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Indian startups win big in bid to scale technology for persons with disabilities

Successful startups in inaugural Prosus social impact challenge improve lives of persons with hearing, mobility and speech impairment
Three assistive tech entrepreneurs secure mentoring and a combined INR 55 lakhs on eve of International Day of People with Disabilities

NEW DELHI, Dec. 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — On the eve of International Day of People with Disabilities on 3^rd December, Prosus, the global consumer internet group of Naspers, is pleased to announce that Sohum Innovation Labs, NeoMotion Assistive Solutions and Stamurai from Demosthenes Technologies, all early-stage Indian ventures developing technology to aid persons with disabilities, have been selected as the top three startups in the inaugural Prosus Social Impact Challenge for Accessibility (Prosus SICA). Prosus SICA identifies and supports talented entrepreneurs who are developing and deploying assistive technology. Prosus has committed INR 16,500,000 over three years to the initiative.

Sohum Innovation Labs founded by Nitin Sisodia and based in Bengaluru was awarded first place for the ingenuity and impact shown by a highly accessible device that has been designed to detect hearing impairment amongst infants and small children. The Sohum device allows for a non-invasive procedure that captures a child’s response to sound stimulus in just 90 seconds. Sohum Innovation Labs embodies the theme of this year’s International Day of People with Disabilities (IDPWD), which is that ‘Not all disabilities are visible’.
In second place is Chennai-based NeoMotion, which makes bespoke wheelchairs, designed to ensure accurate posture, energy conservation, and compactness to enhance accessibility and mobility. Founded by Swostik Sourav Dash, NeoMotion wheelchairs have a motor-powered clip-on which converts into a safe, roadworthy vehicle, eliminating the need for the user to transfer into other vehicles.
Third place has been awarded to Stamurai, a highly cost-effective and easily accessible mobile app which addresses speech and language disabilities. Stamurai, co-founded by Meet Singhal and located in New Delhi, automates speech therapy and serves as a personalised, digital coach to guide the user.

Sohum, NeoMotion and Stamurai will receive grants of INR 2,500,000, INR 1,800,000 and INR 1,200,000 respectively.

In the fourth and fifth place are Cogniable and Thinkerbell Labs. Cogniable, co-founded by Manu Kohli, is an autism management tool which has aids with early automated screening and remote guided treatment. Thinkerbell Labs, led by Sanskriti Dawle, was chosen for Annie, a Braille literacy device that helps the visually impaired learn to read, write, and type in Braille independently through interactive audio-guided content. Annie allows for easy monitoring and evaluation of student progress via analytics. It is interactive and gives instantaneous feedback and continuously evaluates the user, making the learning experience engaging.

All five startups will be inducted into a new Prosus SICA mentorship programme, which entitles them to business advice from Prosus, technical guidance and support from World Health Organization (WHO) and an opportunity to incubate with Social Alpha, a group focused on strengthening impact innovation and entrepreneurship across India.

According to the World Report on Disability by WHO, 15 per cent of the world’s population, or more than 1 billion people, are living with disabilities. WHO, a technical partner to Prosus SICA, says that in many low-income and middle-income countries, only between 5 per cent and 15 per cent of those who require assistive devices and technologies have access to them.¹

Chapal Khasnabis, Head, Access to Assistive Technology and Medical Devices Unit, WHO, Geneva said: “The jury saw diverse ideas from talented startups across India. They reflected a wide variety of capabilities and proficiencies that are existing in the Indian startup ecosystem today. The top startups have incorporated expertise and effective insights into the designs they submitted.”

Deepak Bagla, MD & CEO, Invest India, said: “Congratulations to the top startups. This challenge has been aimed at promoting innovation and ensuring inclusivity across the country. The challenge brings to the forefront the excellence of our innovators in developing impactful solutions for global issues.”

Manoj Kumar, Founder, Social Alpha said: “Social Alpha has been a huge proponent of high-impact startups that are committed towards enhancing the quality of life of persons living with disabilities. The top startups have made commendable efforts in developing promising assistive tech solutions and addressing the issues of accessibility, affordability and equal opportunity. I congratulate the top startups of SICA and wish them the best in their journey.”

Sehraj Singh, Director, Public Policy and Corporate Affairs, India, Prosus, said: “We would like to congratulate Sohum Innovation Labs, NeoMotion, and Stamurai who braved competition from more than 200 startups across India. Prosus is thrilled to work with these transformative entrepreneurs and support them in building sustainable businesses. We are equally excited to be creating social value for people who will benefit from these technologies. This journey could not have been successful without the support of our eminent jury and partners, Invest India, Social Alpha, Startup India and WHO. Together, Prosus SICA is advancing India’s assistive technology industry.”

Nitin Sisodia, Founder and CEO, Sohum Innovation Labs, said: “Sohum devices have the potential to screen millions of babies and young children in low-income countries for hearing impairments, ensuring timely and suitable medical intervention. Support from Prosus SICA will not only help us pursue this potential, but will also demonstrate the importance of technology in supporting inclusive growth in India and beyond.”

The top startups were selected by a specialist and expert jury which evaluated a range of attributes, such as the underlying issue being addressed by each startup, product scalability, market feasibility, outcomes of clinical trials and accessibility for the ultimate beneficiaries. 2020 was the first year of Prosus SICA, this initiative will take place over the next two years.

¹WHO

About Prosus Social Impact Challenge for Accessibility

Prosus Social Impact Challenge for Accessibility (Prosus SICA) is a Prosus-backed social impact investing challenge. Prosus is committing INR 16,500,000 over three years to Prosus SICA, and each year will award grants to the top three winning startups working in the area of accessibility. First place will receive INR 2,500,000, second place INR 1,800,000 and third place INR 1,200,000

For further background about Prosus and partners supporting Prosus SICA, please visit:

Prosus: www.prosus.com

Invest India: https://www.investindia.gov.in/

Startup India: https://www.startupindia.gov.in/

Social Alpha: https://www.socialalpha.org/

WHO: https://www.who.int/india

For more information contact:

Sehraj Singh

Director

Public Policy and Corporate Affairs

Prosus

sehraj.singh@prosus.com

For media enquiries contact:

Sarah Ryan

International Media Relations Director

Prosus

sarah.ryan@prosus.com

Media Contact:

Diya Nair

Director

Brunswick Group

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Herbalife India Launches New Podcast Series – Live Your Best Life, Unscripted

The debut episode explores holistic wellness, mental resilience, and performance strategies with renowned sports scientist and high-performance coach Shayamal Vallabhjee.

BENGALURU, India, April 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — In a world where wellness conversations are often reduced to diet fads and fitness trends, Herbalife India, a premier health and wellness company, community and platform is bringing a refreshing change with the launch of its brand-new podcast series — ‘Live Your Best Life, Unscripted’.

Designed as an honest, inspiring, and insightful platform, the podcast brings together experts, athletes, and thought leaders to share their journeys, insights, and lessons on holistic well-being — not just physical fitness, but also mental resilience and emotional balance.

The series is hosted by Ajay Khanna, Managing Director of Herbalife India, who leads engaging conversations with personalities known for their contributions to health, wellness, and performance.

Kicking off the series is an insightful episode featuring Shayamal Vallabhjee — a celebrated sports scientist, high-performance coach, and author. With over two decades of experience working with elite athletes and teams worldwide, Shayamal offers a fresh perspective on what it really means to live a balanced life.

From his experiences growing up in South Africa to living as a monk, Shayamal shares how discipline, mental strength, and spirituality shape both performance and overall well-being. The conversation also explores the role of technology, the importance of gut health, mindful eating, and perhaps most importantly — self-compassion.

Speaking on the launch of the podcast, Ajay Khanna, Managing Director, Herbalife India, said:

“At Herbalife, we believe wellness is a lifelong journey—one that goes beyond counting calories or tracking fitness goals. Live Your Best Life, Unscripted is our way of fostering real, thought-provoking conversations that inspire people to embrace a more holistic approach to health. Through this podcast, we hope to empower listeners with insights from experts and changemakers, encouraging them to prioritize not just physical well-being, but also mental resilience and emotional balance.”

The podcast is available in both video and audio formats — making it easy for viewers to tune in from anywhere.

Watch the Full Episode on Herbalife’s YouTube Channel

https://youtu.be/4FejO3wdSRI

Prefer Audio? Listen to the Podcast here: Apple Podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/live-your-best-life-unscripted/id1808386057

Spotify Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5dn8QAS0Ods24TVLxyeYsS?si=oeD3ZkONQFqzzs4aeU1w6A

Amazon Music:

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a53233b6-84b5-43ce-a34a-5230c769168b/episodes/e153ee13-3174-456b-923a-98ed191c21c5/live-your-best-life-unscripted-the-science-of-wellness-with-shayamal-vallabhjee-live-your-best-life-unscripted

This is just the beginning. New episodes of Live Your Best Life, Unscripted will continue to feature inspiring voices from the world of sports, nutrition, and wellness.

Herbalife

(NYSE: HLF) is a premier health and wellness company, community and platform that has been changing people’s lives with great nutrition products and a business opportunity for its independent distributors since 1980. The Company offers science-backed food products to consumers in more than 90 markets through entrepreneurial distributors who provide one-on-one coaching and a supportive community that inspires their customers to embrace a healthier, more active lifestyle to live their best life.

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Mitsubishi Heavy Industries joins Infosys-led JV in Japan, HIPUS

JV to accelerate business process transformation for enterprises leveraging digital procurement platforms

BENGALURU, India and TOKYO, April 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Infosys (NSE, BSE, NYSE: INFY), a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, today announced Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has invested in the Infosys-led Joint Venture HIPUS, enhancing Infosys’ presence in Japan. MHI is one of the world’s leading industrial groups, spanning energy, smart infrastructure, industrial machinery, aerospace and defense, and has established corporations like Hitachi Ltd., Panasonic Corporation and Pasona.

HIPUS, in which Infosys owns a majority stake, was set up in 2019, to drive high-quality, end-to-end procurement processes along with sourcing and category expertise, leveraging next-generation digital platforms for Japanese corporations.

MHI has been a longstanding customer of HIPUS and has now expanded the collaboration by acquiring a 2 percent stake from Infosys. Through this investment MHI aims to further explore new business opportunities in the region.

Anantha Radhakrishnan, CEO and MD, Infosys BPM, and Chairperson, HIPUS Board said, “Japan continues to be a strategic market for Infosys and HIPUS and we have consistently expanded our footprint in the region. This collaboration with MHI reinforces Infosys’ commitment towards building trusted collaboration with customers in Japan and accelerating their digital business process transformation journey. Infosys is excited to welcome Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to HIPUS.”

Isao Miyake, Head, Value Chain Headquarters, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, said, “In our company’s ongoing efforts to upgrade procurement activities through a data-driven strategy, we expect HIPUS advanced analytics and support to significantly improve procurement operations, enable well informed decision making, and generate greater value across the organization.”

Kiyoshi Asami, CEO and Representative Director, HIPUS, said, “MHI has become an important client for HIPUS receiving a wide range of services. HIPUS is also executing MHI services beyond Japan, leveraging Infosys’ global presence as well as its strong sourcing and procurement services. We are extremely delighted that MHI has decided to invest in HIPUS and we look forward to an impactful collaboration.”

The transaction is expected to close during the first quarter of fiscal year 2026 (i.e. quarter ending June 30, 2025), subject to customary closing conditions.

About Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group is one of the world’s leading industrial groups, spanning energy, smart infrastructure, industrial machinery, aerospace and defense. MHI Group combines cutting-edge technology with deep experience to deliver innovative, integrated solutions that help to realize a carbon neutral world, improve the quality of life and ensure a safer world. For more information, please visit www.mhi.com

About HiPUS

HIPUS Co., Ltd. promotes business process transformation and provide total procurement solutions with the procurement know-how cultivated over many years in the Hitachi Group as our business core. Since April 2019, Infosys has become our parent company, and we provide new, cutting-edge services that combine global knowledge and domestic skills in procurement processes, consulting, analytics, Gen AI, and other digital technology services. For more information, please visit https://www.hipus.com.

About Infosys

Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. Over 300,000 of our people work to amplify human potential and create the next opportunity for people, businesses and communities. We enable clients in more than 56 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With over four decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer clients, as they navigate their digital transformation powered by cloud and AI. We enable them with an AI-first core, empower the business with agile digital at scale and drive continuous improvement with always-on learning through the transfer of digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem. We are deeply committed to being a well-governed, environmentally sustainable organization where diverse talent thrives in an inclusive workplace.

Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NSE, BSE, NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next.

Safe Harbor

Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects, or our future financial or operating performance, are forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the ‘safe harbor’ under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding the execution of our business strategy, increased competition for talent, our ability to attract and retain personnel, increase in wages, investments to reskill our employees, our ability to effectively implement a hybrid work model, economic uncertainties and geo-political situations, technological disruptions and innovations such as Generative AI, the complex and evolving regulatory landscape including immigration regulation changes, our ESG vision, our capital allocation policy and expectations concerning our market position, future operations, margins, profitability, liquidity, capital resources, our corporate actions including acquisitions, and cybersecurity matters. Important factors that may cause actual results or outcomes to differ from those implied by the forward-looking statements are discussed in more detail in our US Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law.

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The Core and Algorand Foundation Kickoff ‘Build on Blockchain’ Series

The strategic content partnership is aimed at delivering insightful, high-impact content at the intersection of business, technology and blockchain for industry leaders and innovators.

MUMBAI, India, April 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The Core, a leading digital business journalism platform in India is pleased to announce a strategic content partnership with pioneering blockchain technology company Algorand Foundation. The partnership will see expansive coverage of the evolving Web3 ecosystem through integrated podcasts, newsletters and video content. This collaboration comes on the heels of The Core recently completing 500 episodes of its flagship daily business podcast, The Core Report.

Algorand, founded by MIT professor and Turing Award winner Silvio Micali, is an energy-efficient, quantum-secure, single-layer blockchain with instant finality, consistently high throughput and low fees. Since its launch in 2019, Algorand has revolutionized industries, such as finance, supply chain, and digital identity offering an advanced proof-of-stake blockchain infrastructure that facilitates fast, secure and sustainable transactions. With a growing network of developers and enterprises leveraging its technology, Algorand is driving real-world adoption of blockchain solutions across the globe.

The collaboration between The Core and Algorand Foundation will showcase business challenges that can be solved by building on blockchain technology versus Web2, such as faster remittance, efficient identification and tracking provenance. It will highlight Algorand Foundation’s efforts to engage with universities, including the establishment of over 50 university blockchain clubs and the launch of developer training programs in collaboration with NASSCOM. The podcast series titled ‘Build on Blockchain’ will release weekly segments capturing domain experts who are building their products and solutions on blockchain, case-studies, etc. These initiatives aim to equip young Indian developers with skills in blockchain technology, fostering innovation and financial inclusion in the region.

Launching this new partnership, Anil Kakani, Vice President and India Country Head at Algorand Foundation, said “At Algorand, we believe in the power of blockchain to drive innovation and greater financial inclusion. Our partnership with The Core will amplify conversations with Web3 pioneers from India and around the world who are driving blockchain adoption and its transformative potential across industries.”

Govindraj Ethiraj, Founder & Editor of The Core, said, “Partnering with Algorand Foundation enables us to learn from and engage with cutting-edge technology, while also sharing real-time developments with our audience of decision-makers and industry leaders.”

This partnership with Algorand Foundation follows another recently concluded tech-content partnership between The Core and IT industry body NASSCOM for a podcast series titled ‘NASSCOM Conversations‘. Launched in 2023, The Core Report delivers sharp, insightful analysis on India’s economy, markets, regulations and technology’s transformative role in industries. Crafted for CXOs, business professionals and policymakers, the podcast has built a strong reputation as a go-to resource for in-depth discussions featuring prominent industry leaders, including A S Sahney, Chairman, Indian Oil; Nandan Nilekani, Cofounder, Infosys; Rajesh Nambiar, President, NASSCOM; Saugata Gupta, MD & CEO, Marico Ltd; Mark Mobius, Founder, Mobius Capital Partners LLP and many more.

For more details on The Core Report, visit: www.thecore.in; for Algorand Foundation, visit: www.algorand.com

About The Core:

The Core is a leading insights platform delivering sharp analysis and expert perspectives on India’s economy, finance, and technology. Through its flagship The Core Report, it provides concise, high-impact updates on markets, businesses, tech and policies that shape the nation’s future. Created for decision-makers and industry leaders, The Core distils complex developments into actionable intelligence.

The Core’s team of experienced journalists is led by financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj who has reported and written on Indian business for over 25 years. More details on The Core at: https://www.thecore.in/; LinkedIn: @TheCore; Instagram: @the.core.in; X: @the_core_in; Facebook: @TheCore.in; YouTube: @thecore_in; Spotify: The Core Report

About Govindraj Ethiraj:

Govindraj Ethiraj is a television & print journalist & Editor of www.thecore.in as Editor. Previously, he was Founder-Editor in Chief of Bloomberg TV India, a 24-hours business news service launched out of Mumbai in 2008. Prior to setting up Bloomberg TV India, he worked with Business Standard newspaper as Editor (New Media). He also spent around five years each with CNBC-TV18 & The Economic Times. He is a Fellow of The Aspen Institute, Colorado, a McNulty Prize Laureate 2018 & a winner of the BMW Foundation Responsible Leadership Awards for 2014.

About Algorand Foundation:

Algorand’s mission is to power a world where information has integrity and innovative ideas can scale. The Algorand Foundation supports Algorand’s rapidly growing ecosystem by providing a best-in-class developer environment, supporting key infrastructure and setting technical standards, offering comprehensive support to builders and entrepreneurs and providing the framework for decentralized governance.

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