iWorld
News18.com announces Jury members for its annual Auto and Tech awards
MUMBAI: News18.com announced its annual marquee property – the Tech and Auto Awards, first in this category combined awards for Technology and Automotive sector. The unique awards show aims to recognise and honour innovative products from the tech and auto sectors that have set the standards in their respective fields. The event will held on 29 November 2017 at New Delhi. The jury members for this distinctive property comprise some of the most sought after names from both national and international technology and auto sectors.
The prestigious jury includes Audi India head Rahil Ansari, who at 38 is the youngest brand director for Audi, across the globe. The panel also comprises OLA founding partner Pranay Jivrajka, an alumnus of IIT – Bombay, he is Ola’s founding partner and a part of the company’s core team since its inception in 2011. Facebook director South Asia Sandeep Bhushan, an IIM Ahmedabad alumnus, who holds experience across fields of Media, CPG and Technology is also a part of the jury.
Other members on the panel are Big Boy Toyz founder & MD Jatin Ahuja, Huawei India Consumer Business Group CMO Suhail Tariq, technology columnist Ashish Bhatia, The Unbiased Blog founder & editor-in-chief Nikhil Chawla, The Mobile Indian founder & ME Sandeep Budki, Auto Journalist ex-SIAM Dy Director Ranojoy Mukherjee, MotorScribes founder & editor Vikram Gour, Exhibit Technologies founder & CEO Ramesh Somani and Photographer Sumit Dayal.
In a short span of time, since the announcement of the awards property, approximately 1.5 lakh votes have received from the online audience, for various award categories.
One of the many highlights of the evening is a Key Note speech by Qualcomm India VP and president Larry Paulson.
Paulson said, “I am honoured to be a part of News18’s unique Tech and Auto Awards property. The awards is a celebration for both the tech and auto industry combined. At the event, I am looking forward to meet leaders, innovators and creators of transformational designs and innovations that will define the future of technology and auto industry.”
News18.com technology and automobiles editor Siddhartha Sharma said, “We at News18.com have always believed in innovations and setting up trends for others to follow. The Tech and Auto Awards is a part of that initiative as we believe that why should the Indian consumer wait for Detroit and Silicon Valley to make innovations for us. The Tech and Auto Awards also presents a unique platform for the Technology and Automotive industry of India to come together under one roof and pave the way for future innovations and products in terms of technology and automobiles that are solution centric to Indian consumers. This is also a one of its kind awards events in India, and we as a part of a young and a very small team here at News18.com are proud of.”
Commenting on the announcement for the jury members, Network18 CEO digital Manish Maheshwari said, “Products of both tech and auto industries are more often than not judged on similar principles by consumers; the design, innovation, power, style amongst other factors. So, it is an absolute pleasure to bring experts, leaders, entrepreneur, achievers and more from both the fields under one roof for News18’s Tech and Auto Awards. It will be an evening to celebrate excellence, converse and let ideas perpetuate for steadfast growth of the two sectors.”
Gaming
MTG gaming chief Benninghoff joins NODWIN board as esports firm primes for IPO
The Gurugram-based esports firm is pursuing a public listing, has returned to profitability and is growing revenues by 42 per cent
GURUGRAM: NODWIN Gaming is moving fast. The Gurugram-based gaming and esports company has launched a pre-IPO fundraising round, appointed UBS as lead adviser for both the round and a subsequent public listing, and landed a heavyweight board director, all in one go.
The new board member is Arnd Benninghoff, executive vice president of gaming at Stockholm-listed Modern Times Group (MTG), who has overseen the group’s strategic investments and portfolio growth since 2014. He is no stranger to building things: Benninghoff has founded and built fifteen companies, served as chief digital officer at ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, managing director of SevenVentures, and chief executive of Holtzbrinck eLAB. He began his career as a journalist at Deutsche Presse Agentur and various TV networks, holds a Diplom-Kaufmann in business and administration from the University of Münster, and previously sat on the board of Edgeware AB.
The numbers back the ambition
NODWIN is not pitching a story without substance. The company has returned to EBITDA profitability and posted a 42 per cent year-on-year revenue surge, reaching $58.5m in the first nine months of FY2026. The pre-IPO round will combine a primary issuance to fund global expansion through organic growth and acquisitions, alongside a secondary sale to give existing shareholders some liquidity.
Akshat Rathee, co-founder and managing director of NODWIN Gaming, said Benninghoff understands “the entire lifecycle of the gaming and media ecosystem, from the boots-on-the-ground reality of building startups to the strategic complexity of managing multi-billion dollar global portfolios.”
Benninghoff, for his part, said the company “sits at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and technology, making it one of the most exciting players in the global gaming landscape today.”
A portfolio built for the global south
Founded in 2014 by Rathee and Gautam Virk, NODWIN has quietly assembled one of the more compelling esports portfolios outside the Western hemisphere. Its properties include DreamHack India and Comic Con India, and it recently acquired StarLadder, the Ukraine-based tournament organiser behind premier events in CS:GO and Dota 2. The company also serves as a long-term strategic marketing partner for the Evolution Championship Series (EVO), the world’s most prominent fighting game tournament, helping push it into new geographies.
Its geographic focus spans South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Backers include Nazara Technologies, KRAFTON, Sony Group Corporation, JetSynthesys, and the founders’ investment vehicle Good Game Investments.
What comes next
With UBS running the books, a board freshly reinforced with European media and gaming expertise, and revenue heading in the right direction, NODWIN is laying the groundwork deliberately. The esports industry has burned investors before with big promises and thin margins. NODWIN’s return to profitability, combined with a real portfolio of owned intellectual properties across gaming, music and youth culture, gives it a more credible runway than most. The IPO clock is now ticking.
