Liberty Shoes Partners with neOwn to Bring India’s Reading Revolution to Bangalore

March 02: Liberty Shoes Limited, one of India’s leading footwear brands, has announced a partnership with neOwn, India’s first app-based book rental service for children. For a month, all 25 Liberty stores across Bangalore will provide customers with an exclusive ₹500 discount voucher, with every liberty purchase, redeemable on any neOwn subscription. Liberty‘s approach positions this offer as added value for customers. 

neOwn, founded by Kranti Gada (former COO of Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd.), appeared on IdeaBaaz and earned the attention and support of retail industry leader Anupam Bansal, Executive Director of Liberty Shoes, who was one of the Titans on the show. 

Discussions between the two companies led to this collaboration, positioning Liberty as a brand that invests not just in children’s footwear, but in their holistic development.

The collaboration represents a shift in how physical retail can add value beyond transactions. Rather than simply completing a sale, Liberty stores now offer parents an opportunity to invest in their children’s cognitive development alongside their physical growth. 

“I am deeply grateful to Mr. Bansal for seeing the potential in what we are building,” said Kranti Gada, Founder of neOwn. “Mr. Bansal offered valuable insights from being in the retail business for decades, along with access to Liberty‘s retail infrastructure. This partnership validates our mission in a way that goes beyond capital. It is a testament to the power of believing in a shared vision: that every child deserves to be introduced to books early to grow confident, both physically and mentally.” 

“Business today has evolved beyond commercial transactions. Today’s customers are looking for brands that add real value to their lives.” says Mr. Anupam Bansal, Executive Director, Liberty Shoes, “When I met Kranti on IdeaBaaz, I saw a founder who is building something that genuinely helps parents raise confident children. Liberty has the retail infrastructure to help scale that impact. Sometimes the best partnerships aren’t about funding, they are about finding aligned missions and acting on it together. Good shoes give children the physical confidence to explore the world. Good books give them the mental tools to understand it. This partnership makes both accessible to the families who trust Liberty. It’s a natural fit.” 

The partnership is supported by a co-branded social media campaign highlighting the connection between physical and mental development in children. Both brands are creating educational content for parents around building confidence through holistic growth. 

The Bangalore pilot represents the first phase of what could become a model for similar partnerships nationwide, demonstrating how established brands can support emerging startups while adding meaningful value for customers.

Veeam Introduces Agent Commander to Confront Agentic AI Risk at Enterprise Scale

India March 02:  Veeam® Software, , the Data and AI Trust Company, today announced Agent Commander, the first unified solution to help organizations safely detect AI risk, protect AI systems, and undo AI mistakes, empowering them to proactively address AI-driven risks and securely scale AI agents everywhere. The first integration from Veeam’s successful acquisition of Securiti AI, Agent Commander combines the market-leading capabilities of both to give organizations visibility, control, and protection over their entire data and AI estate, with the ability to undo AI mistakes with precision and ease. Agent Commander will be available in a future release of the Securiti Data Command Center, bringing together the industry’s leading Data Resilience and Data Security capabilities.

“AI happens at machine speed, which means organizations must understand what data is being used, by what agent, and how in real-time. If an error occurs, organizations not only need to understand what data was impacted, but they also need the ability to undo any damage rapidly,” said Anand Eswaran, CEO of Veeam. “With Agent Commander, organizations know what data is powering AI, and it gives them the power to detect, protect, and, when necessary, undo AI actions with speed and precision. It represents the future of what’s expected from data security and data resilience, and it’s only possible with Veeam’s unified platform.”
 
The most critical gap in AI infrastructure today is trust. As AI agents scale, data risk and AI risk have become the same problem. An agent is only as trustworthy as the data it can see, access, and act on. Yet enterprise controls remain fragmented with separate systems for protection, security, governance, and recovery, and none built to provide unified visibility, granular control, or precision response at the speed and scale AI now demands. Sensitive data is being fed into models and acted upon in ways no one approved nor is tracking. As AI moves at machine speed an AI agent can access and act on sensitive data in seconds. Traditional workflows that take hours to detect and days to remediate leave too much exposure at that velocity.
 
Closing this gap requires a new layer of AI infrastructure: a unified control plane that delivers contextual visibility, policy-level enforcement, and surgical recovery, converging data resilience, data security, and AI risk management into one operational system.
 
Agent Commander brings Veeam’s trusted data resilience together with Securiti AI’s Data Command Center. This unified platform gives organizations total visibility into their AI environment, detects hidden risks and Shadow AI, and provides comprehensive controls to protect data as it moves through AI systems. Uniquely, Agent Commander can instantly undo AI agent mistakes with precise rollbacks. With Agent Commander, teams can detect and fix threats faster and with less effort, enabling safe and rapid AI adoption. It provides the visibility and control needed to confidently scale AI, turning security into a true business accelerator.

What Makes Agent Commander Unique?

At the core of Agent Commander is Veeam’s Data Command Graph™ — a real-time relational intelligence engine that maps live connections between data, identities, AI models, and autonomous agents across production and backup environments.
 
Veeam sees what others can’t. The toxic combinations where compromised identities, exposed data, and autonomous agents intersect — and how those risks compound, cascade, and evolve in real time across the entire data and AI estate.
 
That’s why no standalone AI security or backup solution can do what Agent Commander does. Combined with Veeam’s enterprise-grade data resilience platform, it delivers three capabilities the industry has never seen together.

• Detect AI Risk with Context

Identify shadow AI, sensitive data exposure, and risky agent behavior, with full visibility into downstream impact across systems and environments.

• Protect AI Pipelines Autonomously

Enforce granular, real-time controls across data, identities, and AI agents, independent of model providers, cloud platforms, and hybrid needs.

• Undo AI Mistakes with Precision

Surgically reverse unwanted AI actions using precise, context-aware recovery, restoring trusted data without reverting entire systems.
By converging relational AI intelligence with proven resilience infrastructure, Agent Commander establishes a new standard for trusted, recoverable AI at scale.

“As AI becomes operational infrastructure, enterprises can no longer treat data protection, data and AI security, privacy, and governance as separate disciplines,” said Rehan Jalil, President of Products & Technology at Veeam. “Controlling AI risk is effectively impossible in siloed environments or without deep contextual intelligence across data, permissions, and autonomous agents. Agent Commander unifies control across production and backup to detect toxic combinations, enforce granular policy, and precisely reverse AI-driven actions. This is the foundation required to operate AI safely at enterprise scale.”
 
“Acquisitions often raise the question of how combined strengths can create new customer value,” said Todd Thiemann, Principal Analyst, AIM & Data Security at Omdia. “Veeam’s announcement provides a clear roadmap for integrating capabilities and delivering enhanced solutions to organizations securing their data and AI estates. The focus on Agent Commander demonstrates Veeam’s commitment to provide both operational efficiency and comprehensive security for AI agents.”

Radisson Hotel Group strengthens presence in Madhya Pradesh with the opening of Park Inn by Radisson Jabalpur

Radisson Hotel Group continues to expand its footprint in Madhya Pradesh with the opening of Park Inn by Radisson Jabalpur. With a growing portfolio across key cities in the state, RHG is deepening its reach in central India’s high-potential markets. The new hotel reflects its focus on bringing internationally benchmarked hospitality to emerging tier-2 and tier-3 destinations, catering to both business and leisure travelers. 

Strategic Location with Strong Regional Connectivity

Strategically located opposite Bargi Hills Colony, the hotel offers convenient access to the city’s key landmarks and transport hubs. Situated approximately 30 minutes from Jabalpur Airport, the property ensures seamless connectivity for domestic travellers. Guests can explore nearby attractions such as Tilwara Ghat and Pisan Hari ki Madiya Jain Temple, while the hotel also serves as a gateway to renowned wildlife destinations including Kanha, Pench, and Bandhavgarh national parks, all within a three- to five-hour drive. 

Strengthening Presence in Central India

“With the opening of Park Inn by Radisson Jabalpur, we are strengthening our presence in central India and responding to the rising demand for quality hospitality in fast-growing cities like Jabalpur. The city is witnessing steady growth across business, social celebrations, and leisure travel, supported by improving infrastructure and connectivity. The Park Inn by Radisson brand is particularly well-suited for such a market, offering globally benchmarked hospitality experiences with strong local relevance. We are confident that it will become a preferred choice for travelers seeking contemporary comfort and seamless service,” said Nikhil Sharma, Managing Director and COO, South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group. 

Contemporary Stay and Dining Experiences

The hotel features 107 well-appointed rooms and suites designed with contemporary interiors and modern comforts to cater to both business and leisure travellers. Guests can enjoy all-day dining at RBG, the brand’s signature restaurant serving a curated mix of local and international cuisine. 

Positioned as a leading venue for weddings, conferences, and social gatherings, the hotel offers versatile banquet and meeting spaces, including indoor halls and an outdoor lawn. Additional facilities include a fully equipped fitness centre and an infinity swimming pool, providing guests with opportunities to relax and unwind. 

Shaping Strong Partnerships

“We are proud to partner with Radisson Hotel Group to introduce Park Inn by Radisson to Jabalpur. This development reflects our long-term vision of contributing to the city’s growth by introducing high-quality hospitality infrastructure that meets international standards. With the spaces designed to support large-scale weddings and MICE events, along with contemporary accommodations for modern travellers, we believe the hotel will play a significant role in elevating Jabalpur as a destination for both social and business gatherings,” said Mahesh Kemtani, Managing Director, Kemtani Projects Private Limited. 

“We are thrilled to open Park Inn by Radisson Jabalpur and offer guests a welcoming and refreshing hospitality experience. Our team is committed to delivering thoughtful service, comfortable stays, and memorable moments for every guest who walks through our doors,” said Santosh Pandey, General Manager, Park Inn by Radisson Jabalpur. 

Radisson Hotel Group continues to command a leading presence in the Indian market and is one of the country’s largest international hotel operators with over 200 hotels in operation and development. It continues to be the largest hotel operator in a tier-1 market like Delhi NCR, while over 50% of its portfolio is in tier-2 and 3 markets. The Group has successfully introduced various brands to the growing Indian market, including Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, Park Inn by Radisson, Park Plaza, and Radisson Individuals and its extension Radisson Individuals Retreats.

Avio Smart Market Stack Inks Shareholders Pact with Huwel to Tap Public TB Diagnostics Market

Avio Smart Market Stack Limited Signs Shareholders Agreement with Huwel; Targets Large-Scale Public TB Diagnostics Opportunity

Mar 02:Avio Smart Market Stack Limited (“ASMS”) (formerly Bartronics India Limited) has signed a Share Subscription cum Shareholders’ Agreement with Hyderabad-based Huwel Lifesciences pursuant to and in furtherance of the MoU signed between the parties in September 2025.

Under the agreement, Avio Smart Market Stack will acquire a minority stake in Huwel and collaborate on business development and project execution. Under this structure, ASMS is contractually entitled to receive a defined share of the net project revenues arising from orders secured and executed through its institutional engagement and business development efforts.

Huwel Lifesciences’ tuberculosis diagnostic platform has recently undergone a Health Technology Assessment (HTA) conducted by the Department of Health Research under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India. The assessment evaluated molecular tuberculosis diagnostic platforms deployed nationwide. As per its findings, Huwel’s Quantiplus® MTB FAST platform enables testing at an approximate cost of ₹340 per sample, whereas molecular testing systems currently used in government programmes typically range between ₹700 and ₹1,000 per test. A key differentiator for the Quantiplus platform is its compatibility with open RT-PCR systems. This enables the Government to leverage the thousands of RT-PCR machines installed across India during the COVID-19 response, facilitating rapid deployment of the platform without the need for proprietary hardware or significant additional capital expenditure.

India conducts close to one crore tuberculosis tests annually under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP). With detection and drug-resistance testing combined, the annual molecular TB diagnostics market is estimated at around ₹1,000 crore. The HTA findings position Huwel Lifesciences’ Quantiplus platform in a potential monopoly position within the public molecular TB diagnostics segment. With the assessment now available, central and state procurement authorities can evaluate and consider the platform for wider adoption under the National TB Elimination Programme.

Commenting on the development, Mr Vidhyasagar Reddy,  Managing Director, Avio Smart Market Stack Limited, said:

“The Health Technology Assessment provides important validation for cost-efficient molecular testing within a nationally significant programme. Through this strategic collaboration, we are aligning with scalable public health solutions while building our presence in the life sciences segment.”

The company indicated that this collaboration marks the beginning of its broader entry into healthcare and diagnostics-linked opportunities.