Mahesh Sharma

Mahesh Sharma

Mahesh Sharma is TechCrunch’s Indian correspondent, reporting on local start-ups and international affairs.

After a fulfilling full-time and freelance journalism career in his native Australia, Mahesh re-located to Bangalore to ply his trade in one of the world’s most challenging, and rewarding, environments.

The Latest from Mahesh Sharma

Payments Startup MobiKwik Launches Mobile Wallet As India’s Central Bank Acts To End Country’s Cash Dependence

In a move that could ease paper money's stranglehold over the Indian economy and society, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mobikwik.com">Mobikwik</a> is releasing a mobile wallet for the country's

Verdict On Pakistan YouTube Ban Delayed As Case Is Moved To High Court Full Bench

The year-long saga of the Pakistan government's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com">YouTube</a> ban has just taken another twist, as a case to unblock the website has been referred to a

African Accelerators Change Tack As ‘Savannah Valley’ Emerges From The Wilderness

Security Concerns Abound Over Unofficial Android iMessage App That Uses Chinese Servers To Process Data

An unauthorised app that lets Android users chat on Apple's closed iMessage network is causing a big stir. It's had viral downloads in the tens of thousands amid claims that it could be spreading malw

Poor Sales In India Force Maps Provider Sygic To Release Navigation App For Free

App developers are struggling to make money in India because of low credit card penetration, according to Michael Stencl, CEO of maps provider <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sygic.com/en">Sygic</

Deliv Raises $6.85 Million To Bring Same-Day Delivery To A Store Near You

Investors have recently piled millions into same-day delivery startups such as New York's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.zipments.com">Zipments</a> and San Francisco's <a target="_blank" href

In India, A Chauffeur Trumps Michelin-Starred Chef In List Of Startup Perks

In a bid to relieve the staff from one of the most stressful and lengthy parts of an Indian employee's day -- the commute -- the fast-growing e-commerce marketplace <a target="_blank" href="http://www

Zipments Closes $2.25 Million Seed Round To Speed Up Same-Day Deliveries

New York based Zipments, a same-day delivery marketplace that connects retailers with couriers, has closed a $2.25 million seed round to further build out its product and expand to new cities. It's fa

Pakistani Activists Smell A Mole In Government’s Proposed YouTube Filtering Plan

After ignoring repeated requests to appear in a court case challenging the Pakistan government's year-long YouTube blackout, the country's elusive IT minister is expected to appear at a hearing later

Japanese Recruitment Firm Recruit Co Wants To Buy Freelancer.com For $400M

Looks like <a target="_blank" href="http://recruit.jp">Recruit Co</a>, the Japan-based HR and recruitment site giant that has long been <a target="_blank" href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/

Pakistan Government-Backed Incubator Seeds Local Investor Appetite

Ali Rehan and his university cohorts had just won<a target="_blank" href="http://lahore.startupweekend.org/"> Pakistan's Startup Weekend hackathon</a> when they decided to quit their PhD research proj

Yahoo Picks A New GeoCities Logo

After months of hype and countless dollars, Yahoo! has unveiled the next big move in its ambitious transformation: a slimmed down logo.

Bugcrowd Raises $1.6 Million To Expand Bug Bounty Marketplace

Crowdsourced bug bounty marketplace <a target="_blank" href="https://bugcrowd.com/">Bugcrowd</a> has raised $1.6 million from investors to grow its community of 3,000 vetted security penetration teste

India’s Visa Maze Ensnares Foreign Entrepreneurs

Returning for his fourth and final visit to the Indian offices that would grant him a coveted five-year business visa, social entrepreneur Alex Stevens* was confident his wild goose chase was almost a

As Uber Drives Into India, It’s Shifting Its Emerging Market Strategy Up A Gear

Transportation tech startup <a target="_blank" href="https://www.uber.com">Uber</a> is continuing its aggressive expansion across Asia. As of this week, it is now live in India, starting first with a

Safecity Crowdsources India’s Sexual Assault Incidents To Highlight Danger Zones

Four Indians are exposing India's sexual harassment hotspots via <a target="_blank" href="http://www.safecity.in/reports">Safecity</a>, a website for victims to anonymously report when and where they

Wrike Reveals New UI And Time-Broadcasting Feature To Keep Employees On Task

Project collaboration startup <a target="_blank" href="http://www.wrike.com">Wrike </a>has rolled out a minimalist user interface in the latest update of its Graphite application, which emphasises a w

With Flipkart’s Launch Of PayZippy, India’s Answer To Amazon Wants To Become Its PayPal, Too

<a target="_blank" href="http://flipkart.com">Flipkart</a>, the largest e-commece site in India, has been likened to Amazon both for what it offers and its presence in the market. But it has one cruc

India’s Citizen Engagement Comes Online But Political Parties Still Operate Above The Law

India's budding democracy has dipped its toe into the digital waters, as the government launched a<a target="_blank" href="http://rtionline.gov.in"> website</a> allowing citizens to file Right To Info

Google Now Update Adds More Entertainment And Travel Features To The Android Personal Assistant App

Google has <a target="_blank" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+android/posts/ZxW16xQTJ7t">added</a> a half dozen new travel and entertainment features to its personalised search app <a target="_blan
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