Mumbai, Sep 6: Mumbai-based m.Paani and Gurugram-based Aye Finance have been listed in 10 companies selected globally by Google for its flagship development acceleration programme "Launchpad Studio".

The "Launchpad Studio" programme brings top machine learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based startups from across the world and experts from Silicon Valley under the guidance of Google researchers, engineers, product managers and trusted experts.

m.Paani is India's first neighbourhood loyalty platform that focuses on empowering India's local retailers and users using ML and AI.

The start-up rewards consumers with "m.Paani points" when they shop from local retail partners across categories and help retailers grow their businesses by digitising, optimising and maximising their relationships with existing and new customers, it said in a statement on Thursday.

"We are incredibly excited to be a part of the Google Studio programme, especially as the youngest company," said Akanksha Hazari Ericson, CEO and Founder, m.Paani.

Aye Finance is a non-banking finance company (NBFC) that provides business loans to the small and micro enterprises and builds solutions, automation and processes that address the challenges that have hindered the classical financial industry.

The "Launchpad Studio" programme commenced from September 6 at Google's headquarters in San Francisco and will last for a period of four months.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Gangolli: In an operation, the Gangolli police arrested a couple accused of a house robbery within seven hours of the incident.

The accused, identified as Vinayak (41) and his wife Pramila (30) from Gujjadi, were taken into custody following a coordinated investigation by the police team.

The robbery took place on the morning of January 21 when a bag containing jewelry was stolen from a house near Trasi Beach. Among the stolen items were a 16-gram gold necklace, a 16-gram bangle, and three gold rings weighing 3 grams, with the total value of the jewelry estimated at Rs 2 lakh. The culprits fled the scene on a scooty.

Following the registration of the case at the Gangolli police station, SSI Harish R. and a team comprising officers Shantaram, Raju, Nagaraj, Raghavendra, Sandeep Kurani, Maruti Nayak, and Dinesh swiftly gathered intelligence and tracked down the suspects by 8 p.m. on the same day. The stolen gold ornaments and the vehicle used in the crime have been recovered.

The accused were presented before the court, and further legal proceedings are underway.

Get all the latest, breaking news from Mangaluru and Dakshina Kannada in a single click. CLICK HERE to get all the latest news from Mangaluru.