Makkad G's 10101
1nformation 0n 1ndian 0nline 1ndustry
(Beta…, Beti, Bhai, Behen. Every1's invited!)
Version 02.14
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Hello,
Here's your issue of Makkad G's 10101 for July 16–31, 2008.
Happy Reading!
Makkad G
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Talk of the Town
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MRM scouting for tech savvy interactive agency in India
MRM Worldwide, the digital arm of global advertising agency McCann Worldgroup, is scouting for potential acquisitions and partnerships in India. MRM exists in India as a niche direct marketing function within ad agency McCann Erickson India.
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RailTel to offer broadband internet connection in Kerala
RailTel Corporation, which manages the communication sector of Indian Railways, plans to offer broadband internet connection in Kerala through cable operators who have connectivity across the state.
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YouSendIt raises $14 million in Series C funding
US-based YouSendIt, which enables users to send large files to any email address, has raised $14 million in a Series C round of venture capital financing from new investor Emergence Capital and existing investors Sigma Partners, Alloy Ventures, Sevin Rosen Funds and Cambrian Ventures. The latest round brings YouSendIt's total funding to $34 million.
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Communicate2 plans to increase its headcount to 350 by Mar 2009
Mumbai-based search marketing company Communicate2 is expanding its presence in Pune and plans to increase its headcount to 350 from the current 70 by March 2009. Communicate2 has already opened its offices in Bangalore and Delhi. Global communications group Aegis Media recently acquired a strategic stake in Communicate2.
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Info Edge (Naukri) plans to invest Rs 6.5 crore in Applect Learning Systems
Info Edge India (Naukri.com) is planning to invest Rs 6.5 crore for a 40 per cent stake in Applect Learning Systems. Info Edge has already made investment in Delhi-based education portal StudyPlaces.com
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Ybrant Digital may acquire US-based online marketing firm Media Breakaway
Hyderabad-based digital marketing firm Ybrant Digital is considering to acquire US-based online advertising and direct marketing company Media Breakaway for about $100 million.
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Instablogs raises funding from Indiagames founder Vishal Gondal
Citizen journalism site Instablogs.com has raised funding from Vishal Gondal, founder and CEO of Indiagames. The deal size is pegged at Rs two crore.
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TutorVista raises $18 million from Sequoia Capital, LightSpeed Venture
Online tutoring company TutorVista.com has raised $18 million from Sequoia Capital and LightSpeed Venture Partners to fund its expansion into an online-offline education model. The company is also in talks with strategic investors to raise another $15 million independently.
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Social review site LivingSocial.com raises $5 million VC fund
US-based LivingSocial.com, which started as a set of applications on Facebook and other social networks that let users review movies, books, music, games, restaurants and beers, has raised more than $5 million in Series A funding led by Grotech Ventures and includes a personal investment from Steve and Jean Case.
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Intel Capital to invest $17 million in 3 companies including Yatra, BuzzInTown
Intel Capital, a global investment organisation of Intel Corporation, has decided to invest $17 million (around Rs 70 crore) in three Indian companies including an online travel company Yatra.com and an events-oriented social networking site BuzzInTown.com. The other company which will receive the funding is an out-of-home advertising firm Emnet Samsara Media.
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Digitas launches second agency to focus on southern Indian markets
Global digital marketing solutions consultancy Digitas, which entered India earlier this year with the launch of Solutions Digitas, has launched its second agency called Digitas that would be based in Chennai and would initially focus on the southern Indian markets.
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R K Swamy BBDO plans to launch HR services portal HRDirectionOnline.com
Creative agency R K Swamy BBDO is preparing to launch HRDirectionOnline.com, an online HR services portal that will prepare HR advertisements as well as release them for the client companies. The portal will also help large companies to send a message across their employees.
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Mensxpert.com looking for investment
Mensxpert.com, a lifestyle portal for Indian men, is looking for its first round of investment and is seeking to tie up with media led web initiatives like Firefly eVentures (a part of HT Media), Web18 (of the Network18 group) and the Times Group.
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Bar Council allows lawyers to advertise their services on internet
Bar Council of India, which had earlier prohibited the legal fraternity from advertising their services, has now decided to allow lawyers to advertise their services on internet.
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Facebook disables Scrabulous for US and Canadian users
Social networking site Facebook has disabled Scrabulous, an online word game, for its users in US and Canadian. Facebook has, however, clarified that the decision to block Scrabulous for US and Canadian users was made by the Scrabulous developers.
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LaunchPad-Just Born Online (I just love the Betas!)
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VR Group launches hotels comparison site GhumiChale.com
VR Group India has launched GhumiChale.com, an online hotels comparison site that claims to compare over 900,000 deals across the globe. GhumiChale currently has over two million hotel pictures with maps and 2.4 million reviews.
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Online family tree builder Kindo launches its website in Hindi
UK-based Kindo.com, a family tree builder and photo sharing site, has launched its service in Hindi, one of the top five languages spoken in the world, with over 500 million native speakers, 330 million in India alone.
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Rediff MoneyWiz enables users to track short listed stocks, mutual funds
Rediff.com has added a new feature called My Watch List to its personal finance service Rediff MoneyWiz. The new feature will help users track their short listed stocks and mutual funds.
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Makaan.com unveils Computer Chacha viral campaign
Real estate portal Makaan.com, a part of Anupam Mittal promoted People Interactive, has launched a new viral campaign hosted at ComputerChacha.com. Makaan.com claims that its earlier viral campaign KahaniMeTwist, which was launched in March 2008, attracted 1,54,350 unique visitors over a period of three months.
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Rediffmail allows users to add news feeds from Orkut, Facebook
Rediff.com has introduced a new feature in its email service Rediffmail that will allow users to receive news feeds from social networking sites like Orkut and Facebook without actually having to visit them. The new feature will help users to keep abreast of the activities of their friends and family on various social networking platforms.
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MySpace launches contest for game developers in India, China, Japan, Korea
Social networking site MySpace has launched TheGame08, a Pan-Asian game applications competition that invites game developers from China, Japan, Korea and India to showcase their talents by creating the most innovative gaming application
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Cleartrip launches international flight booking facility
Online travel company Cleartrip.com has launched international flight booking facility that would enable users to search and book for flights from India to any of the world's destinations.
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Ezeego1.com now available in Hindi
Travel site Ezeego1.com has launched its service in Hindi. Ezeego1 hopes that its new initiative will open up large untapped markets especially in the Tier II cities such as Jaipur, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Jullundur, Kanpur, Lucknow, Bhopal and Indore.
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PaisaWaisa.com allows users to file their taxes online
Financial services portal PaisaWaisa.com, a part of Rupiz Infotech Group, has introduced a new e-tax section on the site that would enable users to file their taxes online.
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Microsoft launches campaign to get visibility for its Live Search service
Microsoft India has launched an innovative OOH (out of home) campaign in Mumbai to get visibility for its Live Search service. The campaign, titled 'Think It, Find It', also aims to get users try the company's online search service.
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AnjaliBhagwat.com launched to promote rifle shooting
Sportz Interactive has developed AnjaliBhagwat.com, which is dedicated to ace woman rifle shooter Anjali Bhagwat. The website aims to promote the sport as well as give the 2002 Commonwealth Games champion a platform to connect with her fans.
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Rupiz Infotech launches gaming and social networking site Koffii.com
Rupiz Infotech has launched Koffii.com, an online gaming and social networking website that offers games, allows users to share videos and photos, and also includes video conferencing feature, apart from blogging and communicating via voice-video-text chat.
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Rediff invites developers to build applications for Rediff.com properties
Rediff.com has launched its developer program, inviting application developers to build applications for Rediff.com properties. Rediff has opened its content sharing platform iShare for application developers.
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Shine.com launches viral campaign to promote its salary tool feature
Job portal Shine.com, a part of HT Media's Firefly eVentures, has launched a viral campaign hosted at Pagaar.in to promote its salary tool feature. Its Salary Tool is based on an analysis of more than 1.5 lakh profiles across 52 different industries, with participation from top, middle and junior managerial levels across 230 cities in India during the period April-May 2008.
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Zapak launches mobile gaming site Zapak.mobi
Gaming portal Zapak.com has launched Zapak.mobi, a GPRS-based mobile gaming site that allows users to play single player games as well as play games against others and chat with their opponents.
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Ticketvala.com enables users to book bus tickets on mobile phones
Mumbai-based bus ticketing company Ticketvala.com has launched mTicket, a mobile bus ticket solution that allows users to book bus tickets on their mobile phones. The application also allows users to make payments and receive bus tickets on their mobile phones.
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Meebo launches Instant Messaging service for online communities
Meebo.com, which allows users of different instant messaging services such as Yahoo, MSN and Google Talk to interact with each other, has launched Meebo Community Instant Messaging service that would enable online communities to offer instant messaging service to their users.
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ClickIndia launches its mobile version Wap.ClickIndia.com
Neighbourhood classifieds site ClickIndia.com has launched its mobile version Wap.ClickIndia.com that will enable users of GPRS enabled mobile phones to view classifieds and business listings on their mobile phones.
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ThomasCook.in allows users to book Indian Railways reserved tickets
Thomas Cook India has launched Indian Railways reserved ticket booking facilities on its travel portal ThomasCook.in. The move is aimed at offering a complete range of travel options to the Thomas Cook customers.
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Chandamama.com now also available in Hindi and Tamil
Chandamama.com, an online magazine for kids, has launched its website in Hindi and Tamil. This takes the number of languages on the website to four including English and Telugu. The website has also introduced a new section where users can post their stories, essays, poems, travelogues, riddles and jokes.
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NSICPartners.com launched to provide information for SMEs
National Small Industries Corporation, a government of India enterprise, has launched NSICPartners.com that will provide information on small and medium enterprises sector.
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Admart.Asia launches classifieds website for people living in Asia
Admart.Asia has launched a classifieds website that seeks to provide the Asia community an online forum to place advertisements, including items for sale, community notices, public events, employment opportunities, real estate and accommodation, night life, dining and entertainment services.
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GharExpert.com introduces construction cost estimator
GharExpert.com, which provides construction, interior decoration and home improvement resources, has launched home construction cost estimator to help users find out the estimated material and cost required for each stage of their home construction project.
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Foodiebay.com launched to help users find food options in and around Delhi
A group of IIT-Delhi students and alumni have launched Foodiebay.com, an online restaurant directory that seeks to help users find food options in and around Delhi. The site currently offers menus, reviews, ratings and contact details of over 1200 eating joints in Delhi and NCR (Gurgaon and Noida).
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Cuil launches internet search engine Cuil.com; aims to unseat Google
US-based startup Cuil (pronounced as 'cool') has launched an internet search engine Cuil.com that ranks results by the content on each page and not its popularity. The company have indexed 120 billion web pages, three times more than any other search engine. Cuil has received series A funding from Tugboat Ventures and Greylock Partners, and series B funding from Madrone Capital Partners.
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Nexus-Link.Un.Link
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IXiGO ties-up with Travelguru, Inasra, Hostelworld, HolidayIQ, OkTataByeBye
Travel search engine iXiGO.com has partnered with a leading hotel network TravelGuru.com, hotels aggregator Inasra.com and an international online reservations provider to the budget and youth travellers Hostelworld Travel Network.
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Twitter acquires search engine company Summize; launches Twitter Search
Micro blogging company Twitter has acquired Summize, a search engine which indexes Twitter messages. The deal size has been pegged at $15 million in stock and cash. Following the acquisition Twitter has launched Twitter Search. As part of the deal, five out of six Summize employees -- all engineers -- will join Twitter. Jay Virdy, CEO of Summize, is going to do something else.
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BigFlix ties up with Shemaroo to offer Shilpa Shetty's Yoga on its website
Movie rental service BigFlix, a part of Reliance ADA group, has partnered with Shemaroo Entertainment to offer Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty's Yoga content on its website.
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YouTube signs revenue sharing deal with Hollywood filmmaker Lions Gate
Google-owned video sharing site YouTube has entered into a deal with Hollywood film studio Lions Gate Entertainment to share revenue from ads that Google places on Lions Gate movies' clips uploaded on YouTube by its users or the studio itself.
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PodTech acquired by ViewPartner for less than half a million dollars
Video blogging company PodTech is believed to have been sold for less than half a million dollars to ViewPartner, a communications technology company.
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Santosh Ghosh quits Car Wale as VP - Advertising Sales & Alliances
Santosh Ghosh has quit CarWale.com as vice president - advertising sales and alliances.
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Shaadi.com partners with DishTV to make its services available on TV
Matrimony portal Shaadi.com has partnered with a direct to home service provider DishTV to make its services available on TV. The move is aimed at making Shaadi.com services available to a wider user base that may not have access to internet.
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Ashok Kumar De joins CarWale.com as VP, Finance
Auto portal CarWale.com has appointed Ashok Kumar De as vice president, finance. Ashok Kumar De has over 15 years of experience in financial management. He was with Web 18 prior to CarWale. His earlier associations have been with ITC, Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages and Reliance Communications.
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Mauj Mobile appoints Yuzdi Badhniwalla as Head of Consumer Marketing
Mauj Mobile, the wireless division of People Group (Shaadi.com), has appointed Yuzdi Badhniwalla as head of consumer marketing. Badhniwalla has worked with the Times Group and Rediff.com, where he was involved in the launch of TimesClassifieds.com and in scaling up Rediff P4C classifieds.
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BharatMatrimony partners with Tata Sky to make its services available on TV
Matrimony portal BharatMatrimony.com has partnered with a direct to home service provider Tata Sky to make its services available on TV. The move is aimed at making BharatMatrimony.com services available to a wider user base that may not have access to internet.
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Harmeet Singh Arora joins mKhoj as Director & Head of Sales
Mobile advertising network mKhoj has appointed Harmeet Singh Arora as director and head of sales for India and neighbouring countries. Prior to joining mKhoj, Arora was head, media sales and strategic alliances at Reliance Entertainment`s gaming division Zapak.com. He has also worked at Rediff.com as director, corporate business development.
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99acres.com partners with SecondSpace to share property listings
Info Edge India's real estate portal 99acres.com has partnered with SecondSpace.com, a US-based online marketplace for second homes and recreational retreats. The partnership will allow users of both the portals to access listings for buying second homes and recreational retreats.
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NDTV Convergence partners with Hovr to launch gaming channel on its wap portal
NDTV Convergence has partnered with Hovr, a mobile media company, to introduce a gaming channel on its wap portal Mobile.NDTV.com, also known as NDTV Active.
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CyberMedia Careers shuts down, migrates users to TimesJobs
IT jobs portal CyberMedia Careers (formerly Cyber Media Dice Careers) has decided to vacate the online recruitment space, and has transferred its candidates' database to TimesJobs.com, a job portal owned by Times Business Solutions.
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Accel Partners join hands with Erasmic to launch Accel India Venture Fund
Bangalore-based early stage investment firm Erasmic Venture Fund has merged with Accel Partners, a leading venture capital firm that operates in US, Europe, Israel and China. The new entity will be called Accel India Venture Fund, which will be raising a $60 million fund later this year.
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BCCL (Times group) picks up stake in NaapTol.com
Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd (The Times of India group) has picked up a stake in NaapTol Online Shopping, owner of comparison shopping portal NaapTol.com.
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GigaOm acquires mobile-focused blog jkOnTheRun
Blogging network Giga Omni Media, the company behind OM Malik's GigaOM, has acquired a mobile-focused blog jkOnTheRun. James Kendrick and Kevin Tofel, founders of jkOnTheRun, will join GigaOM and will continue to write their posts, record their podcasts and shoot their videos.
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That's all for now folks!
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Makkad-G