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Artelus wins Roche Drishti HealthTech Challenge

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Drishti HealthTech Challenge is a joint initiative by DPIIT and Roche Pharma India under the Startup India program80+ startups submitted their applicationsArtelus will receive a financial grant of INR 35 lakhs to co-develop and pilot its winning solution

NEW DELHI, June 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Leading healthcare startup ‘Artelus’ – an AI-based provider of healthtech solutions, aiming to enhance diagnosis and treatment for improved patient outcomes was recognised as the winner of Startup India’s Drishti HealthTech Challenge, a joint initiative by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and Roche Pharma India. This recognition is a testimony to the rapid progress made by homegrown health tech startups who are disrupting India’s healthcare landscape. 

Aimed at identifying and supporting healthtech startups in India to develop transformative, scalable solutions for some of the country’s most important health challenges, the Drishti HealthTech Challenge received high-impact applications from 80+ startups working in the areas of digital health.

The Jury comprising of retinal health experts, startup mentors and select members of the Roche India leadership evaluated the applications through a rigorous, multi-stage evaluation criteria focused on problem relevance, impact potential, market readiness, leadership credibility, and regulatory, legal & IP moats. Artelus emerged as the winner and will receive a financial grant of INR 35 lakhs to co-develop, enhance and pilot its pioneering solution in partnership with Roche Pharma India.

The award ceremony, hosted at the Swiss Embassy in New Delhi in the presence of Her Excellency, Mrs. Maya Tissafi, Ambassador of Switzerland to India and Bhutan, marks another milestone in Indo-Swiss collaboration, driven by Roche’s partnership with Startup India and DPIIT to strengthen the healthcare ecosystem in India.

Her Excellency, Mrs. Maya Tissafi, Ambassador of Switzerland to India and Bhutan, said, “The Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement between EFTA and India has intensified the economic relationship between our countries. It creates a ground for exactly the kind of innovation we see today – such as this initiative by Roche Pharma India and Startup India, which creates platforms for entrepreneurs and supports opportunities for collaboration and brings us closer to real-world impact. I would like to offer special congratulations to the winning start-up, Artelus. Its work shows how healthtech can make early diagnosis more accessible and bring quality healthcare closer to those who need it.”

Shri Ateesh Kumar Singh, Additional Secretary, DPIIT, said, “Fostering an ecosystem where advanced technology seamlessly integrates with grassroots healthcare delivery is key to sustainable economic development. Initiatives like the Roche Drishti HealthTech Challenge underscore the immense potential of the Indian startup community to deliver high-impact solutions. Startup India, DPIIT remains committed to supporting open innovation frameworks that empower homegrown entrepreneurs to scale their impact across the country.”

Roche Pharma India Managing Director & CEO Rajji Mehdwan, said, “Retinal diseases are stealing sight across India. The healthcare community has clinicians dedicated to helping people and the medicines that can truly make a difference. What we didn’t have was a way to make early diagnosis accessible to everyone. Artelus solves that. Their offline AI technology brings screening to places we’ve never been able to reach before—expanding access to a much wider group of people. That changes everything. No patient should lose their vision to something preventable. Our partnership with DPIIT and Startup India reflects Roche’s unyielding commitment to India’s innovation ecosystem, nurturing local, home-grown solutions for India’s unique healthcare challenges.” 

About the winning solution

Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is a rapidly growing public health crisis in India, with delayed diagnosis leading to preventable blindness. The Drishti HealthTech Challenge was launched to uncover scalable, tech-enabled solutions to address this gap.

Artelus’s winning innovation—DRISTi (Diabetic Retinopathy Screening)—is an instantaneous, CE Class 1 AI product that completely redefines point-of-care diagnostics. By building a one-of-its-kind ‘AI on a Chip,’ Artelus enables fully offline retinal screening that functions entirely without internet or cloud connectivity. Alongside their backpack-friendly, 5G-enabled OCT systems, this breakthrough tech democratizes healthcare by bringing comprehensive, transparent retinal diagnostics directly to the remotest corners of India.

Girish Somvanshi, Co-Founder & VP, Artelus, said, “Breakthrough therapies save vision only when patients access treatment in a timely manner. The Roche Drishti Healthtech Challenge recognizes the critical importance of closing that gap. At Artelus, we are building the infrastructure to ensure every patient is identified, referred, treated, and followed up – at a population scale optimized for India and the rest of the world.”

About the Roche Drishti HealthTech Challenge

The Drishti HealthTech Challenge, launched on the Startup India platform is a joint initiative by DPIIT and Roche aimed at strengthening India’s innovation ecosystem and advancing transformative solutions in healthcare. It invited applications from startups working in the following areas of retinal health:

AI driven early screening, referral, and treatment pathways for retinal diseasesA unified, interoperable RWE platform that can integrate with existing systems

About Artelus

Artelus is an award-winning Indian healthtech company building innovative AI-powered portable diagnostics, and digital health infrastructure to enable early detection and integrated management of retinal diseases. With a mission to make quality eye care accessible, affordable, and available to populations worldwide, its solutions are deployed across hospitals, public health programs, NGOs, and international markets, helping reduce avoidable blindness at scale.

About Roche Products (India) Pvt. Ltd.

Roche Products (India) Private Limited is as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Roche Group, the world’s largest biotech company headquartered in Basel, Switzerland. For 80+ years, Roche has been dedicated to improving lives in India, evolving from Vitamins in the 1940s to advanced, differentiated medicines for cancer, ophthalmology, neurology and blood disorders. For more information, visit www.rocheindia.com

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OMNICOM TO PRESENT AT THE GOLDMAN SACHS COMMUNACOPIA + TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE

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NEW YORK, Sept. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Omnicom (NYSE: OMC) today announced that it will present at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference 2026 in San Francisco, California on Thursday, September 10, 2026 at 8:10 a.m. Pacific Time.  Live and archived webcasts will be available at the investor relations section of omc.com.

About Omnicom
Omnicom (NYSE: OMC) is the world’s leading marketing and sales company, built for intelligent growth in the next era. Powered by Omni and its proprietary data and identity, Omnicom’s Connected Capabilities unite the company’s world‑class agency brands, exceptional talent, and deep domain expertise across media, commerce, consulting, precision marketing, advertising, production, health, public relations, branding, and experiential to address clients’ most critical growth priorities. For more information, visit omc.com

 

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SOURCE Omnicom Group Inc.

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Minister Hodgson highlights Western Canada’s role in Canada’s energy and economic future

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PRINCE GEORGE, BC, Sept. 4, 2026 /CNW/ — Today, the Honourable Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, concluded a five-day tour across Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia, highlighting how provinces, workers, Indigenous partners, researchers and industry are positioning Canada as a global energy superpower with the strongest economy in the G7. Across Western Canada, Canadians are turning global volatility into opportunities for strength: building a more prosperous economy; enhancing our national security; creating good-paying jobs; and unlocking Canadian resources and connecting them to global markets.

In Alberta, Minister Hodgson spent time with Todd Loewen, Alberta’s Minister of Forestry and Parks, visiting forest sector workers in the Grande Prairie region and meeting firefighters who have kept Albertans safe through wildfire seasons. They discussed supporting the forest products sector in the face of unjustified U.S. tariffs, pivoting Canadian industry to domestic and non-U.S. markets, and how Canada and Alberta can work together to keep communities in Alberta safe from wildfire.

The Minister also visited Suncor’s oil sands operations in Fort McMurray, meeting the people whose hard work powers Canada and reinforces our role as a reliable energy supplier amidst volatile global energy markets. Our government is working hard with our Albertan, industry and Indigenous partners to support our energy sector and build Canada into a prosperous, sovereign and sustainable energy superpower, including through the Canada–Alberta Memorandum of Understanding.

In Saskatchewan, discussions focused on the infrastructure, innovation and resources that will help power Canada’s future. Meetings with provincial counterparts, including Minister Chris Beaudry; municipal leaders; industry; and researchers at the University of Saskatchewan highlighted opportunities to strengthen electricity grids, unlock Saskatchewan’s critical minerals advantage and advance major projects. Visits to the Jansen Mine and the Saskatchewan Research Council’s Rare Earth Processing Facility demonstrated Saskatchewan’s and Canada’s growing strength across the critical minerals and nuclear energy sectors, from resource extraction and processing to advanced technologies and exports.

Minister Hodgson also joined the Honourable Buckley Belanger, Secretary of State for Rural Development, to announce nearly $12 million for businesses in Saskatoon, which are standing up against American tariffs by investing, growing and innovating in Canada, creating jobs, diversifying our supply chains and helping our nation become more economically independent.

The tour also featured two landmark moments that underscored Canada’s ambition to build major projects and strengthen long-term economic prosperity, national security and sustainability. In Saskatchewan, Minister Hodgson announced progress achieved at the McIlvenna Bay copper and zine mine since its referral to the Major Projects Office one year ago. In British Columbia, he joined federal, provincial and Indigenous partners for the groundbreaking ceremony of the North Coast Transmission Line, a transformative infrastructure project that will more than double the availability of clean, low-cost electricity on the West Coast; unlock natural resources projects like the Ksi Lisims LNG facility and critical minerals developments in the Golden Triangle; and create $10 billion in new economic activity and nearly 10,000 jobs.

Western Canada is helping drive a new era of Canadian prosperity, sovereignty and sustainability through responsible resource development, made-in-Canada innovation and a world-class workforce. By advancing projects of national interest, the region is unlocking Canada’s full potential and helping us build Canada Strong.

Quote

“In many ways, Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia are the beating heart of our energy and natural resource sectors. This week, I saw first-hand the people, projects and partnerships that are building Canada Strong amidst the unjustified trade war we are experiencing. From responsible resource development and world-class research to critical infrastructure and energy innovation, Canadians are creating the conditions for long-term prosperity, security, sustainability and sovereignty.”

The Honourable Tim Hodgson
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources

Quick Facts

Minister Hodgson toured Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia from August 30 to September 3, 2026.Canada’s natural resources sector is a cornerstone of the national economy, contributing $459 billion (16 percent) to Canada’s GDP in 2024 and supporting 1.8 million direct and indirect jobs across the country.Western Canada is the powerhouse of Canada’s natural resources economy. In 2022, Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan together accounted for approximately 62 percent of Canada’s natural resources GDP.

Related Products

Canada celebrates progress on the McIlvenna Bay mine: production underway, jobs created, supply chains strengthenedCanada breaks ground on North Coast Transmission Line to deliver clean power and reduce emissions

Associated Links

Canada’s Critical Minerals StrategyNuclear Energy Strategy for Canada

Follow Natural Resources Canada on LinkedIn

SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

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Surfshark launches beta tester program, inviting users to shape the future of cybersecurity

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Users can now gain exclusive early access to unreleased features and communicate directly with Surfshark’s development team via a dedicated Discord hub.

VILNIUS, Lithuania, Sept. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Surfshark, a cybersecurity company, has officially announced the launch of its updated beta tester program, offering users early access to new features, design changes, and updates before they are released to the general public. Currently available for Windows and Android app users, the program invites community members to play a direct role in testing, refining, and shaping the future of Surfshark’s services.

The importance of user feedback

“Our mission is to build the most beloved security product for everyone – but for that, we need input from our community. Surfshark’s development team and I are genuinely excited to always receive feedback from our users. Oftentimes, we are buried so deep into our product that we don’t see the small details or inconveniences – and that’s why we need users’ input to be a part of how Surfshark services are being shaped,” says Gabriele Sinkeviciute, Head of Product at Surfshark.

The beta tester program creates a collaborative environment where users worldwide can test unreleased tools, report bugs or quirks, and provide real-time feedback. Participant feedback will directly influence feature improvements and the development of new products based on user needs.

Initiative works through a closed Discord group designed for direct, two-way communication between beta testers and Surfshark’s product developers.

“Our updated beta tester program allows us to build features aligned with what our community actually needs,” Sinkeviciute continues. “While early versions may occasionally contain bugs, the insight provided by our beta community is invaluable in helping us fine-tune tools before public releases.”

How to join Surfshark’s beta tester program

Any active Surfshark subscriber on Windows or Android can join the program today:

On Windows: Open the Surfshark app, navigate to Settings > App settings, scroll to Beta Testing, and click Join Beta.On Android: Visit the Surfshark app page in the Google Play Store, scroll to the Join the beta section, and tap Join.

Enrolled participants will be invited to join the private Discord hub to connect with developers and fellow beta testers.

To learn more or sign up today, visit: https://surfshark.com/beta-tester-program

ABOUT SURFSHARK

Surfshark is a cybersecurity company offering products including an audited VPN, certified antivirus, data leak warning system, and a tool for generating an online identity. Recognized as a leading VPN by CNET and TechRadar, Surfshark has also been featured on the FT1000: Europe’s Fastest Growing Companies ranking. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Surfshark has offices in Lithuania and Poland. For information on Surfshark’s operations and highlights, read our Annual Wrap-up. For more research projects, visit our research hub.

Contact: media@surfshark.com 

 

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SOURCE Surfshark B.V.

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