Author: Neel Achary

TravClan Announces Rapid Adoption of Volt API by India’s New-Age Travel Startups

New Delhi, Feb 05: TravClan, a leading travel technology platform powering modern travel businesses, today announced that several fast-growing Indian travel startups including Rimigo, 30 Sundays, The Tarzan Way, and Jeto Vacations have adopted its Volt API as their core backend infrastructure. The adoption enables faster go-to-market, improved operational efficiency, and accelerated scale, and reflects a growing shift among new-age travel companies toward shared technology platforms.

Traditionally, travel startups have spent months developing backend systems such as supplier integrations, booking engines, pricing logic, and reconciliation workflows before launching customer-facing products. This approach has often delayed market entry and constrained innovation. By leveraging Volt’s shared infrastructure, startups are significantly reducing time-to-market while maintaining reliability, pricing accuracy, and service continuity.

Rimigo, an AI-powered vacation planning platform, adopted Volt early in its journey, raised $550,000 from Japan-based Reazon Capital within four months of launch, and has since curated over 500 personalised international vacations.

“The strongest travel companies win by staying focused on what truly matters to the customer,” said Sahil Sharma, Co-founder and CEO, Rimigo. “Volt has allowed us to scale efficiently while we continue to invest deeply in personalisation and experience design.”

Personalised travel brand 30 Sundays, which focuses on curated journeys for couples, has reported up to a five-fold improvement in operational efficiency and multifold growth over the past year.

“Personalisation and scale rarely coexist in travel,” said Kshitij Chaudhary, Co-founder, 30 Sundays. “With AI on the front end and Volt on the backend, we are now able to deliver both.”

Experiential travel company The Tarzan Way has recorded 300 percent year-on-year revenue growth, enabled by access to stable backend infrastructure that allows rapid experimentation with new travel formats while maintaining operational stability.

Commenting on the industry shift, Arun Bagaria, Co-founder and CEO, TravClan, said, “Every great travel company begins with a strong idea. Volt removes the infrastructure burden so founders can focus on building products customers value and return to. We are building the rails that allow specialised travel companies to scale efficiently.”

Jeto Vacations, a Delhi-based experiential travel company, highlighted the importance of real-time inventory and structured pricing data in driving growth. “Volt has been instrumental in our rapid growth over the past year by enabling faster planning and operational consistency,” said Debayan Ghosh, Director, Jeto Vacations.

Through the Volt Hotel API, partner businesses gain access to TravClan’s directly contracted properties, advanced content solutions that eliminate duplicate listings, and seamless integration across more than 40 global suppliers through a single API. Volt also enables the integration of accommodations with experiences, simplifying travel planning and delivering a connected, end-to-end customer journey.

Samsung Sets Two Guinness World Records with its India #WithGalaxy Photography Campaign

Feb 5: Samsung, India’s largest consumer electronics brand, today announced that its nation-wide India #WithGalaxy photography challenge for Galaxy S Series has made it to the Guinness World Records (GWR). This marks a milestone in smartphone photography and national storytelling.

Launched in 2010, the Galaxy S series has endeared consumers over the years with its revolutionary photography, premium design and easy-to-use functionality. It has brought users closer to the world around them, made their lives convenient, and offered them unprecedented mobile experiences with one groundbreaking innovation after another

A Record-Breaking Achievement

The campaign captured the essence of the nation through the lens of the Galaxy S Series and set two new world records:

• Largest Smartphone Photography Competition: Samsung has created the largest smartphone photography competition in history.

• Most Contributions to an online photo sentence (artwork): The photo submissions have formed one of the world’s largest collaborative digital artwork celebrating creativity and digital participation across India’s rich cultural tapestry.

“The India #WithGalaxy campaign unites people and celebrates the essence of a nation. By setting two Guinness World Records, we have showcased the capabilities of the Galaxy S Series and amplified the voices of our consumers who celebrate India’s diversity, beauty, and spirit through their lenses. This initiative reflects Samsung’s commitment to fostering innovation and cultural storytelling, empowering individuals to share their unique perspectives. We are immensely proud of this achievement and grateful to everyone who contributed to making this milestone possible,” said Raju Pullan, Senior Vice President, MX Business, Samsung India.

The campaign ran from December 30, 2025 to January 26, 2026 and invited Indian citizens to capture real moments in the country using the Galaxy S Series. The initiative garnered a total of 31331 submissions that reflect the country’s diversity, beauty, and spirit, and created a vibrant visual mosaic of “India #WithGalaxy”. The campaign was anchored by celebrated Indian filmmaker Kabir Khan and 30+ regional photographers.

Celebrating India’s Storytelling Through Galaxy S Series, the India #WithGalaxy campaign captured four key themes

• Faces of India: Portraits of real people that showcase the country’s warmth and diversity.

• Sights of India: The breathtaking natural and architectural beauty, from the Himalayas to coastal landscapes.

• Spirit of India: Everyday moments of pride, resilience, and unity that shape the country’s identity.

• Colours of India: The vibrant textures, attire, and food that make every corner of the nation visually distinct.

A Cultural Celebration Beyond Technology

The campaign highlights the Galaxy S Series’ technological prowess, and also weaves in a deep cultural narrative. Samsung has reinforced its commitment to fostering cultural relevance and people-powered storytelling by enabling citizens to document their India stories. Samsung extends its gratitude to all participants, creators, and partners who made this record-breaking achievement possible. As we celebrate this milestone, we reaffirm our mission to push the boundaries of innovation and inspire global storytelling through technology. For more information about the India #WithGalaxy campaign and Samsung Galaxy’s camera technologies

Gartner to Spotlight Cybersecurity Trends for 2026 at Security & Risk Management Summit in Sydney

Sydney, Australia, Feb 5:  The rapid rise of artificial intelligence, escalating geopolitical tensions, regulatory volatility and an expanding threat landscape are reshaping the global cybersecurity environment, according to Gartner, Inc. These forces are driving the most critical cybersecurity trends for 2026, which will be explored at the Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit, taking place March 16–17 in Sydney.

“Cybersecurity leaders are navigating uncharted territory as multiple disruptive forces converge,” said Alex Michaels, Director Analyst at Gartner. “This environment is testing the limits of teams and traditional models, demanding new approaches to cyber risk management, resilience and resource allocation.”

Gartner identified six cybersecurity trends that will significantly impact governance models, secure emerging digital frontiers and guide the responsible adoption of AI.

Agentic AI Requires Strong Cybersecurity Governance

The growing use of agentic AI by employees and developers is introducing new attack surfaces. The rise of no-code/low-code platforms and “vibe coding” is accelerating the proliferation of unmanaged AI agents, unsecured code and potential regulatory violations. Gartner advises organizations to identify both sanctioned and unsanctioned AI agents, implement robust controls and prepare incident response playbooks to manage emerging risks.

Regulatory Volatility Accelerates Cyber Resilience

Geopolitical uncertainty and evolving global regulations are making cybersecurity a board-level business risk. With increasing executive accountability, compliance failures can result in significant penalties and reputational damage. Gartner recommends closer collaboration between cybersecurity, legal, procurement and business teams, along with alignment to recognized control frameworks and proactive management of data sovereignty issues.

Post-Quantum Computing Moves from Theory to Action

Advances in quantum computing are expected to compromise current asymmetric cryptography by 2030. Gartner urges organizations to begin adopting post-quantum cryptography now to protect sensitive data from “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks and to ensure long-term cryptographic agility.

Identity and Access Management Evolves for AI Agents

The rise of machine identities is challenging traditional IAM models. Issues around identity registration, credential automation and authorization for AI agents are increasing access-related risks. Gartner recommends a risk-based investment approach, focusing on high-impact gaps while leveraging automation to maintain compliance and innovation.

AI-Driven Security Operations Transform SOCs

AI-enabled security operations centers (SOCs) are changing operational norms, creating new workforce, cost and skills challenges. While AI enhances alert triage and investigations, Gartner emphasizes the importance of human-in-the-loop frameworks, workforce upskilling and clear strategic alignment to maintain resilience.

GenAI Disrupts Traditional Security Awareness Programs

As GenAI adoption accelerates, traditional cybersecurity awareness programs are proving ineffective. A Gartner survey conducted in 2025 found that over 57% of employees use personal GenAI tools for work, and 33% admitted entering sensitive information into unapproved platforms. Gartner recommends shifting to adaptive, behavior-based training with AI-specific guidance, supported by stronger governance and clear policies for authorized use.

Gartner clients can access deeper insights in “Top Trends in Cybersecurity for 2026.” Additional guidance is available in the complimentary ebook “AI in Cybersecurity: Minimize Risks and Maximize Impact.”

Gartner Security & Risk Management Summits

Gartner analysts will present the latest insights for security and risk management leaders at upcoming summits worldwide, including March 9–10 in Mumbai, March 16–17 in Sydney, June 1–3 in National Harbor (MD), July 22–24 in Tokyo, August 4–5 in São Paulo, and September 22–24 in London. Updates from the events can be followed using #GartnerSEC on X and LinkedIn.

Octobotics Raises INR 10 Cr to Advance Asset Inspection Technology

AI-Enabled NDT Robotics Startup Octobotics Raises ~₹10 Crore in Series Seed Funding to Transform Asset Integrity Across Industrial and Rail Sectors

New Delhi, Feb 05: Octobotics Tech Pvt Ltd, an industrial robotics startup focused on AI-enabled Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) solutions, has successfully raised approximately ₹10 crore in a Series Seed funding round. The round was led by Navam Capital, with participation from BYT Capital.

The funds will be utilised to accelerate product development, strengthen field validation, and support Octobotics’ international expansion across key markets.

Founded in 2020 by Ishan Bhatnagar and Gulshan Kumar, Octobotics designs and deploys vertically integrated, AI-powered NDT robotics platforms engineered to operate in harsh and high-risk environments. The company’s solutions address inspection challenges across asset-intensive sectors including Oil & Gas, Chemicals & Petrochemicals, Marine, Power, Fertilisers, and Railways.

Octobotics currently serves leading organisations such as the Indian Navy, IOCL, Saudi S-Chem, BPCL, HPCL, Aarti Industries, and GSFC, and reported ₹2 crore in annual revenue in the last financial year.

“This capital will support deeper R&D for vertical integration, enable us to pursue IECEx and ATEX certifications, and help scale our operations across India, Singapore, and the Middle East,” said Ishan Bhatnagar and Gulshan Kumar, Co-Founders of Octobotics.
“Our distribution-led approach allows these systems to work alongside human operators, significantly reducing manual intervention in hazardous environments.”

Commenting on the investment, Dr. Anjan Ray, Investment Partner at Navam Capital, said,

“Octobotics is addressing critical maintenance challenges in infrastructure-heavy industries. Their vertically integrated technology stack combined with a scalable distribution model positions them well to serve the global inspection market.”

In industries where safety, operability, and asset uptime are key competitive drivers, conventional manual inspection methods continue to struggle in high-risk zones such as corroded surfaces, confined spaces, elevated structures, and complex geometries. Octobotics addresses these challenges by automating hazardous inspection tasks and transforming raw field data into actionable asset integrity intelligence.

By enabling early detection of defects, corrosion, and material loss, the company helps operators reduce operational risk, minimise unplanned downtime, and improve inspection reliability. Its robotic and sensor-driven workflows generate high-fidelity data, which is analysed using predictive analytics to deliver a unified, decision-ready view of asset health.

Octobotics’ product portfolio includes:

• PA RailScan – a PAUT-based system for rail track weld inspection, delivering consistent defect detection and repeatable inspection quality at scale

• Weld Sensei – an automated inspection platform designed for precise data acquisition in hazardous environments where manual inspection is unsafe

• Reach Master – a specialised NDT solution for inspections in hard-to-reach and high-elevation zones

The founders first connected at MERI Kolkata and later built careers in complex international operations. Ishan Bhatnagar previously managed maritime operations and automation at BW Maritime (Singapore), while Gulshan Kumar worked as an Operations & Maintenance Engineer at Belgian dredging major D.E.M.E. Inspired by the “Make in India” initiative, they returned to build data-driven, field-ready inspection solutions for critical infrastructure.