India
Photo credit: Hero Future Energies
Clean Energy | September 21, 2022
KKR leads India’s Hero Future Energies’ $450 million raise to expand into battery storage and green hydrogen
ImpactAlpha, September 21 — New Delhi-based independent power producer Hero Future Energies was launched a decade ago by industrial equipment giant Hero Group. …
Climate Finance | September 15, 2022
Overheard at India’s ‘Impact 2022’: Climate investment tipping point
ImpactAlpha, September 15 – India is experiencing a surge of interest in climate investment and innovation, thanks to the country’s bold commitments at COP26 …
Photo by Sahyadri Farms.
Smallholder Agriculture | September 15, 2022
Sahyadri Farms raises nearly $40 million to digitalize India’s smallholder farmers
ImpactAlpha, September 15 — Sahyadri Farms is a farmer-led fruit and vegetable processing and export business that works with more than 18,000 farmers …
Climate Finance | September 15, 2022
Investors in India are betting on climate tech’s financial opportunity
ImpactAlpha, September 15 – Climate finance in India surged in 2021, reaching about $20 billion in equity, green bonds and other types of capital. …
EarlySalary's founders. Photo by Inc42.
Financial Inclusion | August 31, 2022
EarlySalary raises $110 million for instant-cash loans to India’s young earners
ImpactAlpha, August 31 — The Pune-based fintech company aims to provide access to credit for underserved consumers in India’s Tier 3 and 4 …
Photo by Coyuchi.
sustainability | August 31, 2022
Organic brand Coyuchi looks to raise capital from the crowd
ImpactAlpha, August 31 — Long before sustainability became a buzzword, San Francisco-based Coyuchi was selling high-end organic cotton sheets, bath towels and other …
Photo credit: Loopworm
Dealflow | August 25, 2022
Omnivore backs Loopworm’s network of insect farms with $3.4 million
ImpactAlpha, August 25 – Bangalore-based Loopworm works with a network of smallholder farmers to raise insects that can be converted to animal and pet …
Photo by Lal10.
Dealflow | August 22, 2022
Beyond Capital Ventures backs Lal10 to boost profits for India’s rural artisans
ImpactAlpha, August 22 — Global retailers like Amazon, Alibaba and Target rely on artisans in developing countries for handmade goods. But makers often …
Frontier and Growth Markets | August 10, 2022
India’s Jodo raises $15 million to help schools and families cover the costs of education
ImpactAlpha, August 10 – Education accounts for 15% to 20% of most Indian households’ income, and costs are going up. Bangalore-based Jodo works with …
Image credit: Wheelocity
India | July 19, 2022
Wheelocity raises $12 million to cut waste from India’s food supply chain
ImpactAlpha, July 19 – Waste of fresh food is a common problem in emerging markets where many small farmers lack access to cooling technologies, …
Dealflow | July 12, 2022
Ankur Capital backs impact tech ventures Vegrow and String Bio
ImpactAlpha, July 12 — Mumbai-based impact fund Ankur Capital seeks out early and even unproven businesses that are using technology to drive down …
Photo by India Today.
Dealflow | July 5, 2022
LeapFrog backs Shubham to deliver housing loans for low-income buyers in India
ImpactAlpha, July 5 — LeapFrog Investments has invested in Gurgaon-based Shubham Housing Development Finance Company, a mortgage lender that launched in 2011 to …
Tamilnadu, India
India | May 31, 2022
Aavishkaar seeks to raise a $500 million carbon fund for India, South Asia and Southeast Asia
ImpactAlpha, May 31 – India-based Aavishkaar Capital says it’s raising carbon fund of up to $500 million for investments in India, South Asia …
Catalytic Capital | May 12, 2022
Small ‘non-banks’ get creative to bring financial services to India’s most vulnerable populations
ImpactAlpha, May 12 – Financial inclusion is the hottest sector for venture capital in emerging markets. Businesses in the sector are delivering credit …
Photo credit: Redcliffe.
Investing in Health | May 9, 2022
LeapFrog leads Redcliffe’s $61 million raise for health diagnostics in India
ImpactAlpha, May 9 — Noida-based Redcliffe has raised $61 million to provide diagnostics for non-communicable diseases, such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes, …
Photo credit: Dell Foundation.
Financial Inclusion | May 3, 2022
Open secures $50 million for small business services in India
ImpactAlpha, May 3 — Bengaluru-based Open provides digital banking, payments, invoicing and automated bookkeeping services to more than two million small and mid-sized …
Photo credit: Kinara Capital
Gender Smart | April 19, 2022
Kinara Capital secures $50 million from Nuveen and TripleJump for digital lending in India
ImpactAlpha, April 19 – Kinara Capital provides unsecured, no-collateral loans of up to three million rupees ($40,000) to micro and small businesses in …
Photo credit: Ackermans & van Haaren.
Investing in Health | April 5, 2022
HealthQuad raises $162 million for health tech startups in India
ImpactAlpha, April 5 — The Covid crisis spurred the digitalization of health services for India’s underserved rural population. New Delhi-based HealthQuad, which aims …
Photo credit: Accion.
Inclusive Economy | March 29, 2022
Vivriti Capital secures $55 million for lending to small businesses in India
ImpactAlpha, March 29 — Chennai-based Vivriti has deployed $700 million in loans for small and medium-sized enterprises, which account for most of the …
Image credit: Ninety One
Frontier and Growth Markets | March 21, 2022
Commercial capital floods into India’s impact startups
ImpactAlpha, March 21 – Venture capital investing in India, as elsewhere, surged last year, along with a wave of impact capital. Impact startups …
Frontier and Growth Markets | March 1, 2022
Ankur Capital backs Krishify’s farmer network and Offgrid Energy Labs’ green batteries
ImpactAlpha, March 1 – India’s tech-focused impact fund Ankur Capital invested in Krishify, which puts a business-to-business spin on social networks, connecting smallholder …
Photo credit: Eastern Eye.
Inclusive Economy | February 10, 2022
Softbank leads ElasticRun’s $300 million raise for small business digitalization in India
ImpactAlpha, February 10 — Pune-based ElasticRun manages an ecommerce platform that helps hundreds of thousands of rural neighborhood stores, known as ‘kirana,’ make …
Photo courtesy of Prashanth Vishwanathan, Flickr.
Green Infrastructure | January 25, 2022
Green infrastructure fund raises $741 million for renewable energy and efficiency in India
ImpactAlpha, January 25 — The Green Growth Equity Fund will be managed by Mumbai-based EverSource Capital, a joint venture between Indian private equity …
Photo credit: Krishi Jagran.
Smallholder Agriculture | January 19, 2022
Arya raises $60 million to expand agri-commerce for India’s smallholder farmers
ImpactAlpha, January 19 – Arya helps India’s smallholder farmers transport and store their crops and provides working capital until they sell their crops. …
Photo credit: Aroon Deep.
Dealflow | January 10, 2022
India’s Dunzo rakes in $240 million for quick local grocery delivery
ImpactAlpha, January 10 — Bangalore-based delivery platform Dunzo helps small and local businesses fill online orders for food, medicine and consumer goods in 300 …
Signals | December 16, 2021
India’s family offices are on the hunt for proof of impact
ImpactAlpha, December 16 – Impact investing in India has climbed to more than $10 billion in the last decade, owing to both a …
Photo credit: Agribusiness Matters.
Dealflow | December 14, 2021
AgroStar secures $70 million to add stores for Indian farmers
ImpactAlpha, December 14 — Pune-based AgroStar launched in 2013 to help small farmers secure seeds, fertilizer and other agricultural inputs at affordable prices. …
Photo credit: Yunus Social Business.
Dealflow | November 2, 2021
Virohan raises $1.3 million to build India’s allied health workforce
ImpactAlpha, November 2 — India needs at least 50 million health care professionals. Of the 10 million health workers today, around 90% are …
Photo credit: Dehaat.
Dealflow | October 28, 2021
Dehaat secures $115 million Series D funding for continued expansion in India
ImpactAlpha, October 28 — More than half of India’s population are farmers. Gurgaon-based online marketplace Dehaat, launched in 2012, connects 650,000 Indian smallholder …
Photo credit: Ayana
2030 Finance | October 25, 2021
CDC Group invests $70 million in BP-backed climate fund for India
ImpactAlpha, October 25 – Momentum behind green infrastructure is growing in India, even though the country has yet to update its ‘nationally determined …
Impact Investing | October 14, 2021
TPG’s billion-dollar bet on EVs in India
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 14 – Fresh off an initial $5.4 billion close for its first climate-focused fund, TPG is investing a chunk of those …
Dealflow | October 14, 2021
LeapFrog leads CarDekho’s $250 million raise for its online car marketplace in India
ImpactAlpha, October 14 — Jaipur-based CarDekho partners with fintech lenders and car insurance companies to provide flexible financing for new and used cars. …
Dealflow | September 21, 2021
Three workforce tech ventures score funding to connect India’s blue collar workers with jobs
ImpactAlpha, September 21 – Workforce tech ventures aimed at blue-collar workers are leveraging mobile technology to address a supply-demand imbalance in India’s labor …
Photo credit: Boost
Frontier and Growth Markets | September 15, 2021
New channel of capital for small businesses worldwide: enterprise tech startups
ImpactAlpha, September 15 – There’s no shortage of capital for global small business lending. What have blocked small businesses from access to working capital, …
Photo credit: Oye Rickshaw
SDGs | September 9, 2021
Investors rally behind India’s early, active climate tech scene
ImpactAlpha, September 9 – India’s recognition of its vulnerability to climate change has spurred a set of ambitious targets to curb carbon emissions …
Dealflow | September 1, 2021
Logistics company RubanBridge secures early funding to bring products and jobs to rural India
ImpactAlpha, September 1 –The explosion of emerging markets e-commerce platforms and services largely benefits urban consumers. Bangalore-based RubanBridge is building an e-commerce platform …
Photo credit: IFAD.
Dealflow | August 30, 2021
Khatabook and Bazaar raise financing to digitize small businesses in India and Pakistan
ImpactAlpha, August 30 — Investors continue to swarm enterprise technology providers helping small businesses go online. Last week, Nuvemshop raised $500 million to …
Photo credit: TartanSense
Smallholder Agriculture | August 26, 2021
Robotics company TartanSense secures $5 million to help India’s farmers automate field tasks
ImpactAlpha, August 26 – Agriculture suffers from a worldwide labor shortage that has been exacerbated by the global pandemic. Bangalore-based TartanSense is developing …
Dealflow | August 25, 2021
AgNext scores $21 million for sensors for Indian farmers
ImpactAlpha, August 25 – AgNext supports a network of sensors that monitors crop conditions to boost productivity and reduce losses (for context, see, …
Dealflow | August 9, 2021
India’s Skill-Lync raises $17.5 million to teach tech skills online
ImpactAlpha, August 9 – Chennai-based edtech venture Skill-Lync offers online engineering courses and certificates to address a global tech skills gap. “Engineering education …
Innovative Finance | July 28, 2021
India’s Samunnati to list green bond to back climate-resilient farming
ImpactAlpha, July 28 – Chennai-based Samunnati is a rare source of financing for India’s 130 million smallholder farmers, coupling capital with agricultural support …
Dealflow | July 22, 2021
LeapFrog leads $75 million raise for India-focused health app HealthifyMe
ImpactAlpha, July 22 – Singapore-based HealthifyMe’s AI-based wellness app provides nutrition and fitness advice, coaching and tracking. The app has 25 million downloads …
Photo credit: Urbankissan.
Dealflow | July 15, 2021
Indian agtech startups attract global investors
ImpactAlpha, July 15 — Entrepreneurs are aiming to streamline India’s $280 billion agriculture industry (see, “Digitization of smallholder farming draws investors to Indian …
Prince Max von und zu Liechtenstein, the chief executive of LGT Group. Photo: Nora Tam.
Dealflow | July 13, 2021
LGT’s Lightrock closes $900 million fund for tech-driven impact
ImpactAlpha, July 13 — LGT, the $272 billion private banking and asset management firm of the royal family of Liechtenstein, launched Lightrock in …
Photo credit: Niramai
Frontier and Growth Markets | June 30, 2021
Niramai scores funding from CDC Group for COVID screening technology
ImpactAlpha, June 30 – India is emerging from a catastrophic COVID wave that, at its peak in early May, saw more than 400,000 cases …