The Tech Panda takes a look at recent tech launches.
CleanTech: An Initiative for On-Site Sanitary & Biomedical Waste Processing
Neo San, a Bengaluru-based clean-technology company that develops a range of highly efficient, on-site thermal waste-processors, has been awarded for their patented innovation by UpLink, the early-stage innovation engine of the World Economic Forum (WEF). In collaboration with the Government of Karnataka, the program aims to address the various challenges in our growing cities, and Neo San has been selected as a strategic partner to deploy its solutions across Bengaluru to manage reject-waste on-site, at various facilities.
Dhwaj Bagrecha, Founder, Neo San, said, “Waste infrastructure has a large gap nobody talks about. The third stream – sanitary, biomedical, contaminated reject-waste – is generated daily with no certified on-site disposal route. The most common outcome is open-burning at low temperatures or dumping, since it has no economic incentive for material recovery. This creates some serious air quality challenges around our cities, polluting water bodies and soil-health without check. More so, sanitation workers handle this waste manually, causing an invisible spread of health risks for them and others. SafeDispose Bengaluru is what closing that gap actually looks like in practice. Through this initiative, our aim is the on-site treatment of this waste, in a controlled manner, eliminating open burning and reducing overall process emissions by 98%. This is the first step of a much larger deployment in India, something we’ve been building quietly for years”
FEATURES
- Real-time IoT monitoring of each cycle run and every kilo processed, thereby creating robust data for urban planning for the city.
- Aimed at eliminating open burning and manual waste handling at all these sites, conducting source segregation workshops, and generating India’s first field-verified compliance data under the Solid Waste Management Rules 2026 — creating a replicable template for institutional rollout across Karnataka and beyond.
- Karnataka State Pollution Control Board has reviewed and validated the technology for deployment across the city.
- More than 200+ machines deployed across India under managed service contracts including SAP India, Taj Hotels, Airtel, Royal Enfield, RMZ,, Embassy Group and others
Gaming: India’s First Female Gamer-Curated Fashion Capsule
India’s leading gaming creator and streamer Payal Dhare, part of esports and gaming content powerhouse S8UL, has collaborated with OWND!, the Gen Z-first fashion brand from Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited, to launch the country’s first female gamer-curated fashion capsule – ‘Gamer Drop’. Designed at the intersection of gaming, style, and creator culture, the drop reimagines what gaming-inspired fashion can look like for a new generation of consumers.
Payal Dhare aka Payal Gaming said, “Gaming today has become a culture and a form of self-expression for millions of young people across the country. That’s what makes this collaboration with OWND! so exciting for me. With this curation, I wanted to create something that genuinely reflects my vibe and the energy of my community. It’s stylish, comfortable, expressive – and made for people who want to own who they are.”
FEATURES
- Blending gaming aesthetics with bold streetwear silhouettes, everyday versatility, and what the campaign calls “main character energy.”
- Mix of menswear and womenswear pieces inspired by gaming culture while remaining wearable for everyday street style.
Fintech: First US$-Denominated Debit Card for NRI Customers of GIFT City IBU
ICICI Bank, in partnership with Visa, announced the launch of India’s first USD-denominated debit card from its IFSC Banking Unit (IBU) at GIFT City, the emerging global financial and IT services hub in Gujarat. This milestone reinforces the Bank’s commitment to offer innovative global banking solutions for Non-Resident Indian (NRI) customers.
Vipul Agarwal, Head – Cards and Payment Solutions at ICICI Bank said: “ICICI Bank has consistently focused on creating innovative banking solutions that caters to the evolving global financial needs of NRIs. As global mobility increases, NRIs often face currency conversion costs and fragmented international banking experiences. This USD?denominated debit card represents an important step in providing customers with seamless access to their USD savings. Our collaboration with Visa enables us to combine global acceptance with premium security and service standards, while further strengthening GIFT City’s position as a leading international financial hub.”
FEATURES
- Zero markup on USD transactions at PoS and e-commerce worldwide
- Acceptable across domestic and international ATMs, PoS terminals and e-commerce platforms
- Multi-currency usability for seamless purchases across the globe
- EMV chip-enabled technology compliant with regulatory standards
- Ability to enable/disable ATM, PoS, e-commerce and contactless usage through GIFT City NetBanking
- Option to set daily transaction limits for enhanced flexibility
- Access to Visa Infinite privileges including exclusive offers from participating global brands and curated travel and lifestyle benefits
Cloud: #FoundHerWorld in India to unlock economic participation for women founders
Women in Cloud, the global network of women techies across 100 countries, announced the launch of #FoundHerWorld initiative in India that is designed to convert visibility into real economic participation for women founders building in the AI-powered economy.
Chaitra Vedullapalli, President and Co-founder, Women in Cloud, said, “We are extremely delighted to announce the launch of #FoundHerWorld at a time when India’s start-up ecosystem is growing at a rapid pace. This comes at a critical point when we are adopting to the AI way of life and the future will belong to those who will have seamless access to AI. #FoundHerWorld is our endeavour to ensure that women founders grab opportunities of real economic participation. This will be done by activating communities, capital, and partnerships at scale. India represents one of the most important frontiers for this mission.”
FEATURES
- The initiative will target $1 trillion AI economy opportunity for women founders
- The movement will offer Indian women entrepreneurs structured pathways to capital, customers, and hyperscaler partnerships
Fintech: An Investment-Linked Jewellery Plan Entering Digital Investment Segment
In a move to tap evolving consumer preferences for flexible and digital-first savings instruments, C. Krishniah Chetty has launched MoneyPenny, an investment-linked jewellery plan, marking its entry into the digital investment segment. The company describes the offering as a smartphone-first platform aimed at younger and digitally inclined consumers
“We are seeing a shift in how customers approach jewellery purchases, with greater preference for flexibility and digital convenience,” said Dr. C Vinod Hayagriv, Managing Director, C. Krishniah Chetty Group. “MoneyPenny is designed to address this by allowing customers to build value at their own pace while staying connected to real-time pricing across precious materials, simply on their smart phone. With real-time view on rates, and accumulated weights of precious metals.”
FEATURES
- Allows customers to invest starting INR100, with no upper limit, without any fixed instalment schedule, or penalties for irregular contributions.
- Accessible via a mobile application and across the company’s retail stores. It’s an anytime payment, any amount, any number of instalments as their clients wish.
- Enables accumulation based on averaged prices of not only gold, but also on diamonds, platinum, and silver over an 11-month tenure.
- The platform uses a “Smart Averaging” mechanism to track precious metal across contributions, aimed at reducing the impact of market fluctuations.
- At maturity, customers receive the benefit of the lower of the averaged or prevailing market rates, offering a hedge against price volatility.
- Incentives such as returns of up to 12% per annum, 24% per annum on the first instalment made during the customer’s birth month and surprise benefit on maturity.
- With no lock-in clients may use accumulated monies anytime as well, prior to maturity (without benefits).
- No management fees, and users can track their investments in real time through the app.
