Aavishkaar Ventures

Aavishkaar Ventures is an impact investing group that provides capital to entrepreneurs working on difficult problems, often in places other investors overlook. Its portfolio stories centre on Indian ventures in education, food and agriculture.

The group says its aim is to combine social impact with financial returns.

What Aavishkaar Ventures offers

• Impact investment — funding for entrepreneurs solving large problems that other backers tend to avoid.
• Business building — support for ventures that take on unconventional markets.
• Portfolio examples — Karadi Path, a low-cost English teaching method; Soulfull, which brings millets into packaged foods; and AgroStar, a mobile platform selling farm inputs and offering agronomy advice.

Who it works with

Entrepreneurs, especially those serving farmers, learners and other underserved communities.

Key facts

• Reported impact: entrepreneurs it has backed are said to have reached about 105 million lives
• Livelihoods: roughly 300,000 generated
• Jobs: around 50,000 created
• Group leadership: Vineet Rai is named as founder and chairman of the Aavishkaar Group