MAM
Nick introduces sub brands; Nick Explore first to roll out
MUMBAI: Taking its licensing and merchandising strategy forward, Nickelodeon India is set to introduce its own sub brands in the Indian market, Nick Explore, Nick Sports and Nick Action.
The first edition from this kitty is ‘Nick Explore‘ in association with Mexus Education, one of the leading providers of hands-on educational toys for kids. The Nick Explore range of hands-on-learning toys and instructive games exposes kids to the fundamentals of science & technology, thus increasing their imagination and analytical skills.
These edutainment toys are targeted at eight years and above, with 24 different models and priced from Rs 199 to 2499. Nick Explore includes toys like rocking chairs, quad bikes, 360 degree cannons, walking robots, retro planes, earthquake meters and many more. The components in all the toys are interchangeable, re-usable and comes with infinite possibilities of making new models and machines. The range will be available at Hamleys, Landmark, Reliance Time Out, Shoppers Stop, Beanstalk and several toy stores across the country.
Speaking on the launch of Nickelodeon‘s sub brands, Viacom18 Media SVP – Consumer Products & Communications Sandeep Dahiya said, “This collaboration marks our entry into a new domain – both from a brand as well as a category perspective. The ‘Nick Explore‘ range of kits, developed by Mexus Education, will help unlock the creative potential in older kids, while exposing them to basics of science in a manner that‘s fun and interactive.”
Mexus Education MD Rohit Jain adds, “We are delighted to launch our latest innovative designer toys as Nick Explore. This is in continuation with our efforts of making learning enjoyable for kids. Nick Explore series will give a new dimension to the way kids perceive toys and studies by delivering the rare mix of analytical skills and creativity. Now kids can make new designs everyday and experiment with their ideas to make real machines and life size models with world class quality components in Nick Explore products.”
Nickelodeon‘s association with Mexus Education will include a 360-degree marketing promotion that will include on-air promotion, on-ground activities, digital and radio that will help in consumer engagement. The new product range will be promoted through various social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter as well as on the Nick India website. There will also be contests and retail promotions planned around the range.
MUMBAI: Apple just folded a photonics startup into its empire because when you’re building the future of light, sometimes you need to acquire the blueprint. Apple has quietly acquired key assets from invrs.io, a small AI-focused photonics startup, and brought its founder and sole employee, Martin Schubert, on board, according to a regulatory filing submitted to the European Union in October 2025.
The filing reveals that Apple would take over certain assets from invrs.io while hiring Schubert, a research scientist with prior stints at Meta, Google, and Micron Technology, where he worked on advanced display, semiconductor, and optical technologies.
Invrs.io specialised in open-source frameworks for photonics research, the science of controlling and manipulating light, critical to cameras, sensors, LiDAR, and displays across Apple’s ecosystem. The startup’s tools used AI-guided design to accelerate optical system simulation, optimisation, and benchmarking, aiming to make complex engineering more accessible to AI researchers and hardware developers.
Apple has not disclosed specific plans for integrating the technology, but the acquisition points to deeper ambitions in hardware-level AI. Enhanced light-based modelling could refine camera performance in iPhones and iPads, boost sensor accuracy in wearables, optimise spatial computing in Vision Pro, and advance next-generation displays and LiDAR systems.
Though modest compared with Apple’s blockbuster deals, the move underscores the company’s push to embed AI not just in software but in the physical foundations of its devices. As custom silicon and on-device AI accelerate, photonics expertise at the intersection of light and intelligence could prove a key differentiator.
For a company that once revolutionised screens with Retina displays, quietly snapping up a photonics innovator feels like the next logical step ensuring the light inside Apple’s world shines brighter, sharper, and smarter than ever.
