MAM
Dusk to Dawn: Tata Starbucks opens two 24-hour stores in India
Mumbai: Tata Starbucks Private Limited today announced the launch of its first-ever 24-hour stores (Non-Airport) in Chennai and Calicut. The new stores are a testament of Tata Starbucks’ commitment to the Indian market where it currently operates across 341 stores in four cities. Adding to the company’s existing portfolio, the new format offers an added convenience to customers where they can pick their orders any time of the day. Highlighting the company’s long-term commitment in one of Starbucks fastest-growing markets globally, the 24X7 stores will offer customers a safe, convenient and a familiar third place experience.
“Tata Starbucks has had an incredible journey in India since its inception in 2012 and we are proud to have achieved yet another milestone. The opening of our first 24X7 stores showcases our commitment to evolving our brand and business in India and providing new and meaningful experiences to our customers,” said Tata Starbucks Pvt. Ltd CEO Sushant Dash. “The new stores will elevate the unique Starbucks Experience for our customers, giving them new ways to connect outside of their home and workplace.”
The stores are a fusion of the signature Starbucks warm and welcoming design and the city’s local culture and craftsmanship, serving as an extension of the neighbourhoods served.
The Calicut store translates as a beach house integrating into the Calicut Beach. The classic Starbucks Siren represents bringing coffee life from the ocean to this location, adapting to the local culture by presenting elements like Kerala-style mural and metallurgy.
Taking cues from the local culture and nuances, the Chennai store brings a home-like feeling to the consumers. The new 24-hour store uniquely features traditional Chettinad architecture with big spaces and stunning ceramic tiles. The space is an indigenous blend of traditional, intricate Indian architecture and stunning European artwork.
Tata Starbucks is also bringing a new cup size to these stores with Picco, giving new and first-time coffee drinkers a chance to sip and savour their favourite beverage along with local additions such as the all-new filter coffee, masala chai, cardamom chai, milkshakes, freshly assembled sandwiches, bite-sized and shareable food items. The all-new food menu will feature Pesto & Mozzarella Sandwich in Panini, Bhuna Chicken Puff, Hazelnut Triangle, Chocolate Éclair, Egg White & Chicken in Multigrain Croissant, Red Velvet & Orange Cake, Chilli Cheese Toast, Butter Croissant.
Customers can also relish the Limited-Time seasonal offerings like Belgium Chocolate Latte, Salted Dark Caramel Latte (available in Hot, Iced and Frappuccino variants), Mango on the Beach Frappuccino, Cold Brew with Tonic Water, Cold brew with Ginger Ale and Mango Milkshake. Additionally the menu also boasts of all-time favourites such as Java Chip Frappuccino, Cafe Mocha, Signature Hot Chocolate and Caramel Macchiato.
Starbucks merchandise and free Wi-Fi are available at these stores. In addition, the company will also bring the My Starbucks Rewards loyalty program to the cities, introducing members to attractive benefits and becoming a part of the Starbucks India community.
Tata Starbucks had also introduced contactless order and payment methods, such as Mobile Order and Pay through the Starbucks India mobile application, for customers to indulge in a safe, familiar and convenient Starbucks experience in the comfort of their homes.
Brands
Tessolve lands a semiconductor veteran to drive its next big push
Ravi Kumar Chirugudu, who started his career at ISRO and has spent 35 years building chips and companies, joins the Bengaluru-based firm as president and chief operating officer
BENGALURU: Tessolve has never been shy about its ambitions. The Bengaluru-based engineering services firm already counts 18 of the world’s top 20 semiconductor companies among its clients, employs more than 3,500 engineers across 12 countries, and last year pocketed a $150m investment from TPG. Now it has hired the executive it believes can turn those assets into something bigger. Ravi Kumar Chirugudu, a 35-year semiconductor veteran who once built satellite payloads for ISRO and has since scaled engineering organisations across three continents, joins as president and chief operating officer, effective immediately.
THE MAN AND THE MANDATE
The appointment is, by any measure, a serious hire. Ravi Kumar Chirugudu comes to Tessolve after senior leadership stints at HCL Technologies, Altran and Wipro, where he managed large profit-and-loss portfolios and oversaw cross-regional teams. Over the course of his career, he has been instrumental in bringing more than 1,000 new products to market across the high-tech, energy and manufacturing verticals. Before the private sector claimed him, he began his working life as a scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation, contributing to research and development in charge-coupled device technology and satellite payloads, a foundation that shaped everything that followed.
In his new role, he will lead Tessolve’s global growth strategy: expanding its engineering capabilities, deepening customer relationships and accelerating innovation across semiconductor and high-performance computing domains. The brief is broad, but the context is specific. Tessolve operates in the $550 billion global semiconductor market, and its recent moves, the acquisition of Germany’s Dream Chip Technologies and the TPG funding round, have sharpened both its reach and its expectations.
Srini Chinamilli, co-founder and chief executive of Tessolve, is characteristically direct about why Ravi Kumar Chirugudu was the choice:
“As we scale our global semiconductor and system engineering capabilities, Ravi’s appointment marks an important step forward. As global semiconductor demand continues to accelerate across industries, it is creating significant opportunities across the semiconductor lifecycle, from design, packaging, validation and systems integration. Ravi’s deep knowledge and leadership in this ecosystem brings the right mix of industry expertise, customer connect and execution capability, which will play a key role in strengthening our position as a trusted global engineering partner and reinforcing our market leadership.”
THE NEW ARRIVAL SPEAKS
Ravi Kumar Chirugudu, for his part, frames the move in terms of timing and culture, two factors that veteran executives tend to weigh as heavily as title or compensation:
“I am happy to join Tessolve at a time when the industry is rapidly evolving towards more complex, AI-driven systems. What stands out to me is its strong people-first culture and its commitment to bringing value to its customers. The strength of its global team, combined with its deep expertise in semiconductor innovation and next-generation product engineering, creates a solid foundation to build differentiated, scalable solutions. I look forward to working closely with the team to drive strategic growth and strengthen its role in shaping the global semiconductor ecosystem.”
The reference to AI-driven systems is not incidental. The semiconductor industry is in the midst of a structural reshaping, driven by the insatiable compute demands of artificial intelligence. For engineering services firms like Tessolve, which offers end-to-end capabilities from silicon design to packaged parts and invests in high-performance computing, high-speed interfaces, photonics and 5G, the moment is both an opportunity and a test. The company says it is well positioned to capture the next wave of industry growth. Ravi Kumar Chirugudu is now the person who has to prove it.
He came in from outer space, literally, and spent three decades learning how the semiconductor industry works from the inside out. Now Tessolve is betting that accumulated knowledge can help it cross the next frontier. In the $550 billion global chip market, the gap between ambition and execution is measured in engineering hours and leadership quality. Tessolve has just gone shopping for both.
