India extends UPI to feature phones; Google buys Mandiant for $5.4 bln; Apple releases new iPhone SE; Swiggy IPO soon

The Reserve Bank of India yesterday launched additional features on the Unified Payments Interface platform that will allow people to make payments even on basic feature phones, which are still widely used in India. Considering that there are more than 40 crore feature phone mobile subscribers in the country, UPI123pay will materially improve the options for such users to access UPI, it said. Google has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Mandiant, a leader in dynamic cyber defence and response, for $23.00 per share, in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $5.4 billion, inclusive of Mandiant’s net cash. According to the release, The acquisition of Mandiant will complement Google Cloud’s existing strengths in security. In more Google Cloud news, the company has won a contract from Walmart’s ecommerce unit Flipkart. Apple yesterday announced its latest iPhone SE, which has the company’s A15 Bionic chip, a larger battery than the previous model and 5G wireless support. The new SE retains the home button and touch sensor, along with the compact 4.7-inch display. It has tougher glass than its predecessor, the same IP67 water resistance, but supports wireless charging. The phone is available in three colours — midnight, starlight, and red. iPhone SE will be available for pre-order this Friday, March 11, with availability beginning Friday, March 18. Prices in India start from Rs. 43,900, with no-cost EMIs available for qualifying credit cards. Swiggy, a food and groceries delivery service in India, has hired bankers as it gears up for an initial public offering next year to raise as much as $1 billion, TechCrunch reports. The Bangalore startup was valued at $10.7 billion after a funding round in January this year. The company, backed by investors including Prosus Ventures, Accel and SoftBank Group, has hired JP Morgan and ICICI Securities to help it with the listing, according to TechCrunch. InfoEdge is acquiring a 76 percent stake in Aisle, an Indian dating app provider, for Rs. 91 crores. With both Aisle and Jeevansathi, InfoEdge will look to strengthen its products in the matchmaking segment, the company said in a press release yesterday. Able Joseph, Founder and CEO of Aisle will continue to run Aisle. Cooby, a Taiwan-based conversation management tool provider, has raised $2.9 million to date, led by Sequoia India’s Surge and Pear VC. Cooby is the first Taiwan startup to raise funding from Surge, according to a press release. Wizzy, an advanced site search solution for e-commerce stores and marketplaces, has raised nearly $300,000 in fresh funding from several investors, the 100X.VC portfolio startup said in a press release. The company will use the funds to develop its product, amplify its reach to store and marketplace owners around the world. Theme music courtesy Free Music & Sounds: https://soundcloud.com/freemusicandsounds