NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Monday, April 6, 2015

Out of the total 1.3 billion population in India, around 80 per cent are living in poverty. There are some companies in India — both in the tech and no-tech segments — helping this large segment to address various problems related to irrigation, lending, travel, education, etc., by providing cost-effective solutions. These impact ventures are getting financial assistance in the form of grants or funds from various investment firms, called Impact investors.

Here we bring you the list of 10 impact investors that are creating impact in India.

Omidyar Network: Started by Pierre Omidyar, Founder of eBay, Omidyar Network invests in both for-profit businesses and non-profit organisations. As a philanthropic investment firm, it supports market-based approaches with the potential for large-scale, catalytic impact.

It focusses on five key areas — consumer Internet and mobile, education, financial inclusion, governance and citizen engagement, and property rights. Its portfolio companies include Bangalore-based enterprise financing firm Vistaar, Mumbai-based strategic philanthropy foundation Dasra, and Akshara Foundation.

Aavishkaar: Founded in 2001 with a vision to catalyse development in India’s underserved regions, it identifies entrepreneurs, provides them with capital, supplements it with a nurturing environment and helps build sustainable enterprises.

A US$155 million fund, it targets a range of sectors, namely agriculture, dairy, education, energy, handicrafts, health, water and sanitation, technology for development, micro-finance and financial inclusion.