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Showing posts from February, 2018

Venkat Meenavalli's Longfin Corp lists in US Stock Exchange - NASDAQ

Indian-origin serial entrepreneur from Godavari District Venkata Srinivas Meenavalli led Longfin Corp stock has been listed on NASDAQ on December 12, 2017. “We are the first Asian entrepreneur promoted Reg A+ company under the JOBS Act, to list its shares directly in NASDAQ and the second Indian entrepreneur promoted company to list directly in the NASDAQ since 2010,” said Mr Meenavalli, the company’s founder Chairman and CEO. Longfin is a non-banking fintech company based in Delaware, US. It had floated an IPO of 10,000,000 shares of its Class A common stock on September 6 at $5 per share. It provides structured commodity trade finance, having revenues to the tune of $27.7 million in 2016. It provides forex and financial solutions to SMEs in trade finance across North America, Middle East, and Asia Pacific regions. According to the firm, most SMEs fail to access cheaper trade finance from banks and therefore look at fintech companies to finance them. Longfin NASDA

Kiara Naidoo number 2 - U15 table tennis player in Africa

A Pietermaritzburg teenager Kiara Naidoo has been ranked second in Africa in the under 15 division in table tennis. The Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High pupil, who is an all-round offensive player, first made headlines when she was selected to represent the continental team at the World Table Tennis Cadet Challenge in Fiji last October. Kiara had made her international debut at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) African Junior and Cadet Championships in Tunisia, where she was featured in a team of 12 players representing the country. In that tournament, the 15-year-old, who is part of the Maritzburg Table Tennis club, finished eighth in the cadet singles, a position that secured her a spot in the continental team. Speaking to The Witness on Monday, the talented teen said she was very excited that she had been ranked second in the continent. “I was shocked when I heard my ranking and I was extremely happy. I couldn’t believe it,” she said. At the begi

Edtech Startup IMAX Program Raises $13.5M From MSDF, LGT Impact and Aspada

Bengaluru-based edtech startup IMAX Program has raised $13.5 Mn (INR 87 Cr) funding from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and PE investment firm LGT Impact Ventures. The company’s existing investor Aspada also participated in the round. As per reports, the newly-secured capital will be spent on product innovation and expansion of IMAX Program’s customer base through multiple distribution channels. With the funding, IMAX is also looking to team up with school publishers globally. Founded by Naveen Mandava along with Varun Kumar in 2009, IMAX is an edtech startup that is striving to revolutionise education delivery in the country. The company works with schools and other institutions, supporting them with learning materials and processes that are designed to create an interconnected system to drive learning. Apart from providing teacher manuals and training modules, the startup offers textbooks, workbooks, school exams, feedback reports as well as personalis

Rathika Ramasamy wildlife photographer

Born in a village Venkatachalapuram near Theni,a town in Southern India, Rathika has always had a fierce connect with the drama of nature. Now she is based in Chennai. An MBA/Computer Engineer, she was drawn towards the photographic capture of this drama as a career in 2003 at Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, a UNESCO world heritage site. Rathika is arguably one of India's foremost wildlife photographers. She is passionate about birds and is specializing in bird photography. In documenting birds through her photographs, she has developed a style of technical excellence combined with a captivating story. She has travelled to most of the National parks in India, and has also been to national parks in Africa. For wildlife photography is not only for her a passion, but a powerful medium to help conserve nature. She is a member of (NPS)Nikon's Professional Services. Her work has been appreciated and featured in several national and international publications as well as exhibition

Naidoo Memorial Primary School, The oldest Indian school in South Africa

“Artists, writers and musicians alone cannot keep a culture alive. They must be backed by the enthusiasm of a multitude of parents and teachers – people who treasure their heritage and will devote their energies to keeping its flame aglow. To them, more than the artists, must fall the responsibility to 'pass it on'.” THE accumulated knowledge of a society is learned by successive generations through that part of the process which we call education. This cultural transmission is necessary so that people can fit into the existing pattern of life.  The wisdom and leadership of Mr R C Naidoo feature large in the early history of Umkomaas KwaZulu-Natal The Naidoo Memorial Primary School was opened on January 28, 1936 after many years of planning, fund-raising and organisation. Naidoo was a brilliant lawyer who commanded respect. He was noble enough to realise that the best service he could render to those with limited opportunities was to create facilities for their childr

Sivani Arvapalli, Shrey Pothini and Praneeth Alla Named Prudential Spirit of Community Awards State Honorees

Shrey Pothini,  Sivani Arvapalli  and Praneeth Alla were among the six Indian Americans honored as 2018 state honorees for the 23rd annual Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, Prudential announced Feb. 6. Shrey Pothini Savage, Minnesota Shrey Pothini, 14, of Savage, Minn., an eighth-grader at Eagle Ridge Middle School, has organized an annual city-wide “day of service” for the past three years to mobilize community members to help others. Shrey has been passionate about community service ever since he collected new bath towels for a local homeless youth shelter when he was 5 years old. That effort led him to start a service club at his school, and then to encourage volunteerism throughout his entire city. “I wanted children and families in my city to be exposed to the needs in our community and learn how to make a difference while having fun,” said Shrey. Shrey took his idea for a “Service Day Saturday” to the city’s mayor, city council and city adm

Kiran Kaushal Suryadevara wins South West Germany U-13 Badminton Championship

Kiran Kaushal Suryadevara won South West Germany U-13 singles Badminton Championship  and also he won doubles title along with Simon Krax  An important milestone on the way to the German Championships, which for the age groups U15 to 19 from 9 to 11 February in Gera take place, respectively, the German U13 Championships from 17 to 18 March in Bonn , Anyone who has not been able to qualify directly for the national title fights in the run-up to the German rankings will have to fight for one of the coveted starting places at the German Championships at the Regional Championships.

Rana Daggubati to debut in Mollywood with 'Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma'

The actor will play the Travancore King Marthanda Varma in the film. Rana Daggubati is all set to play King Marthanda Varma in his upcoming film Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma: The King of Travancore. To mark the film’s beginning, Rana was at the Sri Padmanabha Swamy Temple in Kerala to seek the blessings of the Lord and also paid a visit to the royal family members of Thiruvithamkoor. Talking to the media, the actor said, “It is a blessing to be part of a story like this. I feel very happy and blessed today.” Soon after worshipping the lord, he was at the Kowdiar Palace where he was accorded a grand welcome by the royal family members Pooyam Thirunal Gauri Parvathi Bhai and Adithya Varma. He spent time with the royal family garnering info about the late ruler and was presented with a book that contains all the details about the kingdom and its rulers. To be directed by K Madhu, Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma: The King of Travancore will be bankrolled by Seve

Kilaru Naga Sravan National Youth Award winner

Naga Sravan Kilaru recently won the highest award in the country given to youth for ‘active citizenship’. Twenty-four-year-old Naga Sravan Kilaru from Vijayawada firmly believes that ‘a democracy which is not participatory is not a democracy at all.’ Sravan was like anyone else around him during his teenage years. But his journey into politics and active participation in the democratic process started after a brief meeting with Anna Hazare. And today, Sravan finds himself working arduously towards youth involvement in government policies and holding lawmakers responsible. Kilaru Naga Sravan, has been striving hard for youth to get involved in politics since 2014 through various campaigns and workshops. He has been selected for the prestigious ‘National Youth Award’ recently. Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India distributes this award every year for people who work hard for the upliftment of youth in a country’s development. He regularly conducts

Devi Seafoods planning Rs1,000 crore IPO

The proposed Devi Seafoods IPO is likely to be a mix of primary and secondary share sale, and the company will soon appoint a banker to manage the share sale Devi Seafoods Ltd, one of the largest seafood exporters from India, is in the process of hiring investment banks for a planned initial public offering (IPO). Based in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, Devi Seafoods is a supplier of frozen shrimps with its own processing plant, aquaculture farms and shrimp hatchery. “Devi Seafoods has been in talks with investment banks for the last few weeks for working on its IPO. The company plans to raise up to Rs1,000 crore through the proposed IPO, which they are eyeing in 2018. They will be soon appointing a banker syndicate to start work on the deal,” said one of the people cited above, requesting anonymity as he is not authorized to speak to reporters. According to the second person, the proposed IPO is likely to be a mix of primary and secondary share sale. “The promo