Brands
Over 34,000 submissions for OPPO India’s Imagine IF Photo Awards
Mumbai: Within seven weeks, OPPO India received 34,000 plus entries from photographers across India for the imagine IF Photography Awards 2024 in round one which concluded on 15 June 2024.
OPPO launched the Imagine IF Photography Awards globally in 2023 to spark creativity in mobile photography and showcase the prowess of OPPO camera technologies. The competition made its foray into India this year after the success of the inaugural edition.
Round one invited Indian citizens over 18 years to share their smartphone photographs across nine categories: Landscape, Portrait, Colours, Unfading Moment, Fashion, Snapshot, Light, Travel, and Collection. Of these 34,000+ entries, the ‘Portrait’ category emerged as the most popular and garnered 26 per cent of the submissions. This was followed by ‘Landscape’ which witnessed 20 per cent participation.
OPPO India head of digital marketing Sushant Vashistha said, “We are thrilled with the overwhelming response to the platform. The high volume of entries uncovers new photography talent across India, and we are glad to present them with an opportunity and a platform to showcase their work on a global stage.”
The top 50 photographers will move to round two by end of June and the final six winners will be announced on 25 July 2024. “The shortlisted photographers will get to shoot exclusively on our flagship OPPO Find X7 Ultra device and experience the world’s first Quad Main Camera while submitting their nominations for round two. We are excited to see the next set of photos and the creativity they will showcase.” added Sushant Vashistha.
To generate excitement around the competition, OPPO India released a brand video on its Instagram featuring director, screenwriter, and Indian ambassador for the initiative, SS Rajamouli with TV producer and actor, Raghu Ram. The video presents Raghu as the judge of a photography contest, and in true Raghu fashion, he is shown losing his cool over the photography capabilities of the contestants. Raghu’s level of disappointment is consistently on the rise and so is his anger. Just then, SS Rajamouli enters the scene and advises Raghu to nurture creativity rather than shun it. Following this, Raghu’s attitude shifts, and he is shown sharing encouraging feedback with the contestants with a big smile.
The Imagine IF entries are being judged by a panel of expert photographers including celebrity wedding and portrait photographer and OPPO Imaging expert Joseph Radhik, wildlife photographer Aarzoo Khurana, fashion photographer Arjun Mark, and other global jury members.
All top six winners will get an opportunity to attend the Paris Show 2024 and collaborate with OPPO India for photography-led projects in future. The Gold awardee will receive a cash prize of Rs 5,00,000, two Silver winners will get Rs 2,00,000 each and three Bronze winners will win Rs 1,00,000.
Brands
SatLeo Labs raises $5.5m seed funding led by Unicorn India Ventures
Fresh capital to power thermal satellite mission and AI data platform
MUMBAI: SatLeo Labs has raised $2.2 million in a fresh seed round led by Unicorn India Ventures, taking its total funding to $5.5 million as it steps up efforts to scale its space-based thermal intelligence platform.
The funding round also saw participation from existing backers including Merak Ventures, Java Capital, IIMA-CIIE and deep-tech investor Manish Gandhi.
The capital will be used to accelerate SatLeo’s flagship thermal satellite mission and further develop its AI-powered platform designed to deliver high-resolution thermal and visible data from low Earth orbit. The company aims to turn this data into actionable insights for sectors ranging from climate monitoring to urban planning.
Over the past year, SatLeo has scaled rapidly, growing its team from 8 to 30 specialists across satellite engineering, thermal sensing and AI-led geospatial analytics. It has also achieved a key milestone with the development of its first experimental payload, TAPAS-1, which reached near flight-ready status within six months and is now positioned for launch.
On the ground, the startup has begun translating its technology into real-world use cases. Pilot projects in cities such as Ahmedabad and Tumakuru have focused on monitoring urban heat islands and air pollution, impacting over 400,000 citizens. At the same time, its commercial pipeline has expanded sharply, with letters of intent rising from around $15 million to over $42 million within a year.
SatLeo Labs co-founder and CEO Shravan Bhati said, “Sustainability has become imperative amid accelerating climate change and rapid urbanisation. This fundraise represents a critical milestone as we move into the execution phase of our next mission.”
He added that the company is focused on scaling its satellite constellation and enhancing payload performance to deliver thermal intelligence at a global level.
Backing the startup, Unicorn India Ventures managing partner Bhaskar Majumdar said, “Space is an arena where the next wave of technological innovation will emerge. SatLeo’s ability to combine thermal and visible satellite data into real-time insights positions it strongly for long-term growth.”
Looking ahead, SatLeo plans to focus on launch readiness, expanding commercial deployments and scaling its technology stack over the next 12 months.
As demand for climate and environmental intelligence grows, SatLeo’s latest fundraise signals rising investor confidence in space-tech solutions that bring data from orbit down to everyday decision-making.
