Infosys acquires BASE life science; Agnikul opens rocket factory; Truecaller maker launches Clubhouse rival Open Doors

Infosys announced a definitive agreement to acquire BASE life science, a technology and consulting firm in the life sciences industry, in Europe, adding 200 multidisciplinary consultants. Agnikul Cosmos opened its first rocket factory in Chennai with the capacity to make two fully 3D-printed engines every week. And Truecaller gets into the audio social app space with Open Doors – think latest Clubhouse rival. Notes: Infosys, yesterday, said it is acquiring BASE life science, a technology and consulting firm in Europe. Bengaluru’s Infosys, India’s second-biggest IT services company, didn’t provide any details about the terms of the deal. Headquartered in Denmark, BASE has about 200 multidisciplinary industry experts spread over Denmark, Switzerland, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and a nearshore technology hub in Spain. Together with Infosys, BASE will further expand its portfolio of expertise into Consumer Health, Animal Health, MedTech and Genomics segments. Agnikul Cosmos, an Indian space startup, yesterday announced the opening of its first rocket factory to make 3D printed rocket engines. The factory can turn out two rocket engines a week, Agnikul said in a press release. Chennai-based Agnikul was started in 2017 by entrepreneurs Srinath Ravichandran and Moin SPM and Satya Chakravarty, a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, where Agnikul was incubated, to make space rockets that can put satellites into low earth orbits. Their first product, Agnibaan, is a customisable, 2-stage launch vehicle, capable of taking up to 100kg payload to orbits around 700km above the planet’s surface. The rocket will likely see its first space launch later this year or early next year. The rocket engine is called Agnilet and is the world's first single-piece 3D printed engine fully designed and manufactured in India. It was successfully test-fired in early 2021. Ola Electric, the electric vehicles business of ride-hailing service provider Ola, has invested $100 million in research and development, to make its own lithium-ion battery cells, Economic Times reports, citing reports from brokerages ICICI Securities and Edelweiss. Ola Electric has put together a team of more than 200 people for this effort, according to ET. EV battery cells are currently fully imported in India, with no local capacity. Ola Electric aims to develop its in-house capability by 2026, according to ET. True Software Scandinavia, the maker of Truecaller, yesterday launched Open Doors, an audio-based social app similar to Clubhouse – where people can start conversations that others can join, from anywhere in the world, as long as you have an internet connection. If you are already a Truecaller user, you can sign in with just one tap. If not, your phone number will be verified using a missed call or OTP. The app needs contacts and phone permissions, but participants in a conversation can’t see each other's phone numbers, the company said in a press release. At launch, the app interface will be available in English, Hindi, Spanish, Latin and French, with more languages to be added later on user demand. Theme music courtesy Free Music & Sounds: https://soundcloud.com/freemusicandsounds