for why they can’t make the numbers public.
Which leads us to the Apple Card.
In November 2019, Goldman Sachs reported via regulatory filings that—just six weeks after the Apple Card launched—it had issued roughly $10 billion in credit to card holders. The firm also reported that consumers with the new credit card had already run up $736 million in loan balances during the period.
Sounds like a rousing success, no?
Yet Apple itself has not revealed any key metrics, in particular the number of cardholders.
Well then, if Tim Cook won’t tell the world how many Apple Card cardholders there are, I will (based on consumer research from Cornerstone Advisors).
How Many Apple Card Customers Are There?
Roughly 3.1 million Americans—2.2% of all US adults with a credit card—have the Apple Card already. Who they are may surprise you.
But first, it won’t surprise you to learn that most are younger consumers—70% are Millennials (nearly evenly split between Younger Millennials in their 20s and Older Millennials in their 30s). Just 3% are Baby Boomers, by the way.
However, speculation that Apple Card customers are mostly lower income consumers isn’t true. Just a third have annual household income below $50k (versus 55% of the overall population) and a third have income greater than $100k.
They’re a highly educated group: 56% have a college degree (many with a Master’s or higher) compared to about a third of the general population.
And more than half of them bank with one of three megabanks: Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, or Wells Fargo. But that shouldn’t surprise you since I’ve already told you that 44% of Millennials bank with one of those three banks.
The biggest overlap between Apple Card and other issuers are with American Express and Bank of America. About a third of Apple Cardholders have an Amex card and nearly three in 10 have a credit card from BofA.
Apple Card’s Primary Card Share
Is 3.1 million cardholders a lot? For a brand new credit card, sure—but not compared to the number of cardholders of its competitors have. Calculating market share based on cardholders is fruitless, however, considering that credit cardholders have, on average, three cards.
One relevant metric we can look at, however, is primary card status. Here, the Apple Card stacks up amazingly well for a brand new card on the market.
Six in 10 Apple Card customers consider the card to be their primary credit card—roughly equal to the primary card status achieved by Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase, and slightly higher than Wells Fargo and Capital One.
It’s not an apples-to-apples comparison, however (sorry, couldn’t resist). Half of Apple Card cardholders have only one card—the Apple Card.
In contrast, among Bank of America and Capital One cardholders, just a third have only one card (i.e., the card from those issuers). And among JPMorgan Chase cardholders, just a quarter have just one card, that being from Chase.
What Does The Future Hold For The Apple Card?
If there’s another thing I’ve learned as a technology analyst (and consumer researcher) it’s that consumers don’t always do what they say they’ll do in surveys.
Cornerstone Advisors surveyed consumers in 2019 after the Apple Card was announced (but before it launched). At the time, I wrote:
“When Apple launches its new card, 24% of Young Millennials and 22% of Older Millennials intend to apply for it. Of these potential applicants, a little more than half of the Young Millennials and two-thirds of the Older Millennials said they will make the Apple Card their primary credit card.”
Obviously, nowhere near those percentages of Millennials applied for the card, although, of those that did, many made it their primary card.
In the 2020 survey, Cornerstone again asked consumers about their intention to apply for the Apple Card. The new numbers are more muted than last year, but still encouraging for Apple: About 10% of Millennials said they will apply for the card.
Could Goldman Sachs Be The Real Winner Here?
Perhaps the better news, though, is for Goldman Sachs, who partnered with Apple to launch the Apple Card (although, you’d never know that listening to Apple boast about how they did it all without a bank).
An August 2019 article on Market Realist hypothesized that the Apple Card could be detrimental to Goldman Sachs. Specifically, it worried that Goldman: 1) Could see huge losses if the economy went south, and 2) Would see customer acquisition costs around $350 per card.
Fast forward to today, and the demographics of actual cardholders dampens the prospects of huge losses in a downturn.
And correct me if I’m wrong, but Apple (and Goldman) hasn’t spent big money on direct mail to support the Apple Card nor has it offered the huge points incentives that other issuers typically offer.
In addition, Market Realist didn’t know back then about Goldman Sachs’ plan to offer a Marcus checking account.
In a recent Fintech Snark Tank post, I mentioned that 8% of consumers surveyed intend to open a Marcus checking account when Goldman Sachs launches one.
The percentage of Apple Card cardholders expressing an interest in a Marcus checking account is astronomical compared to other consumers: Half said they’ll open the account when it launches—equally split between those who will close out their current checking account and those will leave their current account open.
Oh, if consumers only did what they said they’d do in surveys.
Apple Is Creating a New Basis of Competition in the Card Space
When Apple first announced the Apple Card, I was pessimistic about its prospects. I didn’t think: 1) The rewards structure was good enough to compete; 2) Consumers would care about the PFM tools; and 3) Apple had strong enough data and analytics capabilities.
I missed the boat on the real story.
Established issuers are competing on rewards (who can offer the most, tailored to cardholders’ preferences).
Apple is competing on ecosystem. Instead of offering 3% (or whatever) on travel, restaurants, groceries—like the rest of the market—Apple is offering 3% back on spending with selected partners (Uber, Uber Eats, T-Mobile).
And by providing rewards in the form of Apple Pay funds, helping to fuel the volume of those payments.
No other issuer in the market can pursue that strategy.
And unlike other issuers, who offer different cards targeted at different segments of the market, Apple has gained a toehold with two very different segments—the low end and the high end—with a single card.
It’s taken Apple Pay a number of years to garner the payment volume that some experts thought it would have in a much shorter timeframe. Despite consumers’ stated intentions to apply for the card, it will likely be the same for the Apple Card.
But that will give Apple time to continue to build out its ecosystem and pose a formidable threat to the big issuers in the market.


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With the embedded systems market in India emerging as a significant growth opportunity, Intel has outlined strategies to improve its channel focus for the embedded business by adding more 50 partners in the fiscal 2012-13, focusing more on the West region.
Commenting on this strategy, Natarajan S, Country Business Manager - Embedded Markets, Intel South Asia said, "Yes, we agree that our partner network is not that strong for embedded business. And, for strengthening the channel network for our embedded products, we are leveraging on our traditional PC channel partners. As of now, only the North region channel partners are aggressively contributing to about 15 percent to our overall embedded business. So, in this fiscal we have decided to focus on our West partners and train them for gaining grounds in the embedded market."
He also added that if the current fiscal looks bright for the embedded business with the western region's channel partners, Intel will certainly sketch out its plans for tapping the South and East regions aggressively. The total semiconductor market in India is expected to hit $36.3bn in 2015 with employment projections of 7.8mn in 2015, according to the Indian Semiconductor Association (ISA). A significant portion of this is the embedded and communications market.
Intel is working with its partners to come out with more products and solutions in this area. He also added that there are 2/3rds of channel partners who are interested to tap this market and have approached Intel on how to go ahead in the embedded business.
When further asked about tapping the tier-2 and toer-3 regions for embedded products, Natarajan said, "Currently, we are targeting only the metro cities of the four regions, wherein we will be considering only the qualified partners who are interested to take our products ahead as it is not easy like selling PCs in the market. There are new products in the embedded space, as we can match make them with ODMs to take the deal ahead and help them out."
Hence, Intel India is conducting several training and channel enablement programs to educate them about the embedded products and to work on their go-to-market efforts to address the customers in the Indian embedded market. Recently, it conducted a training program named ‘Intel Embedded Solutions Day' in Delhi and Mumbai, wherein the partners are given hands-on training on the low to high end embedded products.
"Speaking further about the significance of embedded business for the Indian channel partners, Natarajan explained that there is a huge opportunity for partners, wherein they will be offered a better margin of profits with the embedded products as compared to that of the traditional PC market.
Since enterprise is a niche segment, there are a few embedded markets on Intel's radar like storage, retail, VoIP, which are picking up with a clear focus. Currently, Intel has about 20 channel partners addressing the embedded business in India.


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Bulletproof breaks new campaign
By Adnews Staff
Seattle-based food and beverage company Bulletproof recently launched a new campaign developed by Will of Vancouver. The digital campaign, called "You. Only Better," encourages consumers to "achieve their best self" with the company's coffee, protein bars and supplements, as well as its variety of podcasts, books and online content. The eight-week campaign includes online video, display banners and social media ads, accompanied by out-of-home ads. The creative directs consumers to a website at <http://www.youonlybulletproof.com>. Will won the account in a competitive pitch process this spring.
"Bulletproof's bold tone leant itself to some equally bold executions that we hope will drive awareness and ultimately trial for this leading-edge lifestyle brand," said Lisa Lebedovich, creative director at Will.


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Mysore Fashion Week – 2022 Announced. So, Mysore Fashion Week 2022, season 6 was announced recently. Let’s see what this news has in store for us, today.
Mysore Fashion Week – 2022 Announced
Season 6 of Mysore Fashion Week which is scheduled in the month of December 2022, promises a royal treat for sore eyes with eminent fashion designers, top models and renowned celebrities attending it.
The Jury includes – Jayanthi Ballal (Founder Mysore Fashion Week), Sunny Kamble (Supermodel & Pageant Trainer), Kavita Kharayat (Supermodel & Pageant Trainer), Asif Merchant (Fashion Designer) and Parimal Mehta (CEO- Blanckanvas Media Pvt. Ltd.).
Mysore Fashion Week is back with yet another royal season this year. The 3 day mega event exclusively comprises top fashion designers, models, editors, fashion bloggers, media and press, buyers, stylists and key fashion influencers, ensuring every fashion enthusiast gains exposure to a unique audience.
The casting, which took place on October 30, 2022 for December’s show, was held at Fida The Design School in Chennai, which included the biggest names from the fashion & lifestyle industry – Jayanthi Ballal, Sunny Kamble, Kavita Kharayat, Asif Merchant and Parimal Mehta selected the models for the fashion week. By the end of the day, the jury selected a bunch of models, some new, some old for the much anticipated Mysore Fashion Week.
The fashion week is orchestrated by ace designer Jayanthi Ballal, who has garnered immense support over the years from the fashion industry and it has contributed massively in putting Mysore on the global fashion map. Over the years, she has perfectly orchestrated this fashion week leading to its success. This four-day fashion event is going to be all about stunning designs, glamour and a happening after party for everyone involved in the making of this grand event to let their hair down and celebrate another successful event.
Jayanthi Ballal said, “There is so much talent in India but no platform to showcase them. Mysore Fashion Week is on a quest to give new talent wings to fly and help them explore their credentials. Our vision is to mentor newcomers looking for that deserving break in the Indian Fashion Industry and give them a platform to show the world their knack for fashion.”


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Amazon.com and Apple intend to start Twitter advertising again, according to reports. In an effort to revive its company after Elon Musk's takeover caused many businesses to draw back, Twitter last week sent an email to advertising agencies giving advertisers incentives to increase their spending on the site.
Twitter described the offer as the "biggest advertiser incentive ever on Twitter." The email stated that U.S. advertisers that commit to increased spending of $500,000 will be eligible to have their investment matched with a "100% value add," up to a $1 million ceiling.
According to a Platformer News reporter's tweet from Saturday, Amazon intends to restart running ads on Twitter for around $100 million per year, subject to making minor security adjustments to the company's ad network. A source with knowledge of the situation, however, claimed that Amazon had never stopped running Twitter advertisements.
Separately, Musk revealed that Apple is the biggest advertiser on Twitter and has "fully resumed" advertising on the service. Musk made the announcement during a Twitter Spaces conversation. In his first month as Twitter's owner, Musk has reduced the number of personnel, including those responsible for content moderation, and there have been instances of spammers pretending to be representatives of well-known public firms, which has alarmed the advertising sector.
Since the acquisition, many businesses, have canceled or suspended their Twitter advertising, and Musk said in November that the company has experienced a "huge" decline in revenue. Reuters contacted Apple and Twitter for comment on the situation, but neither company responded right away.
One of the biggest marketers on Twitter is Apple, and according to a Reuters report, the iPhone manufacturer led all advertisers in the first quarter of 2022. Following Musk's official takeover in October, Apple reduced its Twitter ad spending from $220,800 between Oct. 16 and 22 to $131,600 between November 10 and November 16.
Although the reasons are yet unknown, Apple probably ceased using the site because it did not want its advertisements to appear next to contentious or sensitive tweets because Musk wants to rework Twitter to defend "free speech."
Not just Apple but several businesses have given up on Twitter advertising. Last month, many automakers discontinued their Twitter advertising, including Audi and General Motors. The food manufacturer General Mills, best known for its ice cream Haagen-Dazs and breakfast cereal Cheerios, has likewise stopped running advertisements on Twitter. Pfizer, a pharmaceutical company that was crucial in developing the COVID-19 vaccine, reportedly stopped using the social media platform for advertising last month.


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The 2017 Honda CBR250R has been launched in Malaysia and it will be retailed as a CBU.
Honda Malaysia has launched the 2017 CBR250R and has priced it at MYR 21,940.94 (approximately Rs. 3.26 lakhs) for the Black paint scheme and MYR 22,258.94 (approximately Rs. 3.31 lakhs) for the Millenium Red and Lemon Yellow paint schemes.
Powering the 2017 Honda CBR250R is a 249.67cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, DOHC mill producing 27.46 HP and 23.30 Nm of torque. This engine comes coupled to a 6-speed gearbox. The Japanese Honda CBR250R in comparison produces a higher 29 HP.
Tipping the scales at 161 kgs, the 2017 CBR250R comes with a 13-litre fuel tank. The motorcycle features low-friction piston rings and iridium spark plugs to help reduce maintenance costs. The CBR250R runs on 110 section tyre upfront and a 140 section tyre at the rear. Both the wheels are 17-inchers and the CBR250R is available in three different paint schemes, Black, Red and Lemon Yellow.
Meanwhile in India, Honda has discontinued both the CBR150R and CBR250R. Honda also has not yet announced any plans of launching the updated CBR150R and CBR250R.
2017 Honda CBR250R
– Honda has launched the CBR250R in Malaysia
– The CBR250R is powered by a 249.67cc mill producing 27.46 HP
– Honda CBR250R is priced at MYR 21,940.94 (Black) and MYR 22,258.94 (Red and Yellow)


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The protest is tentatively set for World Book Day, April 23.
This comes on the heels of complaints from the Egyptian Publishers Union that book piracy is cutting significantly into sales.
I have, in the past, asked publishing-house owners and directors if they didn’t think cheaper books might make reading available to a broader spectrum of the Egyptian public. Sixty LE is, after all, quite an investment to make in a new title. Seif al-Salmawy, previously of Dar al Shorouk, responded several years ago now that Egyptians spend a great deal annually on other consumer products (he noted mobile phones, George Orwell has suggested cigarettes), and added that Egyptian publishing houses operate on thin profit margins.
However, he is now managing director of Bloomsbury Qatar, which recently halved the prices of many of its children’s picture books in Egypt: from 60LE a book to 30LE. So deep price cuts are not, as a strategy, out of the question.
Pricing complaints are not, of course, limited to Shorouk. Activists said Shorouk has been targeted because it’s one of the largest publishing houses in Egypt. A number of authors — Ahlam Mosteghanemi, for one — have complained about the high prices of AUC Press hardbacks, which are often the spendiest locally published books on the market with occasionally eye-popping prices.
What about bookstores? In the graphic above, after all, the retailer is taking 55%. But even if there’s a store in Egypt taking 55%, they’re still not growing rich off it. And authors? Most are still contributing to the cost of production.
Is forcing publishing houses to drive down prices the solution to accessibility? It’s certainly the most visible target, although the near-absence of public libraries is another.
On Twitter, Kan Ya Ma Kan bookstore (@kykbookshop مكتبة كان ياما كان) notes: “@arablit We think it’s a vicious circle, different strategies should be adopted to break us free from the high price low profit dilemma!”
They added: “@arablit I think that creating a reading generation will boost the sales, fair and clear laws to protect authors rights,” although how to create this reading generation is another dilemma altogether.


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Laoshan promotes local handicrafts, ICH items
Laoshan district in Qingdao, Shandong province recently kicked off a promotional event to popularize local handicrafts and intangible cultural heritage (ICH) items.
Laoshan district to become world tourism destination
Endowed with both sea and mountain views, Laoshan district in Qingdao, Shandong province aims to become a world tourism holiday destination.
New cruise route links Shinan, Laoshan
A new two-way cruise route connecting the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center in Shinan district and Laoshan Mountain scenic area was launched on Aug 31 in Qingdao, Shandong province.
'Dynamic Laoshan' Beer Carnival ends in good spirits
The "Dynamic Laoshan" Beer Carnival, part of the 32nd Qingdao International Beer Festival, came to an end on Aug 7 in Century Square Beer City in Laoshan district, Qingdao.
Guochao market shines at Qingdao beer festival
A guochao market which highlighted local cultural and creative products as well as traditional handicrafts was staged in Laoshan district during the celebration of the annual Qingdao International Beer Festival.
Laoshan celebrates annual beer festival
The Laoshan venue of the 32nd Qingdao International Beer Festival opened on the evening of July 22 at Century Square Beer City in Laoshan district, Qingdao.


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Earlier this year, Gurugram-based B2B travel startup Outsite VR, which creates virtual tours of select destinations, was in talks with multiple tour operators, travel agents, and hotels for a possible partnership. However, all those discussions have been shelved as of now, as the travel and tourism industry tries to find a firm footing at a time when the novel coronavirus has forced everyone to cancel their plans.
“A couple of contracts have been delayed. The tour and travel agents do not have deep enough pockets and they do not want to get their hands into innovative solutions like VR (virtual reality) or immersive experiences at the moment. These people have to save themselves first,” said Mayur Karodia, co-founder, OutsiteVR.
“There is definitely a lot of panic in the industry. People are holding back and sitting tight.”
Since the time the first case of COVID-19 was reported in India in late January, the number of novel coronavirus cases has shot up to over 600. Schools, restaurants, and shopping malls, among others, have been shut down, while businesses have implemented work from home policy.
After the first three reported cases, India moved fast and suspended the visa of Chinese nationals in the first week of February. Later that month, it suspended visas for tourists from Italy, Iran, South Korea, and Japan. However, as the cases continued to rise, India initially suspended visas for all international travelers till April 15, followed by a ban on all international flights for a week beginning March 22. Last week, all domestic flights were also grounded till March 31.
When all these restrictions couldn’t contain the spread of the virus, on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared a national lockdown for three weeks to safeguard its 1.3 billion population against coronavirus. As India continues to fight the pandemic, travel and hospitality sectors are going through their worst days.
An unprecedented crisis
With the coronavirus spreading in the country fast, the travel industry veterans KrASIA spoke to, said travel has come to standstill.
“Outbound (travel outside the country) is on a total halt. Nothing is moving. Almost 90-95% cancellation has happened. We are in a blind spot right now on how long it is going to continue,” Riaz Munshi, president, Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI), told KrASIA. “It is a very difficult time. I have never seen such a rough time in 30 years of my career.”
“There are 60-70% of cancellations among those who were planning to travel in May or June which is more of a worry for us,” he said. “They also think the situation is not going to recover fast, and even if it recovers, it will take some time to come to terms that it is safe to travel.”
Munshi added that over the last few weeks inbound (travel to India from outside) was affected badly as well. And with the ban on international flights, things have taken a turn for worse.
“There are a lot of companies that would go bankrupt. It is not easy for people who invest so much money in infrastructure to work on zero revenue,” Munshi said.
According to the industry body ASSOCHAM (The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry), the total tourism business activity of India is estimated to be USD 28 billion. It said the country has “lost about 1.5 million foreign tourist arrivals in March and April,” which will incur a loss of about USD 1.9 billion for the tourism industry.
In a letter to finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, dated March 20, industry bodies Federation of Association in Indian Tourism & Hospitality, Confederation of Indian Industry, and ASSOCHAM said, the Indian tourism industry (travel and hospitality) is looking at pan-India bankruptcies, closure of businesses, and mass unemployment as a result of this pandemic.
The travel industry associations estimate that about 70% of the direct and indirect workforce of 55 million in the tourism sector may get unemployed if the situation persists.
“Tour operators and travel agents are all sitting empty. So it is practically impossible to pay salaries and other expenses for two months without any work,” said Chetan Gupta, general secretary, Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India, an industry body.
“There are many travel companies that have shut down their business for two months, hoping people will start working from May.”
Indian airline companies, which were already in duress for having to operate in tight margins, are now going through a zero-revenue period due to the outbreak. “At an industry level, consolidated losses are estimated to be in the range of USD 500-600 million for the quarter (excluding Air India),” said aviation consultancy CAPA India last week in a research note.
CAPA India further added that without any “serious and meaningful government intervention,” several Indian airlines may end up “shutting down operations by May or June due to lack of cash.” Even the domestic travel industry, on which some of the travel companies were initially relying on has spiraled down after a complete lockdown was announced.
Before the government suspended domestic flights on March 23, some airline companies had already reported more than a 30% drop in domestic travel, while airfares in the popular domestic routes were reduced by 20-25%. IndiGo, which dominates the domestic airline market with a 50% market share, has already announced to cut down its domestic capacity by 25% until the situation improves.
The colossal collapse of the travel sector left the hospitality industry in shambles. The nationwide occupancy across thousands of hotels fell an all-time low last week. Now with the ongoing 21-day lockdown, practically all the hotels have closed down.
In the best-case scenario, where the outbreak only disrupts operations for two to three months, the overall loss of total revenue for the approximately “140,000 branded or organized hotel rooms across the nation will be anywhere between USD 1.3 billion to USD 1.55 billion,” according to hospitality consultancy, Hotelivate.
It expects an “additional loss of anywhere between USD 4.2 billion to USD 4.7 billion in total revenue across the alternate accommodation industry,” such as bed & breakfast, guest houses, and unbranded hotels that constitute 95% of the supply chain.
Meanwhile, major Indian online travel agents like MakeMyTrip and Ixigo, which earn about half the revenue from selling airline tickets, and remaining from hotels, are facing the brunt of the deep slump in the aviation and hospitality industry.
Earlier this month, domestic OTAs, which have publically supported the government’s call to ban foreign tourists from entering the country, reportedly saw 20-25% cancellation in bookings.
Both, MakeMyTrip and Ixigo, declined to comment for the story.
While major OTA’s have reportedly said they expect international travel to be down through the summer, they were a bit optimistic on domestic travel.
According to a report by wire service PTI, MakeMyTrip this week told its employees that co-founders Deep Kalra and Rajesh Magow would draw zero salaries from April 2020 while the rest of the leadership would take 50% pay cut to overcome the rough patch.
The road to the future
Madhuri Mulwani, Sales head for WanderOn, a small travel startup that organizes group trips and customized trips to locations such as Spiti Valley, Leh and Ladakh, Meghalaya, Bali, and Bhutan, told KrASIA that the company has been busy with canceling all the trips that were lined up through the year, talking to their vendor partners, and clients to help them cancel their tickets.
“If people are not canceling their trips, we are canceling,” she said. “We can’t conduct any trips when such things are happening. If someone falls sick on the trip, that is also our responsibility.”
Mulwani said the company hasn’t decided on how to deal with the situation going forward. WanderOn is not alone in its confusion. Most of the travel services have no clear ideas as to when operations can return back to normal, although everyone is hoping it won’t take more than two months.
“The Indian (travel) market still doesn’t have a clear direction or understanding of the situation as of today,” said Chetan Kapoor, co-founder and COO at travel research firm Videc.
To survive the storm, many airlines such as GoAir, which were earlier doing free cancellations and rescheduling for March and April trips, are now charging for cancellations while still offering free rescheduling, which will ensure their clients stick with them.
Over the last week, many hotels trying to promote staycation–staying at local hotels–to fill up the rooms. Others offered their rooms to those who needed to be in quarantine.
“Many hotels came up with the staycation offering for social distancing. They were thinking of ways to get people in, so as to make some money,” said Videc’s Kapoor. But with the lockdown across the nation, “some of them are opening up to become care facilities.”
For instance, hotel chains including Ibis and Lemon Tree are already offering their rooms for quarantine purposes in New Delhi. Similarly, Indian hotel chain Oyo recently said it has reached out to the government to convert its facilities across the country in quarantine facilities for an affordable fee.
However, the outlook remains grim.
“In other countries, we have seen within two weeks of the shutdown, some airlines have filed for bankruptcy and requested bailouts, while hoteliers are seeking government support,” he said. “In India, it won’t be different.”
Indeed, many travel and hospitality trade associations have reached out to the government asking for respite in taxes for at least the next twelve months, and a support fund to pay salaries of affected tourism employees, among other things. The aviation industry is reportedly seeking a USD 1.6 billion rescue package from the government to fight the crisis.


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Alaska Air CEO Expects Challenge Keeping Virgin Customers After Merger 'We are aware of the value that that company has brought to its customers. Our goal isn't to lose that,' Brad Tilden says.
This story originally appeared on Reuters
Alaska Air Group Inc. expects it will be challenging to keep customers who are loyal to Virgin America Inc. after the two companies merge, Alaska Air's chief executive said on an analyst call on Thursday.
Alaska Air said earlier this month that it would buy Virgin America, a carrier with cult status among leisure and business travelers on the U.S. West Coast, for $2.6 billion.
Chief Executive Brad Tilden said "the biggest challenge" ahead will be appealing to its own customers as well as Virgin America's passengers, after that airline is merged into the Alaska brand. Virgin America has a distinctive style, with in-flight mood-lighting and media-rich entertainment.
Shares of Alaska Air were down about 3 percent in afternoon trade.
JPMorgan analyst Jamie Baker said on the same call that he had underestimated Virgin America's following, and asked if Alaska Air expected a spillover from the deal.
"We are aware of the value that that company has brought to its customers. Our goal isn't to lose that," Tilden said. "Our goal is to gain that as a foothold in the state of California as something that we grow in the decade or two ahead."
Alaska Air has said it might keep using the Virgin America brand in some form.
Executives said they still expect regulatory approval of the deal this year, and that they are answering the U.S. Justice Department's questions about the merger.
The company also said it grew adjusted profit 23 percent to $183 million in the first quarter, or $1.45 per share, not including Virgin America's results. Analysts on average had expected $1.42, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
(Reporting By Jeffrey Dastin in New York, Editing by Franklin Paul and David Gregorio)


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Coffee lovers rejoice: The old Sketch soft serve spot on Berkeley’s Fourth Street is now Catahoula’s Kaffeegarten.
The Richmond-based artisanal roaster is all about “high end coffee at a moderate price,” but takes its mission further: “We are about bringing people together and community. Not the ‘Third Community’ liquid culture of Starbucks, but an authentically local flavor where people from all walks of life… gather.”
Timber Manhart runs the business, and sells signature blends as well as single origin beans. He describes Catahoula as a “no char zone,” meaning roasts meant to draw out flavor are king.
Manhart, a 50-year-old Richmond resident, said Monday he’s been wanting to open a second location for some time.
“We kind of walked down the path, but it wasn’t a good fit, or it didn’t have the right feel,” he said.
He wrote on his shop’s blog that he has “been down this road so many times, but nothing panned out due to a variety of factors; not being the right space, greedy landlords and/or just not the right community-centric feel of Catahoula’s business model.”
He said the West Berkeley neighborhood, which some have dubbed SoFo — meaning Fourth Street south of University — has a “nice combination of everything”: a community-centric feeling and good street traffic.
“I see people walking, running, cycling all over the place,” he said. “It’s a little bit off the beaten track.… This is the local side [of Fourth].”
He said he knew of the space previously and had always “coveted” it. When he found out it was available, he jumped at the opportunity.
Manhart said the new space has a big kitchen, which he’s hoping to use, in part, as an incubator for other businesses looking for space. But he also says he plans to “stick to our core, what we’ve done and what we know.”
He described that as “basically coffee and pastries right now” — at prices that won’t break the bank for customers — but said he’d love to expand the food offerings further in the future depending on local demand.
Manhart said he takes most of his coffee roasts to the “Full City” level.
“It’s not so light you don’t taste the origin, but not so dark you can’t taste the roast,” he said.
One of his most popular offerings is the Lola blend. He said it’s a brighter espresso that “lingers” and also makes a great drip coffee.
You won’t find pour-over options at the Kaffeegarten; Manhart said he’s sensitive to the needs of customers who need to grab a cup and get out the door.
Catahoula — named after the owner’s favorite dog breed, according to the company website — opened first, in 2007, at 12472 San Pablo Ave. “Minimum hours” at the Berkeley location in September are listed as 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
In an announcement on his blog, Manhart says he’s decided to “announce (possibly) the World’s First Kaffeegarten.”
According to Manhart, the new location will be similar to the original shop in Richmond: “We hope to provide a localized, friendly, albeit quirky at times, café. Our goal is to serve a great quality product without all the fussiness. Good value, fun atmosphere & local flavor.”
As far as community events, he said Monday he hopes to hold “customer appreciation days” in SoFo where people can come and get a free cup of coffee, and also wants to bring in outside vendors selling offerings like honey or pastries. Visitors might also, at some point, see a petting zoo outside.
“I’d like to look out on the patio and see an alpaca, and a bunch of kids running around,” he said.
The official opening on Fourth is slated for October, and he promises it will come more quickly than did his Richmond shop, which took three years to build out.
He said the West Berkeley location is, however, already fully functional, “if you don’t mind a little construction dust.”
“The machines are working,” he said. “We’re just trying to dial in the space to make it our own.”
5-story complex proposed on Grocery Outlet site (08.04.14)
West Berkeley Philz Coffee: Now officially open (07.29.14)
Development may come to Spenger’s lot in Berkeley (07.28.14)
West Berkeley Whole Foods to open Nov. 4 (07.22.14)
Berkeley’s soft scoop spot Sketch to close for good (07.01.14)
Starbucks plans to open 4th Berkeley store after all (05.14.14)
Bites: What’s new in East Bay food, XL (12.06.13)
Eat the Street: Invention, tradition at Caffe Strada (11.04.13)
Want to keep up-to-date on all the food, drink and restaurant news in the East Bay? On October 2, Nosh will launch Nosh Weekly, a free weekly email packed with delicious news. Simply sign up here.


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Today Blizzard added two new Transmog items to the shop, including a full celestial-themed set with unique animations and baby Murloc back pieces.
As always, players were quick to criticize the sets as store items as the vocal minority of players who voice their opinions of the game online are all heavily against store items, and this time they have more of a reason than ever to be against these new items.
Last week patch 9.2 Eternity's End was announced and the return of Tier Sets was one of the biggest features players are looking forward to.
Unfortunately, this new Celestial Observer's Ensemble store Transmog looks better than many of these new Tier Sets and even has unique animations that are not available on any other set in the game, which has angered players.
World Of Warcraft's New Store Transmog Set Looks Better Than New Tier Sets In Eternity's End And Players Aren't Happy
While we still have YouTube dislikes available, we can see by the reaction to the video just by the number of dislikes it has received.
Players have also taken to Reddit and the forums to discuss their displeasure with the new Celestial set looing better than new tier sets.
Players are more so disappointed that despite the lack of content going into the Shadowlands, Blizzard's paid promotion cycle hasn't taken a hit, and more store cosmetics are coming to the game than ever.
It has currently been less than a month since the release of the last store mount to World of Warcraft, which was heavily criticized as well.
The baby Murloc back piece is overshadowed by the celestial set, but as a single back piece, it is not quite as bad but is also only $5 cheaper and a part of the 6-month bundle now.
Many players speculate that the baby Murloc back piece was meant to be a reward from this year's Blizzcon, but since the cancellation has decided to just add it into the game.


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Over the past two years, global package shipping volume has increased by 48 percent, mostly driven by the ongoing growth of ecommerce. While this is good for business, it is also putting a lot of extra strain on courier, delivery and logistics companies. Many of them are looking to adapt for the future, to create more efficient supply chains and deliveries through using technologies of tomorrow. The next few years and decades for the industry could look very different as the following changes may come into play.
The Internet of Things
Nowadays, many devices, vehicles and more include in-built Wi-Fi and sensors, enabling you to turn on your light with an app on your phone, for example. The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to this ability for all sorts of ‘things’ to connect and interact with each other. Combined with the tracking capabilities provided by radio frequency identification (RFID) nd technology, the logistics and delivery industry is becoming far more efficient.
For example, RFID sensors attached to products and the delivery vehicles themselves provide a much more transparent and accurate way of tracking deliveries. This can be great for providing customers with peace of mind but also for transmitting information to delivery workers, monitoring items and informing drivers if there is an issue.
There have been a lot of predictions about driverless cars, with more autonomous technology evident in modern vehicles. Fully driverless vehicles would revolutionize the delivery industry though, cutting labor costs and potentially improving efficiency.
While this will create worry among current delivery drivers, at the moment any autonomous vehicles developed still require a driver to monitor the computer. Plus, when a driverless delivery vehicle arrives at its destination, depending on the size of the delivery it might still need someone to unload the items. This could mean that sending a parcel with TNT will look very different in the future.
The idea of drone deliveries has long been touted as the future of the logistics and delivery industry and it appears that future is nearly here. From being worth $40 million in 2012 to $1 billion in 2017, the drone industry has grown massively and there have already been various trials.
Issues still stand, such as regulation and privacy, with the routes drones need to take to make deliveries. Yet for logistics and delivery firms, the use of drones, especially for last-mile deliveries, is a highly cost-effective, faster and more environmentally friendly solution. Linked with developing IoT, it’s not inconceivable that drones could locate buyers based on their smartphone location, while being used for stock checks in warehouses.
Creating 3D objects from a digital image has evolved to the point where the most advanced machines can manufacture car parts, medical equipment and more. In time these 3D printers should become cheaper and faster, paving the way for improvements to the logistics and delivery industry.
Within supply chains there can often be issues such as breakdowns of machinery and vehicles. Ordering replacement parts typically requires a few days or weeks for delivery, but with a 3D printer it should become possible to simply create these at the nearest 3D printing facility. This would reduce shipping times and costs.
One way that the logistics and delivery industry is already changing is in terms of customer service. No longer is calling up the courier the first action if customers have a problem; instead, the majority will head straight to social media. Most businesses have their own Facebook and Twitter pages, where they can address consumers’ concerns. As social media develops, it’s important for businesses to keep up with the changing industry.
The operation of logistics and delivery companies will experience a technology-heavy revolution in the coming years, as it strives to make processes faster, more efficient and cost-effective.
Matthew Grahams is freelance journalist with a strong interest in the world of technology and finance.


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Tesla has announced the launch of the Spring 2023 Supercharger Voting season.
The Tesla Supercharger Voting initiative allows the electric vehicle maker to “crowdsource” its next Supercharger locations through a community voting program. Those with Tesla Accounts, regardless of whether they currently own a Tesla vehicle or not, are allowed to vote on Supercharger locations.
Tesla announced the Spring 2023 Supercharger Voting round on its official Twitter account.
The idea of Tesla Supercharger Voting was suggested during the Cyber Rodeo last year. During the meeting, Tesla CEO Elon Musk noted that Tesla Superchargers are being built in locations with the greatest need. Musk then pondered if it would be better to conduct an online poll about the Supercharger Network’s next locations.
By October 2022, the Supercharger Voting program was launched, with the company urging those with Tesla accounts to cast their votes. And by December, Tesla announced new Supercharger locations in North America, Europe, and Asia that received the most votes from the program. The winners of the round were announced in early December.
A look at Tesla’s Supercharger Voting page shows the current leaderboard for the Spring 2023 round. These would likely change, of course, since the Spring 2023 Supercharger has just started. Following is the current leaderboard for the present voting round.
- Starbase, TX
- Cherokee, North Carolina
- Ames, Iowa
- Ave Maria, Florida
- Grand Marais, Minnesota
- Griffin, Georgia
- Snellville, Georgia
- Yeongdeok-gun, South Korea
- Yeongju, South Korea
- Gimhae, South Korea
- Ansan, South Korea
- Uijeongbu, South Korea
Those who wish to participate in the Spring 2023 Supercharger Voting season can click here.


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Mounir Gwarzo, The director general of Nigeria’s Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), said earlier this week that crowdfunding for businesses and startup is not possible in Nigeria for now because Nigerian Companies and Allied Matters Act (1990) and Investment and Securities Act (2007), which regulate the formation and operation of companies as well as the sale of securities to the public, make no provisions for crowdfunding for businesses
Crowdfunding is the use of small amounts of capital from a large number of individuals to finance a new business venture using easy accessibility of vast networks of people through social media and crowdfunding websites to bring investors and entrepreneurs together.
That announcement is a big blow to businesses, especially startups in Nigeria who local banks are reluctant to lend money to for business because of high risk
According to Gwarzo “We are aware of the growing interests among Nigerians to use Crowdfunding to raise funds. However, that cannot materialise now given the legal challenges as a result of the provisions in CAMA and ISA. But we are looking for ways to go about it so that companies will enjoy the benefits of Crowdfunding in the country as well,”
For many busineses and startups in Africa’s largest economy, that cannot happen quickly enough.so for now founders must dig into their own pockets to get their business running


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Internet was not everyone’s cup of tea nearly 5-6 years ago. Because it was very expensive. Today, we all use the internet on our smartphones and also have good data to use. Let us go into the depth of Reliance Jio success story.
I wrote this article in December 2018 and editing right now on 17th April 2020, because the whole country is in lockdown right now. It has been more than 23 days and without the internet, it would be difficult for us to survive this lockdown.
Hence, this article will help you to understand how Reliance Jio has disrupted the whole telecom industry. Enjoy reading…
India may not have the highest internet users in the world yet. But, the country will definitely reach number 1 rank by 2028 and even before 2028 because the growth is exponential.
Let’s understand Mukesh Ambani‘s brilliant strategy for Reliance Jio.
As a great business person, he knew that after 30 to 40 years, petroleum is not a good source to sustain the business. Also, his two sons Akash Ambani and Anant Ambani were ready to take the business.
Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited was registered in 2010. The company spent nearly 4 years to spread network in the country.
Other big companies like Airtel, Vodafone and Idea knew that Reliance Industries was planning to enter in the telecom sector. But, all these companies ignored this fact.
Today, we can see Vodafone and Idea both are merger company. Both the companies are in a big loss. Voda Idea limited is making losses of thousands of crores and losing millions of consumers.
Airtel is the only company which is fighting against the data war with Reliance Jio.
Reliance Industries has used a unique business strategy that is already done by many big companies such as Google.
This strategy is called as ‘Give, Give, Give and ASK’.
I came to know about this strategy when I read the book “Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook” by Gary Vaynerchuk in 2017.
Reliance Jio was launched by providing free internet 4 Gb/day. After 3 to 4 months the company reduced the data to 3 Gb. Soon after, it was 2 Gb/day. And after 1.5 years of testing purpose, the company provided 1 Gb/day.
Besides, they were providing free internet and India is a price-sensitive market. That’s why they able to create a very large consumer base before officially launching the company Reliance Jio Pvt. Ltd.
The company gave free internet to the country. Now, it was time for the company to start making revenue. The company started with 300 rs for 84 days. And 1 Gb data per day.
Telecom giant Reliance Jio infocomm ltd. was providing free voice calling to any local number. This was also the biggest move to capture the large market.
It was still better deal rather than any other telecommunication company in India.
Still, you can see the growth of Reliance Industries. It is only because of Jio. They also started providing Jio mags, Jio music, Jio cinema, Jio TV and many more.
That’s why people prefer to use Reliance Jio sim-card as secondary card.
That’s how ‘Give, Give, Give and ASK’ strategy worked for Reliance Jio.
According to the economic times, Mukesh Ambani had invested nearly 150,000 crores before the starting of the company.
Recently, Jio has crossed 360 million users. And by the end of 2025, the company is expecting to get 500 million users.
It looks like there will only two telecom companies in India: Reliance Jio and Airtel.
The demand is the internet will continue to rise as millions of people from rural areas have been shifting from using the feature phones to smartphones.
In the next 10 years, we will see how Reliance will dominate the whole internet market.
If you find this article useful, then let me know in the comment area. Share if you find something informative.
Subscribe to Itsfacile for daily updates.
According to Statista, the United States of America spent $778 billion, China $252 billion, India…
All the articles are written by Anuj Vohra


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A once profitable business venture between producer T–Pain and Antares Technologies has ended in a lawsuit over the rapper/producer's association with the company's popular “Autotune” affect.
The rapper, who used to officially endorse Antares' auto-tune effect, ended his deal with the company in June and formed a new company with Izotope, to promote his own line of "T-Pain" audio effects called "The T-Pain Effect."
Yesterday (July 25th), T-Pain filed a lawsuit in United States District Court of Northern District of California, claiming that Antares continues to use his image and likeness in advertisements, packaging and marketing materials for Antares' rival products.
T-Pain, born Faheem Najm, claims that the audio company has also licensed his name and image to third parties to endorse their own products, without his permission.
T-Pain claims Antares is also marketing a competing "Autotune" product, using is image and likeness.
According to the lawsuit, the confusion in the marketplace could substantially damage sales for his upcoming products, including a new piece of technology being produced called the “I Am T-Pain Mic."
In addition to at least $1 million in damages, T-Pain is seeking an injunction prohibiting Antares from using his name image, likeness, photograph, voice or anything else connecting him to Antares' competing "Autotune" products.
T-Pain is also seeking a full accounting of all sales related to Antares infringing products.


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King Koil has promoted Geri Frank to the newly created position of manager of marketing services, announced Chris Henning, company executive vice president of sales and marketing.
In her new post, Frank will report to Henning and will primarily serve as a liaison between King Koil’s suppliers and the company’s licensees. She also will assist in producing point-of-sale materials and ensure ongoing communications between sales executives in the field and at the corporate office.
“Geri has a lot of industry experience and knows our company very well,” Henning said. “We’re very pleased to promote her into this new post and fortunate to have her on our team.”
An 18-year mattress industry veteran, Frank first joined King Koil in 2010 as a national accounts sales administrator. She was promoted to sales and marketing coordinator in January, 2013.
Before her years with King Koil, Frank, a Chicago native, worked from 2003-10 as a purchasing manager for the Englander Company in Chicago and as a production manager for the former Spring Air-Chicago facility from 1996-03.
For more information, visit www.kingkoil.com.
About King Koil: A global bedding producer, King Koil is among the country’s Top 10 manufacturers and maintains an international licensing group that serves 80 countries. The company’s mission is focused on innovating and marketing meaningful sleep solutions and bedding brands, which today include World Luxury™, Sleep Couture™, iMattress™, Natural Response®, Laura Ashley® and Extended Life™. Many King Koil beds are available in the company’s patented Flare™ size option that provides consumers with substantially more sleep space while differentiating retailers who floor the innovation.


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Merrill Lynch last year put the total purchasing power of U.S. women at $5 trillion. Globally, women’s buying power will skyrocket to $18 trillion by 2018, from $13 trillion in 2013. By 2018, women’s purchasing power globally will hit $18 trillion from $13 trillion in 2013, and by 2028, women will control nearly three-quarters of all discretionary spending world-wide, the Boston Consulting Group says.
Tell that to the VCs on Sand Hill Road. Bring beer – guys tend to like it. And if you happen to have an idea for a sure-fire new “smart” trout lure, heck, bring that, too.
Only 6% of U.S. venture capital firms have female partners, according to Babson College’s Diana Project. And as one Harvard Business School MBA found out, that imbalance, combined with basic gender differences, can pose a problem for an entrepreneur seeking money from men for a startup selling to women.
Katrina Lake is the founder and CEO of Stitch Fix, a tech-driven online clothes styling and sales platform, and the 16th most highly funded MBA startup in Poets&Quants’ 2016 ranking. Lake started the e-commerce company in 2010, during the second year of her Harvard MBA program. Her San Francisco company has now received a reported $46.75 million in equity funding, and just moved into what will be five floors of new offices in downtown San Francisco.
GONE FISHING WITH THE WRONG BAIT
In 2013, in the period between seed funding and a $12 million Series B round, Lake ran into a little-discussed rampart of the Silicon Valley gender barrier. “There were definitely times when it was quite hard to fundraise,” says Lake, 33, who is one of only a handful of women in the Poets&Quants top 100 MBA startups ranking. “At the end of the day a venture investor wants to be passionate about the business they’re working on, and wants to add value. If I were a venture investor, I wouldn’t be interested in hunting or fishing or computer gaming.”
To be sure, other concerns kept potential investors’ wallets shut. Stitch Fix ships to its clients – after the women have sent in their size, clothing needs, and style preferences to a stylist via the Internet – five items of clothing at a time, any or all of which the customers can keep and pay for or send back for free. So the company must carry inventory – buying wholesale, selling retail. “Not a lot of investors are excited about using funds to buy things,” Lake says.
Still, she says, she never lost faith in Stitch Fix’s success. Even early on, when customer service was “imperfect,” customers kept coming back, she says. “I could always see that this business model works.”
Stitch Fix says it does not reveal how much funding it has received since series A and B rounds totaling $16.75 million. BloombergBusiness reported in April 2015 that Stitch Fix received $30 million in VC funding in the fall of 2014. When presented with the $46.75 million figure for total funding, a company spokeswoman did not dispute it.
In any case, major blocks of funding helped confirm Lake’s belief in her startup. “The fact that a well-known, smart investor is willing to make a high-risk gamble on you is validating, and I think a sign that you’re onto something,” she says.
Comments or questions about this article? Email us.


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Since he presented the SS18 collection at Helmut Lang, things have been relatively quiet with designer Shayne Oliver. He skipped the AW18 show at NYFW and has put his own brand, Hood By Air, on a brief hiatus while acting as guest designer at the revived iteration of the iconic brand. Now, it has been announced that Oliver is designing a capsule for Diesel.
While the mainline doesn’t currently have a creative director – after the exit of Nicola Formichetti at the end of last year – brand founder Renzo Rosso created the Red Tag Project as a three-part series, enlisting designers to come and create one-off capsule collections.
“This capsule is really the language of Renzo, the brand founder. Refined razor-sharp denim aesthetics that devours the excesses of trendiness,” Oliver told WWD. Little is known about what the collection will entail, other than it will be made up of ten looks and will reinterpret denim – something the label is known for.
The best part about the news is that you won’t have long to wait: the collection will debut at Paris Fashion Week on March 3. There will even be a special performance in addition to the collection. Keep an eye out for more details.


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Volkswagen’s design head Klaus Bischoff has said that the company is using Apple’s approach to guide future electric car designs beyond the I.D. concept seen above.
Bischoff said that there was a purity, clarity and significance to Apple’s designs …
Reuters reports the remarks in what appears to have been a brief interview.
We are currently redefining the Volkswagen values for the age of electrification. What’s at stake is to be as significant, purist and clear as possible and also to visualize a completely new architecture.
We should find out what this means when VW unveils what it describes as ‘early guidance’ on its EV design direction at the Geneva auto show on March 5-7.
Reuters’ Andreas Cremer notes that VW has so far lagged behind other manufacturers in its electric vehicle endeavors, but tighter emissions regulations in both Europe and China have forced the company’s hand.
VW has pledged 34 billion euros ($42.45 billion) of investment in EVs, self-driving technology and digital mobility businesses across the group by 2022.
The core namesake brand alone will spend 6 billion euros on a new modular platform dubbed MEB designed to underpin over 20 purely battery-powered models such as the I.D. hatchback, I.D. Crozz crossover and the I.D. Buzz microbus.
Bischoff said that right now was the most exciting point in his 25-year history at VW.
In the past everything was very centralized, very narrow boundaries were set on the road of success. Today is the most exciting time of my career because I‘m allowed to do things that didn’t use to exist that way.
Volkswagen has previously shown an electric VW Bus concept which used an iPad as an infotainment center, supposedly entering production in 2022. The company recently said that it plans to make 1,500 electric cars a day at a major production hub in Saxony, Germany.
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There has been something of an Irish food renaissance in London.
Modern chefs, taking equal inspiration from traditional Irish food and innovative global trends, are making their presence felt. Many have emigrated to the capital in recent years, opting to seek new opportunities and stake their claims as culinary torchbearers overseas.
New cutting edge establishments run by Irish people are springing up across the boroughs and Michelin star restaurants are being helmed by Irish chefs.
There’s a general sense that Irish fingerprints are smudged all over the city’s food scene across a wide variety of pubs, gastropubs, restaurants, hotels and eateries. There is now a hotbed of exceptional Irish chefs and food entrepreneurs, who often go unheralded. Four years ago, a pair of London-Irish siblings in London decided it was high time there was some form of recognition of the city’s many Irish hospitality talents.
“We wanted to celebrate our own heritage through shining a light on all the passionate people from Ireland who work in London’s restaurants, pubs and bars,” says co-founder Catherine Hanly of food website Hot Dinners, who created the list with her brother Gavin.
The list has grown exponentially since then: they now feature food writers, front of house personnel, line workers in kitchens, and even restaurant world promoters.
In the run-up to St Patrick’s Day, they have presented the fourth annual Murphia List, a celebration of the most influential Irish people on London’s food and drink scene.
This year’s list covers everyone from chefs and restaurateurs to food producers and writers – 50 influential Irish people in total – whose work is key to the restaurant scene in London.
“As second-generation Irish, my brother Gavin and I decided a few years back to bring together in a single list all the Irish people we’d met over the years of covering this city’s hospitality industry,” Catherine says.
“It feels even more pertinent this year, as we approach the Brexit deadline, to be talking about the huge contribution our fellow Europeans make to the food and drink scene here in the UK.”
In 2018, a Co Antrim-born restaurateur working in London was judged the best female chef in the world. Clare Smyth, 39, who owns Core in Notting Hill, won the Elit Vodka World’s Best Female Chef Award.
She is listed among many other chefs this year. In the chefs category, the competition is stiff. They include Kevin Burke, Head Chef at Michelin Star-brandishing The Ninth; Kerryman Kenneth Culhane, Head Chef at The Dysart in Richmond, who has worked in Sydney, New York and Dublin; the 29-year-old Niall Davidson, the Chef Patron at Nuala, who uses and is inspired by Irish produce; and Shauna Froydenlund, Chef Patron at Marcus.
This year, Sinead Campbell, originally from Co Mayo, is among five new additions in the restaurateur category. Campbell and her partner Lee Johnson secured £350,000 funding from Charlie McVeigh of the Draft House pub group, to expand their BBQ Dreamz Filipino street food concept.
Mark and Alan Wogan, sons of the late BBC broadcaster Terry, together with Ry Jessup, run the Homeslice pizza group which has six London outlets. Mark was previously executive chef at The Groucho private members’ club, and his brother and co-director Alan runs the business side of their joint venture.
There are four new additions to the chefs’ listing, led by Anna Haugh from Tallaght, whose Myrtle restaurant, named in honour of Myrtle Allen, is due to open in Chelsea early next month. Haugh intends to import and showcase Irish produce in the restaurant – her first as an owner – and describes her cooking as “modern European, with a focus on French technique”.
There are two new additions from the drinks industry. Aaron Wall and Ciarán Smith opened their Irish cocktail bar, Homeboy, in Islington last December. Wall is a former Bacardi brand ambassador and Smith is a graduate of the hotel industry, having worked at the Shelbourne in Dublin, the Waldorf Astoria in New York and the Dorchester in London. Unusually, the pub contains not a hidden bar, but a smaller, hidden pub. London’s smallest Irish pub this – Liam’s Bar – is located within Homeboy and is said to boast one of the finest Guinnesses in the city.
Another innovator, Gearoid Devane, is one of only 220 Master Sommeliers in London and the only one who is Irish. The Belfast man is a wine importer, restaurateur and recently opened Trade Soho, a members’ club for hospitality industry.
There are three people named as “ones to watch” and they are Dave Ahern, a chef now working on a line of food products called Gastro Punk; Matthew Carter-Burwell, who is senior group press manager at Caprice Holdings, and Stephen McGonigle, a mixologist working at Head & Tails bar in West Hampstead.
Well-established names on the list include chef and restaurateur Richard Corrigan, whose PR executive daughter Jessica also makes the list in the media category; food writer Diana Henry, and Great British Menu judge Oliver Peyton, who is chief executive of Peyton & Byrne.
You might also be interested in this article


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The set-top box saga just got a bit juicier. Or is it really a dongle saga now?
According to a report by TechCrunch, Amazon (like Google and Roku before it) is allegedly pursuing the dongle/flash drive-style form factor for what was, until now, thought to be a forthcoming set-top box. Also explored in TechCrunch’s report (which cites anonymous sources “familiar with the device”) is the possibility of full PC/Mac game-streaming support coming standard on the device, a blurb that should connect some dots for those following the Amazon set-top box thread closely — last week the alleged photo of a game controller that Amazon might be planning to bundle in with its box/dongle began surfacing on the Web.
Like Steam and other services such as the lesser-known Desura, Amazon already sells digital download copies of PC and Mac game titles directly from its site, so it’s not too much of a stretch to theorize that Amazon might be trying to compete for more than just living room dominance — the colossal company could be aiming at the desktop realm, too.
According to one of TechCrunch’s unnamed sources, the streaming games would likely resemble something along the lines of OnLive (which botched its entry into the game-streaming game), with the titles streaming via Amazon’s services at 30 frames per second — a feat not out of reach as Amazon already has massive server farms that sit behind the scenes of its cloud and digital content services.
Looking closely at all of the different elements that Amazon has simmering in its cauldron, one can begin to see a Google-esque kind of all-encompassing service stretching across a variety of platforms and media: Amazon MP3 (and its potential blending into the Prime service), films and shows via Amazon Instant Video (and its exclusive original content), eBooks and the Kindle Fire, and now a new TV dongle (with third-party app compatibility), plus PC and console gaming — not to mention the tiered access Amazon could implement through Prime membership to generate even more cash.
If executed correctly, Amazon could be giving more than just Google and Netflix a run for their money.
- Chromecast with Google TV vs. Roku Streaming Stick 4K vs. Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K
- Report: Facebook plans to invade your TV screen with its new video app
- Got DISH? Now you have Netflix, too; streaming app comes to set-top boxes today
- Amazon’s set-top Apple TV competitor looks primed for an April 2 launch
- Amazon set-top box to include third party apps for Netflix, Hulu Plus


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A focus on developing patents and innovating new products means Limerick-based company Suparule Systems sells to over 30 countries worldwide.
LIMERICK-BASED company Suparule Systems has been involved in the development of major electrical infrastructure projects throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East over the past 23 years. It specialises in the development, manufacture and supply of electronic test and measurement instruments for technical personnel in the utility, industrial, construction and commercial sectors.
“Our start-up focus was heavily based on product research and development (R&D). As a result of our extensive R&D programme, Suparule Systems is now a leading innovator and manufacturer within the electrical utility market,” says business development director, BarryO’Donoghue.
“The majority of our products are sold through a global distribution network,which now services over 30countriesworldwide,to power utility companies. ”
Over the past 12 years Suparule has developed a variety of unique patented technologies based on the measurement of the magnetic and electric fields generated from a current-carrying conductor.
“The unique advantage of the technologies is that measurement is donen on-invasively and the sensor rejects interference from other external fields.The solutions are achieved at a significantly lower cost,with higher accuracy levels than conventional solutions,” O’Donoghue explains.
The Suparule technologies are made available to potential partners to promote the patented technologies into new and existing industrial applications. This is done through licensing and partnership deals to a variety of international companies such as Tyco Electronics, LEM Group and Megger.
Suparule is the world leader when it comes to hand-held ultrasonic measurement, according to O’Donoghue.
Its product, the Cable Height Meter, is a hand-held meter for measurement of cable sag, cable height, and overhead clearance and is a safe alternative to telescopic ranging sticks. It uses ultrasonic signals to determine the height of overhead cables up to 23metres high.
Suparule has also developed cable fault indicators to detect earth faults and short circuit faults on underground cables.
“Over the past eight years the firm has been successfully selling these underground fault indicators to the Middle East and South Africa and is now a major provider to these marketplaces,” says O’Donoghue.
Suparule is currently conducting a feasibility study with the aid of Enterprise Ireland focused on its next-generation range of products based around smart grid technology.


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Sorin Group acquires CalMed for $14M
Sorin Group, a global medical device company with a focus on cardiovascular diseases, has acquired California Medical Laboratories (CalMed), a manufacturer of high quality cardiovascular cannulae, for $14 million.
The acquisition represents an ideal complement to Sorin existing cannulae offering and to the recent acquisition of the Estech minimally invasive cannulae product line.
“We believe that building on CalMed’s rich product offering and pipeline and leveraging on Sorin’s global sales network will drive to a significant adoption of these products by cardiac surgeons worldwide,” said Mehmet Bicakci, President and CEO of CalMed.
CalMed develops, manufactures and distributes a complete range of cannulae, catheters and accessories for cardiac surgery. Available in more than 45 countries worldwide, CalMed products are approved by the FDA and are CE marked for commercialization in the E.U. In the 2011 FY, CalMed reported revenues of almost $8 million.
“This deal confirms Sorin Group’s commitment to further strengthen our presence in the cannulae segment and consolidate our relationship with cardiac surgeons and clinical perfusionists worldwide,” said Michel Darnaud, president of cardiopulmonary business unit and intercontinental, Sorin Group.
Sorin will continue to develop new products and make selective, strategic acquisitions to enhance its worldwide leadership position in the cardiopulmonary business.


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Wholesale experts TWC Group, in partnership with food-to-go and out-of-home tracking programme MealTrak, reports the latest food-to-go market performance to 12 w/e 26 December 2022.
Latest MealTrak results show the number of out-of-home eating occasions were +10% higher than the comparable period in 2021 on a 52 week/MAT basis.
However, in the latest 12 weeks, the number of out-of-home eating occasions fell by -5% vs. the equivalent period in 2021.
In the last 12 weeks, occasions in the ‘eating out’ channel (comprising pubs, restaurants and hotels) declined by -6% vs. the previous year. Pubs continued to outperform (+3%), whilst restaurants (-10%) and hotels (-20%) were in decline.
Sandwich shops (-10%), coffee shops & cafes (-8%), fast food & takeaway (-17%), high street (-59%) and transportation (-43%) are all in decline.
The multiples (+18%) and the discounters (+19%), with their more affordable food-to-go offer, remain the clear winners. Forecourts are also performing well (+21%), although convenience stores are in decline (-16%).
Value sales are up +24% on a 52 week/MAT but have declined by -2% on a 12-week ending basis versus 2021. The decline in the last 12 weeks is surprising given the current high inflation (Consumer Prices Index was 10.5% in December, source: ONS)
Commenting on the results, Tom Fender, Development Director at TWC, said:
“For the 12-week ending period to 26 December 2022, we saw eating out occasions fall by -5% vs. the same period in 2021, a continuation of the trend of falling occasions that we have been reporting over the last couple of months. What is however a surprise is that value in the latest 12 weeks has also fallen into negative territory, against a backdrop of rising prices, with the ONS Consumer Prices Index at 10.5% in December 2022.”
“From our data on consumers’ needs and missions, we know that for some time ‘something inexpensive’ has been a key growth driver, and this is also reflected in the outlets which are performing most strongly: the multiple grocers and the discounters. In these outlets, it’s possible to buy a food-to-go meal deal for under £4, in many cases less than this time last year, as retailers including Tesco and Co-op have introduced reduced prices for loyalty card holders.”
“With the cost of doing business sharply increasing, we must consider how sustainable these promotions are, and certainly it makes it hard for independent outlets to compete on price alone. With consumers also prioritising quick and easy solutions and ‘something sweet’, these could be other levers to pull.”
Mealtrak is a vast data source so if you would like to know more of the detail behind these headlines, please contact Tom Fender at TWC (Tom@twcgroup.net) for more information.


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Dairy-Tech: Revolutionizing the Indian Dairy Industry
With over 90 million dairy farmers, the Indian dairy market achieved an annual output of 198.40 million tons during 2019-20 compared to 187.75 million tons in 2018-19, recording a growth rate of 5.68%. This was contributed by the rise in dairy cattle numbers and improved feed and fodder availability. Despite being the largest producer and consumer of milk, India’s per capita dairy consumption levels are significantly lower than in developed countries. India is neither an active importer nor an active exporter in the Milk sector.
How is technology changing the dairy industry?
At Farm Level:
The dairy sector’s primary constraint is the low productivity across dominant species of dairy animals- cows and buffaloes. The population of high-yielding cross-bred animals has seen slow growth in India, contributing only 28% of the total milk production, with the rest being contributed by the indigenous breeds. Apart from productivity challenges, animal health monitoring, lack of quality fodder and feed, and limited market access, have been critical bottlenecks in the dairy sector. Precision dairy farming has been introduced to maximize animal performance and early detection of diseases in cows. In 2018, the Karnataka government implanted GPS-enabled digital chips to the ears of 56 lakh animals across the state to track their health and early diagnosis of any medical condition. Cattle monitoring via AI-based solutions is still in its infancy in India, with only a few companies providing this service. Stellapps Technologies is digitalizing and enabling supply chain traceability for dairy companies by developing a wearable technology that helps in efficient herd management. Companies such as Allflex and GEA are offering RFID tags for cattle management in India. Ag-tech start-ups like Brainwired and VetWare have developed herd management applications for better cattle record keeping.
Collection and Procurement:
Over the years, reports and surveys by FSSAI have shown high levels of adulteration and contamination in milk. More than 5% of the milk tested by FSSAI in 2019 was reported to be contaminated with Aflatoxin M1 residues and deemed unfit for human consumption. Cases of intentional adulteration of milk to increase the volume by using water, increasing thickness through adulterants like glucose, starch, and paint, have also been reported widely in the country. Rapid milk quality testing kits have been recently approved by FSSAI, which can help curb these instances at the procurement level and monitor and maintain the quality of milk for processing and further value addition. The FSSAI approved kits for detecting aflatoxins, antibiotics, and microbial contaminants in dairy are supplied by players such as Unisensor, 3M India Ltd, Jupiter GlassWorks, Delmos Research Ltd., etc. Apart from testing at the collection centres, at-home testing kits have also been developed by companies like Biosyl Technologies and VeriPure for customer reassurance.
With the increase in the complexity of the dairy supply chain system, consumers know very little about the products produced or processed by producers or processors. Such information asymmetry present in the dairy industry has serious concern over human health, environmental sustainability, and welfare issues. There is a need to improve the communication between the supply chain players to enhance coordination and maintain traceability. Blockchain adoption in dairy can provide complete transparency in the end-to-end order and delivery process, thereby increasing adherence to regulatory norms and decreasing the instances of adulteration. This system can be used in tracing food information, including farm operations conducted and support in building a trust level among the various stakeholders. Reliable tracking of every batch in the milk value chain can help establish traceability, identify the defective products and discard the batches that have been impacted.
Processing and Transportation:
Although the dairy industry is not an energy-intensive sector, higher energy needs are requisite in the proper storage and transportation of milk. Remote regions with many dairy farms do not have adequate electricity to power cold chain facilities, leading to loss.
Dairy farms in remote locations with poor grid connectivity are at a severe disadvantage and face loss in quality and economic terms. According to ASSOCHAM estimates, about 3% of the milk produced gets wasted annually. A diesel generator for power backup is the current option for village-level chilling, which is expensive, less eco-friendly, and needs regular maintenance. Alternatives such as thermal energy-based storage and chilling systems by players such as Promethean Power Systems and Ecogen Energy can address the needs of dairy farms in off-grid locations. With thermal energy-based cold storage being a more cost-effective replacement for diesel-generator backup, collection centres and dairy processors are assured of better quality and volumes of milk and lower operational costs.
The dairy industry has a large carbon footprint during milk processing from the farm to the retail supply chain. Water consumption during milk production and processing is also high, which can be controlled through sustainable solutions. Wastewater treatment in the dairy industry in India is done in three phases through filtration systems, effluent treatment systems, and aerobic treatment. These methods require more efficiency with the increased production capacities. The introduction of cloud-based technologies can help the dairy industry reach maximum efficiency and reduce water consumption through smart monitoring and real-time water usage tracking. Fluxgen Engineering Technologies, a Bangalore-based start-up, uses IoT and AI to help manage and regulate water usage in food processing and manufacturing plants, can use efforts to increase efficiency in such processes through digitization. Their AquaGen system helps in real-time productivity and water consumption monitoring, which has reduced water usage by 15%, translating to monetary savings for a dairy farm in Puducherry.
There is a broad scope to improve and increase the processing capacity of industries and direct a more significant share of milk and milk products through the formal channel. With the shift towards convenience products, there is a need for advancements in the processing and packaging of milk products. Appropriate R&D interventions and newer developments in the dairy processing area, focusing on novel aspects of emerging technologies, can help alleviate the quality of these products in the domestic and international markets. India’s low share of dairy exports globally (0.36%) can be increased with increasing processing capacity of products that hold potential in the global market, such as cheese, skim milk powder, whole milk powder, and butter, and improving quality capable of meeting international requirements.
Retail and Distribution:
Keeping track of trucks and tanker routes and capabilities for viewing, monitoring, and payment based on route or distance has been complex in a largely unorganized market in India. The Kerala state government is implementing a project to leverage blockchain technology to streamline the state’s milk, fish, and vegetable purchase and distribution. The project aims to ensure speedy delivery of high-quality milk by continuously monitoring production, procurement, and distribution through an electronic ledger.
A fault in the proper transfer of dairy items by such companies leads to spoilage of products due to the perishable nature of these food commodities. Integration of the internet of things with the Blockchain platform helps gather the information needed during the transfer of goods from one place to another to be easily traced.
RFID tags and mobile applications are being used to monitor the movement of trucks and refrigerated tanks to make sure they adhere to fixed parameters like the temperature in which the products are to be kept to maintain the quality of the products. Indian dairy-tech start-up Mr. Milkman is a last-mile dairy supply chain SaaS platform that enables dairy food product companies to efficiently manage multiple aspects of dairy distribution, supply chain, customer subscriptions, and delivery requests.
With dairy-tech start-ups entering the space and bridging the gaps in cattle management and the supply chain, the scenario is changing. There is a need for investment in technology to keep up with the changing consumer needs for transparency, traceability, and quality assurance. The future of the Indian dairy sector appears bright, as digitalization is expected to usher in a new era of growth.
Associate Consultant – Food Processing and Retail practice
Connect with Author at: E-mail firstname.lastname@example.org


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AT&T's WarnerMedia may debut new episodes of popular shows on its upcoming streaming service, right before they hit cable. Sources told The Information that WarnerMedia wants to prioritize its streaming service going forward. Given the shift in media consumption towards streaming platforms, it's likely a strategic move on Warner's part. WarnerMedia did not respond to Engadget's request for confirmation of the news.
WarnerMedia, which owns HBO, TNT, TBS, CNN, Adult Swim and other channels, plans to launch its streaming service in 2020, with a beta version scheduled for later this year. It's unclear which shows will get a streaming debut. The vast number of shows that now fall under WarnerMedia's umbrella include TBS's The Detour and Search Party, as well as Adult Swim's Rick and Morty.
With its new streaming service, Warner is facing some stiff competition from the likes of Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime as well as Disney's upcoming streaming service. With Game of Thrones and Veep wrapping up this year, Warner's HBO will be losing two of its biggest hits. Adding perks -- such as the chance to see shows before they air on cable -- may get more viewers on board with the streaming service.


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News of SMS (text) phishing scams are nothing new to readers of this blog. ESET researcher Cameron Camp recently wrote an article explaining how they work and how to avoid them here on ESET’s Threat Blog: SMSmishing (SMS Text Phishing) – how to spot and avoid scams, And just before Valentine’s Day, my colleague Stephen
With the recent announcements of password breaches at LinkedIn, and warnings from Google about state-sponsored attacks on Gmail accounts, it seems like a good idea now to review some password security basics. In this blog post, we’re going to take a look at a rather low-tech solution to a decidedly high-tech problem: How to guard
Day two of the show, and we ask vendors and participants what the pain points are for Small and Medium Businesses (SMB), especially in the category from 25 to 250 member organizations, even narrowing that to 100 employees or less. It seems this sector is largely missed by the large vendors on the show floor
Computer security is not created, nor is it improved, by calling people stupid. That's the conclusion I have arrived at after more than two decades in computer security and auditing. To put it another way, we should stop dropping the "S" bomb, especially when it comes to people who don't know any better. Consider the
So you browse your favorite restaurant review site and settle on a great Mediterranean restaurant, and “magically” a variety of preferences get fed back to your Facebook profile, to be shared, re-shared and re-shared, ricocheting around the internet to form purportedly value-added experiences elsewhere you visit. That’s great news if you want your preferences bounced
Do you know what your children are doing online, and do they know the risks out there?
Awhile back we noted a case where Ramona Fricosu, a woman accused of involvement in a mortgage scam, was asked, following a law enforcement raid in which her laptop was seized, to decrypt data on the device for use as evidence, potentially incriminating her. She pleaded the 5th Amendment protection against self-incrimination and refused to
In an escalation of the tendency to require companies to be forthright with their users following a breach, a European Union proposed bill intended to overhaul a 17-year old law is making progress. This week EU will outline the overhaul to the existing rules, hoping to encourage more expedient communication efforts following a breach, in
We've noted the often staggering fees associated with a credit card breach, normally accompanied by a slew of bad press. We've seen Stratfor, in light of their recent hack, dealing with public exposure issues due, in part, to unencrypted payment card information (for which, to their credt, they’ve publicly apologized for). Now we see a
Okay, you got the wrapping paper off the new tablet hotness, fired it up and now cannot put it down. But what should you be doing in the New Year to properly feed, protect, and care for your newly found addiction? Well here are some of the basics – things that are easy to do
You just got a new wireless router for Christmas, but when you set it up it asks about wireless security. Do you want WEP, WPA, WPA2 or any of the other alphabet soup options they give? While it’s easiest to just pick the default setting, are you setting yourself up for trouble from aspiring hackers?
Recently we noted that unencrypted credit card storage was on the rise in 2011, and also highlighted the expense involved to the company in the event of a credit card breach. Now we see personal data – including unencrypted credit card information – being paraded out as a part of the recent Stratfor hack. Also,
Ransomware, the practice of providing fake notifications that “you’re infected” and then selling a fake solution that removes the fake malware they just installed, has been a boon for scammers. Now, they’re taking it a step farther, throwing in a law enforcement scare. In this latest scam, an official-looking banner appears on infected machines, purporting
We’ve noted recently that many companies store credit card information in an unencrypted form, sometimes several years' worth. So what happens if your systems get hacked before you get around to securing that credit card data? Sure, there’s the embarrassment of telling your customers their data has been exposed–a legal requirement in more than 40
More websites stored unencrypted credit card payment information than ever this year, according to a recent report. I thought we had this figured out? Obviously this is a direct violation of Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) requirements. But seriously, this stuff is simple for the developers to fix, so why don’t they?
In a scathing and far-reaching US Congressional report released recently the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was characterized in these unflattering terms: “Since its inception, TSA has lost its focus on transportation security. Instead, it has grown into an enormous, inflexible and distracted bureaucracy, more concerned with human resource management and consolidating power, and acting reactively
SCADA, a network-enabled setup for controlling infrastructure, is hitting the headlines in force for falling victim to cyber scammers. There have been several incidents of unauthorized access to Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems recently, from guessing simple passwords, to full-on spear phishing attacks against a hardware vendor, which were then used to access
Well, okay, if you happen to be an extremely fast reader. The Association of Anti Virus Asia Researcher’s (AVAR) 14th AVAR Conference just wrapped up in Hong Kong on Friday. This year, the focus was on security issues in and around the emerging Asian security market, and how to rise to the challenge. As one
David Harley is taking part in the keynote session (11.00-12.00 EST) on "APT: Real Threat or Just Hype" at US Infosecurity's Virtual Conference on November 8th.
Citing weaknesses in security controls at 24 major agencies, a new report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) charts the stellar rise in incidents, and tries to highlight what went wrong. Just today my colleague Stephen Cobb also posted a government-related incident in the health care sector. The timeframe of the study, starting in


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We recently published a blog on events app YPlan’s dramatic exit for only £1.6m, 1/26th of its former value. It is becoming increasingly clear, however, that YPlan is far from the only technology company suffering in the current market. An unnamed source, whose company is currently advising three such companies, with a combined pre-money valuation of £75m, contacted Beauhurst directly to divulge that all three companies are insolvent, have rapid cash-burn problems, and are ‘running out of road’ with investors.
YPlan, sold for a fraction of its promised value
Insolvency events beckon these companies, and their likely aggregate values are south of £20m in administration. But whilst disheartening, this update is far from unsurprising: investments in the technology sector have plummeted 20% this quarter – twice as much as the 10% fall seen across the board.
Indeed, in Q3’s edition of The Deal, Beauhurst CEO Toby Austin commented that market saturation is increasingly an issue for technology companies in the UK: “We think we’re getting to the point where the novelty of certain sectors has worn off.”
YPlan and the companies discussed above may, then, simply be victims of circumstance. At Beauhurst, we await the next wave of technological innovation to drive the industry forward.