A venture capital fund with a difference. Quite removed from the world of IT start-ups, Aavishkaar India Micro Venture Capital Fund or Aavishkaar India concerns itself with rural enterprises and grassroots innovations that have the potential to improve the quality of life in the interiors of the country.
It hopes to do so by encouraging and supporting the rural entrepreneur who may have a workable idea or invention, but not the funds to turn it into a marketable proposition.
From their website
Aavishkaar believes entrepreneurs can be a powerful force for development. To this end, the firm provides micro-equity funding (Rs. 10 lacs to Rs. 50 lacs, approximately USD $20 thousand to USD $100 thousand) and operational and strategic support to commercially viable companies increasing income in or providing goods and services to rural or semi-urban India.
More at www.aavishkaar.org
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Ashwin:
This is more like Paul Graham’s Y Combinator, with a social (rural, semi-urban) angle. I think there is a definite power in this idea but ultimately it boils down to finding committed entrepreneurs, which will be key.
Amita,
Check out http://www.gvfl.com. All the best.
Amita,
Best thing would be to approach incubation centres where you could get help in initial setup of company. Once your company is able to to test out the idea (prototype), you may get some seed funding from angel investors.
Incubation centres also have links with venture capital funds and they could guide you about the whole process.
You can also search internet for standard business plan templates.
Cheers,
Ashish
Thanks for sharing this info on Aavishkaar. It is indeed a VC fund with a difference.
Are there any venture capital funds that invest in an idea , vis-a-vis in a company at start up stage ?
Also, is there a standard/basic ‘Business Plan’ template that someone could share please?
Hi Ashwin, This is very interesting. Aavishkar is on look out for Social Investing & Micro Ventures.
Also to share, I last read that number of Social Venture Capital Funds are also heading towards India to tap micofinancing options in semi-urban & rural areas. I recall two – Bellwether (US) & Hivos Triodos (Netherlands).
Thers another – Unitus which funds NGOs which work as microfinance outfits and later transforms them into NBFCs. They have already made 2 such NGO > NBFC transitions. Interestingly ACCION plans to tie with Unitus to reach 15 million households in 10 years.