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Annasha

Annasha Dey is an NIT student, who apart from studying engineering is also a content writer. She has a great interest in photography, writing, reading novels, and travelling as well. She is a foodie who loves socializing and hanging out with her friends. She is also a trained Kathak dancer and a big fashion enthusiast. Dey also loves watching TV series, which includes F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and Big Bang Theory. To be a better writer she prefers to read more

Frida Polli

Frida Polli Proves People Can Be Biased But Algorithms Aren’t

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As we are already witnessing the application of AI in this fast-moving world, programs can never perform in a biased way. Though humans make many imperfect decisions, not able to become a better judge is a disapproving quality. But, machines cannot judge people. You can never make them lie. And, this is the entire point of applying AI-based algorithm to hire people. Frida Polli, a neuroscientist opened here start-up, Pymetrics to help companies hire people in a better way. We believe it or not that sometimes our personal feeling or sixth sense clouds are judgments. But, one cannot let this harm his or her recruiting operation. So, many companies are using the platform of Pymetrics to hire best-fitted profiles for any job. Frida established the company in 2012. It is an initiative to democratize the hiring practice using ethical AI and behavioral data. The company is based in New York City.

About Frida Polli

Frida went to Dartmouth College and acquired her bachelor’s degree in English (Post-baccalaureate premedical studies). In 2001, she went to Suffolk University and graduated in 2007 with a Ph.D. in Neuropsychology. Later, she went to Harvard Business School and acquired her MBA. Before going for her Ph.D. she was a Research Assistant at Boston University School of Medicine. She was also a Doctoral Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital.

Before graduating from Suffolk University, she was an intern at Harvard Medical School. She was also a Postdoctoral Fellow at MIT for three years. In 2012, she founded Pymetrics and currently serves as its CEO.

Why entering into start-up culture?

Being a research scholar, Frida went to some of the most prominent universities in the world. She has an experience of more than ten years in the field of neuroscience. But, something always bugged her about its application. Though she liked her field of research, she wanted to do more than just working in the lab. Frida wanted to apply her research ideas in the practical world. So, she applied for Harvard Business School. But, initially, she had no idea in which field she wants to start her entrepreneurial journey. Frida followed her intuition.

During her two years at Harvard, she faced this problem of recruiting. She and other fellow students carried out many types of research. It included examining individuals, their personalities and tallying possible outcomes. Frida realized that this is an inefficient way of hiring people and thus got the idea of her start-up.

Building Pymetrics 

The team of Pymetrics is much diversified. It has hired employees starting from data scientists to policy analysts. After Frida came to Harvard Business School, she planned her start-up. So, many things happened eventually once it started rolling. Frida said since the platform is based on Behavioral data she needed to hire engineers and data scientists. A general body has to be established for every company. This led to the hiring of a general counsel.

Expansion

Though Pymetrics is a US-based company, it decided to expand abroad. One of the biggest reasons for this is pursuing companies that are the hotspot of Fortune 500 companies. So, Frida decided to expand its business to London, Singapore, and Australia. Some of the biggest companies that use the platform of Pymetrics are Unilever, LinkedIn, and Accenture.

The base idea of Pymetrics

When a human analyzes another human, we tend to be biased without us being aware of it. The main goal of Pymetrics is to eradicate this from the hiring sector. But, apart from this Pymetrics also lets you know what job you are better suited for. In Pymetrics, there is no one single algorithm for every job possibility. So, if you are not qualified enough for one position, you are open to trying other options. Pymetrics build an individual algorithm for individual job opportunities.

Why AI is helpful?

This can be clarified with a small example. Let’s say we don’t want to be biassed towards hiring. What if a company needs to immediately hire 50 employees and you end up receiving more than 1000 responses? In this case, most of the resumes are left unturned due to a shortage of timing and inadequate human labor. So, the best candidate might have been the one from the left out pile. But, when it comes to Pymetrics, the platform does all the work for the company. This way it becomes more perfect and time-efficient as well.

Google

GOOGLE TELLS HOW THE ONLINE BUSINESSES SHOULD RESPONSE IN THIS PANDEMIC

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The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a worldwide crisis. Apart from the shutdown of offline businesses, educational institutions, etc, it has also successfully created trauma within us. Every nation will find it very hard to economically recover after this deadly virus is eradicated once and for all. While every small enterprise is shutting down temporarily, here is a hope for the online businesses. Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, some of the online businesses are also planning to shut down. But, Google says it is a very idea for a business. A website can be less active, but it should still be on the run. Because, once it shuts down permanently, it is very difficult to be back online. Due to the shutdown ranking falls sharply.

The minimalistic approach behind the online business

John Mueller, Google’s senior webmaster trend analyst has given a set of guidelines for those who are planning a shutdown. He said that instead of turning off your business permanently, it is better if you stick to minimal functionalities. This explains what Flipkart and other e-commerce sites are doing. You might show out of stock for the time being or allow your customers to add in wishlist or cart for later. This will save your business once you are back online. Also, you don’t lose you, customers, as they will be visiting the website. Everything except receiving orders should remain active.

Another thing that Muller suggested is to display some important message or notice about the temporary inconvenience. He also said to use Google’s Search Console Tool for re-indexing.

Customers are the first priority

The online sites that are engaged with the service of online ordering and delivery are facing most difficulties. Other websites which provide online solution and the entire procedure is done over the net won’t feel the heat. So, for those e-commerce websites, closing it will be the biggest mistake. You should keep in mind that though your company is not able to deliver, customers visit the website. So, to not have a negative attitude towards your customers, the website should be online. This will help to tackle your problems in a better way once everything is back to normal.

What if you need to shut down?

Shutting down should be the option when you hit rock bottom. If there is no other way then you have to shut down. But, it shouldn’t be more than a few days maximum. If you are shutting down your website you should do thorough research about what are the dos and don’ts. Google also says that the company should display an error page with a 503 HTTP result code. That is the best thing to go for.

And, in case you are planning to shut it down for more than just a few days, here are some tips. One should provide an indexable homepage as a placeholder. This gives the user a way to find it through a search by using 200 HTTP status code. And, if you are planning to hide your website, you can temporarily remove it from search. But, always remember these are very risky. Your business might have a major setback once it is back.

Effects of shutdown

It’s better that your customers know there’s a temporary glitch than not knowing anything at all. This is why a whole vanishing-the-website-idea is not recommended. Always keep your customers updated about the website. There’s not much work in just keeping it active with a notice. And, once you lock the website, users cannot find relevant information about products, services, past orders, reviews, etc. Moreover, if you shut down the website for once, their high chances to lose the contact number and your company’s logo as well.

All these will lead to a company sinking down in the search engine. In other words, Search Control Verification will fail as the company’s information is lost.

The helping hands

It’s hard to make the right decision when you are panicking. So, here’s a small help from domain registrars like GoDaddy and Namecheap. One can continue paying the hosting fee to keep it online. And, these registrars are also helping the small companies survive this. Because entire disabling is very harmful to a company’s future.

Louis-James Davis

How Louis-James Davis Is Providing Cyber Tech Security Through His Famous Vcode Platform (VST)

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Cybersecurity and the companies providing it are an integral part of today’s tertiary sector. Numerous transactions take place in a single day through many online platforms. And, with an increasing number of people using these platforms, it increases the chances of fraud. So, every company must use a cybersecurity platform to fight against fraud. Every person who is remotely related to the acreage of coding has heard of VCode. Not only programmers but also many companies as well. Because VCode has become very successful in carrying out financial transactions both online and offline. VCode is the product of the company VST Enterprises. Louis-James Davis founded the company in 2012.

About Louis-James Davis

Louis graduated from Longdendale Language College in 2004. His career in the technical sector properly started with becoming the CEO of The Media Creation Enterprises. He switched to another company called KMS Solutions (co-founder) after a couple of years. He founded VST Enterprises in 2012 and currently serves as the CEO of the same.

In July 2013, he became a Partner at the Longbow Venture Capital followed by Business Advisor at TechCluster Ltd. For five years, Louis was a Tech Innovation Consultant at Via Solidus Consultancy. He was also the Science & Technology Ambassador for the Government of Zimbabwe. Louis has also founded Davis Co. Holdings and Ambassador of Code Nation, Kidscan Children’s Cancer Research, and Manchester Metropolitan University.

Shifting to the technical world

Louis started his career as a passionate musician. But, he falls victim to a serious illness that changed the course of his life. After he left the career of a musician behind, he joined Carnival Corporation as the Entertainment Officer. For many years, he worked for different companies. But, it seemed like it is hard to provide a simple interaction with the customers.

QR codes and other sorts of codes have grown common by then. But, they decided to generate their code which led to the formation of VCode. VCode and VPlatform are the two products of VST Enterprises which successfully generate, track, and analyze VCodes. So, Louis finally came up with his whole ledger system by 2012 and launched the company.

Objectives of Louis-James Davis

When Louis established the company, his main focus was to incorporate this technology in various government bodies. Because they are most vulnerable to fraud and counterfeiting. Louis also claims that the features that his products can provide and not very common in the market. The ideas of Louis have become rivals to the blockchain community to some extent. Because, when Louis did some market research he received a few feedback regarding blockchain solutions. It wasn’t working anymore for many companies and Louis’s ledger system could have easily provided the solution.

Many big clients were interested in the products of VST Enterprises which includes the Bank of England, accountancy firms like KPMG and EY, etc.

The Big Success

Louis and his team started writing their code because they simply weren’t satisfied with the solutions of other companies. And, after they launched their product they barely knew how effective it was in the market. They realized the importance of their product when a researcher incorporated their technology. The EU Commission reported that it was the only product in the market that could record end-to-end traceability and eradicate counterfeiting. This was the huge success that took VST Enterprises to a whole new level.

About VST Enterprises 

VST Transaction has been trying to provide excellent experience of the financial transaction both online and offline. The products of VST Enterprise are used by diversified sectors of the economy. For example, it is used for fighting against fraud in government sectors to car park payment systems. From instant payments to document transfer, everything is secured through the platform of VCode.

AI played a very significant role in building Vplatform. Once the VCode is scanned, the user gets access to all the information that is online about a particular product or service. The products of VST are so versatile that it has received many awards for excellence. In 2016, it has become the Best British Mobile Start-up (KPMG) and Most Innovative Mobile Technology Company (TMT News). The company is also the recipient of the CEO Award 2017, Tech Entrepreneur of the Award 2018 by UK Business Tech Awards, etc.

IBM

IBM AND THE WEATHER CHANNEL ARE MAKING MORE CITIZENS AWARE OF COVID-19

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Mayhem has come down to the entire world. And, every nation is currently fighting off the same enemy, COVID-19. It was only yesterday that the total cases in India surpassed 600. The rise of panic is everywhere but it is a blessing than many patients are recovering from near death. The world has come together to find a cure for this infectious virus at the earliest. In the meantime, as a responsible citizen, we can only take precautions and stay home. But, it is also important to keep track of the number of cases globally. So, we have a right to know updated facts about this virus, for example, where it is spreading more, and the number of reported active cases. To help stay more informed about the statistics, IBM and The Weather Channel has launched new tools.

The New Tool and its use

It has become impossible for us to take a step out of your house. The Internet feels like a blessing in these days of quarantine mostly to keep ourselves updated. Given that we all use a smartphone, IBM has launched new tools that will help us keep a record of reported COVID-19 cases in our area. The mobile application is free and anyone from anywhere can access it.

The users can see the information from The Weather Channel app (an IBM business). The company has designed this new tool in a way that will help the users get all the information from trusted sources. The application also has a dashboard where the statistics will be displayed. Previously, many sites provided with updated information about COVID-19 like active cases, death cases, and total cases. But, it is easier to gain this information from a mobile app.

Features of the App                                            

The data we received so far was from the World Health Organization (WHO), Johns Hopkins University, and other official sources. This Weather Channel app will merge all these information. And, apart from these reports, it will show reported cases at both state and national levels. Combining all these data, the app will show it on an “incident map”.

In this incident map, reported cases will be color-coded to show different areas, states and at the national level as well. Not only the maps will be generated but also graphs will be provided the state-wise reported cases. This app will also provide the percentage increase of COVID-19 cases weekly.

Trend visualization and interactive mapping are the two best features of this app. The app will also provide news and videos related to this pandemic. This will be thoroughly looked into by The Weather Channel Editorial team. As one should be reported about the cases, the citizens of the U.S. will also be able to locate the nearest healthcare clinics and testing centers. IBM is trying its best to include as much informative and important data as possible.

Reaching out to more people

IBM has also announced that this same data will be used by officials, researchers, data scientists, media, and medical professionals. So, the citizens should not worry about the clarity and preciseness of the data. It is their responsibility to let people aware of the right details. The app will also provide fact-checking resources and a proper guideline in this period of crisis. It will consist of detailed guidelines about the preventive measures that should be taken by normal people. And, it is also for the people who have tested positive for COVID-19. Though the patients will be immediately taken under medical supervision, prevention is better than cure.

Spreading the right message

This new tool will help the U.S citizens both prevent and remain informed about COVID-19. The app will not only show statistics of the U.S but also the cases of global COVID-19. There are around 45 million active users of The Weather Channel App. So, people can ignore the use but they will surely stay tuned with an application, a very common feature of a smartphone. The company also said that apart from all the information it provides, the message of social distancing is the top priority. Because that is the most important and the only way to prevent COVID-19.

flipkart

Flipkart has Temporarily Shut down its Services Responding To The 21 Days Lockdown

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The victims of COVID-19 are rising at an alarming rate throughout the world. The Indian government is taking many steps to put an end to this outbreak. And, responding to the emergency lockdown of 21 days, Flipkart has temporarily put an end to its services. Though the demand for online services has recently increased, in the need of utter crisis it has come to a pause. Flipkart has never stopped its services before. But, now distancing is the best solution. In this journey of thirteen years, Flipkart has always given its best to give its customers the priority. Even a few days back also, Flipkart was taking orders and the delivery staff was working. But, after yesterday, everything has come to a sudden halt. It is expected to get over after 21 days. But, this is a vulnerable point where saving lives is more important in online shopping.

What has been shut down?

One of the biggest e-commerce platforms of India, Flipkart has announced the deactivation of its services. In response to the lockdown for 21 days, Flipkart has informed on its website and mobile phone’s application as well. It will be shutting down the online ordering, buying and selling of goods. Because home delivery is a huge risk both for the customers and the delivery men as well. And, the risk of spreading the virus grows exponentially if either of has it. Many people were relying on the services of Flipkart for daily basic needs. But, for the time being, the alternate way should be considered.

The Other Services of Flipkart

Though the company has shut down the delivery services, other activities are still online. Flipkart has not closed other services like video streaming, playing online games, online payment transactions, etc. They can be accessed online. Paying bills are also very crucial. So, Flipkart has still kept online the platform of bill payment so the users can pay their electric, phone, water bills, etc.

The social distancing has also gathered numerous audiences for the Flipkart Video Streaming platform. The Game Zone is also active as it is one of the most preferred things to do during this quarantine. The company has also come into a joint partnership with Give India to donate health kits to those who are in need.

Reassurance to resume

Flipkart will not be receiving orders anymore. And, the company has also reassured that it will be back as soon as possible. Customers should cooperate with them to fight off COVID-19 and they will resume at the earliest. On the other hand, Amazon has declared that it will be providing the services. But, the company in this crisis will only prioritize the basic needs of the people. Ordering anything except the essential products won’t be entertained for the time being.

Some of the important highlights 

Here are some important details about the sudden shutdown of services. Flipkart has around 30,000 delivery staff who will stop working temporarily. The crisis has affected every sector of our nation both economically and socially. Survival has become questionable, but somewhere down the line fear of unemployment is growing roots.

Delivery of extreme necessities like food essentials, pharmaceuticals, and medical types of equipment is the only exception. Apart from these, the lockdown applies for anything and everything and from anyone and everyone. It is not only Flipkart shutting down its services, but e-commerce platforms like Grofers and BigBasket are facing the same problems. After the analysis of the financial year 2018-2019, it is noted that the worth of the Indian e-commerce market sums up to $38.5 billion. And, the sudden destruction of this supply-chain market will bring one big loss for the business. The online grocery store of India, BigBasket has also declared about shutting down its services. Though they are receiving a tremendous amount of orders, they are helpless right now. Millions of customers rely on Flipkart, Amazon for their daily essentials. So, this 21-day lockdown will have a major effect on their lives. But, if doing this gives some positive feedback by eradicating COVID-19, then everyone should cooperate. Every big e-commerce companies in India are taking necessary actions in response to yesterday’s speech of our Prime Minister.

Lilium

Munich-Based Start-Up Lilium Becomes Europe’s On Of The Most Innovative Companies

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Business in the aviation sector is risky and expensive yet has a vast opportunity. We don’t witness every day that many start-ups are coming up in this field. In 2014, four engineers who were students at the Technical University of Munich showed interest in the aviation industry. A bunch of engineers successfully founded Lilium GmbH in 2015.The founders are Sebastian Born, Matthias Meiner, Patrick Nathen, and Daniel Wiegand. The company is focused on powering personal air vehicle electrically. Aircraft produced by Lilium is capable of VTOL flight. The company is also doing some experimentation and testing on VTOL air taxi designs. VTOL stands for vertical take-off and landing.

About the Founders

Sebastian Born completed his mechanical engineering from the Berlin Institute of Technology. He further acquired his master’s degree from the same university in development and design. He served for years in this university as an R&D Engineer and the next thing he did was co-found Lilium. Currently, he serves at Lilium Aviation as the Head of Verification and Testing.

Matthias also went to the Berlin Institute of Technology and acquired his degree in Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering. He also went to Puebla University of the Americas Foundation for learning Artificial Intelligence. For five months, Matthias served as a Ph.D. candidate at the Chair of information-oriented Control. In 2014, he co-founded Lilium.

Patrick Nathan went to the University of Applied Sciences Dusseldorf to acquire his degree in Chemical Engineering. In 2010, he went to Technical University Munich and graduated with a master’s degree in Numerical Simulation and Thermofluid Dynamics. He completed his Ph.D. from the same university. After he co-founded Lilium he became the Head of Calculation & Design. Currently, he serves as the VP Product of the company.

Daniel Wiegand went to the University of Freiburg followed by the University of Glasgow. He also went to the Technical University of Munich. And, that’s how all the co-founders met. Currently, he serves as the CEO of Lilium Aviation.  

History of Lilium

The four engineers started their work on Lilium from 2014 and they founded the company by 2015. It is a new start-up and yet it has managed to raise a $100 million investment fund. They received a lot of support from Business Incubation Center Bavaria, the European Space Agency (ESA), Atomico, Freigiest Capital (an investment company), etc.

After a couple of years of its launch, Lilium revealed The Lilium Eagle, a two-seater type model. It performed its maiden flight Mindelheim-Matthies, Germany on 20th April 2017. This year the company also announced that they hired some great experienced leaders from Gett, Airbus, and Tesla. Later, in September the company raised $90 million in Series B funding. Lilium also announced that they are making a prototype of a five-seater Lilium Jet which is expected to be released in 2025.

Success and Recognition

Within three years of its establishment, Lilium’s idea took off to a whole different level. In 2018, Lilium became the recipient of the award “Early Stage Company of the Year” at Global Cleantech 100 Awards. The company carried out another round of hiring from Airbus and Audi. Lilium has been hiring quite a several employees currently. In 2017, Lilium had only 70 employees which now sum up to 350.

Arnd Muller became the VP Marketing of Lilium in 2018. And, his focus was on the development of the air taxi company and launching its products internationally. At the end of 2018, Lilium hired the company’s first Head of Communications, Oliver Walker-Jones. He was a former employee of Rolls-Royce. In 2019, Lilium hired its first CFO, Christopher Delbruck. On 16th May 2019, the company tested its new five-seater prototype. The company came one step closer to launching air taxi services.

After the maiden flight for the five-seater was successful, Lilium built manufacturing units for its production. In July 2019, The Company received the Red Dot Award for the category Best of the Best Design. In the last funding round of 2020, Lilium raised more than $240 million.

Future Plans

The prototype testing was just to make sure the aircraft can perform all the simulations like vertical takeoff, the transition to horizontal flight, etc. Everything was controllable. Now, they are planning to speed things up a little bit by taking 100km/hr to 300km/hr. Moreover, it will be remote uncontrolled for at least 12-18 months. After this, someone will be put in the aircraft to get certified.