India’s Largest Facebook Fashion Community SHOPWATI Raises Seed Round from Sanjiv Rai of SRKK Advisors

 Prachalit Infomedia Pvt Ltd, which founded Shopwati, an Online Fashion Community has raised an undisclosed amount in a seed round from Sanjiv Rai of SRKK Advisors.

The bootstrapped startup will use this round to fund the next phase of technology development and reach out to customers and vendors in cities outside Delhi.

Shopwati is India’s First Fashion “E-Commerce in Reverse” Portal, creating a unique platform for women shoppers and vendors to explore fashion.

Built around conversations, the Shopwati community helps its users find products, take a poll on what to buy and discover fashion.

Ankit Bajaj, Co-Founder and CEO, expresses his vision for Shopwati: “We aim to build a strong community which helps each other make better fashion choices. Unlike every other Fashion Discovery App, Shopwati is not just about finding fashion inspiration, it aims to help people who want to act on it”

What started as a group of close friends and family, grew into a huge community, from discussing fashion finds across Delhi to getting suggestions on what to wear and where to buy it from.

Today, Shopwati is a 50,000+ member strong community, which comprises of Stylists, Bloggers, Private Labels, Designers, Brands and 1000s of other users talking about fashion. They also recently launched the preview of their Android App with 1000 invites that were exhausted in 2 hours of the launch.

Mehak Suri Co-Founder and COO believes  “Most of the women know what they will wear for that wedding/event 2 months later, what they don’t know is where to buy it from, and we see that as a huge opportunity. On Shopwati 1000s of vendors respond back to queries of users looking for clothes, makeup, accessories, footwear or gift ideas”

Shopwati today addresses over 300 queries everyday and with a GMV of over Rs. 1.5 crore in less than 6 months, they are doing more business than some of the biggest names in the fashion discovery space. They claim that more than 95% queries get answered in 24 hours and the conversion rate is over 35%”

To be on the platform, vendors have to pay an Annual Subscription Fee since most of the transactions happen offline and Shopwati takes no commission on the sales.

Akriti Garg, Chief Content Officer adds “Our Shopwatis are women who are 23 and above. These women are settled, opinionated and have a lot going on in their lives – marriage, social events, professional events, etc. These women have little to no time and there was a gap in the market wherein no one was catering to their styling and fashion needs. This is where Shopwati steps in, we and the community give these women honest opinions and our designers cater to their style and requirements at their convenience without having to spend hours in a market.”

About Shopwati:

What’s it about? 

Fashion Discovery app Shopwati helps its users find clothes and accessories that they are looking for with the help of a strong community which includes Vendors, Bloggers, Stylists and Other Users.

Why is it different?

 Shopwati looks to leverage the power of lots of fashion-interested people in helping individuals find the stylish clothes & accessories they are looking for. Users can simply post what they are looking for and vendors, users and bloggers help in finding the best deal.

Who’s it for?

It’s for fashion-loving users who want to seek suggestions and in turn give advice to and from the community.

Who’s Working on It?

Ankit Bajaj, has worked with several organizations in various strategy roles in Delhi and London before Co-Founding India’s first SMS based search engine Ask Birbal. Shopwati is his second inning in the Startup World. He is a Graduate from the Brookes University, Oxford.

Mehak Suri, has managed sales at brands like Taj, Oberoi, Radisson and Le-Meridian. She is also a professional singer and has sung Bollywood songs with award winning music composer Ankit Tiwari. She is an MBA from Infinity Business School, Gurgaon

Where is it? It is headquartered in Gurgaon. For More Information visit www.shopwati.com

About Investors:

Sanjiv Rai

Started in April 2008 by Sanjiv Rai, SRKK is a boutique investment company that began with a motive of funding pre-revenue early stage companies. They currently have 5 companies in their portfolio and have aggressive plans to expand.

Mr. Sanjiv Rai is a former CEO and MD of Rapid MetroRail Gurgaon and ILand FS Rail, with the IL and FS Group and is credited with developing, financing and building the country's first fully privately financed and owned Rapid Metro project in Gurgaon.

Bajaj Allianz General Insurance launches #TweetInsurance

·  An industry first initiative leveraging Twitter’s real time platform to offer instant services to customers as well as non-customers

 Bajaj Allianz General Insurance has launched, industry’s first Twitter based insurance platform called #TweetInsurance. In line with the company’s focus on harnessing the power of digital technology to provide hassle-free customer experience, this first-of-its-kind innovation promises customer centricity and services like never before. This innovative platform aims to offer convenience to company’s customers and non-customers alike in getting insurance information and services instantly by simply sending a tweet at the Bajaj Allianz Twitter handle with relevant hashtags.

The user needs to tweet @BajajAllianz #TweetInsurance. This will provide the user a list of services that can be availed on Twitter and the replies and updates would go via Direct Message to the user’s Twitter handle. The services that one can avail include the following:

·        Getting premium quotes on various products

·        Getting instant information about branch and network hospital locations

·        Getting a status update about a claim or policy

·        Knowing claims procedure details

·        Getting your policy soft copy

·        Buying insurance online

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Tapan Singhel, MD and CEO, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, says, “Technology has been a great enabler for the insurance industry, especially in the general insurance space given that the touch points with our customers are numerous in terms of service delivery. The need of the hour is customer-centric innovations that provide real time service to our customers. At Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, it has been our constant endeavor to aggressively leverage technology to bring in enhanced customer experience and transparency. #TweetInsurance is yet another step in this direction.”

Mr. Singhel added, “With Indians becoming more and more informed and connected, the aim is to consistently modernize communication channels and deliver the right solutions and assistance instantly. This initiative makes a digital channel of engagement an integral part in redefining our relationship with customers.”

How #TweetInsurance works

     - Anyone with a Twitter account can follow @BajajAllianz and send a tweet with #TweetInsurance to get started
 

     -  Every service has been given a unique hashtag that the customer can use

     

    -  Replies/updates go via DM (private message), ensuring that there is no violation of privacy

     -This service does not require pre-registration, making it instantly accessible

                                          Getting a Travel Insurance quote:

Watch below YouTube video - #TweetInsurance showing how this initiative works-

About Bajaj Allianz General Insurance

Bajaj Allianz General Insurance is a joint venture between Allianz SE, the world’s leading insurer, and Bajaj Finserv Limited. Allianz SE is a leading insurance conglomerate globally and one of the largest asset managers in the world. Bajaj Allianz General Insurance is one of the leading private general insurance companies in India. The Company offers various general insurance products like motor insurance, home insurance, health insurance, travel insurance and also unique insurance plans such as wedding insurance, event Insurance, film insurance. Bajaj Allianz has received iAAA rating, from ICRA Limited, an associate of Moody's Investors Service for ten consecutive years. This rating indicates highest claims paying ability and a fundamentally strong position. The Company began its operations in 2001 and today has a presence in over 200 towns and cities in India. The Company has been constantly expanding its operations to be close to its customers.

The fantastico world of love

 Exchanging of greeting cards showing a naked winged boy shooting an arrow through heart, transformation of college corridor into a flirting zone ,singles panicking and the breaking news about proposals acceptance and rejection , the valentine month has started. and I hated it.
Ria and Dev (my BFFs) approached my desk. Ria had something in her hand...oh, another display of affection by Rohit,a greeting card. finding me looking at it Ria hid it behind. she knew what was I going through.
"why you hiding it? afraid I'll start crying like a baby just because I've never received one of those?" I asked.
"Nooo actually it's a bit funny. I am afraid you'll make fun of it and then brand people in relationship as "STUPID" she answered.
that got me curious. I had to have a look at it. I snatched the greeting card from her hand. it was huge. not to mention lots of hearts and the word "love" in bold italics. it had lots of pages. each page featuring the famous couples starting with Adam and eve, then romeo-Juliet, shahjahan-mumtaz, heer-ranjha and so on. the funny part- their faces were replaced by Ria and Rohit's faces. I broke out into a laughter. Ria snatched the card from my hand and said "I knew it!" "you people are stupid!" I retorted.
"No they are crazy in love" Dev who was silently standing all this while spoke. I was startled to hear this comment from him. he was like me. we both were single and enjoyed making fun of couples. he was a happy single guy whereas I was slowly turning into a relationship wannabe.
I wanted to tease Dev but Ria cut me off "Shreya  I know what you are going through. but believe me when the time comes your 'special someone' will enter your life. until then take solace in knowing that you both are under the same sky."
I was done with the waiting game. it was time to take this matter into my own hands. that "special someone" is out there somewhere. I just have to find him. so I decided to go on a love hunting spree. all I needed was a sign from the universe giving me a hint where should I start my journey from. Ria shook me. "hey can you please return this library book for me. I am going out with Rohit."  okay so library it is.
I was browsing the book shelves in library when I heard someone fall. a guy fell off carrying a pile of books. I helped him in picking up the books. I saw his face. he was Uday, the topper of our class. I didn't know about him much but whenever I needed his notes he always gave me. he being topper his notes were in big demand but he never denied me and made me go empty handed without notes. why? that rang a bell. I asked him. "'coz Dev always used to reserve it for you before anyone else."he replied. oh Dev My best friend.:) "is there anything else you want to tell me?" I asked smiling. "Nothing, I think" he replied reluctantly.
I couldn't sleep.....just tossing and turning in bed. I called Ria my 2:00 am buddy and told her everything. Ria was surprised at first.
" I always knew Dev had a thing for you. whenever professors ask you questions and you go blank he diverts professor's attention by asking them a doubt. he also convinced Laxmi mam to shift him in our practical batch not because Laxmi mam was his favorite but because someone else was." Ria teased me.
That night I just couldn't sleep. I suddenly could relate to all the love songs. that feeling of being loved by someone was over powering. My special someone was so close to me all this while and I never knew. As the dawn was rising so were the butterflies in my stomach. how will I face him? how will I react if he decides to propose?  will I be able to utter those magical four words to him?
                                                      "I love you too!"

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

My Fantastico Balloon Phase

                                                                   

Balloon of happiness -

I was playing with it, all I cared about was that, it had all the attention of a 4 yr old me till someone told me to pose for the camera. The photo was taken, considered the best and the most fantastico pic of my childhood it's all framed and is proudly hanging on the wall of my  house for some years. What made the pic look so good? Was it my innocence or the joy brought out by the colorful fantastico balloons? It must be combination of both!

My Fantastico playmate-

It was customary for me to get a balloon at the Diwali fair. Now It's shape and colour a little changed. It was constructed by 3 balloons. 1 white balloon as the base stick, 2nd white balloon bent in an oval shape joined with the 1st one and the 3rd blue balloon inside the empty space of the 2nd one. It resembled a lollipop- a balloon lollipop! of course with a different purpose. After waving it and banging on my brother's head for some time I used to take out the 3rd balloon. It's always better to have two in case of "emergency". If one bursts I still had the other one. I used to draw a smiley face on it.

                                     

www.tumblr.com

Big Balloon Theory-

 One night after coming from the Diwali fair I kept the balloons inside the bed as I considered it to be the safest place for them. In the morning when I woke up from a sound sleep I looked under my bed. With no sights of it I went on a blaming my brother spree. when later I  inspected the scene of crime I found the remains of the balloon. I cried loudly to make my mom and dad realize how grave the situation was! My dad tried to calm me down saying "balloon is temporary. It lived for long it had to. We too are like balloons. Our time will also come but the decision is in our hands if we cry about everything we lose or appreciate its presence! wasn't that a good balloon?" "it was." I said sobbing. That day I learnt the life's biggest lesson….through a balloon!

A Wishing Balloon-

Few days ago on my 20th birthday me and my friends bought balloons. My friend started taking our pics saying it would be perfect for facebook coverpics. We started posing holding the colourful balloons when my balloon's string got tangled with one of friend's balloons strings. We were untangling it when I lost the hold on my balloon and it flew away. I was sad but then I quickly made a wish.  It is one of the most beautiful and fantastico moment of my life.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Get together -the kissan way

life today is unimaginable without our smartphones. 24x7 on our phones, we've collected a great amount of knowledge of what's going in different parts of the world. but have we forgotten something important? hit logout button. keep your phone aside and think what you may be missing from life.

you've missed the joy of creating, exploring and reinventing. where's the child in you? the child who loved dancing in the rain, climbing trees,picking fruits from the trees, hearing stories from the elders and calling friends from their homes, now all kinds of relationships are trapped in the cellphone. it's the only string keeping you in touch but it's a weak one.... it won't hold for long. the old relationships are losing their ground and the new ones are not getting strong foundation. it's the technology that needs to take the back seat and you should deal with your relationships upfront. it's high time you reconnect with nature, release that trapped energy that you've been bottling up and rewind the time you spent with your kith and kin.    

                                                        www.boredpanda.com

start creating memories which will be there with you forever, not like chats which will eventually end up in spam folder after a certain time. be there! be present physically, connect in person. give a shoulder to your loved ones to rely on, give a hand to pull them back up when they fall down.  because sometimes it needs a little more than a "tc", :-), XOXO, :-*,"k", LOL.  a real smile, a real hug, a real laugh and a real kiss. world is a big place with beautiful things in abundance and well, life is short, don't waste it away distracted by your cellphone. the cellphone doesn't assure you the warmth, the feelings and the touch of real relationships. it's what you'll have to work towards. 

                                           

www.boredpanda.com

cellphones offer ready answers and advises to our queries but it's nothing compared to sharing your concerns with your loved ones and finding the solution together. people engrossed in phones tend to be self obsessed and the urge to post a new update on everything and anything rules them. they come with their own interpretation of a piece of text instead of clearing out the doubts in person. time will pass so will the people but not the memories. they stay forever. 

the joy is here, in now. live the now. connect with friends, relieve the old times, hold no barriers of smart phones and everything will flow naturally. also spread the 'Kissan's tip to lifelong relationships' far and wide, so everyone awakes and enjoy the real joy of togetherness. smartphone may be your smart friend but not an emotional, crazy, lovely or "i'll be there for you" types. 
so jam out like they do in kissanpur-http://www.kissanpur.com/

life in the 4G lane

 Look what times we've reached. I've struggled with three G's all my life. they were not quite my tempo. but I need not worry now. welcome to Airtel 4G express, hop on to the ride,hold onto your seats, things are gonna get blurry because this is the fastest ride ever. with this speed everything will be high definition. remember the times when we had to often make compromises with the video quality so as not to waste time in buffering. but now it's upgrading our vision to 6/6. this is all because of Airtel vision with its revolutionary move of providing much anticipated 4G services.

I am all excited for joining in this ride. what will I do with these unbelievable speeds under my hood? oooh....

I have these strange bouts of curiosity. sometimes,at odd times I wonder why is this thing this way? why this thing not this way? what that thing looks like? what is the mystery behind it? is there even a word like that? but I used to just shrug it off thinking who would go, search about it and look at that circle going on and on for god knows, how long. now that 4G has made its way in the market, thanks to Airtel, I'll finally suffice my curious mind. 

Big match tomorrow but can't miss classes. I can catch some action with live streaming. it won't get stuck when using Airtel 4G  . a fast friend indeed. watching live  without interruption will soon be a reality. I can watch it in the ride back home or from home. just a click away. I so feel like Aladdin who has found the magic lamp. surfing, browsing, online games,video chats everything will run smoothly.  

As a competitive blogger I think I won't have problems with the time constraints. as I like living on the edge and making it through deadlines is a very important task. we all know whether booking a tatkal ticket in irctc or grabbing that cool deal on flipkart sales can be stressful. with Airtel 4G as my weapon I'll scale through it smoothly. speed gets double and stress halved.  it sounds a little selfish,eh? but I think it would be helpful to me in helping others too. for example, I am often inquired about the directions to some place,train information, college queries and often NGOs. with its fast speed I'll access details fast on the internet and can be of some help.  

I have a bad habit of studying at the last minute. with Airtel 4G speed I'll be able to clear some last minute doubts. it would improve my social media life so much. but what is really exciting about the Airtel 4G  services is its cost. its 4G at 3G rate. easy on the pocket, fast in hand. so anyone can get their hands on this amazingly fast connection. with Airtel 4G l'll have world at my fingertips. 
                                                       

telenews.in

Airtel 4G is the first telecom operator to roll out 4G services

Nationwide rollout across 296 cities

4G available at 3G prices

Getting a 4G SIM is just a tweet away - #GetAirtel4G

Free home deliverey of 4G SIM

it's a meow-tic world!