3, Feb 2026
Evocus enters into a strategic partnership contract with Sober & Co for its mixers
As part of the partnership, Evocus will take over distribution across all channels, offline retail, e-commerce, and on-trade, while Sober & Co. will continue to independently manage production and product development. The collaboration is designed to significantly strengthen Sober & Co’s market presence, which currently has about a 1000 retail touch points across India.
Through Evocus’s robust distribution network and deep market reach, Sober & Co. ‘s mixer range is expected to expand rapidly across key markets in India, making the brand more accessible to consumers nationwide.
Commenting on the partnership, Clavell Santiago VP – HoReCa Sales and Marketing, Evocus said,
“This partnership allows us to strengthen our basket offering and add greater value to our customers and partners. Sober & Co aligns strongly with our focus on clean-label, high-quality beverages, and we see a strong synergy between our portfolios.”
The association marks a strategic step for Evocus as it continues to identify and collaborate with brands that complement its positioning in the functional and premium beverage space.
Sharaan Kripalani, Founder/CEO of Sober & Co added,
“Partnering with Evocus enables us to scale faster and reach a wider audience across India, while allowing us to stay focused on product quality, product innovation, and operations.”
Evocus will be the exclusive distribution partner for the mixers offered by Sober & Co in India. While the company is evaluating similar opportunities, it continues to remain selective, working only with brands that share a strong strategic and portfolio fit.
- 0
- By Neel Achary
3, Feb 2026
Bharti AXA Life Insurance and Equitas Small Finance Bank Announce Strategic Bancassurance Partnership
Mumbai, Feb 3: Bharti AXA Life Insurance, a subsidiary of Bharti Life Ventures Private Limited (Bharti Group Company), has entered into a strategic bancassurance partnership with Equitas Small Finance Bank. The partnership marks a significant step toward deepening life insurance penetration across India, especially within semi-urban and rural markets.
Through this partnership, Bharti AXA Life Insurance will offer its range of protection, savings and retirement plans to customers of Equitas Small Finance Bank, enabling financial security and long-term wealth planning for individuals and families across India. Customers can access these solutions seamlessly through Equitas SFB’s robust network spanning over 1,042 banking outlets across 18 states and Union Territories, with a strong footprint in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra
Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Nitin Mehta, Chief Distribution Officer – Partnership Distribution and Head Marketing, Bharti AXA Life Insurance, said:
“Equitas Small Finance Bank has built a strong and differentiated franchise with a proven track record in serving underbanked, semi-urban, and rural communities through its wide branch network and digital capabilities. We are pleased to partner with the Bank, as this collaboration will further strengthen our partnership distribution footprint and enable us to reach customers at scale through its extensive phygital presence. The partnership aligns with our objective of simplifying insurance and making it more accessible, while also supporting IRDAI’s vision of ‘Insurance for All’ by 2047.”
Speaking on the collaboration, Mr. Murali Vaidyanathan, Senior President & Country Head – Liabilities, Wealth Management and Digital Banking, Equitas Small Finance Bank, said:
“Enhancing the quality and breadth of services we offer to our customers remains a key priority for us, and this partnership with Bharti AXA Life Insurance is a step in that direction. Through this collaboration, we are strengthening our product portfolio by providing customers access to a comprehensive range of life insurance solutions that complement their banking needs and long-term financial planning requirements.”
By combining Equitas Small Finance Bank’s distribution strength with Bharti AXA Life Insurance’s life insurance expertise, the partnership aims to drive wider adoption of life insurance and strengthen long-term financial preparedness among customers.
3, Feb 2026
JS Auto Cast, a Bharat Forge subsidiary, secures Rs 300 Crores investment from Premji Invest
Pune, India, Feb 03: JS Auto Cast Foundry India Private Limited (JSA), a 100% wholly owned step-down subsidiary of Bharat Forge Limited and a leading supplier of critical ferrous castings for industrial and automotive applications, has successfully raised equity of Rs. 300 crores from Premji Invest (PI) through a primary infusion into the company. Post the infusion, Premji Invest will hold a 23% stake in JSA on a fully diluted basis.
The capital will be utilised to accelerate JSA’s growth by expanding its casting capacity, investing in medium casting capabilities, and consolidating the industry through strategic acquisitions.
Commenting on the partnership, Amit Kalyani, Vice Chairman & Joint Managing Director, Bharat Forge, said:
“Since acquiring JSA in 2022, the company has delivered excellent financial performance, with topline, exports and profitability growing at a CAGR of 17%, 24% and 25% respectively, while also enhancing its product mix and customer base. We are delighted to partner with Premji Invest, a renowned and highly respected investor, in the next phase of JSA’s growth journey.”
Manoj Jaiswal, Partner, Premji Invest, who leads the firm’s Industrials and Buyout investments, said:
“We are excited to partner with Bharat Forge, a premier engineering and manufacturing conglomerate in the country. Collaborating with leading conglomerates on their growth and consolidation journey is one of our strategic pillars. Through our investment in JSA, we look forward to jointly building a leading ferrous casting platform in the country.”
The completion of the transaction is subject to customary conditions. PwC Investment Banking acted as the sole financial advisor to Bharat Forge Limited.
3, Feb 2026
Ajitesh Korupolu: Driving Tech-Led Innovation in Indian Real Estate
By:- Ajitesh Korupolu, Founder and CEO, ASBL
Mr. Ajitesh Korupolu, an Indian real estate leader and visionary entrepreneur, wields his expertise to drive strategic initiatives and foster growth in the industry. As the Founder and CEO of ASBL, he has transformed the company from a promising startup into a market leader in Hyderabad. With over a decade of experience, he has carved a niche by revolutionizing construction and project management through robust technological backend systems.
Under Mr. Ajitesh’s leadership, ASBL has successfully planned over 8million sq. ft. of residential projects, with annual sales rising from Rs. 1,250 crores in 2022 to Rs. 2,200 crores in 2023. He embodies the epitome of real estate innovation, blending astute business acumen with a compassionate heart, and has reshaped the real estate landscape in Hyderabad by combining tradition with cutting-edge technology and design principles. He approaches the construction and design industry with a highly scientific perspective. His pivotal move of introducing ‘Inncircles Arena’, a digital twin software, has reduced construction time by 25% and is now being adopted globally. Committed to formalizing the real estate sector, he is driven to bring multi-level improvements for seamless management and efficiency.
Mr. Korupolu has consistently advocated for happiness-centric urban developments that prioritize the well-being of residents through community spaces, mixed-use areas, walkability, and nature-integrated designs.
Mr. Ajitesh embodies a rare fusion Economics degree with a Minor in Mathematics and Philosophy from Purdue University, USA and strategic advisory acumen, he gained knowledge and a global perspective on business and real estate. His professional journey in real estate was a natural continuation of his family’s legacy, but Ajitesh was determined to introduce innovative technologies to the industry. This led to his pioneering work in the adoption of digital twin technology in construction management. Recognizing the untapped opportunities to enhance efficiency, he embarked on a mission to redefine the industry through the strategic implementation of cutting-edge technology. He became the first to introduce the concept of digital twins in Hyderabad—a technology that creates a virtual replica of a physical structure through Building Information Modeling (BIM). Understanding the transformative potential of this technology, Ajitesh set out to bridge the gap between systems, operations, and human resources in the construction process. Committed to formalizing the real estate sector, he is driven to bring multi-level improvements for seamless management and efficiency.
3, Feb 2026
India–US Trade Deal Signals Strategic Reset: Nachiketa Sawrikar
By:- Mr. Nachiketa Sawrikar, Fund Manager, Artha Bharat Global Multiplier Fund
The India–US relationship, which many expected to strengthen during President Trump’s second term, reached a notable low point in June. For the global economy, strained ties between the world’s two largest democracies were far from encouraging. Against this backdrop, the new India–US trade agreement—reducing the average tariff rate to around 18% from the earlier punitive level of nearly 50%—marks a meaningful reset in bilateral economic relations.
For India, lower tariffs significantly enhance access to the US market for labour-intensive exports such as textiles, engineering goods and pharmaceuticals, supporting employment, manufacturing scale and export competitiveness. The revised tariff level places India broadly in line with ASEAN peers and represents the most favourable outcome realistically achievable under current global trade dynamics. For the US, the agreement opens avenues to expand exports of energy, agricultural products and advanced technologies, while reinforcing supply-chain diversification away from over-concentrated geographies.
Beyond tariffs, the deal signals a renewal of strategic trust. Trade policy is now better aligned with shared priorities including resilient supply chains, clean-energy collaboration, and technology partnerships in areas such as semiconductors and defence manufacturing. Indian consumers also stand to benefit as high-value US and EU products become more affordable, supporting domestic demand and purchasing power.
With the rupee having weakened by nearly 5% over the past six months, improved trade flows and renewed foreign investor interest could aid a partial currency recovery. As India’s relative attractiveness improves versus ASEAN markets, a reversal of recent FII outflows could further strengthen Indian equity markets. Overall, the agreement represents a balanced, win-win outcome for both economies.
3, Feb 2026
Jayant Chaudhary Hails Union Budget 2026–27 as Yuva Shakti–Driven Growth Blueprint
Shri Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and Minister of State for Education, Government of India
The Union Budget 2026–27 presents a confident roadmap for India’s next phase of growth. I congratulate Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji for his visionary leadership and thank Hon’ble Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman ji for a Budget that balances ambition with inclusion, and reforms with responsibility.
This is a truly Yuva Shakti–driven Budget, anchored in the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. By prioritising productivity, competitiveness and cutting-edge technologies, including AI, it lays a strong foundation for Viksit Bharat through sustained structural reforms and people-centric growth. It reinforces India’s steady economic trajectory through fiscal discipline, sustained growth and strategic investments in future-ready capacities.
A strong push to manufacturing, MSMEs and services stands out as a key growth engine. Investments across biopharma, semiconductors, electronics, textiles (SAMARTH 2.0), chemicals, capital goods and sports manufacturing will deepen domestic value chains and position India as a trusted global production hub. The three-pronged MSME framework, ₹10,000 crore SME Growth Fund, TReDS-based liquidity, and professional support through “Corporate Mitras”, will empower entrepreneurs to scale and compete.
Initiatives such as AI-backed Bharat Vistaar to integrate agri-stack, creation of SheMarts, Biopharma SHAKTI, ISM 2.0, rejuvenation of industrial clusters, creation of champion MSMEs through equity support, and the 10-year Khelo India Mission reflect a future-ready approach that integrates technology, health, agriculture and human capital.
A defining feature of this Budget is its decisive commitment to skill development and human capital. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has received a 62% increase in allocation, with the budget rising from ₹6,100 crore to ₹9,885.80 crore, affirming the Government’s resolve to place skills at the centre of economic transformation. From NSQF-aligned programmes and caregiver training to modernised textile skilling, sports ecosystems and industry-linked pathways, this Budget creates a seamless bridge from education to employment and entrepreneurship, preparing youth to lead in manufacturing, services, technology and the care economy.
The renewed emphasis on the services sector, including healthcare, medical value tourism, AVGC, design, IT and hospitality, recognises that India’s growth will be powered as much by skills and services as by infrastructure. Continued public capital expenditure will crowd in private investment and expand opportunities across Tier-II and Tier-III cities.
I especially welcome the strong focus on agriculture and allied sectors, particularly for states like Uttar Pradesh, —supporting high-value farming, fisheries, animal husbandry, FPOs and agri-startups. These measures will strengthen farmer incomes while opening new avenues for rural youth and women-led enterprises. Integrating skilling with agriculture and rural entrepreneurship will help move our villages from subsistence to sustainability.
The Budget also advances social inclusion through targeted support for women, Divyangjans, education, healthcare and social justice. Empowering women through hostels, skilling and entrepreneurship, alongside focused interventions for persons with disabilities, reflects our commitment to ensuring that every citizen participates meaningfully in India’s growth story.
Sports receives a strategic boost as well, recognising its potential for manufacturing, innovation and youth engagement, while aligning with Uttar Pradesh’s emerging role in sports goods clusters and talent development, and strengthening India’s preparations as we move forward with our bid to host the Olympic Games in 2036. We recently launched SportsEdge Meerut in alignment with this vision—an initiative aimed at building a world-class sports goods manufacturing cluster by integrating skilling, innovation and MSME support, and I am confident it will add significant value by creating jobs, strengthening local enterprises and nurturing sporting talent.
Taken together, Budget 2026–27 is not just a financial statement, it is a national mission document. It strengthens economic foundations, unlocks enterprise, empowers farmers and MSMEs, and invests deeply in skills.
3, Feb 2026
Snowflake and OpenAI Forge USD 200 Million Partnership to Bring Enterprise-Ready AI to the World’s Most Trusted Data Platform
SAN FRANCISCO – Feb 3 Snowflake (NYSE: SNOW), the AI Data Cloud company, today announced a new collaboration with OpenAI that enables global enterprises to unlock greater value from their proprietary data with AI. This multi-year, $200 million partnership agreement cements Snowflake and OpenAI’s commitment to co-innovation and joint go-to-market (GTM) strategies aimed at deploying AI agents across global enterprises. Snowflake and OpenAI will work closely together to develop and deploy customized AI solutions for joint enterprise customers that deliver tangible return on investment.
The direct, first-party partnership agreement also makes OpenAI models natively available to Snowflake’s 12,600 global customers within Snowflake Cortex AI across all three major clouds. This empowers global organizations like Canva and Whoop to bring OpenAI models to their enterprise data for deep research and instant insights. OpenAI models like GPT-5.2 will be accessible within Snowflake Intelligence, the trusted enterprise intelligence agent that empowers every employee to securely access, analyze, and act on all their organization’s knowledge using natural language.
“By bringing OpenAI models to enterprise data, Snowflake enables organizations to build and deploy AI on top of their most valuable asset using the secure, governed platform they already trust,” said Sridhar Ramaswamy, CEO, Snowflake. “Customers can now harness all their enterprise knowledge in Snowflake together with the world-class intelligence of OpenAI models, enabling them to build AI agents that are powerful, responsible, and trustworthy. Together, we’re setting a new standard for AI innovation, helping businesses transform with confidence, while maintaining strong security and compliance standards.”
“Snowflake is a trusted platform that sits at the center of how enterprises manage and activate their most critical data,” said Fidji Simo, CEO of Applications at OpenAI. “This partnership brings our advanced models directly into that environment, making it easier to deploy AI agents and apps, so businesses can close the gap between what AI is capable of and the value they can create today.”
“As we scale our visual AI offering on Canva, both OpenAI and Snowflake have played key roles in how we rapidly empower our users with new creative tools,” said Helen Crossley, Head of Data Science, Canva. “As our platform continues to scale, Snowflake has been foundational to how we manage and activate data, and we’re excited to explore how leveraging OpenAI models in Snowflake Cortex AI can help us extend that foundation. The ability to bridge advanced AI models with our enterprise data allows us to move quickly and test new ideas, without compromising on security or performance.”
“Speed and precision in decision-making are critical for us as WHOOP continues to scale,” said Matt Luizzi, Senior Director of Business Analytics, WHOOP. “Rolling out Snowflake Intelligence to our employees and developing Cortex Agents has provided a secure and governed way for WHOOP to analyze data and make decisions. With OpenAI’s models available directly within Snowflake Cortex AI, we can further enhance those agents with advanced reasoning and analysis, all while maintaining strong security and governance. This partnership will help us continue to make AI a practical, everyday tool for the business.”
Snowflake and OpenAI Help Global Enterprises Deploy AI Agents
By bringing OpenAI models to Cortex AI, global enterprises can gain insights from all their data to deliver richer, more engaging AI agents. Key benefits of the partnership include:
Accelerate Joint Product Innovation: Snowflake and OpenAI teams will partner closely to bring new features that leverage OpenAI Apps SDK, AgentKit, and APIs that support shared enterprise workflows.
Build Custom, Interoperable AI Agents: Snowflake and OpenAI enable enterprises to build state-of-the-art AI agents that reason over governed data and take action across tools and apps. Powered by Cortex AI, these agents run directly on enterprise data, delivering secure, high-impact intelligence at scale.
Democratize Data and Insights with AI: Powered by OpenAI models like GPT-5.2, Snowflake Intelligence is an enterprise intelligence agent that gives every employee instant access to trusted insights. It enables business users to query, interpret, and draw meaning from all their structured and unstructured data with no code required, just natural language.
Enterprise-Ready Governance and Reliability: Snowflake provides built-in business continuity and disaster recovery with a 99.99% uptime service-level agreement, helping ensure that enterprises’ AI initiatives don’t get disrupted by outages or disasters. Users can reliably and securely tap into the power of OpenAI models alongside their most valuable proprietary data in Snowflake, all while benefiting from the governance and responsible AI controls that Snowflake Horizon Catalog provides.
Gain Deep Insights with Multimodal AI: With Snowflake Cortex AI Functions, users can tap into the latest OpenAI models to analyze every kind of data. From rows and columns to text, images, and audio, teams can explore it all seamlessly using SQL, the familiar language of data they already trust.
Snowflake and OpenAI Deepen Collaboration to Advance Responsible AI and Workforce Productivity
This partnership builds on the companies’ existing collaboration, with OpenAI leveraging Snowflake as a secure, scalable data platform for experiment tracking, analytics, and testing.
In turn, Snowflake leverages OpenAI’s ChatGPT Enterprise product internally, empowering employees to harness AI in their day-to-day work and accelerate productivity. As a result, employees can make decisions faster, streamline workflows, and drive stronger cross-functional collaboration through AI-powered insights.
2, Feb 2026
Budget 2026–27 Boosts AVGC Sector, Expands Creator Labs to Build India’s Future-Ready Talent
Akshat Rathee, Co-founder and MD of NODWIN Gaming:
“The Union Budget 2026–27’s support for the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) sector through the expansion of AVGC creator labs is a strong step toward building India’s creative and digital talent pipeline. The government’s backing of the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT), whose inauguration we were proud to be present for, reflects a clear commitment to equipping young Indians with future-ready skills across animation, gaming and storytelling. As organizers of large-scale cultural platforms such as the NH7 Weekender and Comic Con India, we are constantly seeking skilled talent to shape immersive experiences, and initiatives like these will help widen that pool while accelerating original IP creation and high-quality game development. Greater access to creative technologies will enable more homegrown, culturally relevant content to thrive.”
Animesh Agarwal, Founder & CEO, S8UL Esports and 8Bit Creatives:
“Having built teams and businesses in gaming and esports over the years, I’ve seen first-hand how rapidly the AVGC sector is growing and how urgently India needs structured skilling to keep pace. The projection of two million professionals required by 2030 highlights both the scale of the opportunity and the responsibility on industry and institutions to prepare future-ready talent. Initiatives like these will not only create meaningful career pathways for young Indians but also help position India as a global hub for animation, gaming, and digital storytelling.”
Vishal Parekh, Chief Operating Officer, CyberPowerPC India:
“The Budget’s support for AVGC creator labs across 15,000 schools and 500 colleges marks a powerful step toward building a future-ready workforce. With the sector projected to require 2 million professionals by 2030, this initiative can accelerate job creation and empower young Indians to pursue high-value careers in gaming, animation, and visual technologies. Realizing this vision calls for access to high-performance computing environments that match global benchmarks. At CyberPowerPC India, we see this as a defining opportunity to equip the next generation with the tools they need to create, compete, and lead, fueling innovation while strengthening India’s emergence as a global creative and technology powerhouse. We commend the government’s forward-looking commitment to strengthening India’s AVGC ecosystem.”
Sagar Nair, Head of Incubation, LVL Zero Incubator:
“The Finance Minister’s announcement reflects a strong commitment to India’s creative economy. With the AVGC sector expected to require nearly two million professionals by 2030, the rollout of content creator labs across 15,000 schools and 500 colleges can expand early access to future-ready skills and inspire students to pursue careers in animation, VFX, gaming, and comics. When skilling is paired with incubation and clear pathways to entrepreneurship, India can cultivate a generation of creators equipped to build original intellectual property and compete globally. This approach can accelerate job creation, strengthen the talent pipeline, and position the country as a leading hub for creative technology and digital content.”
2, Feb 2026
Sharan Bansal Hails Union Budget 2026 for Capital-Led Growth and Infrastructure Boost
Mr. Sharan Bansal, Director, Skipper Limited
“The Union Budget 2026 gives renewed focus on the government having capital-led growth and developing long-term national infrastructure. The Budget raises capital expenditure to ₹12.2 trillion for FY2026-27, up from ₹11.2 trillion in the previous year, reinforcing infrastructure investment as a key growth driver. The unambiguous difference between revenue spending and capital expenditure, as well as long-term commitments to the development of assets, gives infrastructure developers and manufacturers long-term visibility.
The Budget focuses on the capital formation, monitoring of outcomes and medium-term fiscal planning, which provides a stable policy environment in the energy transition in India. The fiscal deficit is targeted at 4.3 % of GDP for FY2026-27, underscoring continued fiscal stability alongside investment push. The emphasis to productive capital spending and accountability will facilitate grid modernisation, a field that is well aligned with the ability of Skipper to supply power equipment, grid enabling systems and advanced engineering solutions.”
2, Feb 2026
Saurabh Mukherjea Sees Union Budget 2026 as Structurally Positive, Urges Fiscal Discipline
Saurabh Mukherjea, Co-Founder & CIO, Marcellus Investment Managers
“The Union Budget 2026–27 is directionally positive for India’s long-term economic health, even though markets have reacted nervously in the short term. The increase in Securities Transaction Tax on F&O trading is a necessary corrective. Over the past few years, speculative derivatives trading activity has destroyed large amounts of household capital, and this move should help redirect savings towards consumption and productive investment. Equally important is the government’s decision to set up a high-level committee to review the banking and financial system, which could accelerate PSU bank privatisation and unlock greater participation from global and domestic private capital.
The key concern, however, is the rise in capital expenditure at a time when tax revenues are undershooting. Funding higher capex through increased borrowing risks tightening financial conditions by pushing up bond yields and the economy’s cost of capital. Overall, the Budget takes important structural steps in the right direction, but its effectiveness will ultimately depend on maintaining fiscal discipline while pursuing growth.”
