NEW DELHI: Village Capital and Michael & Susan Dell Foundation today said they have concluded a mentoring programme aimed at making early-stage Indian education start-ups more investment ready. 

Funded by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, the Education India 2016 programme identified 10 innovative, early-stage enterprises that are helping to increase underserved students' chances of accessing college education and improving their job prospects.

"We look forward to partnering with many of them to scale their solutions," Prachi Windlass, Director, India Education, Michael & Susan Foundation said. 

The entire cohort will also be evaluated by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation for a potential investment of up to USD 500,000 each. 

Skoda launches new Rapid at 8.35 lakh Czech car maker Skoda today launched the new version of its mid-sized sedan Rapid in India priced between 8.35 lakh and 12.79 lakh (ex-showroom Maharashtra). 

The new Rapid will be available in petrol option powered by 1.6 litre as well as in diesel with a 1.5 litre engine, Skoda Auto India said in a statement. 

Commenting on the launch, Skoda Auto India Chairman and Managing Director Sudhir Rao said: "The new Rapid is an integral part of the model offensive strategy in India...An improved ownership experience, an ongoing model offensive strategy combined with the launch of the new Rapid will consolidate our growth going forward.

RedCliffe Capital makes seed investment in Xanadu Heights 

RedCliffe Capital today said it has made a seed investment of undisclosed amount in San Francisco-based virtual reality game studio Xanadu Heights. 

The round was closed in October with the capital funding of the production and launch of the first chapter, slated for this winter. 

The game was designed specifically for VR and will be initially available for HTC Vive, a statement said. 

"Immersive gaming is projected to be at a massive 48 pct of a USD 4.8 billion VR software market by 2018 end. Our firm is excited about virtual reality and has been keen to make an investment in the VR gaming space," RedCliffe Capital Managing Partner Dheeraj Jain said. 

Microsoft unveils messaging solution to take on Slack Tech giant Microsoft has unveiled a new chat-based workspace solution -- 'Microsoft Teams' -- putting it in direct competition with fast-growing startup Slack and Facebook's Workplace product. 

The new product will enhance the collaboration capabilities in Microsoft Office 365, the cloud-based productivity offering with more than 85 million monthly active commercial users, Microsoft said in a statement. 

"At Microsoft, we aim to empower every person and organisation with the technology to be more productive as individuals and in groups," Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said. 

Uber revamps user app 

Ride-hailing service Uber has rolled out a redesigned app for commuters, aimed at providing a faster, smarter and more personalised experience. 

Uber has rebuilt the app completely from ground up for the first time, since the last redesign in 2012, it said in a statement. 

"We designed the new Uber app around you -and our core beliefs that time is a luxury and that the information you need should always be at your fingertips. Gone are the days when everyone's app looks the same," Uber Senior Product Manager Yuhki Yamashita said.

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