The MoU was signed by PN Rasal, Dean(F/A) & Director of Instructions, MPKV university, and Anoop Kumar Upadhyay, Co-Founder & Director of IoTechWorld Avigation.

According to Upadhyay, IoTechWorld and the university will also work on joint educational and R&D projects to build a modern and sustainable smart agricultural system. The agritech firm will be the technical partner in setting up Remote Pilot Training Organization (RPTO) for agricultural drones with MPKV. It will help reduce the drone pilot shortage in the country.

Both will also develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) for crop spraying using drones.

“The tie-up with an institution like MPKV will help us promote research activities promoting drones in agriculture. Together we will work to promote drone technology for the betterment of Indian agriculture,” IoTech World directors Upadhyay and Deepak Bhardwaj said in a joint statement.

Bhardwaj further said that using drones in agriculture is helpful for farmers as these aerial robots help them save money and time.

Another objective of the MoU is to develop a smart agricultural system. IoTechWorld and the university will work on joint educational and R&D projects for the betterment of the agriculture sector. This will increase efficiency, reduce operational field delays, optimise the use of fertilisers and pesticides, and thus help increase farmers’ income.

One of the major advantages is that a farmer can save a lot by using drones to apply fertilisers and spray pesticides.

The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has issued guidelines to make drone technology affordable to stakeholders. The government has also created SOPs for pesticide applications for crop protection in agricultural, forestry, and non-cropped areas and for spraying for soil and crop nutrients.

As per the government estimate, India will require at least one lakh drone pilots by next year.

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Emerald Media, a Pan-Asia company VC firm which invests in the fast-growing media, entertainment, consumer tech and B2B industries, today announced that it has acquired a significant minority stake in Global Sports Commerce (GSC), a sports technology and management company, for $80 million.

The aggregate investment will include the secondary purchase of Asia-focused private equity firm FidelisWorld’s stake in GSC’s affiliate Techfront and the primary growth capital.

The growth capital will enable GSC and its global affiliate Techfront to explore inorganic acquisition opportunities, develop next generation technologies for the sporting eco-system, and expand its operations in the fast-growing digital sporting solutions markets across the globe.

FidelisWorld, which had invested in Techfront in 2014, will be fully exiting the business as part of the current transaction.

Asia-focused private equity firm ADV Partners, which invested in GSC in 2015-16, will continue to hold a significant minority stake in the company.

Headquartered in Singapore with an office in Chennai, GSC combines cutting-edge technology solutions in the fields of LED signage, sponsorship management, premium consulting, fan engagement, AR/VR, drone-based data acquisition, wireless tech and data-sciences. It offers clients sports technology and management services through its network of companies that include Techfront, ITW, Qubercomm, Sportsgateway, Media Bay, Beyond Boundaries, Cartoon Mango and Nanoyotta.

GSC’s clients include FIFA, the English Premier League, NRL Australia, Australian Football league, IPL, Formula 1, Big Bash League, New Zealand Cricket, Cricket Australia, IMG and Asia Sports.

The company has offices in 16 cities in 10 countries including Australia, Hungary, India, New Zealand, South Africa, Switzerland, the UAE, UK, and the USA.

Emerald Media is a Pan-Asian company backed by global VC firm KKR to invest in the fast-growing media, entertainment, consumer tech and B2B industries across Asia. Emerald Media is led by industry veterans Rajesh Kamat and Paul Aiello, who together have a combined experience of more than 40 years in the industry and bring a unique blend of operational and investment acumen to their business approach.

Since inception, Emerald Media has made key investments in YuppTV, Amagi Media Labs, aCommerce, and Cosmos-Maya.

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