Our top reads of the week

Published: Jan 29, 2022 09:32:12 AM IST

Updated: Jan 28, 2022 07:49:22 PM IST

Image: Shutterstock

Every week, catch up on the best long form stories from Forbes India. Often peppered with our binge-worthy podcasts, videos or infographics too.

1) Taking stock

Covid-19 caseloads have been on an upswing since early January, with lakhs of people being affected in the third wave. Yet, the low severity of the cases in recent times, especially with 75 percent of India’s population having received two doses of vaccines, has only meant that the fear is fast receding. But with pandemics, you never know what the next day will bring. What do all the stakeholders—vaccine makers, governments, the general public—need to do to get ready for future variants? We figure out some answers. For More

2) David, Goliath & the Unicorn

“Do you really know who you are gunning for?”

“Don’t tell me you want to take them head-on!”

Jayant Paleti, Chaitanya Peddi and Rohit Chennamaneni, co-founders of Darwinbox, were asked these questions by their mentors in the early days of their human resources (HR) tech platform. The trio pitted their fledgling startup against enterprise software giants such as SAP and Oracle. How's it going now? The Unicorn makers share their journey. For More

3) Belief in the India story

Anchor investors are walking on two different paths when it comes to investing in new-age startup companies in India. During 2021, sovereign wealth funds, global funds, and domestic mutual funds deployed heavily in anchor books—especially of startup or tech stocks. Three sovereign wealth funds—GIC, CPPIB and ADIA—made it to the top ten anchor investor list in India. What is their game plan? What's pulling them towards tech IPOs in India? For More

Discover

1) Gunning for Cloud 9

On January 12, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)—India’s biggest IT company—reported strong fiscal third-quarter earnings. During the earnings call, CEO and MD Rajesh Gopinathan revealed his plan to partner with Microsoft, Amazon Web Services and Google, deploying an army of engineers to transport some of the world's biggest companies to the era of ecosystems. Will this new position help TCS catch up with the international giants? Experts weigh in. For More

2) Video: What's on the manufacturing sector's wishlist?

While unveiling the Make in India initiative in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to transform India into a global manufacturing hub and boost the sector's share to 25 percent of GDP by 2022. But the goal remains elusive. The manufacturing sector at present contributes 16-17 percent to GDP. The Covid-19 outbreak and subsequent lockdowns have only made matters worse. What will it take from Budget 2022 to propel Indian manufacturing? Ankit Agarwal, MD, Sterlite Technologies and Kapil Gupta, Chief Economist, Edelweiss, give some ideas. For More

3) Finding a milky way

Basan Patil, a co-founder of Alt Co, has learnt patience from the plants he relies heavily on to make his business a big success. Patil's oat milk brand Alt Co, based out of Bengaluru, and cofounded with Rithwik Ramesh, Sumair Sachdev, Sasha Jairam and Rohit Kalro, it offers alternative lifestyle options to substitute dairy products with guiltless and healthy options. They aim to make a splash in the crowded space with oat milk. Can they do it? For More

4) What will it take?

As global climate commitments accelerate, countries and companies are fighting for the transformation of economies needed to reach net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases. According to a recent Mckinsey report, high capital spending and labour reallocations will be required to reach net-zero transition. Find out what will it cost for India and the world. For More

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