Author: Neel Achary

IIM Udaipur Celebrates 15 Years of Excellence, Honours Legacy and Looks Ahead to a Global Future

UDAIPUR, India, July 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Indian Institute of Management Udaipur (IIM Udaipur) marked its 15th Foundation Day with a grand celebration on campus, bringing together distinguished academicians, industry leaders, alumni, faculty, staff, and students to commemorate the Institute’s remarkable journey of academic excellence, research leadership, and global recognition.

The celebration was graced by Prof. Somak Raychaudhury, Vice-Chancellor of Ashoka University, as the Guest of Honour and keynote speaker. Also present were Mr. Pranay Chulet, Founder & CEO of Quikr and Member of the Board of Governors, IIM Udaipur; Prof. Ashok Banerjee, Director, IIM Udaipur; Prof. Vijayta Doshi, Dean – Programs; and Prof. Anirban Adhikary, Dean – Faculty and Research.

Founded on July 27, 2011, IIM Udaipur has rapidly established itself as one of India’s leading management institutions. Today, it is the youngest Indian Institute of Management to receive AACSB accreditation and has consistently featured in the QS World University Rankings and the Financial Times Masters in Management Global Rankings for 7 consecutive years, reflecting its growing international reputation.

Welcoming the gathering, Prof. Vijayta Doshi highlighted the Institute’s commitment to delivering transformative management education while nurturing socially responsible and globally competent leaders. In his Foundation Day address, Prof. Ashok Banerjee reflected on the milestones achieved by the Institute and outlined its vision for the future, emphasising excellence in teaching, impactful research, international collaborations, digital innovation, and stronger engagement with industry and society.

Delivering the Board’s perspective, Mr. Pranay Chulet shared valuable insights on entrepreneurship, innovation, and the evolving business landscape. Encouraging students to embrace curiosity, resilience, and lifelong learning, he spoke about the importance of institutions like IIM Udaipur in shaping leaders capable of creating meaningful impact in an increasingly dynamic world.

A significant highlight of the celebration was the recognition of faculty and staff members who have completed ten years of dedicated service to the Institute. Prof. Arundhati Bhattacharyya, Dr. Arvind Sharma, and Mr. Maredla Uday Bhaskar were felicitated for their long-standing contributions to the Institute’s growth. The ceremony also featured the presentation of the Research Paper Publication Award to Mr. Pramod Kumar, recognising excellence in research and scholarly contribution.

Representing the alumni community, Mr. Kshitij Prabhu, Partner at Cura Capital and an elected member of the IIM Udaipur Alumni Council, addressed the gathering and reflected on the Institute’s growing global alumni network. He reaffirmed the Alumni Council’s commitment to strengthening alumni engagement and mentoring future generations of IIM Udaipur graduates.

Another highlight of the ceremony was the announcement of the Professor of the Year Award by the IIM Udaipur Alumni Council, which recognises excellence in teaching and a lasting impact on the student community. The award was presented to Prof. Rajesh Agrawal, who received the honour for the third consecutive year, reflecting the Institute’s alumni’s deep appreciation and continued admiration for his outstanding contribution to management education.

The keynote address by Prof. Somak Raychaudhury inspired the audience with thought-provoking insights on scientific inquiry, interdisciplinary learning, and the role of higher education in driving innovation and nation-building. Drawing from his distinguished career in astrophysics and academic leadership, he emphasised that institutions must foster curiosity, creativity, and collaboration to address the complex challenges of the future.

Shri Raghuvir Kothi Memorial Scholarship, instituted to support and encourage academic excellence among the children of IIM Udaipur staff members, was continued for the second consecutive year. This scholarship was awarded to Ms. Aanvi Sharma, daughter of Shri Sachin Sharma.

The ceremony concluded with a Vote of Thanks by Prof. Anirban Adhikary, bringing to a close a memorable celebration that honoured IIM Udaipur’s achievements while reaffirming its commitment to shaping responsible leaders, advancing impactful research, and contributing meaningfully to society.

As IIM Udaipur embarks on its sixteenth year, the Institute remains steadfast in its pursuit of excellence, innovation, and global impact, strengthening its position as one of India’s fastest-rising business schools and a hub for transformative management education.

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KuCoin Celebrates Nine Years of Brand and Industry Evolution as the Celestia Stage Transforms at Tomorrowland Belgium Weekend 2

PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands, July 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — KuCoin concluded the second weekend of Tomorrowland Belgium 2026 by marking its ninth anniversary alongside its global partners and community, while celebrating the broader progress of the digital asset industry over the past nine years. The milestone formed part of a memorable weekend that also brought an entirely new lineup of artists to the Celestia Stage and revealed the next chapter of its evolved visual identity, with the butterfly-inspired structure emerging in KuCoin’s signature green. Together, these moments connected KuCoin’s anniversary narrative, Tomorrowland’s creative energy and Celestia’s vision of trust, discovery and transformation.

KuCoin’s ninth anniversary was celebrated through its broader “Beyond the Signal” campaign, which looks beyond short-term market movements toward the trust, innovation and infrastructure enabling the industry’s long-term development. During Weekend 2, KuCoin marked the milestone through the “On Cloud 9 Skybox Experience,” bringing partners and community representatives together to recognize nine years of shared growth and industry progress.

Throughout the weekend, the Celestia Stage offered festivalgoers an entirely new program of artists, including Mark Knight, Mr. Belt & Wezol, Belters Only, Bingo Players with Iceman, Dada Life, Sander van Doorn and Dannic b2b Dyro. From house and progressive sounds to high-energy electronic sets, the performances created a vibrant festival atmosphere, bringing audiences from around the world together through music, movement and shared celebration.

Following its debut during Weekend 1, Celestia returned with an evolved visual identity, transforming from a young butterfly with a transparent roof and subtle touches of KuCoin green as the color gradually spread across its translucent wings, forming vivid emerald patterns while preserving the stage’s light and open character. Shaped by the music, energy and connections shared across both weekends, this evolution symbolized growth, trust and possibility, while reflecting KuCoin’s nine-year journey and the digital asset industry’s broader transformation from an emerging, trading-focused technology into trusted infrastructure increasingly connected to finance, culture and everyday life.

The Celestia Stage brings together the perspectives of KuCoin and Tomorrowland: a belief in the power of imagination, technology and community to connect people across borders. Tomorrowland invites people to explore new worlds through music and creativity, while KuCoin is working to make the future of digital finance more accessible, trusted and human.

As Tomorrowland’s Official Exclusive Crypto Exchange and Crypto Payments Partner for Tomorrowland Winter and Tomorrowland Belgium 2026 – 2028, KuCoin will continue working with Tomorrowland to create meaningful real-world connections. The shared vision remains clear: lasting transformation is built through trust, brought to life through innovation and carried forward by global communities.

About KuCoin

Founded in 2017, KuCoin is a leading global crypto platform built on trust and security, serving over 45 million users across 200+ countries and regions. Known for its reliability and user-first approach, the platform combines advanced technology, deep liquidity, and strong security safeguards to deliver a seamless trading experience. KuCoin provides access to 1,500+ digital assets through a broad product suite and remains committed to building transparent, compliant, and user-centric digital asset infrastructure for the future of finance, backed by SOC 2 Type II, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, and ISO/IEC 27701:2019 Certifications. In recent years, we have built a strong global compliance foundation, marked by key milestones including AUSTRAC registration in Australia, a MiCA license in Europe, and regulatory progress in other markets.

Learn more at www.kucoin.com.

About Tomorrowland

Founded 20 years ago by Belgian brothers Manu and Michiel Beers, Tomorrowland remains a family-owned business driven by a creative and passionate team. Over the years, Tomorrowland has evolved into a global entertainment brand.

The WEAREONE.world group consists of several business units, including Festival & Events, Music, Experiences, Leisure, Products and Fiction. Today, more than 350 team members create magic from the company’s headquarters in Antwerp, Belgium, as well as local offices in Brazil, France, Ibiza and Thailand.

Known for bringing people together through music, creativity and storytelling, Tomorrowland has become one of the world’s most recognized and influential festival brands, inspiring millions through unforgettable experiences and a shared vision of connection.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/3008009/image1.jpg

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2785613/KuCoin_new_Logo.jpg

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Altimetrik Launches Industrial AI Service Line with Three New Solutions for Autonomous Manufacturing

Smart Machines, Smart Plants, and Smart Operations help manufacturers move from isolated AI pilots to production-scale industrial intelligence

BENGALURU, India, July 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Altimetrik, an AI-native engineering company, has introduced an industrial AI service line with three solutions designed to help manufacturers and other enterprises integrate AI directly into machines, factory floors, and supply chain operations. 

The three solutions — Smart Machines, Smart Plants, and Smart Operations can operate independently or as part of an integrated system. They enable organizations in the semiconductor, automotive, aerospace, defense, industrial machinery OEM, and pharmaceutical industries, among others, to start with a single machine or use case and expand toward plantwide and enterprise-wide autonomous operations. 

“The measure of industrial AI is simple: how much waste does it remove from the line. Less downtime, less scrap, less capital tied up in inventory,” said Raj Sundaresan, CEO of Altimetrik. “This service line takes the engineering discipline of ALTi AIOS™ to the factory floor, and our work with LMW shows what that looks like: AI embedded in the machines themselves, improving accuracy and uptime.”

The industrial AI service line leads with business outcomes and is delivered through three integrated motions: executive advisory, pilot to platform, and strategic transformation. The Smart Machines, Smart Plants, and Smart Operations solutions are designed for OEMs looking to embed AI into their core products, manufacturers optimizing production across machines and lines, and service providers improving performance and reliability for the assets they operate.

That starts with Smart Machines, which transforms equipment into self-aware, adaptive systems through edge-native intelligence. By combining machine connectivity, digital twins, closed-loop optimization, and predictive maintenance, Smart Machines identifies and corrects issues before they disrupt production, reducing downtime and improving equipment performance.

Smart Plants extends those capabilities to the factory floor as a copilot. Through plantwide data integration, OEE and throughput intelligence, and quality prediction systems, Smart Plants enables perception-decision-action autonomy across production lines. The result is zero-touch operations that improve yield and compress cycle times as labor and quality costs decline.

Smart Operations carries AI throughout the broader manufacturing value chain. By applying service and supply chain analytics, Smart Operations strengthens operational resilience and reduces working capital requirements while opening new revenue streams.

“Customers seek AI services firms who tie machine intelligence to plant-wide and enterprise-wide outcomes,” said R “Ray” Wang, the Founder, Chairman and Principal Analyst of Silicon Valley based Constellation Research Inc. “This is the type of pragmatic approach manufacturers need to get past pilots and deliver real results, rather than treating AI as a standalone capability.”

Industrial AI goes beyond analytics, reporting, and automation tools. It perceives, decides, and acts in the physical world, processing machine telemetry and sensor data in real time to make decisions at the edge in milliseconds. Lakshmi Machine Works (LMW) Limited, one of India’s leading engineering conglomerates and a global player in textile machinery and machine tools, recently engaged Altimetrik to embed AI and ML capabilities across its textile and machine tool business.

“In our ongoing engagement with Altimetrik, we remain fully assured of their proven AI-powered automation capabilities to drive tangible value across our global operations through improved machine accuracy and uptime,” said Sanjay Jayavarthanavelu, Chairman and Managing Director at LMW Limited. “This we believe will reduce shop-floor skill dependency thereby accelerating our service responsiveness. We look forward to deepening this partnership as we continue to embed such intelligence across our product portfolio.”

Altimetrik’s industrial AI solutions build on existing physical and operational technology infrastructure rather than requiring manufacturers to replace hardware, sensors, or edge devices. Every engagement operates under the company’s human-at-the-helm philosophy, ensuring operators retain oversight and control as AI assumes greater responsibility within production environments.

Learn more about how Altimetrik helps manufacturers and enterprises scale AI from pilot to production.

About Altimetrik

Altimetrik is an AI-native engineering company helping some of the most revered and iconic enterprises modernize systems, data, and processes at the heart of their business, so they can move faster, operate more efficiently, and innovate continuously. Through ALTi AIOS™, its AI-native operating system, Altimetrik combines the latest AI capabilities with deep engineering expertise to help clients solve complex challenges, accelerate modernization, and deliver measurable outcomes at scale.

Altimetrik’s clients get access to the latest AI innovations while maintaining the flexibility to choose the right technologies for their business, through trusted relationships with OpenAI, Google Gemini, Anthropic, Databricks, and major hyperscalers.

A member of the World Economic Forum’s Centre for AI Excellence, the Forum’s global hub for shaping responsible AI, Altimetrik is also recognized in the 2025 Constellation Research ShortList™ for Global AI Services and named a Major Contender in multiple Everest Group PEAK Matrix^® assessments, including Software Product Engineering Services (2026), Enterprise Quality Engineering Services (2025), and Digital Engineering Services for BFSI and Life Sciences. Learn more at altimetrik.com.

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HomeFirst Finance Company India standalone net profit rises 34.45% to Rs 160 cr Q1FY27

MUMBAI, India, July 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ —

• AUM at ₹16,938 Cr; growth of 25.7% y-o-y and 6.7% q-o-q.
• Disbursal reaches record ₹1,628 Cr, delivering 31.0% y-o-y and 3.6% q-o-q growth.
• Stable Asset Quality maintained in line with Mar’26: 1+ DPD at 4.7%, 30+ DPD at 3.2%, 90+ DPD at 1.8%.
• PAT grows by 34.5% y-o-y and 7.0% q-o-q to ₹160 Cr. RoA at 4.2%

Key Performance

Commenting on the performance, Mr. Manoj Viswanathan, MD & CEO of HomeFirst Finance Company, said “As FY27 begins, the Indian economy continues to demonstrate strong resilience, supported by stable domestic consumption, moderating inflation, steady interest rates and improving liquidity. While global geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainties persist, the outlook for affordable housing finance remains positive, driven by sustained customer demand.

Against this backdrop, HomeFirst delivered a robust start to the year. Assets Under Management (AUM) grew 25.7% year-on-year to ₹16,938 crore, while quarterly disbursements reached a record ₹1,628 crore. Growth was broad-based across geographies and distribution channels, reflecting the strength of the Company’s customer franchise, disciplined execution and continued demand in its target segment.

Financial performance remained strong, with Profit After Tax rising 34.5% year-on-year to ₹160 crore. Net Total Income increased by 29.9% to ₹332 crore, supported by healthy business growth, improving operating leverage and stable asset quality. Margins remained resilient through disciplined pricing and prudent liability management, while spreads stayed stable despite a competitive environment.

The Company continued investing in future growth by expanding its distribution network with four new branches, taking its presence to 175 branches and 373 touchpoints, while adding 133 employees, primarily in customer-facing roles. Asset quality remained stable, with Gross Stage 3 at 1.8% and credit costs contained at 40 basis points, reflecting the strength of HomeFirst’s underwriting and collections framework.

HomeFirst also advanced its sustainability agenda by certifying another 100 Green Homes during the quarter, taking the cumulative total to 550 certified homes. Looking ahead, the Company remains confident of delivering around 25% AUM growth while maintaining profitability, portfolio quality and operating efficiency. Backed by a strong capital position, diversified funding profile and scalable operating platform, HomeFirst believes it is well positioned to create sustainable long-term value for all stakeholders.”

For details, visit https://homefirstindia.com/.

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Some Friendships are as Rare as Natural Diamonds: De Beers Celebrates Friendship Day with ‘Love, from Bestie’ Campaign

MUMBAI, India, July 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Celebrating these lifelong bonds this Friendship Day, De Beers India invites best friends across nine cities to celebrate their shared journey through ‘Love, from Bestie’, a natural diamond ritual created especially for friendship. From 1st to 2nd August, best friend duos can head to 60 retail partner stores, including Forevermark Diamond Jewellery stores, across Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Pune, Kanpur, Kochi, Coimbatore and Nagpur, to discover the collection and take part in a specially curated in-store experience.

At the heart of this initiative is the Bestie Bracelet Collection, featuring four natural diamond designs specifically created to be worn in pairs. These innovative pieces serve as wearable symbols of shared history, including a signature ‘BFF’ design that uses baguette and round diamonds to spell the sentiment in Morse code, as well as interlocking and split-circle motifs that form a complete whole only when brought together. The collection reflects the core philosophy that certain friendships are so inherently natural that only a rare, authentic diamond can truly encapsulate their meaning.

Complimentary for every bestie duo who walks in, the experience unfolds across three simple, joyful stops. It begins with Bond Together, where best friends can pause and unwind with an express nail-art moment. From there, duos move into Create Together, getting hands-on as they build a bag charm for each other, something small and personal to carry the moment forward. The experience closes with Capture Forever, a playful photo op complete with props, followed by the signing of a Bestie Contract that makes their forever-bestie status official. Every pair leaves with a tangible memory of their enduring connection.

Toranj Mehta, Country Head, Category Marketing, De Beers India, said, “The truest friendships cannot be manufactured, they simply unfold naturally. Love from Bestie struck a chord because it gave women a meaningful way to celebrate a relationship that rarely gets its own dedicated occasion: their lifelong friendships. In year 2, De Beers is evolving this sentiment into a proper ritual that consumers can look forward to every Friendship Day. From the intricate designs of the bracelets to the curated experiences we are building at retail, every element is designed to help women mark a bond that is as enduring and real as a natural diamond.”

Best friends can register for the exclusive activation at their nearest store via the dedicated link- https://withlovefrombestie.netlify.app/

For more information & store details, visit www.adiamondisforever.com

About De Beers Group

Established in 1888, De Beers Group is the world’s leading diamond company with expertise in the exploration, mining, marketing and retailing of diamonds. Together with its joint venture partners, De Beers Group is the world’s largest diamond producer by value, with diamond mining operations in Botswana, Canada, Namibia and South Africa. Innovation sits at the heart of De Beers Group’s strategy as it develops a portfolio of offers that span the diamond value chain, including its jewellery houses, De Beers London, Forevermark Diamond Jewellery, and other pioneering solutions such as diamond sourcing and traceability initiatives Tracr and GemFair. De Beers Group also provides leading services and technology to the diamond industry in the form of education and laboratory services and a wide range of diamond sorting, detection and classification technology services. De Beers Group is committed to ‘Building Forever,’ a holistic and integrated approach for creating a better future – where safety, human rights and ethical integrity continue to be paramount; where communities thrive and the environment is protected; and where there are equal opportunities for all. De Beers Group is a member of the Anglo American plc group. For further information, visit www.debeersgroup.com.

Media Contact: debeers@adfactorspr.com 

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