TLDR:
– The government is releasing a tool to combat manipulative ‘dark patterns’ used by websites.
– VC funding for women-led startups declined in 2023, exacerbating gender disparity in the startup ecosystem.
The government is set to release a mobile application to crack down on deceptive techniques, or dark patterns, used by internet companies. Dark patterns are manipulative practices like adding extra items to the checkout cart or creating a false sense of urgency. The app will alert consumers to such tactics and allow them to file complaints with consumer forums.
In 2023, female founders received only 9.3% of VC funding, down from 14.7% in 2021. This decline highlights the gender disparity in the startup ecosystem, especially in India where female founders received less than 10% of funding. The report also indicated a lack of seed funding for startups with women on their founding teams in emerging markets.
The Go Digit General Insurance IPO saw a strong response from retail investors, with the retail portion fully subscribed on the first day. Uber has been granted a license to run bus services in Delhi under the app-based premium bus aggregator scheme. The company also announced plans to launch an IPO soon.
Full Article:
The government is launching a mobile application to combat deceptive techniques, known as dark patterns, used by internet companies. Dark patterns are manipulative practices such as adding extra items to the checkout cart or creating false urgency on websites. The app will alert consumers to these tactics and allow them to file complaints with consumer forums. This initiative is part of the government’s agenda for the first 100 days if it comes to power for a third term.
In 2023, VC funding for women-led startups saw a concerning decline, with female founders receiving only 9.3% of total funding, down from 14.7% in 2021. This trend exacerbates the gender disparity in the startup ecosystem, particularly in India where female founders received less than 10% of funding. The lack of seed funding for startups with women on their founding teams in emerging markets was also highlighted in the report.
The Go Digit General Insurance IPO witnessed strong investor interest, with the retail portion fully subscribed on the first day. Uber has received a license to operate bus services in Delhi under the app-based premium bus aggregator scheme. The company is also set to launch an IPO soon, following the successful response to its insurance IPO.
