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Map war intensifies; Google announces new features to woo users in India

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Amid rising competition from homegrown challenger Ola Maps, Google on Thursday announced a slew of new features on GoogleMaps to woo Indian users, including EV charging station information, flyover callouts, and AI-driven routing capability to reduce narrow road usage for four-wheeler drivers.

It is “an exciting time in mapping”, Google Maps said announcing the new lineup, which comes in the backdrop of a pitched battle with Ola Maps.

Google recently decided to cut the pricing of the Google Maps platform for developers by up to 70% from August 1, just weeks after Ola Founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal openly nudged Indian developers to shun Google Maps and offered them sweeteners like one-year free access to Ola Maps.

Emphasising its focus on the market, Google Maps on Thursday said India is at the centre of its innovation, and that it “can’t wait to build the future of Maps right here”. India is the first country to get an EV charging station feature for two-wheelers on Google Maps, and senior company officials said it will look at replicating features like this and others, with tweaks where necessary, for use in other markets, as well.

Replying to a question on the timing of Google Maps’ price cuts – coming right after an offensive from Ola – Google Maps senior executives said that while “it’s tempting to think that way, but we actually do not focus on competitors”.

“We’re very focused on making sure we’re serving our user base and our partner community, which is our developer partners. And to be honest, we timed it with our IO Connect event in Bengaluru,” Miriam Daniel, VP and GM, Google Maps, said at a briefing.

Daniel added: “…this is something our partners have been requesting of us for a while, and we’ve been working on it for quite some time to make sure our infrastructure, our pricing systems are localised and adapted to the needs of our partners in India”.

The new offerings range from metro ticket booking on Google Maps in Kochi and Chennai, backed by collaboration with ONDC and Namma Yatri, all the way to improved features for reporting road incidents and traffic mishaps.

“We’re excited to continue our journey of innovation, and build the future of Google Maps right here in India,” a blogpost by Daniel and Lalitha Ramani, GM, Google Maps, India, read.

Stating that navigating narrow or congested roads in unfamiliar areas can be a challenge for four-wheeler drivers, Google Maps announced it is introducing a new feature for users in India designed to reduce the use of narrow roads when driving four-wheelers.

This means four-wheeler drivers can enjoy a less stressful driving experience, and it also benefits bikers, pedestrians and other commuters who can now use these narrow roads more safely and confidently, it added.

Google Maps is starting to roll out this feature on Android devices this week in eight cities – Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Coimbatore, Indore, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, and Guwahati, and has promised to bring the feature to iOS and more cities soon.

Another new feature on Google Maps is call-out flyovers along the recommended route. This feature helps users anticipate upcoming flyovers and prepare ahead of time to get onto the flyover.

“Starting this week, you’ll see these flyover callouts in 40 cities across India for both four-wheeler and two-wheeler active navigation on Android apps and Android Auto. iOS and CarPlay support will be coming soon,” it said.

Both Narrow Roads and Flyover features have been pioneered in India, tailored to the unique navigation needs of users, it said.

To ensure EV drivers have the tools they need to confidently hit the road, it has also announced availability of information about EV charging stations on both Google Maps and Google Search in India.

“To achieve this, we’re collaborating with leading EV charging providers in India ElectricPe, Ather, Kazam, and Statiq to add authoritative information for over 8,000 charging stations, representing a significant portion of available charging stations in India,” it said.

This marks the first time Google is launching EV charging station information for two-wheelers on Google Maps, and India is the first country to get this feature.

Last December, the company announced a collaboration with ONDC and Namma Yatri to streamline the public transport experience on Google Maps. This metro booking experience in Google Maps is now going live in Kochi and Chennai, powered by ONDC and Namma Yatri.

The company has simplified how users can report road incidents. “Whether there’s ongoing construction or a traffic mishap on the route, users can now report it with just a few taps, making it easy and less distracting, it said, adding that this update is available in India on Google Maps across all platforms – Android, iOS, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Google said it is making it easy to discover helpful lists from local experts and the Google Maps community.

India’s digital mapping landscape is under the spotlight, especially after Ola’s Aggarwal – who in the past championed the cause of India’s digital sovereignty – argued recently that the Western apps to map India have been used for “too long”.

The top honcho of Ola also declared that Ola Cabs has fully exited Google Maps and will be using its own in-house Ola Maps, leading to lucrative savings for the company. The Ola founder in May this year announced that Ola will snap ties with Microsoft‘s Azure cloud and shift workloads to the cloud service of its sister firm Krutrim AI.





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Juspay cuts losses by 7.7% as revenue surges 49.6% in FY24

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Payments startup Juspay Technologies saw its losses narrowing in FY24 as revenue growth outpaced expenditure. It narrowed its total loss for the period to Rs 97.54 crore, down 7.76% from Rs 105.75 crore in FY23.

According to the consolidated financial statements accessed from the Registrar of Companies, the SoftBank-backed fintech firm’s revenue from operations surged 49.64% to Rs 319.32 crore, up from Rs 213.39 crore in FY23.

Juspay’s primary revenue source—payment platform integration fees—brought in Rs 286.52 crore. Additional operating revenue from services like product implementation and support added Rs 32.80 crore.

Total expenses rose by 29.52% to Rs 443.74 crore in FY24, compared to Rs 342.59 crore in the previous year. This increase was largely driven by employee benefit expenses, which saw a 41.73% jump to Rs 303.36 crore, while other expenses increased slightly over 3.56% to Rs 123.76 crore.

Juspay, founded in 2012 by Vimal Kumar and Ramanathan RV in Bengaluru, specialises in developing payment orchestration solutions that act as a technology layer over traditional payment gateways.

The Accel-backed startup has also developed Namma Yatri, a mobility app focusing on ride-hailing services, leveraging Juspay’s strengths in payments and open-source protocols. Namma Yatri is built on the Beckn Protocol and aligns with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), aiming to provide low-cost ride-hailing options and open access to digital mobility services.

Recently, Juspay decided to spin off Namma Yatri as an independent entity to attract separate investors and scale further. In February, the company said it acquired LotusPay in an all-cash deal to strengthen its offerings to the BFSI segment and merchants.

LotusPay, founded in 2016, pioneered NACH Debit technology with cloud-based software for merchants and banks. Using NPCI’s NACH Debit, it facilitates recurring payments for loans, insurance, and subscriptions.





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Flipkart selects five startups for third cohort of Flipkart Leap Innovation Network

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Flipkart has selected five innovative startups for the third cohort of its flagship startup accelerator programme, Flipkart Leap Innovation Network (FLIN).

The cohort is introducing startups that are driving advancements across GenAI, omnichannel, analytics, and video commerce, the company said in a statement.

The selected startups— Intelligence Node, Invenzo Labs, StoryBrain, Phyllo, and D-ID— are set to run pilot programs with Flipkart to develop solutions.

“The selected startups get access to mentorship, resources, and the opportunity to execute pilot projects within the Flipkart ecosystem, scaling their solutions to meet the demands of India’s digital economy and e-commerce growth,” the company said.

Since its launch in 2022, the accelerator programme aims to accelerate the growth of the startup ecosystem in India, driving collaboration, and championing cutting-edge retail innovations. 

“Through the FLIN programme, Flipkart continues to expand its role as a catalyst for innovation within India’s startup ecosystem, providing a collaborative platform for startups to test, refine, and deploy solutions that can shape the future of e-commerce in India,” said Naren Ravula, Vice President and Head – Product Strategy and Flipkart Labs.

The programme is designed to engage with startups through commercial partnerships in Flipkart’s areas of interest. Successful startups get the opportunity to scale up to a business partnership.

Over 20 startups from the initial two cohorts have concluded pilots working closely with the Flipkart Product and Engineering teams.

The company added that four startups from the previous cohort— Anagog, Speedsize, Sangti, and Vtion— have recently concluded successful pilot projects with Flipkart.





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Thesys secures $4M funding led by Together Fund

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AI startup Thesys bags $4 million funding in a round led by Together Fund. The round also saw participation from 8VC, the company said in a statement.

The startup will use the funding to bridge the gap of user experience with AI agents. As a visual collaboration tool, the company will also provide a platform that will enable businesses to ideate, visualise, and ship intelligent experiences at scale.

“The way we engage with technology is changing faster than ever. Static interfaces simply don’t meet the demands of today’s AI-capabilities…At Thesys, we’re building tools that make it possible for businesses to adapt and thrive in this new era,” said Parikshit Deshmukh, Co-founder, Thesys. 

This evolution is about unlocking the full potential of AI-driven interactions and delivering unparalleled user experiences, he added.

“The future of AI relies as much on intuitive, adaptive interfaces as it does on backend capabilities. Thesys’ vision for Generative UI aligns perfectly with Together Fund’s commitment to enabling founders who are redefining the user experience,” said Manav Garg, Co-founder and managing partner of Together Fund.

“By empowering teams to create real-time, personalized interactions, Thesys is setting a new standard for AI-driven interfaces. We’re excited to support their journey in transforming the role of design and development tools for the next generation of AI applications,” he added.

The company, founded by Rabi Shanker Guha and Parikshit Deshmukh this year, emerged from the understanding of the need to provide support in the shift towards AI-driven interfaces, it said.

“Thesys envisions a future where all interfaces dynamically adjust to each user’s behavior, preferences, and needs—driven by what the company calls “Generative UI”. Unlike traditional static interfaces that rely on predefined paths, Generative UI uses AI to create unique, adaptive user interfaces on-the-fly, allowing businesses to provide truly personalized digital experiences,” the company added.

The company plans to launch a UI SDK that is set to enable developers to seamlessly integrate Generative UI into their applications. Additionally, post its closed beta launch, the company plans a general availability (GA) with its product within the next quarter positioning itself as the go-to product toolkit for businesses looking to stay ahead in the AI revolution.

“Thesys is pioneering a transformative shift in UI design workflows by integrating AI-driven adaptability… Their Generative UI approach aligns with our commitment to investing in technologies that drive innovation in user experiences,” said Bhaskar Ghosh, partner at 8VC.





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