MAM
Noise welcomes Bose on board as a strategic investor to strengthen its leadership in India
Mumbai: Noise-connected lifestyle brand, today announced a strategic investment from Bose, a global pioneer in consumer electronics and audio, to shape the future of its product line and redefine consumer experiences. This collaboration marks Noise’s first-ever funding – and as a part of the series a round – a significant milestone for profitable D2C business. Noise has been on a mission to secure capital and this strategic collaboration aids innovation in the audio space, further strengthens research and design, and meets the evolving consumer preferences in the Indian market.
Noise’s journey to becoming a smart wearables leader in the country has been exemplary. The homegrown brand started its bootstrapped journey with a humble vision to disrupt the industry with meaningful technology in a category which holds transformational power. Today, the brand has become a household name in India for everything around connected lifestyles. This powerful partnership will further cement the brand’s unwavering commitment to crafting top-tier technology tailored for the new-age consumers.
Speaking about the partnership, Noise co-founder Amit Khatri said, “It’s about the right partnership at the right time, and we firmly believe that our strategic alliance with Bose will be a pivotal juncture in our journey towards revolutionizing the future of smart wearables realm. Bose’s belief in us validates our relentless pursuit of innovation, aimed at delivering transformative technology for today’s consumer. We are excited to partner with a company like Bose whose technical expertise and global experience will help us augment our capabilities and elevate our offerings.
As one of the largest players in the largest consumer market, in less than five years of its inception, Noise has become synonymous with consumer-centric innovation. Re-inventing at every step without losing sight of the larger vision, the brand has been successful in writing a playbook for building a successful bootstrapped business. The brand has opened doors to myriad opportunities that smart wearables bring, helping unlock the potential of human excellence.
“As we looked at the opportunity to reach more people with the benefits of our technology in India, investing in Noise became an obvious choice,” said Bose senior vice president of strategy and business development Nicholas Smith. “Their leadership in the wearables category and understanding of their customers will allow us to collaborate and bring new, differentiated products to a growing market.”
Brands
Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen to step down after 18 years in role
Board begins CEO search as Narayen prepares to move to chair role
SAN JOSE: After nearly two decades at the helm, Adobe’s long-serving chief executive Shantanu Narayen is preparing to pass the baton.
The company announced that Narayen will transition from his role as chief executive officer once a successor is appointed, ending an 18-year run that reshaped Adobe from a boxed software seller into a global cloud and AI powerhouse. He will remain chair of the board following the leadership transition.
Adobe’s board has formed a special committee to oversee the succession process, led by lead independent director Frank Calderoni. The committee will evaluate both internal and external candidates.
“Shantanu’s leadership has been instrumental in Adobe’s transformation and in positioning the company for the AI-driven era,” Calderoni said in a statement. “As we begin the next phase of succession planning, our focus is on identifying the right leader for the company’s next chapter while ensuring a smooth transition.”
In a note to employees, Narayen described the moment not as a farewell but as a pause for reflection after a long journey with the company.
“I love Adobe and the privilege of leading it has been the greatest honour of my career,” he wrote, adding that he will continue to work closely with the board over the coming months to ensure a seamless leadership change.
Tributes from the technology industry quickly followed the announcement. Microsoft chairman and chief executive officer Satya Nadella congratulated Narayen on what he described as a “legendary run” at Adobe.
“Congrats Shantanu, on a legendary run at Adobe! You’ve built one of the most important software companies in the world, and expanded what’s possible for creators, entrepreneurs, and brands everywhere,” Nadella wrote on LinkedIn.
“What has always stood out to me is the empathy you’ve brought to the creative process and the example you’ve set as a leader. Grateful for your friendship, mentorship, and for all you’ve done for Adobe and for our industry.”
Narayen’s career at Adobe spans nearly three decades. He joined the company in 1998 as vice president and rose steadily through the ranks before becoming chief executive officer in December 2007.
During that time, he orchestrated one of the most significant reinventions in the software industry. In 2013, Adobe made the bold decision to abandon traditional boxed software sales and move its flagship creative tools such as Photoshop to a subscription-based Creative Cloud model. The shift initially rattled investors but ultimately transformed Adobe into a predictable recurring revenue business and a case study in digital reinvention.
Narayen also pushed Adobe beyond creative tools into the world of marketing technology and data-driven customer experience, spearheading acquisitions such as Omniture and Marketo. Those moves helped build Adobe’s digital experience division and broaden its reach far beyond designers and photographers.
The numbers tell the story of that transformation. When Narayen took over in 2007, Adobe generated roughly $3 billion in annual revenue. Today the company reports more than $25 billion. Over the same period, its workforce expanded from around 3,000 employees to more than 30,000.
In recent years, Narayen has steered Adobe into the generative AI era with the launch of Adobe Firefly, aiming to keep the company ahead in a rapidly evolving creative technology landscape.
Born in Hyderabad in 1963, Narayen studied electronics and communication engineering at Osmania University before moving to the United States for a master’s degree in computer science from Bowling Green State University. He later earned an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.
Widely regarded as one of Silicon Valley’s most steady and effective leaders, Narayen has earned multiple honours during his career, including India’s Padma Shri in 2019.
For Adobe, the upcoming leadership change marks the end of a defining chapter. For Narayen, however, the story is far from finished. As he told employees, the company’s next era of creativity, powered by AI and new digital workflows, is only just beginning.
