MAM
Bridgers teams up with IIT Kanpur for Upstart 2025
MUMBAI: From ideas to impact, Bridgers is bridging the gap. India’s leading integrated communications agency has signed a strategic MoU with IIT Kanpur’s Entrepreneurship Cell, becoming the official media partner for Upstart 2025, the flagship pitching event designed to empower India’s budding entrepreneurs.
The Nationals kick off in Delhi on 11th October, followed by Hyderabad (1st November), Bengaluru (8th November), and Mumbai (6th December), culminating in the finals at IIT Kanpur from 23rd–25th January 2026. Bridgers will provide end-to-end communications solutions, helping amplify the event’s reach and spotlight the most promising startups across India.
“Startup communication is our forte,” said Bridgers founder Anubhav Singh. “Partnering with IIT Kanpur E-Cell lets us support tomorrow’s founders while contributing to India’s Viksit Bharat vision by 2047.”
IIT Kanpur E-Cell’s Laksh Bansal added, “Bridgers’ expertise ensures Upstart 2025 gets the attention it deserves, highlighting the impact of this event and empowering our country’s future unicorns.”
The collaboration spans strategic campaigns, community storytelling, reputation management, and media engagement across cities and national and regional platforms, bringing India’s next generation of entrepreneurs into the spotlight.
Brands
Janhvi Kapoor teams up with Amaha to spotlight alcohol addiction
‘Off the Rocks’ aims to shift stigma to science in mental health discourse
MUMBAI: Janhvi Kapoor has partnered with Amaha to launch Off the Rocks, an awareness-led initiative that seeks to reframe alcohol addiction as a clinical mental health condition rather than a moral failing.
The initiative comes at a time when alcohol consumption is increasingly normalised in social settings, yet awareness around dependency and addiction remains limited. According to estimates, nearly one in five alcohol users in India may face addiction, but many continue without diagnosis or access to professional care, often held back by stigma or lack of understanding.
Kapoor said the idea for the campaign stemmed from a gap she has observed in public conversations. “The conversation around alcohol is either completely absent or deeply judgmental, and neither serves the people who actually need support,” she said. “Alcohol addiction is real, it’s clinical, and it affects people across every walk of life.”
Off the Rocks is designed as a long-term, multi-format effort rather than a one-off campaign. It will feature expert-led discussions, personal stories, and accessible content aimed at building awareness, reducing stigma, and guiding individuals towards professional help.
To ensure clinical depth, Kapoor has teamed up with Amaha, a full-spectrum mental health organisation with a large network of psychiatrists and psychologists. The organisation brings both infrastructure and expertise, particularly in treating moderate to severe mental health conditions, including alcohol use disorder.
“Addiction sits at the intersection of neuroscience, psychology, and lived experience, and remains one of the most stigmatised conditions we see,” said Amaha founder and CEO Amit Malik. He added that the initiative would help connect public awareness with credible, evidence-based care.
Amaha currently operates across multiple cities with in-person centres and digital services, offering therapy, psychiatry, and self-care tools in several languages. Its platform has reached millions globally, reflecting a growing demand for structured mental health support in India.
With Off the Rocks, Kapoor and Amaha are attempting to shift the narrative from blame to understanding, and from silence to support. If it succeeds, the initiative could help more people recognise when social drinking crosses the line and, more importantly, where to turn next.
