British International Investment

Aavishkaar India Fund VI

IndiaSouth AsiaCommunications & IT servicesFood & AgricultureInfrastructure

Aavishkaar India Fund VI seeks to invest in early-growth companies with strong impact potential across financial inclusion, sustainable agriculture and essential services in India. Aavishkaar has reached over 8 million underserved people and created over 17,000 jobs through its investments across its previous funds. It remains focused on the low-income population in India. Aavishkaar India Fund VI is a 2X Flagship Fund and has committed to investing in at least 30 per cent of underlying portfolio companies that meet the 2X criteria.

Our investment

Description of the investment.

Our investment supports SDGs 1,2, and 8. It promotes enhanced economic opportunities through employment creation and access to markets and other productive resources. It also supports improved quality of life through enhanced access to financial services and other essential goods and services.

Impact information

Applies to investments made from 2019 onwards. The tabs in this section define what we expect to achieve through the investment, assessing the potential impact of the investment against six dimensions of impact. You can find more details on our methodology of assessing impact here.

What?

Impact

Our investment supports SDGs 1,2, and 8. It promotes enhanced economic opportunities through employment creation and access to markets and other productive resources. It also supports improved quality of life through enhanced access to financial services and other essential goods and services

How?

How?

The fund will invest in early-stage/high growth and more mature businesses looking to expand with a core sector focus of financial inclusion, agriculture, and essential services.

Who?

Stakeholder Geography Characteristics
Employees and suppliers

India

Low-skilled labour, smallholder farmers (1-2 hectares).

Customers

India

Underserved segments who were previously either not able to access or afford the good or service.

How much?

Scale Depth/Duration

We expect at least 1,700 jobs to be created through the fund's investments.

We expect deep impact, particularly for populations with high levels of unemployment and poverty, as well as lack of access to quality goods and services.

Contribution/additionality

Contribution/additionality
  • Financial additionality: We are an anchor funder, critical to the fund's first close.
  • Value additionality: We will seek out opportunities to work with the fund to strengthen their approach to business integrity; environmental, social and governance; and gender and diversity.

Risk

Execution Risk
  • The primary risk relates to inability to reach a viable fund size and therefore execute on the strategy. This is mitigated by backing a proven fund manager with a strong track record of delivering impact at scale in targeted sectors.

Environmental and social information

  • Environmental and social summary

    A high-level description of the environmental and social aspects of the investment. This may include a summary of key environmental and social risks identified during environmental and social due diligence (ESDD); key elements of an environmental and social action plan (ESAP); or ways in which we plan to support the investee improve environmental and social standards, such as through their environmental and social management system (ESMS); as well as any other priority areas agreed with the investee.

  • Environmental and social risk

    A risk category rating, which indicates the level of environmental and social risk associated with an investment. For an explanation of the categorisations used, see here. We consistently provide an environmental and social risk category for all investments screened from 2023 onwards.

Environmental and social summary

We are working closely with the fund manager to improve its existing ESMS including via delivering an ESAP.

Environmental and social risk

Medium-Low

Reporting and Complaints Mechanism

The Reporting and Complaints Mechanism allows anyone outside BII to report alleged breaches of the business integrity or environmental and social provisions of BII’s Policy on Responsible Investing. This includes breaches made by BII, a BII investee, or a portfolio company of a fund in which BII has invested. The Reporting and Complaints Mechanism Rules are available here. Reports and complaints can be submitted by email to reportsandcomplaints@bii.co.uk or by mail. See more details on our Reporting and Complaints Mechanism here.

For any other general enquiries contact us at enquiries@bii.co.uk

  • Key facts

    Last updated

    When the last quarterly update of the website database occurred.

    :
    June 2024
    Project number

    An identifier number shared by investments in the same project.

    :
    D4970
    Status

    The current status of the investment (green flag for active and red flag for exited).

    :
    Active
    Region

    The geographical region where the country is located. We currently invest in Africa, South Asia, South East Asia and the Caribbean. In 2023, BII’s investment mandate was extended allowing it to invest in regional funds linked to Ukraine, with the majority of activity expected to begin post-war. Investments outside these regions were made prior to 2012 under previous investment mandates.

    :
    South Asia
    Sector

    We prioritise those sectors that facilitate development and need our capital the most. Our priority sectors contribute towards many of the Sustainable Development Goals. They range from investing in the power infrastructure that will provide people with better access to electricity, to investing in financial institutions that direct capital to the individuals and businesses that need it the most.

    :
    Communications & IT services, Food & Agriculture, Infrastructure

    We provide capital in the following ways: directly – through direct equity, direct debt, guarantees and other non-intermediated financial instruments; and indirectly – principally through investment funds.

    For direct investments and fund investments, this is the date BII committed capital to the investments. This is typically the date on which legal agreements are signed by all parties.

    For the portfolio companies of our fund investments, this is the date (either the month or the quarter) on which the fund committed capital to the portfolio company.

    For direct equity investments, this is the date at which British International Investment exited the investment.

    For debt investments, this is the date at which the final debt repayment was made.

    For funds, this is the date at which the fund was terminated.

    For underlying fund investments, this is the date at which the fund manager exited the investment.

    The total amount committed, per financial instrument, per investment, on the date BII becomes subject to a binding legal obligation to provide funding or assume a contingent liability. This information is provided in US dollars.

    For direct investments, this is the amount that BII has committed to the business or project. For fund investments, this is the amount BII has committed to the fund.

    The currency in which the investment was made.

    Investment type :
    Fund
    Start date :
    January 2022
    Amount :
    $30.73m
    Currency of investment :
    INR
    Fund Manager:
    Aavishkaar Venture Management Services Private Limited (AVMS)
    Domicile

    The company or investment fund’s place of incorporation.

    :
    India
    2X Gender Finance

    Indicates whether the investment is ‘2X qualified’ using the 2X Challenge criteria. You can find out more here. It only applies to investments made from 2018 onwards, when the 2X Challenge was first launched.

    :
    Fully qualified

Investments made by this fund into companies:

For further information about these companies, visit https://aavishkaarcapital.in/

Investment name Country Region Sector Start date Status
Altum Credo Home Finance Pvt Ltd India South Asia Financial services April 2024 Active
Electronica Finance Ltd India South Asia Financial services June 2024 Active
Electronica Finance Ltd India South Asia Financial services June 2024 Active
GoDESi Mandi Private Limited India South Asia Food and agriculture April 2024 Active
GoDESi Mandi Private Limited India South Asia Food and agriculture April 2024 Active

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