Applications
Former Microsoft India MD Srini Koppolu launches Veooz app
MUMBAI: In order to provide easy access to relevant news, former Microsoft India MD Srini Koppolu has launched a news app. Christened Veooz, the app will bring easy access to breaking news and important stories, selected from thousands of sources using patented algorithms.
Those involved along with Koppolu are IIIT-Hyderabad dean R&D professor Vasudeva Varma and search, machine learning and natural language processing (NLP) expert Dr. Prasad Pingali. Veooz is the one stop solution for news with support for multiple languages, countries, cities, topics and personalization.
“With a vision to provide easy access to relevant news to the widest audience across the world, we are making the Veooz app available in 10 languages in India along with the English versions for 40 countries,” said Veooz founder and CEO Koppolu. “Majority of the people from India can use the app in their language and stay current with important stories,” he added.
Veooz enables users to experience stories in multiple ways. They can skim through the headlines, read a short summary, or the full story. Using 360 feature, they can get in-depth coverage on a story with related stories, pictures, videos, and live buzz. The app has the unique capability to pull ‘the buzz’ related to a story, filter out noise and show posts which are meaningful and from influential people.
With more than 100,000 topics to choose from, users can follow general topics such as technology, business, sports, entertainment, fashion, travel or follow specific celebrities, companies, products, cities, hashtags and more. Veooz personalization engine will generate custom designed My Veooz news feed with the right mix of stories, so that user never misses any important story on their interests.
“Veooz is powered by a highly scalable platform that continuously discovers and analyzes stories from thousands of news, magazine, blog sources and millions of posts, pictures, videos from all major social networks, and selects relevant stories using heuristics based on news and social media signals. Using patented algorithms, auto-curated feeds are generated in real time for 40 countries, 2000 cities, thousands of topics,” added Veooz founder, CTO Prasad Pingali.
It is a free app that can be installed on Android and iOS devices.
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
