Latest news with #Swaroop
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Accel warns Indian AI founders risk falling behind
Accel warns Indian AI founders risk falling behind BENGALURU: Accel partners Shekhar Kirani and Prayank Swaroop said Indian AI startups risk falling behind their global counterparts due to a lack of urgency and global ambition, even as technical capabilities catch up. Speaking at a recent media roundtable on Wednesday, the investors said that while the country is seeing a new wave of technically strong, AI-native founders, many are still operating with a conservative, risk-averse mindset that could cost them valuable time in a hyper-competitive cycle. 'In the Valley, it's a warzone. Engineers are building, iterating, raising money, and chasing scale aggressively,' Kirani said. 'In India, many still operate in peacetime mode, trying to optimise for capital efficiency, fixing bugs, and selling to five customers. That's not how you win this AI cycle.' This difference in attitude is also reflected in valuations. According to Kirani, an AI-first startup in the US showing revenue acceleration can command a valuation of over $500 million at $15 million annual recurring revenue (ARR), while a traditional SaaS firm with similar numbers would likely be valued closer to $100 million. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like O novo dispositivo que os idosos usam para ajudar na neuropatia (dor nos nervos) A arte do herbalismo Undo 'The market rewards velocity. If you're an AI-native company growing fast, the delta in pull and valuation is unprecedented,' he said. Swaroop added that investors, too, have recalibrated expectations. 'Everyone's looking for that breakout moment. Earlier, a company showing $1-2 million ARR might be considered early stage. Now, if it's AI-first and compounding fast, the expectation is that it hits $50-100 million in revenue within 12-18 months,' he said. 'The bar is higher, but so is the upside, if the founder is thinking globally.' Accel has backed Indian AI startups such as Cursor and RapidClaims. While bullish on India-specific use cases such as cost-efficient inference, voice interfaces, and regulatory-compliant models, the partners emphasised that a strong go-to-market motion, especially in the US, is still essential. 'Platform adoption decisions still get made in the Valley,' said Kirani. 'If your product isn't getting used there, even Indian engineers hesitate to adopt it. That's why we ask our founders to be present in the Bay Area early.' Calling the current moment a '24- to 36-month land grab,' both partners urged founders to prioritise speed and product-led growth. 'If you're not compounding fast, you'll be irrelevant by the time the dust settles,' Swaroop said. 'This isn't a time to save money, it's a time to fight.' Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
Special passport drive at Ghaziabad RPO to clear summer vacation rush
Ghaziabad: Regional Passport Office will keep its Sahibabad centre open, under a special drive, for two consecutive Saturdays in June to handle a rush of summer travel applications. The drive on June 7 and 14 will process up to 1,200 applications each day, with 500 slots allocated for urgent Tatkaal applications and 700 for normal processing. The Ghaziabad RPO, which includes the Sahibabad PSK and 12 post office passport seva kendras (POPSKs), currently processes an average of 2,000 daily appointments (approximately 44,000 per month) over a five-day work week. To further streamline services, the office will now operate on two Saturdays each month, accommodating an additional 2,400 applicants, 1,200 per Saturday, with 500 slots allocated for Tatkaal (urgent) applications and 700 for normal processing. Anuj Swaroop, regional passport officer, Ghaziabad, told TOI that the number of applications increased from May 15 as many families are planning international travel during the summer holidays. "Earlier, new applicants would get a date after seven to eight days, but now, appointments are being allotted within three to five days. This reflects the higher volume of applications," he said, adding that specific data on the number of applications is not available. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like O novo dispositivo que os idosos usam para ajudar na neuropatia (dor nos nervos) A arte do herbalismo Undo He added that they usually handle about 300 Tatkaal applications in a day but 500 applications will be processed in the drive. The Ghaziabad RPO, serves 13 districts across western Uttar Pradesh, including Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Agra, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, and Hapur. All districts under its jurisdiction, except Shamli, are equipped with POPSKs, making passport services more accessible to the public. However, Swaroop clarified that the special Saturday drive will be conducted only at the Sahibabad PSK, not at any of the POPSKs.
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Business Standard
23-05-2025
- Business Standard
Andhra police arrestes international cyber fraud syndicate, 33 held
The Andhra Pradesh police has busted an alleged international cyber fraud syndicate operating from Achyutapuram here, with the arrest of 33 people and seized high-end tech equipment and Rs 3 lakh cash. Anakapalli district Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Vishnu Swaroop led simultaneous raids at three major locations on Thursday following a complaint from a Village Revenue Officer and intelligence inputs. Items including computers, network devices, and luxury furnishings were seized. This was a full-fledged call center targeting United States (US) citizens through impersonation and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) scams using Amazon support as a cover, Swaroop told PTI on Friday. According to police, job seekers were hired through online portals, trained in impersonation techniques, and then deployed for scam calls to extract sensitive financial information from US citizens The recruits, mostly from Assam and northeast India, were provided food and accommodation. In a week they were trained; the next week they were on calls, he added. The scam followed a four-layer structure, dialers posing as Amazon support, American bank officials, and managers who lured gullible American citizens with 'gift card redemptions' and other tactics. A suspected fifth super-layer exists, handling final laundering through virtual private networks (VPNs) and fake numbers. We don't know their identities or locations yet, said Swaroop. Gift cards were primary tools. Victims were instructed to buy them, share codes, which managers redeemed and routed to unknown higher-level handlers using international channels. Two masterminds, Punit Goswami from Maharashtra and Avihant Daga from Rajasthan have been arrested. Others are being interrogated to map the complete syndicate hierarchy. Each closure agent handled multiple victims daily. Police suspect more than Rs 600 crore might have been fraudulently extracted, though exact figures are still under investigation. Most first-level recruits stayed only for one or two months. However, those in closure and management roles remained for 8 to 12 months, indicating deeper knowledge and complicity. Roughly 6070 per cent of those caught are beginners. But third and fourth layer operatives are experienced, and the operation runs daily, he said. The scam caused major losses to US citizens, damaging India's reputation, said the official, adding that the operation used sophisticated tech, fake identities, and masked communication via spoofed VoIP. Police registered a case under Section 318(4) BNS, Section 61(2) r/w 3(5) BNS, Section 111(2)(b)(3) BNS, Sections 66C and 66D of the IT Act, and Sections 420, 120B, and 34 of the IPC.
New Indian Express
21-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
FIR filed against BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya, journalist Arnab Goswami
An FIR has been registered against BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya and Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami for allegedly spreading false information, according to police officials. The case was filed at the High Grounds police station on Tuesday following a complaint by Shrikant Swaroop B N, head of the legal cell of the Indian Youth Congress. The complaint invokes sections 192 (provocation with intent to cause riot) and 352 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace) under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Swaroop accused Malviya and Goswami of orchestrating a "criminally motivated campaign" to spread false claims that the Istanbul Congress Centre in Turkey is the international office of the Indian National Congress (INC). He alleged that the misinformation was "deliberately designed to mislead the Indian public, defame a major political party, stir nationalist sentiments, and incite unrest." "The actions come amid strained diplomatic ties between India and Turkey, largely due to Turkey's perceived support for Pakistan," he said. "This makes the misinformation campaign even more dangerous and inflammatory." Calling the campaign 'an unprecedented attack on India's democratic foundations,' Swaroop urged authorities, including the Press Council of India, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and the CBI, to treat the complaint as an emergency and take strict action.
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
FIR filed against BJP IT cell chief, journalist Arnab Goswami
Bengaluru: An FIR has been registered against BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya and Editor-in-Chief of Republic TV, Arnab Goswami for allegedly running false information, police said. The case was registered at High Grounds police station on Tuesday, based on the complaint from the Indian Youth Congress 's legal cell head Shrikant Swaroop B N against the duo under section 192 (wantonly giving provocation with an intent to cause riot) and 352 (Intentional insult to provoke breach of peace) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, they said. Swaroop accused Malviya and Goswami of "masterminding a heinous and criminally motivated campaign to disseminate patently false information." He alleged that the accused have "maliciously propagated the fabricated claim" that the Istanbul Congress Centre in Turkiye is the office of the Indian National Congress (INC). Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Kulkas yang belum Terjual dengan Harga Termurah (Lihat harga) Undo "This act was executed with clear and undeniable criminal intent to deceive the Indian public, defame a major political institution, manipulate nationalist sentiments, incite public unrest, and undermine national security and democratic integrity," he stated. Swaroop further stated that the actions of Malviya and Goswami are set against the volatile backdrop of strained relations between India and Turkey, driven by the latter's perceived support for Pakistan. Live Events "The actions of Malviya and Goswami represent an unprecedented attack on India's democratic foundations, public safety, and national security. Their calculated misuse of influence to spread falsehoods with criminal intent demands the harshest response," the complainant alleged. Swaroop also appealed to the Press Council of India, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, CBI and other law enforcement agencies to treat this complaint as a emergency.
