Bits’n’bytes: Know about startup, business news in Pune

EKA Mobility announced entering a collaboration with Shuzlan Energy to provide a safe, convenient, and accessible EV charging infrastructure and advanced charging stations to its customers for public transportation across India

Weber Drivetrain Partners with China-based Wuxi Lingbo Electronic Technology

Park+ announced the closure of its series C round by raising ₹140 Cr led by Epiq Capital II. (REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO)

Technology-driven EV startup for sustainability, ‘Weber Drivetrain’, announced a strategic Technology Transfer (TT) partnership with China-based Wuxi Lingbo Electronic Technology. Under this collaboration, Weber Drivetrain has committed to the complete Make in India manufacturing of controller and BMS for electric two-wheeler vehicles.

Wuxi Lingbo has granted Weber Drivetrain two innovative patent technologies along with all design, architecture, layout, Hardware designs and software, ushering in a new phase of development in the Indian EV market.

Prashant Shete, founder and MD, Weber Drivetrain affirmed, “Amid a sustained government push and increased acceptability of electric vehicles (EV), and a significant pent-up customer demand for us to fulfil, the technology transfer will be valuable for the advancement and upgradation of Controller and BMS for electric vehicles. We also believe that this strategic investment will further deepen our partnership with Wuxi Lingbo in advancing innovation in the electric two-wheelers segment in India.”

Weber Drivetrain launched its state-of-the-art automated manufacturing facility based in Chakan MIDC last month. Through a combination of in-house and collaborative R&D, Weber Drivetrain committed a total investment of 35 crores in Phase 1 for the establishment of a manufacturing unit under the “MAKE IN INDIA” initiative for the future of E-Mobility.

Hero MotoCorp organised ‘Hero Ride Fest’ witnessed participation of over 1181 motorcycling enthusiasts. The event integrated riding experiences from Hero MotoCorp’s marquee customer-centric platforms, such as XTracks and XDrags.

The experiences were complimented by engagement and brotherhood-building activities such as the best-modified XPulse, graffiti, tattoo painting and many more.

Ranjivjit Singh, chief growth officer (CGO), Hero MotoCorp, said, “With Hero Ride Fest, we are creating a common platform to celebrate the passion for riding. It celebrates the camaraderie formed in communities and inspire the new wave of riders. We bring together like-minded riders to fuel their adventure instincts in a Hero way. Xpulse and Xtreme have captivated the youth with their engineering prowess, design language, and unmatched performance.”

EKA Mobility collaborates with Shuzlan Energy

EKA Mobility announced entering a collaboration with Shuzlan Energy to provide a safe, convenient, and accessible EV charging infrastructure and advanced charging stations to its customers for public transportation across India.

Under the collaboration, Shuzlan Energy will be one of the official electric charging solution providers for EKA’s 9-meter buses, to set up ARAI and OCPP certified stations of 30kW, 60kW, and 120kW for institutional customers across the country.

Sudhir Mehta, chairman, EKA & Pinnacle Industries Limited, said, “Our partnership with Shuzlan Energy will strengthen the charging infrastructure for our e-buses, allowing customers to electrify their fleets rapidly and more conveniently. We look forward to providing a wide range of necessary solutions and technologies in an integrated, streamlined, and operationally efficient way to democratize EVs with best-in-class TCO (total cost of ownership) solutions, and sustainable ecosystems.”

Shuel Bhamla, director, Shuzlan Energy, said, “We have started deployment of charging stations in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat. By 2024 we aim to deploy 10,000 charging stations across Pan India. We are committed to building an ecosystem of reliable AC & DC chargers in India that will revolutionize e-mobility across the country.”

Park+ raises ₹140 crore in series C round

Park+ announced the closure of its series C round by raising ₹140 Cr led by Epiq Capital II. Matrix Partners India and Sequoia Capital India also participated in the round. The funds will be utilized to expand Park+’s presence to over 100+ cities, to hire 200+ employees and expand its services verticals, to supercharge Park+’s next growth phase.

Amit Lakhotia, founder and CEO said, “Park+ we took up car ownership related problems, which no one was ready or willing to solve – such as finding a parking spot, tracking challans, recharging FASTag, renewing insurance, car cleaning, car maintenance and made these services effortless. We today host the largest community of car owners in India- 60 Lakh cars, on our app. We will continue to invest our energies in bringing delight to our users (car owners), by strengthening and expanding our services to enhance the car ownership experience for them, throughout the life cycle of their car. Additionally, identifying and hiring talented individuals will remain an important part of our human resource expansion strategy.”

“The auto-tech category is poised for rapid transformation with cars becoming more digital and every car becoming a payment instrument with FASTag. As a dominant market leader in a large and underserved market for access control, FASTag, parking and related auto-services categories, Park+ is well positioned to delight every car user in India through its platform,” commented Rajinder Balaraman, Managing Director, Matrix Partners India.

Cropin raises ₹113 crores funding from ABC Impact, Chiratae Ventures, Google, and JSR Corporation

Agritech startup Cropin has secured ₹113 crores in funding from new investors Google and JSR Corporation, as well as existing investors ABC Impact and Chiratae Ventures. The funds will aid in expanding Cropin Cloud, the company recently launched intelligent agriculture cloud platform, to cater to the growing demand for digitization and predictive intelligence in the global agriculture sector.

With the support of this funding round, Cropin will be able to further invest in its go-to-market efforts and expand the platform’s capabilities, including developing next-generation predictive intelligence solutions through Cropin AI Labs. The goal of Cropin AI Labs is to bring predictive intelligence to every acre of the world’s cultivable land.

Krishna Kumar, co-founder and CEO, Cropin said, “Cropin has been dedicated to improving the intelligence of food production and maximizing value for all stakeholders in the agricultural ecosystem. By making farms and harvests traceable, predictable, and sustainable, Cropin aims to transform how food is grown. The involvement of new strategic investors like Google and JSR Corporation, and the support of our existing investors, demonstrates confidence in our mission and impact.”