Group Legrand India today inaugurated the Legrand Institute for Training & Education at Thane, marking the launch of its first dedicated training centre in Maharashtra. The inauguration ceremony was graced by the Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Eknath Shinde, as the Chief Guest, along with the Hon’ble Minister of Skill Development, Shri Mangal Prabhat Lodha Employment, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Government of Maharashtra, and Ms. Agnès Silva, Deputy Consul de France, Mumbai.

Thane Institute Inauguration

Established as part of Group Legrand India’s social commitment towards skill development and youth empowerment, the institute aims to strengthen industry-ready technical talent and enhance employability across the electrical and allied technology sectors.

Developed in collaboration with SkillSonics, an NSDC-accredited implementation and knowledge partner, the 8,000 sq. ft. world-class standalone facility has been designed to provide industry-oriented technical training for ITI students, diploma and engineering students, technicians, and electricians. The institute will offer completely free-of-cost training programs with a strong emphasis on practical learning, industry exposure, and employability enhancement aligned to evolving technological and market requirements.

The initiative is expected to train and upskill more than 1,000 students and electricians annually, creating a stronger pipeline of skilled talent for India’s growing infrastructure, energy, and electrical ecosystem. The initiative further strengthens Group Legrand India’s broader CSR framework, which is built on five key pillars: education, healthcare, environment, skill development, and disaster relief; through impactful interventions across communities nationwide.

Speaking on the occasion, Tony Berland, CEO & Managing Director, Group Legrand India, said, “The inauguration of our training centre in Thane marks a significant milestone in Legrand’s journey of empowering youth through skill development and enhancing employability. Through this initiative, we aim to provide accessible, high quality technical education that equips students and electricians with future ready capabilities while contributing meaningfully to India’s skilled workforce development.”

Speaking on the occasion, Shri. Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra said, “Maharashtra has been actively focusing on strengthening skill development and creating employment opportunities for youth through industry partnerships and practical learning initiatives. The Legrand Institute for Training & Education aligns well with the State’s vision of building a future-ready skilled workforce and will contribute meaningfully towards Maharashtra’s larger skill development mission and industrial growth.”

Abida Aneez, VP – CSR & Sustainability, Group Legrand India, shared, “The Legrand Institute for Training & Education has been developed as a first-of-its-kind advanced technical training facility with modern labs and the latest technologies in electrical and UPS systems. The customised curriculum, designed jointly by Legrand’s subject matter experts and SkillSonics’ technical specialists, aims to equip students and electricians with practical skills and industry-ready capabilities aligned to current and future technological needs.”

The inauguration of the training centre marks another important step in advancing Group Legrand India’s long-term vision of inclusive growth through accessible skilling and community development.

About Group Legrand India

Legrand is a global specialist in electrical and digital building infrastructures, dedicated to supporting technological, societal, and environmental change around the globe. Legrand’s core purpose is to improve lives by transforming the spaces where people live, work and meet, with electrical and digital infrastructures and connected solutions that are simple, innovative and sustainable.

For over two decades, Group Legrand India has maintained its leadership position in power protection business, utilizing its global expertise to tailor the offering to local market needs. The Group has strategic acquisitions which further solidified its commitment to delivering complete solutions, making it the preferred partner across diverse market segments.

 Group Legrand India has several brands under its umbrella who are leaders in their respective product domain, namely IndoAsian, Numeric, Valrack, Adlec and NetRack. With a diverse workforce of 5000+ employees across India, Group Legrand India has 7 state of the art manufacturing facilities, 3 R&D centres and a wide distribution network with over 870 distribution partners and 19000+ retailers.

Legrand’s purpose guides its responsible commitments to a more sustainable world for all. Legrand’s CSR commitments actively contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals set out by the UN for a better and more sustainable future.

Legrand has laid out its CSR /Sustainability commitments in 4 main areas of actions to improve lives:

• Promote diversity and inclusion

• Reduce its carbon footprint

• Develop a circular economy

• Be a responsible business

Legrand has set the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 throughout the Group’s value chain.

Smart Expos & Fairs (India) Pvt. Ltd. is set to host South India’s largest integrated industrial sourcing platform from May 28 to 30, 2026 at the Chennai Trade Centre. The co-located editions of COMPACK 2026, LOGMAT 2026 and COSS 2026 will together create a comprehensive business and sourcing destination for the manufacturing and industrial sectors. Spanning over 60,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space, the three-day industrial trade platform aims to strengthen business networking, supplier discovery and industry collaboration while highlighting Tamil Nadu’s rapid emergence as a major manufacturing and industrial hub.

South India’s Premier Industrial Trade Cluster Opens at Chennai Trade Centre This Thursday

More than 215 exhibiting brands and 100+ sub-brands will showcase innovations across packaging machinery, warehousing, logistics, material handling, automation, intralogistics, storage systems, industrial safety and supply chain technologies at the integrated B2B platform designed for industry professionals. The exhibitions will be open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM on May 28 and 29, and from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM on May 30. Entry is free for trade visitors with prior online registration at smartexpos.in/vp-smart or business credentials.

The mega expo will bring together procurement leaders, factory heads, plant and operations managers, warehouse and logistics professionals, safety and EHS officers, project engineers, and business owners from the automotive, plastics, FMCG, pharmaceuticals, food processing, textiles, chemicals, electricals, warehousing and logistics sectors across India.

The event will also feature over 50 live equipment demonstrations, direct interaction with technical teams and seamless access to suppliers under one roof — enabling visitors to compare solutions, explore partnerships and make informed sourcing decisions in a single visit.

Together, the three exhibitions will address the core requirements of modern manufacturing facilities — packaging finished products, moving and storing goods efficiently, and ensuring the safety of people, infrastructure and industrial assets.

About the three exhibitions

COMPACK 2026 (15th Edition)

South India’s longest-running dedicated packaging exhibition returns with over 100 brands across packaging machinery, materials, converting systems, printing, labelling and coding — covering the full packaging value chain from primary equipment to end-of-line dispatch.

LOGMAT 2026 (11th Edition)

South India’s only dedicated exhibition for material handling, warehousing and intralogistics, featuring more than 75 brands across material handling equipment, warehouse automation, storage systems, AIDC/RFID, robotics and intralogistics — a key sourcing platform for industries planning automation and capacity expansion in FY2026–27.

COSS 2026 (1st Edition)

Making its debut, COSS is South India’s first comprehensive exhibition focused exclusively on industrial safety and security, with brands showcasing occupational safety products, PPE, fire detection and protection, surveillance, industrial security and compliance and training services — addressing the rising priority of EHS compliance across manufacturing.

About Smart Expos & Fairs

Smart Expos & Fairs (India) Pvt. Ltd. is a Chennai-based B2B exhibition organiser with over two decades of experience running industrial trade shows across India and international markets. Website: www.smartexpos.in.

Pepe Jeans London has been recognised with two awards at the Phygital Retail Convention 2026 hosted by IMAGES Group, celebrating innovation and excellence in retail marketing and customer engagement.

Pepe Jeans Wins Big at Images Group PRC Event

The brand secured wins in the following categories:

• Marketing Campaign of the Year for the Pepe Jeans x Social Discovery campaign

• CRM / Loyalty Programme of the Year for its customer engagement and database-driven retail initiatives

The award-winning Pepe Jeans x Social Discovery campaign leveraged Meta Ads to create a more personalised and conversational shopping journey for consumers. The campaign delivered strong business impact through lead generation, customer engagement, and measurable sales conversions, while strengthening the brand’s digital-first retail approach.

In the CRM and loyalty category, the recognition highlighted Pepe Jeans London’s focus on customer retention, database management, and data-led engagement strategies that have contributed to sustained consumer relationships and retail performance.

These recognitions reflect the brand’s continued focus on building meaningful consumer experiences through technology, data intelligence, and integrated omnichannel marketing initiatives.

The Phygital Retail Convention by IMAGES Group is among India’s leading retail industry platforms, bringing together brands, retailers, and industry leaders to recognise innovation across the retail ecosystem.

About Pepe Jeans London
Pepe Jeans London was born on London’s iconic Portobello Road in 1973. Today, over 50 years later, the brand remains devoted to its initial mantra and pledge to create the world’s most exciting denim-led fashion. The diversity and mix of cultures that define the city of London also define the Pepe Jeans personality, providing a constant source of inspiration for the women’s, men’s, and junior collections. Music, Culture, Fashion, London, and Denim, that’s what Pepe Jeans is all about.

#PepeJeansLondon
@pepejeansindia
pepejeans.in

Awaji Island, located in Japan’s Kansai region, is home to “Nijigen no Mori,” an anime-themed park where visitors can experience the worlds of popular Japanese series in a natural setting. Among its attractions, the TV anime “Attack on Titan” collaboration offers an immersive experience that brings the story to life.

Four types of newly illustrated original bookmarks

At the TV Anime “Attack on Titan” × Nijigen no Mori collaboration event, an SNS campaign is currently underway where visitors can receive exclusive original novelties by sharing memories of their experience on social media.

As a new addition to this campaign, four types of bookmarks featuring newly illustrated original designs will be available starting Friday, Jun 5.

The bookmarks distributed in this campaign are four types of limited-edition novelties featuring Eren, Mikasa, Erwin, and Levi holding bouquets, set against the backdrop of Awaji Island—known as a “flower island” where visitors can enjoy vibrant seasonal blooms throughout the year.

By posting photos or videos of your experience with the hashtags #NijigenNoMori and #shingeki, and presenting your post to the reception staff, you will receive one of the four bookmark designs at random. 

Share on social media your life-risking expeditions alongside your comrades as you face Titans in the darkness of night. At Nijigen no Mori, where the world of Attack on Titan comes to life, visitors can proudly showcase your unforgettable memories.

SNS Campaign New Novelty: Original Newly Illustrated “Bookmarks” Overview

Distribution Start: Friday, Jun 5, 2026

Business Hours:

Night Event: 19:30–22:00 (Last Entry 20:30)

Day Event:

Weekdays: 13:00–17:00 (Last Entry 17:30)

Holidays: 10:00–17:00 (Last Entry 17:30)

Location: TV Anime “Attack on Titan” × Nijigen no Mori Collaboration Event Reception

Details: Post photos or videos of your experience at this collaboration event on social media with the hashtag #nijigennomori and #shingeki. By presenting your post to the reception staff, and you will receive one of four randomly selected bookmark desins featuring newly illustrated original characters.

Website: https://nijigennomori.com/en/awaji_shingeki/?utm_campaign=pr

TV Anime“Attack on Titan” × Nijigen no Mori Collaboration Event Overview

Period: Saturday, March 14, 2026 – Sunday, December 13, 2026

Location: 2425-2 Kusumoto, Awaji City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan

(Inside Hyogo Prefectural Awajishima Park Anime Park “Nijigen no Mori”)

Overview: The world of the TV anime “Attack on Titan” will be recreated within the rich natural setting of Nijigen no Mori. Guests can enjoy the world of the anime through two events held by day and by night.

1. [Night Event]“Attack on Titan THE NIGHT WALK – Beyond the Wall –”

Walk approximately 1.2 km through the forest at night and experience the world of the TV anime “Attack on Titan” brought to life through projection mapping and immersive sound effects. Participants become new recruits of the Survey Corps and join the battle to reclaim freedom from the Titans, aiming for “beyond the walls” together with Eren Yeager and the members of the Survey Corps. At the goal, participants will receive an original card.

2. [Day Events]

Phase 1:“Attack on Titan Stamp Rally in Nijigen no Mori”

Participants can collect stamps of four characters in original illustrations, located throughout Nijigen no Mori, in a special stamp booklet. All participants will receive a novelty postcard with an original design.

Phase 2:“Attack on Titan Mystery Quest – Nijigen no Mori Edition / At-Home”

Participants take on the role of subordinates to Hans Zoe, who is deeply immersed in Titan research, and experience a mystery-solving adventure as they work to unravel various puzzles. The start date will be announced at a later time.

3. Collaboration Merchandise

Newly illustrated original artwork of Eren, Mikasa, Levi, and Erwin and others will appear as can badges and acrylic stands. In addition, a total of 36 original items packed with fun references for fans will be available, including goods such as “Captain Levi’s Quote Momo” and Armin’s “An Endless Lifetime’s Worth of Salt.”

4. Collaboration Food

The collaboration food lineup includes “Eren’s Determination Mapo Tofu Bowl,” inspired by Eren’s burning hatred and resolve against the Titans; “Sasha’s Sneak-Eating Plate,” featuring ingredients she secretly snacked on; and “Mikasa’s Warm Red Scarf Cake,” inspired by her iconic red scarf. In addition, collaboration drinks such as “Captain Levi’s After-Cleaning Tea au Lait,” perfect for a relaxing break after tidying up, will be offered, for a total of 11 items.

Ticket Information (Tax Included)

• All prices above include tax.

• Admission ticket prices for “Attack on Titan THE NIGHTWALK –Beyond the Walls–” may vary depending on the period. Please check the official Nijigen no Mori website for details.

• Children must be accompanied by at least one guardian (adult) for admission.

• Admission is free for children aged 4 and under for “Attack on Titan THE NIGHTWALK – Beyond the Walls.”

• Admission tickets for “Attack on Titan THE NIGHTWALK –Beyond the Walls–” are for designated time slots.

Business Hours

Night Event: 19:30–22:00 (Last admission 20:30)

Day Event

Weekdays: 13:00–19:00 (Last admission 17:30)

Weekends & Holidays: 10:00–19:00 (Last admission 17:30)　

Business hours are subject to change depending on the season. Please check the official Nijigen no Mori website for details.

Notes： The above information is current as of the date of release and is subject to change.　

Tickets:www.getyourguide.com/awaji-l155101/awaji-attack-on-titan-anime-park-entry-ticket-t1229530/

Official Website: nijigennomori.com/en/awaji_shingeki/

Inquiries：Nijigen no Mori Inc.“Nijigen no Mori” Management Office

Tel: +81-799-64-7061

©Hajime Isayama, KODANSHA/”ATTACK ON TITAN” The Final Season Production Committee.

About Nijigen no Mori (Anime Park Awaji Island)

Nijigen no Mori is an anime theme park located on Awaji Island in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. The sprawling park features famous titles from Japanese pop culture in interactive attractions set in the greenery of Awaji Island.

By utilizing digital and interactive technologies, the park offers immersive experiences for visitors of all ages and nationalities. It features attractions based on Japanese anime, manga, movies, and video games, allowing visitors to engage with these works through multi-sensory activities.

The park includes areas themed around classic titles such as NARUTO, Godzilla, Crayon Shinchan, and Dragon Quest, recreating the worlds of these works in a natural setting and offering hands-on, experiential attractions.

Access

• By Highway Bus

From Kansai International Airport, take a highway bus bound for Sannomiya, Namba, or Umeda. Transfer at one of these major hubs to a highway bus heading to Awaji Island. Please get off at either “Awaji IC” or “Nijigen no Mori.” Only one transfer is required, and the total travel time is approximately 3 hours.

• By Train + Highway Bus

From Kansai International Airport, travel by JR or Nankai Railway to the Osaka, Namba, or Sannomiya area. From there, transfer to a highway bus bound for Awaji Island. Please get off at either “Awaji IC” or “Nijigen no Mori.” The total travel time is approximately 3 hours.

©Hajime Isayama, KODANSHA/”ATTACK ON TITAN” The Final Season Production Committee.

The global race in artificial intelligence is usually framed around compute, capital and talent. Who has the most powerful chips. Who is spending the most on research. Who can attract the best engineers. By those measures, the contest looks like a two-horse race between the United States and China.
 

NJF Holdings founder Nicole Junkermann thinks that framing misses something important. And she thinks India is the country best placed to prove it.
 

Nicole Junkermann says India’s digital infrastructure creates strategic AI advantage
 

Junkermann, early investor in AI companies including Anthropic and Groq, acquired by Nvidia, has spent more than a decade investing at the intersection of technology, life sciences and human behaviour. Her view, developed through that work and codified in what she calls The Human Code, is that the AI economy will ultimately be won not by the markets with the most capability but by those that build the most trust.
 

“Capability in AI is becoming less scarce. The models are getting better everywhere, faster than anyone expected. What isn’t becoming less scarce is trust. People and institutions choosing to rely on AI systems, to integrate them into decisions that matter, to build their lives and businesses around them. That’s the harder thing to build. And it turns out India has some significant structural advantages in building it.”
 

Why trust is the scarcer resource

The first generation of AI development was largely a capability race. The second is shaping up to be a trust race. The difference matters because capability without trust doesn’t scale into the parts of the economy where AI creates the most value: healthcare, finance, education, public services, legal systems. Those are domains where adoption depends on confidence, and confidence depends on something more than technical performance.
 

Junkermann draws a direct parallel with sport, an industry she knows from the other side of her portfolio through Gameday by NJF Holdings, her sports investment platform.
 

“Sport is the only commercial system that has built mass trust across cultures, income levels and generations without a regulatory mandate. It does that because the architecture is transparent: the rules are public, the outcomes are unscripted, the consequences of violations are real. AI systems that want to earn the same kind of trust need to think about architecture in the same way. Not compliance. Architecture.”
 

India’s structural position

What makes India interesting, in Nicole Junkermann’s view, is a combination of factors that most major AI markets don’t share simultaneously.
 

India is building its AI infrastructure now, with the failures of the first generation visible. The United States built its technology ecosystem before the trust problem was fully understood. The consequences, around data privacy, algorithmic bias and platform accountability, took years to become apparent and are still being addressed. India can see those consequences clearly and build differently from the start.
 

India also has a demonstrated capacity to build digital systems that earn mass trust at scale. UPI is used by hundreds of millions of people across every income level. Aadhaar created a digital identity infrastructure of extraordinary reach. These weren’t just technical achievements. They were trust achievements: systems that people with no prior relationship with digital finance chose to rely on, quickly and in large numbers.
 

“What India has already proved with payments and identity is that it can build digital infrastructure that earns trust across an enormously diverse population. That’s not a small thing. Most countries haven’t done it. The question is whether the same instinct gets applied to AI, and I think the conditions are there for it to happen.”
 

The Human Code and long-term value

The argument connects to The Human Code, the values framework that underpins NJF Holdings’ investment philosophy across both its technology portfolio and Gameday. Its central claim is that the most durable commercial value is created by systems that strengthen trust rather than exploit it, and that in an AI-accelerated economy that distinction is becoming more consequential, not less.
 

For investors, Junkermann argues, this has direct and urgent practical implications. AI companies that build trust into their architecture from the start will have lower adoption friction, stronger retention, more durable regulatory relationships and better long-term economics than those that treat trust as a compliance problem to be managed.
 

India, with its scale, its engineering talent and its proven instinct for building digital systems that work for everyone, is well placed to produce those companies.
 

About NJF Holdings

NJF Holdings is a global investment group founded by Nicole Junkermann. It operates across two principal activities: NJF Capital, a venture portfolio of more than 40 companies focused on early-stage investment in artificial intelligence, deep tech and life sciences; and Gameday by NJF Holdings, a sports investment and platform business focused on building long-term commercial and digital infrastructure across professional leagues and media.
 

Notable NJF Capital investments include SpaceX, Revolut, Rippling and Groq, acquired by Nvidia.
 

For more information, visit NJFHoldings.com.

Provogue, one of India’s most-loved fashion brands, today announced that it has achieved an ARR of Rs. 25 crore in just 10 months of operations following its relaunch. The brand is now charting a path toward a Rs. 300+ crore three-year milestone as it scales a fashion-first travel category in India. Provogue has recorded 25,000+ gross orders in year one and built distribution across every major e-commerce and quick-commerce channel in the country.

Provogue brings to you a vibrant range of trolleys, backpacks & accessories made for the new generation

The brand’s approach has centred on bringing fashion together with function in a category that has long prioritised utility alone. That proposition resonates strongly with the new-generation of consumers (young millennials and GenZ) one who discovers, shops and engages with brands primarily online. Provogue’s go-to-market has been shaped around that reality, with a focused, digitally native push through e-commerce and quick-commerce channels in year one, ahead of any offline play. The brand is now live on major quick commerce and e-commerce platforms along with its own D2C website. The product range currently spans 145 SKUs across trolley bags, backpacks and travel accessories designed for everyday fashion. Provogue also launched, MYN by Provogue, India’s first design-it-yourself luggage platform. This innovative initiative empowers travellers to personalise their luggage with unique designs, themes, and artwork allowing them to express their identity, passions, and personal style wherever they go.

Speaking on the milestone, Pravin Prabhakar, CEO, Provogue, said, “We launched Provogue with one clear conviction, India is ready for a fashion-first travel brand. Luggage in this country has been treated as a commodity for far too long, built around price points alone. Our consumer doesn’t separate their luggage from their wardrobe. They want their trolley to look as considered as their sneakers. Provogue’s legacy gave us a powerful foundation, and the pivot to luggage gave us our runway. Closing year one at a Rs. 25 crore ARR tells us the consumer is responding. We’re only just getting started.”

Over the next three years, Provogue is targeting a Rs. 300+ crore brand scale, including a roadmap to move offline, still the largest pool of luggage demand in India. The business will remain anchored in luggage while extending purposefully into adjacent lifestyle and fashion categories. This will be pursued through general trade and modern trade partnerships in key cities. The offline play will allow Provogue to tap a market that significantly outsizes online for the category. Investments are being lined up across product design, supply chain depth, marketing, and offline expansion to support the next phase of growth.

About Provogue

Provogue is one of India’s most recognised fashion brands. It was originally established as a pioneer of contemporary menswear and youth fashion in the country. Relaunched in 2025 under new promoter ownership, the brand has pivoted into the luggage and travel-gear category with a fashion-led, digitally native model. Provogue products are available on Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Blinkit, Zepto and the brand’s own D2C channel.

What Indian partners saw in Vietnam was not simply factory scale, but a full EV ecosystem designed to make long-term ownership feel viable. That experience is now shaping how VinFast expands its aftersales and charging strategy in India.

What Indian partners saw in Vietnam was not simply factory scale, but a full EV ecosystem designed to make long-term ownership feel viable

Before coming to Vietnam, Rishav Kumar Choudhary, Managing Director of JP Emobility, had already seen presentations about Vingroup, Vietnam’s largest private conglomerate. But visiting VinFast’s factories and experiencing the broader ecosystem firsthand revealed a scale far beyond what he had expected.

“The presentations and slides do not fully capture the actual scale of the Vingroup ecosystem,” Rishav said during the trip in May. “In reality, it is much larger and more impressive than what we had imagined.”

That impression was shaped over seven days in Vietnam, where nearly 200 VinFast partners, dealers, and investors gathered for the company’s Global Business Conference. What they saw was not just an automaker, but an ecosystem deeply embedded in daily life.

VinFast vehicles moved constantly through the streets of Hanoi and Hai Phong, not only as private cars but also as commercial fleets and taxis. Across the cities, the partners encountered Vingroup businesses in nearly every direction. There was Vinhomes in real estate. Vinmec in healthcare. VinUni and Vinschool in education. Vinpearl in hospitality. Technology companies like VinRobotics and VinDynamics.

Different industries. Different business models. Yet somehow, each had become one of the leading names in its field.

Building confidence through ecosystem scale

Success in one sector can happen through timing or luck. Repeating it across industries suggests something else entirely.

That “something else”, many partners concluded during the trip, was the customer-first philosophy of Pham Nhat Vuong, the billionaire founder of Vingroup.

More than 30 years ago, his business journey began in Ukraine selling instant noodles to local consumers unfamiliar with the idea of preparing a meal simply by pouring boiling water. To help customers trust the product, his staff reportedly demonstrated the preparation process directly to them.

That instinct to reduce uncertainty still runs through Vingroup’s businesses today, especially at VinFast. The company did not simply build electric vehicles in Vietnam. It built the surrounding infrastructure designed to make EV ownership feel dependable.

Consumers can experience VinFast long before buying one through Green SM, Vietnam’s all-electric ride-hailing platform operating entirely with VinFast vehicles. Owners can charge through V-Green, which plans a nationwide charging network averaging roughly 10 kilometers between charging stations in urban areas and around 70 kilometers along highways. If repairs are needed, customers can access nearly 400 service workshops nationwide by the end of 2025.

The ownership commitments themselves are equally aggressive. VinFast has extended free charging at V-Green stations until March 31, 2029, along with warranties extending up to 10 years for both vehicles and batteries, helping ensure potential owners of its commitment.

That ecosystem approach has helped VinFast move from a newcomer to Vietnam’s best-selling car brand in less than a decade. In April 2026 alone, the company delivered 24,774 electric vehicles, bringing cumulative deliveries for the first four months of the year to 78,458 vehicles.

For aftersales partners, however, confidence was not built only through policies or sales numbers. It was built through manufacturing scale.

At the Hải Phòng factory, partners saw one of the largest EV production hubs in the region operating at full capacity. By the end of 2025, the facility had produced 200,000 electric vehicles in a single year, supported by more than a thousand ABB robots and tens of thousands of workers across three shifts.

“Seeing the factory was amazing,” said Shailesh Borse from MyTVS, one of VinFast’s aftersales partners in India who participated in the trip. “With more than 90% automation and the latest technology, it reflects a very modern infrastructure. We feel very confident in our association with the brand.”

Exporting the confidence model globally

That long-term confidence is now becoming part of VinFast’s global expansion strategy.

What partners saw in Vietnam was not a market-specific experiment, but a repeatable playbook the company is beginning to apply internationally. The idea is consistent across markets: do not just sell EVs. Build the surrounding ecosystem that makes customers feel supported after the purchase.

India has become one of the clearest examples of that approach.

Before building its manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu, VinFast evaluated 15 locations across six Indian states. According to company executives, the site in Thoothukudi was transformed from undeveloped land into a highly automated EV factory within just 15 months.

The factory currently assembles the VF 6, VF 7, and the MPV 7 for the Indian market, but VinFast is already planning further expansion. In late 2025, the company signed an agreement to add roughly 200 hectares to the existing facility, supporting future production of electric buses and electric motorcycles.

At the same time, the company has been building the aftersales and charging ecosystem around those vehicles.

VinFast has rapidly expanded its retail and aftersales footprint in India, reaching a new milestone in March by inaugurating its 50th showroom nationwide. The company now aims to establish 75 dealerships across more than 60 cities in India by the end of the year, extending beyond major metro areas into emerging markets. At the same time, VinFast has partnered with MyTVS, RoadGrid, and Global Assure to establish 120 service workshops designed to support customers nationwide, while building a broader EV ecosystem spanning manufacturing, retail, charging infrastructure, aftersales services, and battery value chain partnerships.

Charging infrastructure is expanding in parallel. Through V-Green and local partners, VinFast is building a broader charging network while reducing ownership barriers through aggressive customer incentives. In late 2025, V-Green partnered with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) to deploy EV charging stations across HPCL’s nationwide network, while also signing with multiple vendors PAN India to accelerate fast charger rollout across highways, urban centers, and Smart Cities zones.

The infrastructure push is being reinforced by a wider ownership support strategy designed to make EV adoption feel more practical and lower-risk for Indian consumers. Those initiatives include free charging until 2029, free maintenance for three years or 36,000 kilometers, and cash support for customers switching from gasoline vehicles to VinFast EVs. The company also offers seven-year vehicle warranties and 10-year battery warranties across several models in India.

“The free charging, battery warranty, and vehicle warranty programs are extremely attractive offers that very few international brands provide,” said Sweta Choudhary, Director of JP Emobility and also a participant in the VinFast Global Business Conference.

Alongside factory tours and ecosystem visits, the conference concluded with the signing of Memoranda of Understanding between VinFast and 29 international aftersales partners across not only India, but also Indonesia, the Philippines, and Kazakhstan, as part of the company’s plan to accelerate its global EV service network. The agreements are expected to support the opening of 68 new service workshops globally, including new workshops across India.

“Our goal is not simply to expand the network, but to build a customer-centric aftersales ecosystem that delivers an outstanding experience on a global scale,” said Mr. Bui Viet Hung, Deputy CEO of Global Aftersales at VinFast, in a statement. “Through partnerships with experienced local operators and the application of VinFast’s global standards, we aim to provide aftersales services that are exceptional, responsive, and reliable.”

HDFC Life, one of India’s leading life insurers in collaboration with NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore (NSRCEL, the startup hub at Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore), in association with Z47 (formerly known as Matrix Partners India) as Demo Day partners, hosted ‘Demo Day’ for Futurance Phase 7. 
 

Sameer Yogishwar, Chief Operating Officer, HDFC Life
 

Futurance is the flagship open innovation initiative by HDFC Life, in its seventh phase now, aimed at collaborating with high-potential startups to solve real-world business challenges in the insurance ecosystem. It is an ongoing corporate engagement program that brings together startups, ecosystem enablers, and internal teams to co-create next-generation solutions. The initiative focuses on identifying innovative startups, evaluating their capabilities, and enabling meaningful collaborations through pilot opportunities and long-term partnerships.
 

Speaking on the initiative, Sameer Yogishwar, Chief Operating Officer, HDFC Life, said, “Innovation has always been a key growth driver at HDFC Life and we are continuously looking at staying ahead of the curve. Futurance is one such initiative to engage with the startup eco-system and collaborate towards introducing and adopting new tech designed for the insurance sector. The latest edition was AI focused and I’m excited about the outcomes as they will enable HDFC Life deliver enhanced operational efficiency and elevate customer experience.”
 

The seventh edition of Futurance focused on key technology-led use cases, including:

• Auto Code Generator

• AI-enabled Audio/Video Creation

• Site Reliability Engineering (SRE)

It saw strong participation starting with around 280 applications, then 48 startups being shortlisted, to finally five startups, making it to Futurance Demo Day. They were:
 

1. Cyberultron Consulting Private Limited

2. Divum.AI 

3. Nife Labs

4. TalentBerry (Skynetic Ventures LLP)

5. Telosa Services Pvt Ltd

They presented to the HDFC Life jury including both senior leadership and business stakeholders. After a detailed pitch and query resolution session, Telosa Services Pvt. Ltd. and Divum.AI have have been shortlisted to move ahead and share a POC with the Company, soon.
 

Commenting on the collaboration, Anish Patil, Principal, Z47, said, “AI is opening up extraordinary possibilities in insurance – from faster claims processing to hyper-personalised products and smarter underwriting, which can dramatically improve efficiency and customer experience. Indian insurers are moving decisively to build the modern, modular backends that can fully harness this potential. Our work with HDFC Life reflects a shared excitement: the companies that invest in this technology backbone today will define the future of Indian insurance. It’s a massive value creation opportunity and we at Z47 look forward to being a part of it.”
 

Adding to this, Anand Sri Ganesh, CEO, NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore, said, “Our collaboration with HDFC Life through Futurance Phase 7 reflects a shared commitment to bringing innovative startup solutions into large enterprises. At NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore, we have worked closely with the HDFC Life team to identify promising technology startups that can address real business use cases across the insurance value chain. The Demo Day marks an important milestone in this journey, where selected startups will showcase solutions with the potential to drive meaningful transformation for the industry.”

Two students from Galgotias University have secured an investment of INR 3 crore for their Artificial Intelligence and cybersecurity startup, Cybergenix Security Pvt Ltd, adding to the growing momentum around student-led technology ventures emerging from the university ecosystem.

Divyansh Kumar Mishra and Prakhar Kumar Singh of Galgotias University secure INR 3 crore investment commitment for CyberGenix, their AI and cybersecurity startup

The startup has been founded by Divyansh Kumar Mishra from the Class of 2026, currently pursuing a Diploma in Computer Science Engineering, and Prakhar Kumar Singh from the Class of 2029, currently pursuing B.Tech Computer Science Engineering with specialisation in Cyber Security and Digital Forensics.

The investment follows the successful completion of the startup’s due diligence process, with the Share Subscription Agreement currently under execution.

Speaking about the vision behind Cybergenix, Divyansh Kumar Mishra said, “Working across Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity, automation, and intelligent digital systems, Cybergenix is developing a context-driven AI ecosystem designed to address limitations increasingly visible across current AI infrastructure. While AI adoption has accelerated rapidly, many existing systems continue to operate as fragmented tools with limited contextual understanding, weak personalization, and inadequate integration between intelligence, automation, and security systems.”

Highlighting the technology architecture being developed at Cybergenix, Prakhar Kumar Singh said, “We are building an integrated architecture combining large language models, self-learning engines, automation frameworks, cybersecurity systems, and digital twin technology to create adaptive and behaviour-aware AI infrastructure capable of understanding workflows, user intent, and operational environments in real time.”

Among the technologies under development is a system-level AI assistant capable of interacting with applications, files, workflows, and operating environments through contextual intelligence and voice interaction. The startup is also developing digital twin systems capable of creating intelligent virtual representations of users for workflow execution, meetings, task management, and decision support. Additional capabilities include self-learning behavioural adaptation, emotion-aware interaction, cross-platform automation, voice and vision interfaces, and cybersecurity-first deployment infrastructure.

The startup has also received support through IIT Ropar’s iHub AWaDH, IIT Ropar under North Sprint Edition at Galgotias Ideathon 2025 and has been recognised through platforms including Smart India Hackathon, Eureka and multiple technology and innovation communities.

Commenting on the investment, angel investor Mr. Adil Jamal said, “A lot of young founders today are building applications on top of existing AI systems. What interested us here was that Divyansh and Prakhar were thinking much deeper about infrastructure, behaviour, automation, security, and how these systems interact in real environments. They are attempting something technically demanding and they have shown unusual persistence and clarity for founders at this stage.”

Dr. Dhruv Galgotia, CEO of Galgotias University, said, “Student-led ventures are beginning to emerge from a much larger innovation and technology ecosystem taking shape across the university. Student teams from Galgotias University have recently been selected to represent India at the Global EDVentures Startup Competition in Hong Kong, students from the university have developed live applications on Apple iOS, and several students have gained recognition through global technology and innovation platforms. The ability of students at such an early stage to attract a funding commitment of this scale also points to the growing seriousness with which young founders are approaching technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

Students today are getting exposure to startup building, product development, Artificial Intelligence, app ecosystems, and interdisciplinary collaboration much earlier. Access to advanced infrastructure such as the NVIDIA DGX H200 high performance computing ecosystem is also enabling students to work on AI systems and computational problems that require serious computing capability. Over time, these environments begin creating the confidence to attempt ambitious ideas and build beyond classroom assignments.”

The founders say their long-term vision is to build an integrated AI ecosystem combining Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity, automation, and digital identity into a single intelligent platform capable of delivering highly personalised and autonomous interaction systems.

Across the Galgotias University campus, students are increasingly building products, experimenting with emerging technologies, engaging with investors, and developing deployable systems alongside their academic programmes. Startups like Cybergenix reflect how the university’s innovation, incubation, and high-performance technology ecosystem is beginning to translate into real ventures, products, and funding outcomes.

TVS Motor Company, part of TVS VENU, has been ranked #1 globally in the ‘Durable Consumer Goods’ category in the annual ‘Best Stocks in the World’, ranking published exclusively by Germany’s leading business weekly WirtschaftsWoche, based on the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Value Creators analysis.

WirtschaftsWoche, founded in 1926 and celebrating its centenary this year, is Germany’s largest weekly business publication, widely read by senior executives, institutional investors and corporate decision-makers across Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Its annual ‘Best Stocks in the World’ analysis is one of the most widely cited rankings of listed companies in the German-speaking region.

The independent study evaluated more than 2,000 listed companies across 35 industries worldwide. Over the five-year period from 2021 to 2025, TVS Motor Company delivered an average annual Total Shareholder Return of approximately 51 per cent — the highest in its global category, ahead of established peers from Japan, China, the United States, and India.

According to the analysis, TVS Motor’s performance was driven primarily by strong revenue growth (22 percentage points) and a premium market valuation (18 percentage points), complemented by improving profitability and continuous strengthening of the balance sheet. Notably, this profile aligns closely with the criteria the study identifies for resilient companies — profitable, growth-oriented, and financially disciplined, with reserves to withstand volatile market conditions.

Professor Sir Ralf Speth, Chief Mentor, TVS Motor Company, comments, “This recognition by WirtschaftsWoche and BCG is the result of the consistent implementation of Chairman Sudarshan Venu’s clear strategic vision. His passion for the company, deep understanding of markets and customers, openness to new technology, and attentiveness to the workforce create a values-based environment in which creativity and performance can flourish. Equally exemplary is the strong commitment to social responsibility.

With this mindset – the ‘TVS Way’ – and under outstanding corporate leadership, the TVS team wins numerous international awards year after year, including accolades for environmental stewardship and exceptional product quality. TVS is synonymous with quality and a strong commitment to the environment, rooted in the skill of its people and built on manufacturing excellence. In symbiosis with this commitment, the company continues to advance energy‑efficient solutions and strengthen its leadership in electric mobility.

Under TVS Motor Company’s ownership, Norton’s global resurgence is now clear. This storied and deeply revered brand is once again delivering a compelling combination of technology, design integrity and dynamism. I am confident TVS Motor Company is strongly positioned for the future – delivering sustainable growth, strengthening global competitiveness and creating long-term shareholder value – recognition goes to the whole TVS team for their hard work and commitment.”

In its most recent financial year (2025–26), TVS Motor Company has built further on this momentum, recording its highest-ever annual sales of 5.89 million units, a 24 per cent increase year-on-year, with international business growing 33 per cent across more than 90 markets. Revenue grew 30 per cent year-on-year to Rs. 47,270 crore, with operating PBT up 40 per cent to Rs. 4,975 crore and operating EBITDA margin improving 60 basis points to 12.9 per cent.

About TVS Motor Company

TVS Motor Company (BSE:532343 and NSE: TVSMOTOR), part of TVS VENU, is a reputed two and three-wheeler manufacturer globally, championing progress through sustainable mobility with four state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities located in India and Indonesia. Rooted in our 100-year legacy of trust, value, and passion for customers, it takes pride in making internationally accepted products of the highest quality through innovative and sustainable processes. TVS Motor is the only two-wheeler company to have won the prestigious Deming Prize. Our products lead in their respective categories in the J.D. Power IQS and APEAL surveys. We have been ranked No. 1 Company in the J.D. Power Customer Service Satisfaction Survey for four consecutive years. Our group company Norton Motorcycles, based in the United Kingdom, is one of the most emotive motorcycle brands in the world. TVS Motor Company endeavours to deliver the most superior customer experience across 90 countries in which we operate. 

For more information, please visit www.tvsmotor.com