India
Photo credit: Barrix
Frontier and Growth Markets | September 6, 2023
Omnivore sells its stake in Barrix to Sumitomo to notch another exit
ImpactAlpha, September 6 – Omnivore, one of the first dedicated agtech investors in India, co-led Barrix Agro’s first institutional investment round in 2013. …
Photo credit: Essmart
Frontier and Growth Markets | August 21, 2023
Insaan reups in Indian cleantech and agtech distributor Essmart
ImpactAlpha, August 21 – Livelihood essentials like farming supplies and solar-powered lights are expensive and hard to secure in rural India. Essmart handles …
E-rickshaw driver Guddu Kumar Gaurav in Delhi | Photo credit: Shefali Anand
Frontier and Growth Markets | August 17, 2023
Small vehicles have investors thinking big about India’s e-mobility transition
ImpactAlpha, August 17 – American electric car makers like Tesla are making headlines over plans to bring their cars to India. But it …
Photo credit: Gram Vaani
Dealflow | July 14, 2023
Deal spotlight: A social media platform for India’s poor
ImpactAlpha, July 14 – The founders of Delhi-based Gram Vaani had a vision for giving India’s rural poor a greater voice and agency. …
Photo credit: Gram Vaani
Dealflow | July 12, 2023
Acumen invests in Gram Vaani to increase accountability in India’s ‘media dark’ communities
ImpactAlpha, July 12 – If “democracy dies in darkness,” as the Washington Post says, there’s cause for concern in India, the world’s largest …
Low-carbon transition | July 7, 2023
Deal spotlight: Avaada’s big push to green India’s ammonia and hydrogen production
ImpactAlpha, July 7 – Green ammonia and green hydrogen are among the highest impact opportunities for the net-zero transition. The fuels are key …
Frontier and Growth Markets | June 29, 2023
Omnivore raises $150 million for its third India agrifood tech fund
ImpactAlpha, June 29 – Omnivore secured $150 million in a first close of its third agrifood impact tech fund. The Mumbai-based impact investor …
India | June 22, 2023
India’s Avaana Capital raises $70 million for climate and sustainability fund
ImpactAlpha, June 22 — Mumbai-based, women-led venture capital investor Avaana Capital is looking to raise a total of $120 million for its first …
Image credit: Aviom
Frontier and Growth Markets | June 14, 2023
Aviom Housing Finance scores $30 million to help low-income Indians become homeowners
ImpactAlpha, June 14 – Aviom Housing Finance offers affordable housing loans to low-income families in India, many of whom work in the informal …
The Brief | June 12, 2023
India’s River and RevFin score investor backing to accelerate EV adoption
ImpactAlpha, June 12 – The big electric vehicle opportunity in India is two-wheel scooters and motorcycles and three-wheel autorickshaws, which make up 80% …
Asia | June 9, 2023
Deal spotlight: LeapFrog Investments highlights Asia’s appetite for impact
ImpactAlpha, June 9 – Impact investing strategies in emerging markets are seeing increased interest from global investors on the hunt for yield, impact …
Investing in Health | June 8, 2023
LeapFrog and Khosla Ventures reinvest in HealthifyMe to boost preventive health in India
ImpactAlpha, June 8 – HealthfiyMe wants to democratize nutrition access in regions with rising rates of chronic disease and inequitable access to preventative …
Dealflow | May 4, 2023
Encourage Capital invests in Svakarma Finance to promote clean energy access for India’s small businesses
ImpactAlpha, May 4 – Mumbai-based Svakarma Finance is using an on-the-ground lending network with fintech to provide credit and other financial services to …
Photo credit: Community Design Agency
Climate Finance | April 12, 2023
India’s urban slums have become a testbed for climate solutions. Investors are welcome to take a look
ImpactAlpha, April 12 – The Sanjaynagar slum in Ahmednagar, about 150 miles from Mumbai, was a desolate piece of marshland about the size …
Clean Energy | March 20, 2023
Avaana Capital backs Aerem to convert India’s small businesses to solar power
ImpactAlpha, March 20 – Mumbai-based Aerem is connecting small businesses with solar installers and financing. The company estimates that businesses can cut energy …
Climate Finance | March 6, 2023
India poised to lead – and test – the just energy transition
ImpactAlpha, March 6 – India is fast becoming the focus of efforts to super-charge climate funding into the Global South. Under Prime Minister …
Frontier and Growth Markets | February 15, 2023
InsuranceDekho raises $150 million in debt and equity to expand insurance coverage in India
ImpactAlpha, February 15 – The pandemic ignited demand in India – and many other places – for health insurance products, making India one …
Dealflow | February 10, 2023
Deal spotlight: Investors rally behind India’s EV startups
ImpactAlpha, February 10 – It seems like there’s an announcement every week about new financing for an electric-vehicle startup in India. EVs account …
Dealflow | February 7, 2023
Bike Bazaar closes $30 million to finance e-scooters in India
ImpactAlpha, February 7 – Bike Bazaar started out providing financing for the popular two-wheel vehicles in India. It used financing as a means …
Dealflow | February 3, 2023
Deal spotlight: Protecting individuals and businesses from data and identity theft
ImpactAlpha, February 3 – Cell phones and digitization have helped billions of individuals, micro-entrepreneurs and small businesses improve their livelihoods. They’ve also introduced …
India | February 2, 2023
As India’s impact ventures grow, so does the need for growth-stage impact capital
ImpactAlpha, February 2 – India’s impact investing market has witnessed tremendous growth over the past few years, moving beyond financial inclusion into emerging …
Frontier and Growth Markets | January 26, 2023
Climate tech venture Ecozen raises $25 million, giving early investors a partial exit
ImpactAlpha, January 26 – Ecozen, in Pune, India, launched a decade ago to provide affordable, clean energy-fueled products for India’s smallholder farmers. The …
Photo by Breathe Well-being.
Investing in Health | January 25, 2023
Breathe Well-being raises 500 million rupees for diabetes care and prevention
ImpactAlpha, January 25 — Gurgaon-based health tech startup Breathe Well-being offers digital coaching in behavioral and lifestyle changes that are helping more than …
Image credit: VilCart
Frontier and Growth Markets | January 10, 2023
VilCart raises $13 million to digitalize India’s mom and pop shops
ImpactAlpha, January 10 – Bangalore-based VilCart helps India’s kiranas, or mom and pop shops, digitalize their business operations and source inventory. The company, …
Photo credit: SarvaGram
Frontier and Growth Markets | January 4, 2023
Elevar Equity re-ups investment in SarvaGram to speed financial inclusion in rural India
ImpactAlpha, January 4 – SarvaGram provides consumer and business loans to rural and peri-urban households in India that otherwise have difficulty accessing affordable …
AVLA's team | Photo by AVLA.
Financial Inclusion | December 5, 2022
Creation Investments closes $270 million fund for financial inclusion in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, December 5 — Creation Investments Capital Management has raised $270 million for its fifth fund to invest in eight to 10 companies …
Photo credit: Tamul Plates
Good Jobs | November 17, 2022
Upaya Social Ventures exits India-based maker of sustainable tableware
ImpactAlpha, November 17 – Upaya Social Ventures made a $27,000 equity investment in Tamul Plates in 2015, helping the all-natural disposable plate and …
Photo by Flickr.
Clean Energy | November 15, 2022
KKR bets $400 million on Serentica Renewable for clean energy in India
ImpactAlpha, November 15 — KKR, through its $3.9 billion Asia Pacific Infrastructure fund, is investing $400 million in New Delhi-based clean energy producer …
Photo by Eco Ltd.
Climate Finance | November 14, 2022
Philanthropic organizations commit $500 million for energy transition in developing countries
ImpactAlpha, November 14 — A three-year commitment by nine philanthropies will support energy transition projects by low- and middle-income countries and their partners …
Photo credit: Quona Capital
Dealflow | November 9, 2022
Quona Capital raises $332 million for its third financial inclusion fund
ImpactAlpha, November 9 — Washington, D.C.-based Quona Capital exceeded its $250 million target for its latest fund, raising $332 million to back ventures expanding access …
Photo by Envirofit.
Climate Finance | October 19, 2022
India’s EKI Energy Services commits $24.3 million to launch a climate impact fund
ImpactAlpha, October 19 — Indore-based EKI Energy is a global carbon credits supplier and project manager with its own trading platform. The company …
Photo by Evisort.
Dealflow | October 14, 2022
ImpactAlpha Deal Spotlight: Impact M&A
ImpactAlpha, October 14 — The year has seen an uptick in impact mergers and acquisitions, including Mirova’s purchase of SunFunder to expand clean …
Photo by Vistaar Finance
Financial Inclusion | October 13, 2022
Warburg Pincus takes control of Indian micro-enterprise lender Vistaar Finance
ImpactAlpha, October 13 — New York-based Warburg Pincus is acquiring a majority stake in Vistaar Finance, an India-based non-bank financial company that provides …
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 …