Recently, over 150 founders, investors, and startup executives gathered at the Padukone-Dravid Sports Centre in Yelahanka, Bengaluru. They replaced meeting rooms with badminton courts as part of the eighth Bertelsmann Championship (BBC), organized by the venture firm Bertelsmann India Investments (BII).
Attendees included representatives from companies such as Accel, Blume Ventures, Innoven Capital, Titan Capital, Aavishkaar Capital, Ascent Capital, Stellaris, and Cactus Partners, alongside startup founders including Univest, Handpickd, Fairdeal, Inito, and CureBay. Their common goal was to support the 'Rally For Health' initiative.
According to Pankaj Makkar, Managing Director of Bertelsmann India Investments, the annual championship around the same theme is linked to the startup ecosystem entering its second decade in the venture capital industry. He noted that the process of creating and investing in companies is a strenuous race, causing people to often neglect their own health for business growth.
Makkar believes that despite the Indian ecosystem having spawned numerous unicorns and IPO-ready startups over the last two decades, the personal costs of this process remain unnoticed. Therefore, over the past year, the firm has focused on the 'Rally for Health' campaign, which it views not as a one-off event but as a lifelong approach for founders and investors.
He emphasized that for the ecosystem to continue thriving for the next fifty, sixty, or even one hundred years, the people building it must remain healthy in the long term.
Makkar identifies three types of participants in the annual event: loyalists who return out of love for the format; individuals genuinely concerned with fitness regardless of results; and those who simply want to try something new. However, in Makkar's opinion, what is more important than the participation of 80–100 people is the awareness generated by the event.
He added that the goal is to reach hundreds of thousands of people and encourage even a small percentage toward a healthier lifestyle. He does not demand an immediate lifestyle transformation, pointing out that even small behavioral changes matter. He also observed that today, startup founders have a much higher level of health awareness than before.
As part of the firm's efforts, the first BII survey on founder well-being was launched to understand how founders, investors, and other ecosystem participants manage their physical and mental state while building and sustaining businesses.
In addition to the championship, which involved 87 teams, Bertelsmann India Investments conducted its first Founder Well-being Survey, collecting responses from 50 founders, investors, and ecosystem participants. Nearly 88% of respondents reported working at least 50 hours per week, and 78% agreed or partially agreed that long working hours are necessary to build a successful company.
The study also showed growing pressure on recovery: more than one-fifth of respondents (41%) stated they sleep five or six hours or less per night, while 71% reported experiencing burnout at least a few times a year.
Nevertheless, the survey also revealed interesting trends. Approximately 68% of respondents said they engage in physical activity for at least 30 minutes daily, indicating conscious efforts to maintain fitness despite busy schedules. However, only 22% noted that physical fitness is formally integrated into their company culture, suggesting that health care largely remains an individual responsibility.
Abhishek Mittal, Partner at Aavishkaar Capital, commented: 'The Bertelsmann Badminton Championship is a valuable reminder that building lasting companies also requires founders and investors to dedicate time to their own health and well-being.' He added that the event created a rare space for the ecosystem to step away from the daily pressures of business, connect through sports, and strengthen bonds in an informal and energetic setting, and that initiatives like 'Rally for Health' can play an important role in turning well-being into a more permanent part of the entrepreneurial journey.
The survey findings confirm the message of the BII 'Rally for Health' campaign: although many founders and investors make conscious efforts to stay active, the ecosystem must move beyond individual discipline to create stronger organizational support for fitness and long-term well-being to build sustainable companies. The championship concluded in a competitive atmosphere, with Varun Agarwal and Sanata Kumar from Stride Ventures winning, and Sameer Mansukhani from Innoven Capital taking second place.
A Uzbek-Chinese business forum was held in Tashkent, attended by the Ministry of Investments, Industry, and Trade of Uzbekistan and a delegation from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China.
During the event, the parties discussed prospects for expanding trade, economic, and investment cooperation, as well as opportunities for implementing new joint projects. The forum gathered representatives of state and industry structures, as well as 22 Chinese companies operating in fields such as metallurgy, energy, logistics, biotechnology, automotive manufacturing, food industry, and others.
Participants noted a significant growth in trade turnover between Uzbekistan and China, which has tripled over the past five years and is expected to approach $18 billion USD by the end of 2025. Over the same period, the volume of direct Chinese investment increased fivefold, reaching $17 billion USD. Currently, more than 6,000 enterprises with Chinese capital operate in Uzbekistan.
Forum participants examined potential areas for joint initiatives, including mining, green energy, agriculture, healthcare, high technology, industrial cooperation, and the production of export-oriented goods. The forum concluded with the creation of a platform for establishing new business contacts, developing investment plans, and promoting joint projects between companies from both countries.
The Ambassador of Uzbekistan, Oybek Shahavdinov, held meetings in the capital of Slovenia with representatives of leading Slovenian companies and organizations. The purpose of the meetings was to discuss expanding cooperation in the fields of trade, economy, investment, and technology, according to Dunyo News Agency.
Discussions focused on the possibilities of implementing joint projects in priority sectors of the economy. Special attention was paid to cooperation in areas such as pharmaceuticals, energy, transport, digital technologies, mechanical engineering, waste processing, aviation, education, and consulting.
Representatives of Slovenian business expressed interest in establishing joint ventures in Uzbekistan, localizing production, and making direct investments.
As a result of the negotiations, the parties reached agreements on the further development of joint investment initiatives. Furthermore, it was agreed to hold visits by representatives of Slovenian companies to Uzbekistan to negotiate with relevant ministries and state institutions, as well as to seek local partners for the implementation of joint projects.
The ÁBATON studio carried out a comprehensive renovation of a residence located in Madrid. This property is situated on a 2,500 m² plot and has a total built area of 600 m².
The original structure of the house possessed notable characteristics that made it ideal for restoration and transformation into a contemporary dwelling, set in an environment of great aesthetic value. The project's objective was to develop new areas with high architectural quality, making the most of both the location and the qualities of the land itself.
