New tech on the block: Cleantech, esports, data sharing, blockchain, crypto, data management, AI, cybersecurity, EdTech

The Tech Panda takes a look at recent tech launches.

Cleantech: The world’s first microplastic-free cotton tea bags

Esah Tea, a leading direct-to-consumer (D2C) tea brand from Assam, launched the world’s first microplastic-free cotton tea bags.

Bijit Sarma, Founder and CEO of Esah Tea, stated, “At Esah Tea, we’ve always viewed ourselves as more than just purveyors of fine tea; we’re custodians of a centuries-old rich tea heritage. The introduction of our microplastic-free cotton tea bags is not merely a product launch—it’s a paradigm shift in how we approach tea production and consumption. We’re addressing a critical health and environmental issue while simultaneously elevating the tea-drinking experience. This launch notably exemplifies our belief that exceptional quality, responsible production, and environmental stewardship can and must coexist in perfect harmony. I am extremely thankful to our R&D team whose day and night efforts have brought our toxin-free tea bags to fruition. We invite conscious consumers to sip responsibly and sustainably with Esah Tea.”

The Why

The launch comes in response to alarming findings from McGill University researchers, which revealed that conventional plastic tea bags release an astounding 11.9 billion harmful microplastic particles per cup.

The urgency of Esah Tea’s innovation becomes clear when considering the far-reaching implications of microplastic consumption. These minuscule particles, when ingested, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin, pose significant health risks. Scientific studies have indicated that microplastics can potentially cause cellular damage. In addition, regular exposure to microplastics has been linked to immune system disruption, neurotoxicity, reproductive issues, and even carcinogenic effects.

Features

• These innovative tea bags are 100% chemical-free, biodegradable, and handmade, reflecting the brand’s unwavering commitment to sustainability and customer health.
• Price of the tea bag is just INR5 per bag which is one of most economical products available in the market.
• Esah Tea’s product range features more than 20 variants, including Honey Lemon Green Tea, Organic Assam Breakfast Tea, Organic Handmade Black Tea, and an array of flavour-infused options such as Organic Blue Tea, Organic Lychee Black Tea, Organic Chamomile Green Tea, Organic Peach Green Tea, Organic Vanilla Chai, and Rose Lychee Black Tea.

Esports: First-ever premium esports analytics dashboard

In a bid to provide authentic data and unparalleled insights into the nation’s esports industry, AFK Gaming launched ‘AFK Gaming Insights’, India’s first-ever premium analytics dashboard, which offers real-time data and analytics to help users, brands and other stakeholders make informed decisions and stay ahead in the esports landscape of the country.

Nishant Patel, Co-founder and CEO of AFK Gaming stated, “AFK Gaming Insights is a product built to address a critical market need. In the absence of reliable data to aid their decision-making, key stakeholders in the Indian gaming, esports, and youth culture industries have been struggling to make informed decisions. With this launch, we hope to empower tournament organizers, brand managers, team owners and industry observers with a single source of truth that they can turn to for industry knowledge and information that will drive the sector’s growth as a whole.”

The Why

According to a report by Niko Partners, India is the fastest-growing gaming market, with over 450 million gamers and more than USD 830 million revenue generated in 2023. This expansive market requires a platform that enables stakeholders and brands to access insights on the go and use these metrics for their engagement and campaigns.

To address this, AFK Gaming Insights, which will be available exclusively to annual subscribers, has been devised to cater to a diverse spectrum of users. For newcomers, the dashboard serves as an entry point, providing information that helps them understand trends, player performances and tournament dynamics.

Features

• Tournaments Analytics: Access detailed information on prize pools, sponsors, players, teams, and more. This module provides a comprehensive view of the financial and competitive aspects of esports tournaments, enabling users to strategize effectively.
• User Analytics: Discover valuable insights into demographics, occupations, interests, income ranges, spending habits, and more. This data helps users understand the diverse backgrounds and behaviours of the Indian gaming community, facilitating targeted marketing and engagement efforts.
• Social Analytics: Track key metrics such as Instagram followers, YouTube subscribers, and the country’s top live streamers.
• Gamers can optimise their strategies and refine their performances while hardcore audiences will benefit from the deeper insights on their favourite gamers and teams’ social media engagements, viewership and tournament statistics. For example, the tool reveals that Total Gaming is currently the most viewed Indian gaming YouTuber, with an average of 4.25 million views per video over the last month.
• On the other hand, industry stakeholders can leverage detailed analytics into market trends, audience behaviours and sponsorship opportunities to make strategic decisions. For instance, the dashboard uncovers significant trends, such as the fact that more Indian gamers spend money on a daily basis rather than not spending at all.

Data sharing: A new way for individuals to share data by prioritising explicit consent

Affinidi, a Singapore-based data and identity management company, launched the Affinidi Iota Framework built on open standards at the WeAreDevelopers World Congress. This innovative framework establishes a new way for individuals to share data by prioritising explicit consent, empowering individuals to selectively share specific data points with a clear understanding of their intended use.

“In a new world where individuals can control their identity and data, we must redefine how information is shared. The Affinidi Iota Framework represents a major step forward in safeguarding privacy and consent by shifting information processing to the individual’s personal data vault. Gone are the days of trusting third parties with sensitive documents like pay slips and bank statements just to open a bank account,” said Glenn Gore, Chief Executive Officer of Affinidi.

The Why

In the traditional digital landscape, individuals often share sensitive data with third parties without transparency or control, leaving their data vulnerable to misuse, unauthorised access, and data breaches. A Twilio report shows that 60% of Asia Pacific consumers demand consent and communication on data use, while a PwC study reveals a trust gap, with only 30% of consumers trusting businesses. Existing solutions exacerbate these issues by collecting vast amounts of individuals’ data (essential/non-essential) and transferring it to back-end databases, burdening developers with managing large volumes of data and associated risks.

Affinidi’s Iota Framework disrupts this outdated model, pioneering a new era of data privacy and security.

Features

• The Affinidi Iota Framework enables developers to request essential data points directly from individuals, with explicit consent, eliminating the need to collect and store non-essential information. This approach ensures individuals maintain control over their data, reducing storage burdens, and minimising risks associated with data collection and potential misuse.
• Affinidi equips developers with dev-friendly templates and robust tools, streamlining the setup of data-sharing processes. With its easy-to-use SDK, developers can navigate the complexities of identity, privacy, and security, building innovative solutions in just minutes.
• The Framework leverages cutting-edge technologies such as the DIF Presentation Exchange (PEX) protocol and the OpenID for Verifiable Presentations (OID4VP) specifications built on OAuth 2.0 to deliver a robust consent-first solution for a new way of data sharing.
• At the heart of the Framework is the DIF Presentation Exchange (PEX) specification. PEX, based on JSONPATH, serves as a standard query language for data exchange, enabling powerful filtering capabilities that accommodate simple and complex use cases. By defining data requests with a structured syntax, PEX simplifies data sharing, making specific data requests more seamless and efficient. Using standardised schemas ensures that queries are portable, allowing multiple developers and businesses to utilise them without reinventing the wheel. This streamlines the data exchange process and enhances interoperability across different systems.
• Building on the robust OAuth 2.0 authorisation framework, the OID4VP protocol provides a secure transport mechanism for Verifiable Presentations. Simply put, Verifiable Presentations extract specific information from Verifiable Credentials, like signed digital containers holding personal data (such as an ID or diploma). These presentations, shared as VP Tokens, ensure data authenticity and provenance. This groundbreaking feature enhances data safety, reducing risks of data breaches and fraud by sharing only necessary, verified information. It establishes transitive trust efficiently, maintaining high security and privacy standards within the Affinidi Iota Framework.
• The Affinidi Trust Development Kit (TDK), our SDK, is an open-source toolkit that enables developers to build privacy-preserving applications efficiently, aligning with complex and evolving standards. This streamlined solution integrates multiple elements to provide privacy functionalities without requiring workflow overhauls.
• By bridging Web 2 and Web 3 technologies, the framework leverages decentralised data stored in the Affinidi Vault for just-in-time data acquisition. It offers a range of modules, including clients for identity management, verifiable credential handling, and login configurations, ensuring flexibility and choice for developers. Supporting various programming languages such as TypeScript and Python facilitates seamless integration of Affinidi’s trust services into applications.

Upgrade: A fully configurable, topologically adaptable, one-click deployment feature for permissioned Besu networks

Zeeve, a provider of managed blockchain infrastructure as a service, has upgraded its Hyperledger Besu offerings. The enhancement includes a fully configurable, topologically adaptable, one-click deployment feature for permissioned Besu networks, complete with managed infrastructure and additional options for enterprise integrations. This update enables teams to input their requirements and launch their custom-configured network within 30 minutes from scratch.

“You can create a large decentralized consortiums on Besu, which is not possible on other layer2 scaling solutions today,” said Ghan Vashishtha, co-founder and CTO of Zeeve. “You can create a native gas token, have your own tokenomics with utility around the token, and then invite stakeholders to run validators and stake in it. Besu has an open source Ethereum client written in Java supporting both public and private networks and supports tokenomics in a big way. All these make it a favorable choice for organizations who want permissioned capabilities. Now, with our fully managed, click-and-go deployment support on Zeeve, enterprises and consortiums can set up scalable, highly available, and compliant Besu networks that match all their custom needs, complete with all security tools and best practices within 20-30 minutes if there are any other customizations that are not on the platform by default, that can also be provided on-demand if the Besu network allows.”

Features

• Validator and RPC nodes for the permissioned Besu network.
• QBFT Consensus for enterprise-grade custom networks, with options for IBFT and Ethash consensus supporting DeVNet and Testnet deployments.
• Block Explorers for monitoring live transactions.
• A Management Dashboard to track node health, system metrics, logs, alerts, and utilization status.
• A choice of cloud services (AWS, Azure, DO, GCP, on-premises) along with hassle free Zeeve managed deployment options.
• 24/7 monitoring and enterprise-level SLA.
• Migration assistance to Besu.
• Flexibility to do additional customizations which aren’t available by default

Cryptocurrency: Utility token SPARKLET on Ethereum with extensive token airdrops & rewards for communities

Bitget, a cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company, and Upland, an immersive Layer1 gaming platform, launched the utility token SPARKLET on Ethereum. This collaboration will include the establishment of Bitget’s virtual headquarters in the metaverse built by Upland, with extensive token airdrops and rewards for both Upland and Bitget communities.

“At Bitget, our support for crypto gems goes beyond a simple listing. We are dedicated to helping promising projects gain more visibility, users, and partners through our Launchpool, Launchpad, and various educational and reward initiatives. Our collaboration with Upland to create a Bitget-themed metaverse is a mutually beneficial and exciting endeavor. We aim to become the top choice for more emerging projects in the future, aiding them in creating a greater real-life impact.” says Gracy Chen, CEO at Bitget.

Features

• Increased Rewards for SPARKLET Holders: Participants in the Launchpool will qualify for airdrops inside Upland.
• Utility of SPARKLET in Upland: Users can stake SPARKLET for UPX rewards, build structures, or create no-code NFTs to increase their rewards.
• Leaderboard for Additional Rewards: Bitget launchpool participants and other holders who bridge their SPARKLET to Upland will have a chance to win additional rewards, including properties on Treasure Island and an exclusive Bitget car replica NFT which can be used for racing and traveling within the Upland platform.
• Eligible Upland users who owned SPARKLET prior to the Token Generation Event (TGE) will be rewarded with a special 3.5 million SPARKLET pool of tokens over the next six months.
• Bitget will further reward these users with a drop from a pool of $50,000 worth of Bitget Token (BGB).

Data management: Document management solution that redefines document management in high-volume environments

Newgen Software, a global provider of low-code platform, released a new version of its document management solution—NewgenONE OmniScan 7.0—that redefines document management in high-volume environments. This new version enables advanced scanning and capturing capabilities, powered by NewgenONE Marvin, setting new standards for document management.

Varun Goswami, VP of Product Management at Newgen Software, said, “This version of our scanning solution represents a significant leap forward in document management technology. With its advanced features driven by NewgenONE Marvin, organizations can drastically maximize efficiency and accuracy in handling high-volume document workflows. This release underscores our commitment to driving innovation and empowering businesses to thrive in the digital age.”

The Why

With a focus on driving innovation and enhancing efficiency, this release offers a host of business benefits across various verticals, including banking, insurance, government, healthcare, and shared services. Business users can leverage the power of NewgenONE Marvin to create templates conveniently, automate document classification, streamline data extraction, and accurately manage large volumes of records.

Features

• NewgenONE Marvin & Document Classification: Leverage the power of NewgenONE Marvin to simplify document classification and content extraction. With automatic document identification, OmniScan easily recognizes different document types. Moreover, its automatic data extraction capabilities enable users to automate data extraction, greatly improving operational efficiency. Additionally, users can effortlessly generate templates with auto-filled data fields and doctype names based on selected suggestions.
• Robust Integration with NewgenONE Content Cloud (NCC): Enable users to export documents to NCC while streamlining document management processes. Users can save templates created via OmniScan, create jobs from these templates, and attach data classes to exported documents/folders as required, enhancing data accessibility.
• Easy Search and Work item Creation: Use the ‘search’ and ‘create work item’ to simplify records management. When exporting records to iBPS/NewgenONE, OmniScan automatically searches for existing work items based on specified data field values. If the required work item is not found, a new work item is created, ensuring seamless process continuity.
• Smart Filter Fields: Enhance data management and user experience with dynamic field visibility adjustments based on filter conditions. Streamline data management by dynamically adjusting the visibility of data fields, improving data accuracy and user efficiency.
• Customized Export Reports: Fetch customized reports with personalized messages, headers, predefined variables, and extra content, ensuring clear and concise communication.

Green tech: A eco-friendly product in sustainable leather technology

Tata International, the global trading and distribution arm of the Tata Group, launched Phoenix Leather, an eco-friendly product under its Earthcare® Leather range. Developed through a patented collaboration with the Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), Chennai, Phoenix Leather marks a significant advancement in sustainable leather technology.

P. Rajasekaran, Business Head – Finished Leather Business at Tata International, emphasized, “Tata International’s Earthcare® Leather range aims to lead the sustainable development of the leather industry. Despite lower demand post-Covid, we are now witnessing promising recovery with increased interest from key markets such as the USA, China, and Europe.  Tata International is one of the largest exporter of leather and leather products in India. We are optimistic about sustainable and bio-based leather. Percentage share of Earthcare® leather in financial year 2023-2024 accounted for 27% of our total production and we plan to increase this to 50% in next 4 years.”

The Why

The patented “GENOCORIUM” process behind Phoenix Leather transforms trim waste from leather production into high-quality reconstituted leather sheets. This innovative technology not only repurposes corium waste but also significantly reduces water pollution, depletion, and greenhouse gas emissions associated with traditional leather manufacturing.

Features

• The Earthcare® Leather range, features Phoenix Leather alongside bio-based and chrome-free/metal-free/aldehyde-free options.
• Phoenix Leather stands out for its eco-friendly production process and high quality, meeting the stringent requirements of leather product manufacturers.

AI: Self-service AI solution designed to help organizations harness the power of AI

Qlik, a global leader in data integration, analytics, and AI, announced the general availability of Qlik Answers™, its newest self-service AI solution designed to help organizations harness the power of AI by removing the risk, embracing the complexity, and scaling the impact of AI. Qlik Answers transforms unstructured data into actionable results through generative AI, offering full explainability—a common obstacle in enterprise AI adoption.

“Qlik Answers is designed to help businesses use their unstructured data to make better decisions,” said Brendan Grady, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Qlik’s Analytics Business Unit. “This solution integrates our strengths in analytics and data with generative AI, providing users with precise answers to their questions. With Qlik Answers, we are offering a tool that supports the direct translation of unstructured data into tangible business outcomes.”

Features

• AI-Powered Responses: Delivers relevant answers from curated knowledge bases, enhancing the utility of unstructured data.
• Rapid Deployment: Offers a ready-to-use solution, reducing the time and complexity of deployment.
• Transparency: Ensures full explainability with answers linked to their source documents, fostering trust and consistency.
• Broad Connectivity: Integrates with existing systems and platforms, using Qlik’s enterprise connectors to access a variety of unstructured data sources.
• Enhanced Efficiency: Supports real-time business activities and decisions, enabling users to quickly access relevant information.

Cybersecurity: A new cloud-native authentication solution

ESET, a global company in cybersecurity, introduced the cloud version of ESET Secure Authentication, the multifactor authentication module of the ESET PROTECT Platform.

“We understand how poor password hygiene can lead to devastating data breaches. So, with the cloud version of ESET Secure Authentication, we aimed to provide a solution that is flexible, scalable, easy to deploy, and above all, effective and affordable for companies of all sizes, boosting business data protection while reducing total cost of ownership, in an effort to deliver superior business value to our customers,” said Michal Jankech, Vice President of SMB and MSP segment at ESET.

The Why

In today’s cybersecurity landscape, an increasing number of data breaches occur every day. One of the most common ways hackers can gain access to a company’s data is through weak or stolen passwords gathered via automated bots, phishing, or targeted attacks.

To protect against such threats, in addition to just protecting normal users’ logins to critical services, businesses can implement multifactor authentication to prevent unauthorized administrative access. By adding a multifactor solution like ESET Secure Authentication, a business will make it much more difficult for hackers to gain access to your systems and, ultimately, compromise them.

The reason why it is important to use the second factor in the authentication process is that usually end customers use the same passwords across all their accounts. ESET is introducing a new cloud-based version of this solution that makes multifactor authentication much easier to implement for any business type without any local hardware needed.

Features

• The ESET Secure Authentication provides an easy way for businesses of all sizes to implement MFA across commonly utilized systems such as VPNs, Remote Desktop Protocol, Outlook Web Access, operating system login, and more to prevent data breaches and meet compliance requirements.
• It supports technologies such as mobile apps with push notifications, hardware tokens, FIDO keys, and other custom methods.

EdTech: A new era of interactive virtual classrooms

Edverse, a metaverse platform designed for online education, launched Learnspace, a platform that aims to change the virtual education landscape. The newly launched LearnSpace will continue to raise the benchmark in a digital classroom by providing an immersive and engaging learning environment.

“We are excited about launching LearnSpace, a platform that reflects our initiative in education sector,” said Rishab Kapur, Co-Founder and Vice President of Strategic Alliances at Edverse. “The increase in cost of education in the last few years, especially after the pandemic, prompted many institutions to switch to online education. This shift not only makes learning more affordable but also attracts higher student engagement. As we prepare for a world of online learning, we are building Edverse to offer an immersive learning experience at a lower cost than traditional methods. Our aim is to provide educators with the tools to design exhaustive and interactive learning environments that inspire and motivate learners. LearnSpace evidences our commitment to continuously improve this landscape. The future is here, and institutes must adopt or get left behind!”

The Why

In the growing world of digital education, the Indian online education market is projected to reach US$6.71bn in 2024. With a wide range of opportunities and avenues for investment and R&D, the sector has a lot to offer to the patrons. Additionally, institutions have also started to add online courses to their curriculum to not only expand but also transform the way education is imparted. For example, BITS-Pilani’s Work Integrated Learning Programmes (WILP) and PGDM and Certificate courses by universities/institutes like SPJIMR, MICA, Amity University and others; now offer numerous online programs, underscoring the growing trend.

In this evolving landscape, LearnSpace aims to transform virtual education.

Features

• The platform features customizable avatars, allowing learners, creators, promoters, and educators to create digital representations and operate within the metaverse. In virtual classrooms, these avatars enhance user identity, participation, and presence.
• With dynamic scene presentations and environments, LearnSpace enables educators to create visually engaging classes. By incorporating interactive simulations, 3D models, and short movies, teachers can explain complex topics in an exciting and an easy way.
• It leverages special audio effects to create an immersive auditory environment. In the virtual environment, these effects can counterfeit real-life noises, giving the experience coherence and depth. For Instance, while studying a history lesson related to ancient Rome, learners may listen to crowded streets or loud noises produced by gladiators, which helps make the learning process more memorable for the future.
• Learners can choose to optimize their online schooling experience by personalizing avatars that communicate with audio files in various dialects combined with animated scenes or environments presented within certain specific scenarios.
• Machine learning, AI, Virtual and Augmented Reality, and evolves the flat 2D graphic displays to stereoscopic, highly engaging teaching and learning scenarios presented on dispersed screens and head-mounted displays (HMDs).