Applications
India specific search engine ‘Guruji.com’ launched
BANGALORE: Using crawl search technology, two Indian technology aspirants Anurag Dod and Gaurav Mishra have launched an India specific search engine Guruji.com. The duo claims that their 40 US located servers have a data base of around 30 million India specific pages which he informs will double over the next few months. |
During a press conference in Bangalore, Dod said, “What sets us apart is our focus on the Indian market and the Indian consumer. When an Indian consumer types in search a keyword like ‘newspaper’, the results would show him websites of the top Indian newspapers rather than site not relevant to him.” According to data available with Guruji.com, 90% of the internet queries are local in nature. Further, around 30% of the internet users on India spend 20 hours per week on the internet and after e-mail, search is the largest second use. Guruji.com plans to create awareness about their search engine by events at colleges and through public relations. A budget of Rs 10 million has been earmarked for spends in 20 major Indian cities over the next five to six months. |
| Guriji.com has received funding commitment to the extent of US$7million from Sequoia Capital India a VC which manages three funds totaling US$ 750 million focused on investments in India across sectors. |
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
