With decades of experience, Parwani will oversee growth initiatives across Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam markets in partnership with Divo.
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Leadership Change at Warner Music India Puts Ashok Parwani in Charge of South Indian Music Strategy
Warner Music India has appointed Ashok Parwani as Head of Music for South Indian markets, placing him in charge of the company’s strategy across Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam music ecosystems. The leadership change comes at a time when the company is strengthening its regional focus following its majority acquisition of South India based digital media and music company Divo.
Ashok Parwani brings over four decades of experience in the music industry, with professional stints spanning India, Sri Lanka, and the United Arab Emirates. He is widely recognised for his role in shaping the South India business of Sony Music India, where he spent close to two decades. During his tenure, he led several major catalogue acquisitions and built strong working relationships with producers, filmmakers, and artists across southern film and independent music industries.
Warner Music India currently manages a rapidly expanding music catalogue and has recently launched Loopd, an artist focused label aimed at supporting independent talent. The label operates with an artist first approach while leveraging Warner Music Group’s global network for wider reach and international exposure. The company has also extended its regional footprint through a collaborative initiative involving Sri Lanka based M Entertainments and Divo, creating additional cross border opportunities for regional artists.
Shahir Muneer, Co Founder and Director at Divo, said that Parwani’s experience adds significant value to Warner Music India’s South India strategy. He added that the appointment will also strengthen Divo’s integration within the Warner Music network, supporting catalogue growth, deeper partnerships, and stronger commercial outcomes for artists across the region.
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Coffee Startup Toffee Coffee Roasters Attracts ₹5 Crore Pre Series A Funding Led by Inflection Point Ventures
Backed by investor Ritesh Agarwal, the brand plans to scale operations and target higher annual recurring revenue through expanded distribution.
Toffee Coffee Roasters has raised ₹5 crore in a Pre Series A funding round led by Inflection Point Ventures, marking a significant step in the premium coffee brand’s growth journey. The round also saw participation from 66 bridge partners along with Abhijit Vemuganti and Invesst, as the company prepares to scale operations and strengthen its presence across India’s fast-evolving coffee market.
The Bengaluru based startup plans to deploy close to 60 percent of the capital as working capital to support expanding operations, particularly across quick commerce platforms. Around 10 to 15 percent of the funds will be invested in enhancing and expanding backend roastery infrastructure, while another 10 percent will go toward improving packaging quality. The remaining 10 to 15 percent is earmarked for new product development as the brand broadens its portfolio.Toffee Coffee Roasters has gained wider visibility after being featured on Shark Tank India and is backed by investor Ritesh Agarwal, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of OYO Rooms. The brand currently ranks among the top five coffee websites in India based on online traction and holds an estimated 1 to 2 percent share of the overall coffee category.
Commenting on the investment, Mitesh Shah, Co founder, Inflection Point Ventures, said that despite India being one of the world’s leading coffee producers, quality artisanal coffee remains largely limited to imported brands or café-only formats. He noted that the at-home segment is still dominated by instant coffee, leaving limited room for specialty roasts. According to him, Toffee Coffee Roasters addresses this gap by offering crafted, high-quality coffee that brings global-style coffee experiences into Indian homes.The company focuses on sourcing, roasting, and blending coffee using a lean supply chain model that reduces intermediaries. This approach allows the brand to maintain quality while offering products at accessible price points. All blends are created in house by a team that includes experienced master blenders and certified Q Graders, with expertise across multiple coffee sub categories.
Toffee Coffee Roasters is led by co founders Rishabh Nigam and Nandini Shrivastava. Rishabh Nigam brings more than six years of experience in growth roles at consumer internet companies such as ZEE5, Pocket FM, and upGrad. He was also part of Pocket FM’s United States expansion team, where revenues scaled from zero to USD 15 million within a year. Nandini Shrivastava, who previously worked with JSW, heads product and operations at the company, overseeing alliances, process improvements, and portfolio innovation.Under their leadership, the brand has grown to serve more than 150,000 coffee drinkers across India. The company currently produces over five tonnes of coffee every month, with more than 40,000 units consumed monthly. This translates to an estimated three to four lakh cups of coffee prepared at home across the country each month.
Looking ahead, Toffee Coffee Roasters aims to scale monthly production to 50 tonnes. This expansion is expected to support monthly revenues of ₹8 to ₹10 crore and reach eight to ten lakh customers who choose the brand as part of their daily coffee routine.Nandini Shrivastava said that India’s coffee landscape is changing rapidly, but a wide gap remains between mass-market offerings and premium brands. She noted that as consumption grows across formats such as roasted and ground coffee, cold brews, capsules, and filter coffee, the company’s goal is to build a mass-premium brand that caters to both at-home and out-of-home consumers at accessible price points. She added that the brand is focused on reaching not only metro consumers but also India 1 and India 2 markets.
India’s coffee market is currently valued at around USD 2 billion and is growing at a compound annual growth rate of over 20 percent. The market is evenly split between at-home consumption and out-of-home channels such as cafés and restaurants. While brands like Nescafe and Bru continue to dominate at-home consumption, changing consumer preferences have driven growth in specialty categories. Premium brands such as Starbucks and Blue Tokai have contributed to this shift, though higher per-cup costs have left a large segment of consumers underserved.Against this backdrop, Toffee Coffee Roasters positions itself as a mass-premium alternative that bridges the gap between affordability and quality. The recent funding is expected to support the brand’s ambition to capture a larger share of the coffee category and work toward a long-term annual recurring revenue target of ₹60 to ₹80 crore.
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Satellite Broadband Enters Policy Agenda as Government of Goa Explores Collaboration With Starlink
Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant and IT Minister Rohan Khaunte discussed potential applications of satellite broadband to strengthen rural connectivity, maritime communication, and last-mile digital access across Goa.
Satellite broadband has moved into active policy consideration in Goa as the State Government engaged in discussions with Starlink to examine opportunities for strengthening digital connectivity across urban, rural, coastal, and remote regions. The engagement reflects Goa’s broader push to reinforce its technology ecosystem and improve access to reliable communication infrastructure.
The Government of Goa, under the leadership of Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant, held strategic discussions with representatives from Starlink to understand how satellite-based broadband solutions could complement the State’s existing digital infrastructure. The focus of the dialogue remained on improving connectivity in areas where traditional terrestrial networks face limitations.A key meeting took place at the Mantralaya in Porvorim, attended by Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant and senior State officials. The Starlink delegation included Ms. Lauren Dreyer, Vice President, Starlink Business Operations, Global Access and Operations, Mr. Prabhakar Jayakumar, Head, Starlink India, and Mr. Manoj Ladwa, Government Affairs Strategist and Chairman, India Global Forum. Discussions centered on the potential role of low-latency satellite broadband in supporting governance, public service delivery, and infrastructure development.
Speaking during the interaction, Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant highlighted Goa’s progress in digital transformation and the State’s emphasis on strengthening digital services. He noted that satellite broadband could support sectors such as tourism, education, industry, fisheries, and rural development, all of which depend on stable and reliable communication networks for growth and efficiency.A second meeting was held at Taj Cidade de Goa in Dona Paula, chaired by Shri Rohan Khaunte, Minister for Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, Tourism, and Printing and Stationery. The meeting was attended by Dr. V. Candavelou, IAS, Chief Secretary, Government of Goa, Shri Kabir Shirgaonkar, Director, Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communication, Mr. Pravimal Abhishek, IAS, Secretary, Science and Technology, Managing Director, Goa Industrial Development Corporation, Director of Transport, along with other senior officials and the Starlink leadership team.
During the discussions, Shri Rohan Khaunte spoke about Goa’s emergence as a preferred destination for global technology players. He pointed to the State’s growing focus on innovation, digital infrastructure, and technology-led development, noting that international companies increasingly view Goa as a viable hub for building and scaling digital solutions.The meetings outlined several areas where Starlink’s satellite network could align with Goa’s development priorities. These included strengthening connectivity in rural and shadow areas, improving high-speed data access for industrial and electronic manufacturing clusters, and enhancing last-mile digital reach under the Har Ghar Fibre programme. The discussions also covered the use of satellite connectivity to modernise maritime operations and support fisheries through real-time communication systems.
Additional focus areas included the potential for improved digital services in tourism, such as connectivity for homestays, beach surveillance systems, and maritime experiences. Officials also discussed the possibility of connecting schools in low-coverage regions under the CARES initiative and supporting digital infrastructure for emerging use cases such as CCTV surveillance at beaches and AV and AR-based visitor guides.Through these engagements, the Government of Goa is working toward a comprehensive connectivity roadmap aimed at expanding digital access across the State. The approach seeks to strengthen rural networks, improve communication capabilities for coastal and maritime activities, and ensure seamless last-mile connectivity, while supporting Goa’s long-term vision for inclusive and resilient digital growth.
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