Hesa

What Hesa does

Hesa (HESA Enterprises Private Limited) is a Hyderabad-based RuralTech platform that connects brands, financial institutions, and agricultural businesses with India's rural population through a phygital (physical + digital) model combining a mobile-first unified commerce platform with an on-ground network of village-level entrepreneurs called Hesaathis. The platform supports multiple user types (Village Level Entrepreneurs, agents, customers, suppliers, vendors, employees, admins) through a single login, with offline-first capability, local language support, PAN/Aadhaar-based KYC compliance, NEFT banking integration, and API access to 1,500+ products and services SKUs. Hesaathis — sourced from kirana shop owners, progressive farmers, women self-help groups, youth, and other local entrepreneurs — use the Hesa app to facilitate buying, selling, banking transactions, insurance distribution, and brand promotions, targeting approximately INR 10,000 per month in transaction margins.

Hesa monetizes primarily through transaction fees across four streams: buy/sell of goods (groceries, personal care, agri produce, FMCG), financial services commissions from partners including Airtel Payments Bank, GramCover, HDFC Life, Reliance General Insurance, and Stree Nidhi, brand campaign and promotional services for FMCG and agri clients, and agri input/output trading with partners such as Big Haat, Dodla Dairy, Reshamandi, and WayCool. The company serves four primary B2B segments (Banking/Finance/Insurance, Agro-based businesses, Consumer Brands/FMCG, and NGOs/CSR) plus a B2C rural consumer base reported at 600,000+ customers (2021) with stated village reach of 100,000+ by 2024. The company was originally founded in 2019 (with CIN incorporation dating to 2012), is headquartered in Secunderabad/Hyderabad, has a subsidiary HESA Technologies Private Limited holding certain applications, and has acquired two companies — GullyBuy (April 2022) and Flinkhub (July 2022) — while launching its own consumer brand Suhas (kitchen essentials) in April 2022.

The company's reported FY2024 revenue figure of ₹1,717 Crores on its About page is materially inconsistent with its funding base (~$4.85M total raised), headcount (11-50 employees), and prior disclosure of $4M gross revenue at the 2021 seed stage, and should be treated as likely gross merchandise value or transaction throughput rather than recognized net revenue until independently audited.

Name

Hesa

Legal name

HESA Enterprises Private Limited

Website

https://hesa.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hesa is a Hyderabad-based RuralTech platform operating a phygital (physical + digital) commerce network, using village-level entrepreneurs (Hesaathis) to deliver banking, insurance, agri-input, FMCG, and brand-promotion services to rural consumers across 100,000+ Indian villages.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Commerce and Distribution Platform

NAICS

Support Activities for Crop Production (11511)

SIC

Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150)

akta.pro primary industry

Agriculture Inputs & Farm Supply Marketplaces (CRAFAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

E-commerce & Online Business (Marketplaces, DTC) (EDAMAHAH)

Keywords

• Rural commerce platform
• Phygital distribution network
• Agri fintech services
• Village-level entrepreneurs
• Rural banking distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Secunderabad

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Transaction Fees — Buy and Sell: Hesa facilitates buying and selling of goods (groceries, personal care items, agri produce, FMCG) between rural consumers and vendors through the Hesaathi network, earning transaction fees or margins on each completed trade.
2. Financial Services Commission: Commissions earned from facilitating banking transactions, insurance distribution, bill payments, and microfinance collections through the Hesaathi network. Partnerships with Airtel Payments Bank, GramCover, HDFC Life, Reliance General Insurance, and Stree Nidhi generate recurring transaction-based revenue.
3. Brand Campaigns and Promotions: Revenue from conducting brand awareness campaigns, product promotions, consumer surveys, and village-level mapping for FMCG brands and agricultural businesses seeking to reach rural consumers through the Hesaathi network.
4. Hesaathi Earning (Transaction Margin Model): Hesaathis earn INR 10,000 per month in transactional margins from buy, sell, and brand promotion activities. Hesa monetizes through the spread and transaction fees embedded in the overall commerce ecosystem rather than directly charging Hesaathis.
5. Agricultural Input and Output Trading: Revenue generated from connecting farmers with agri marketplaces (e.g., Big Haat, Reshamandi) and facilitating procurement and sale of agricultural inputs and outputs through the Hesaathi network.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hesa operates a phygital (physical + digital) rural commerce platform that connects enterprises with 850 million rural consumers in India through a network of village-level entrepreneurs called Hesaathis. The company facilitates rural buy/sell transactions, banking and insurance distribution, microfinance collection, bill payments, agricultural input and output trading, and brand awareness campaigns. Revenue is generated via transaction fees, commissions on financial services, and margins on commerce activities, with the Hesaathi network serving as the last-mile physical touchpoint and the Hesa mobile platform serving as the digital backbone.

Product overview

Hesa operates as a unified RuralTech platform combining AgriTech and FinTech verticals through a 'phygital' (physical + digital) model. The core offering consists of the Hesa App (mobile-first commerce platform), HESA FinTech App (financial services), HESA Ubuntu Gully Buy ('click pe kirana' service), and the Hesaathi Network (village-level entrepreneurs). The platform was enhanced through acquisitions of GullyBuy (2022) and Flinkhub (2022), and expanded into consumer products via the Suhas brand (2022). The platform enables brands to reach, demonstrate, transact with, and engage rural consumers through a three-tiered social, digital, and physical approach, powered by Hesaathis distributed across villages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hesa App Mobile-first unified commerce platform enabling transactions, promotions, and reach-outs by the on-ground Hesaathi workforce to rural consumers across India. Supports single login for Hesaathis, agents, customers, suppliers, vendors, employees, and admins; offline-first with local language support; integrates with PAN/Aadhaar KYC and NEFT banking.
• HESA FinTech App Proprietary fintech application enabling financial services distribution in rural areas, including banking transactions, digital disbursements, cash collection via wallet, microfinance collections, and insurance distribution through the Hesaathi network.
• HESA Ubuntu Gully Buy Application providing 'click pe kirana' service that facilitates the buying and selling of various goods (groceries, personal care items, FMCG) by connecting vendors with buyers through the Hesaathi network in rural areas.
• Hesaathi Network Network of village-level entrepreneurs (Hesaathis) who serve as tech-savvy consultants using Hesa's digital platform to provide doorstep access to products, financial transactions, and bill payments for brands and consumers in remote locations.
• Suhas Hesa's own consumer brand offering healthy kitchen essentials including Pulses, Ground Spices, and Readymade Masalas, distributed to rural consumers through Hesaathis and retail stores.
• GullyBuy (Acquired Platform) Digital market tech platform wholly owned by Hesa following April 2022 acquisition; provides last-mile rural marketplace services for buying and selling in rural markets and is integrated into the Hesa ecosystem as HESA Gully Buy.
• Flinkhub (Acquired Platform) Social learning experiences platform for creators, wholly owned by Hesa following July 2022 acquisition; utilized for training village entrepreneurs (Hesaathis) and facilitating community building in rural markets.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hesaathi's wallet enables SHG members to payback microfinance instantly instead of waiting 14 days
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

31 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• OxecartminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2022Hesa partnered with Oxecart to provide better market linkages for farmers, integrating Oxecart's marketplace capabilities with Hesa's last-mile rural distribution network.
• FlinkhubcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 July 2022Hesa acquired Bengaluru-based Flinkhub, a social learning experiences platform for creators, to enhance its super app strategy and product growth. The acquisition utilized Flinkhub's products to train village entrepreneurs and facilitate community building, extending Hesa's reach in rural markets.
• GullyBuycoreTechnology or Integration · 1 April 2022Hesa acquired GullyBuy, a digital market tech platform, to enhance its digital commerce capabilities for rural markets. The acquisition strengthened Hesa's technology stack for B2B2C rural commerce.
• Suhas (Own Consumer Brand)minorOthers · 1 April 2022Hesa launched Suhas, a consumer brand offering healthy kitchen essentials (pulses, ground spices, readymade masalas) targeting rural consumers through Hesaathis and retail stores.
• Airtel Payments BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership bringing seamless banking experience to thousands of rural customers across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana through the Hesaathi network. Hesaathis facilitate banking transactions and bill payments for rural consumers.
• GramCovercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHesaathis powered by GramCover's InsureTech platform assist in de-risking rural India by enabling insurance distribution in villages. Dhyanesh Bhatt, Group CEO of GramCover, confirmed the partnership to bring insurance access to rural India.
• Stree Nidhi (Govt of Telangana)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHesaathis collect cash repayments from 1.1 million women members of self-help groups via Hesaathi wallet, replacing manual collections and physical deposits. SHG members can payback instantly instead of the previous 14-day cycle without leaving their village.
• Dodla DairycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHesa enabled manual-to-digital disbursements for 0.3 million dairy farmers supplying milk to Dodla Dairy. Dairy farmers now receive reimbursements in 2 days instead of the previous 21-day cycle.
• Big HaatcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHesaathi's go-to-market handling for Big Haat (agri marketplace for farmers) helps 2 million farmers buy agri inputs online. Reduced travel time and wait-time increased online transactions for Big Haat.
• KrishitantraminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership spread across 500 locations enabling 50,000 farmers to access soil testing services through Hesaathis, improving agricultural productivity for rural communities.
• ReshamandiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHesa serves as the last-mile rural connector for Reshamandi's sericulture farmers in Andhra Pradesh, facilitating silk value chain access.
• Husqvarna GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough the Hesaathi network, Hesa creates awareness about innovative Agri-based tools and techniques by connecting the farming community with Husqvarna Group's farming equipment division.
• Amazon EasyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership enabling Amazon Easy services through Hesaathis in rural areas, allowing rural consumers to access Amazon's e-commerce offerings.
• Reliance General InsuranceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInsurance products distributed through the Hesaathi network to rural consumers across Hesa's operating regions.
• HDFC LifeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLife insurance distribution through Hesaathis, enabling rural access to financial protection products.
• WayCoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for agri produce distribution and supply chain connectivity, with WayCool leveraging Hesaathis for last-mile reach.
• SamunnatiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with India's largest agri-tech enterprise for open agri-network access, unlocking potential for smallholder farmers through Hesaathis.
• FasalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural technology partnership enabling precision farming solutions through Hesaathis for farmers in Hesa's network.
• Agri10XminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-exchange agri trading platform partnership to connect farmers with better market prices through Hesa's last-mile network.
• Jai KisanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRural fintech partnership providing agricultural financing solutions to farmers through the Hesaathi network.
• GreenLight Planet (Sun King)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerDistribution of solar lighting and energy products through Hesaathis to rural households.
• AgrixminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgritech partnership for enhanced agricultural solutions delivered through the Hesaathi network.
• Digit (Insurance)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerInsurance distribution partnership enabling Digit General Insurance products to reach rural consumers through Hesaathis.
• Mahindra & MahindraminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRural market penetration partnership for Mahindra's agricultural and rural-focused products through Hesa's village network.
• HimalayaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDistribution of Himalaya herbal and wellness products to rural consumers through Hesaathis.
• P&G (Procter & Gamble)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerLarge FMCG brand partnership for distribution of P&G consumer products to rural markets through the Hesaathi network.
• Wipro Consumer CareminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDistribution of Wipro consumer care products to rural markets via Hesaathis.
• CromptonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDistribution of Crompton electrical and consumer appliances through the rural Hesaathi network.
• TTK PrestigeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerKitchen appliances and cookware distribution to rural consumers through Hesaathis.
• ReadyAssistminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBreakdown assistance and roadside services distributed through the Hesaathi network in rural areas.
• Pee SafeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPersonal hygiene and wellness products distributed to rural consumers through the Hesa network.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• AgroStar: Agri-inputs marketplace and advisory platform serving Indian farmers via a tech-enabled distribution network. Direct competitor in the agri-inputs marketplace vertical that Hesa supports through the Big Haat partnership.
• PayNearby: Operates a network of retail-enabled agents for digital financial services (AEPS, money transfer, bill payments, banking) across semi-urban and rural India. Closest direct peer in the agent-based fintech distribution model that Hesa's Hesaathi network parallels.
• WayCool Foods: Full-stack agri-commerce platform with deep farmer sourcing and distribution operations across South India. Hesa is a listed partner; comparable in operating model (phygital agri distribution) and overlapping customer set (rural farmers).
• BigHaat: Agri-inputs e-commerce platform serving Indian farmers with seeds, crop protection, and nutrition products. Listed as a Hesa distribution partner, but operates its own farmer-facing brand and is a direct competitor in the same agri-inputs marketplace category.
• DeHaat: Full-stack agri-fintech platform offering inputs, advisory, market linkage, and financial services to Indian farmers. Directly comparable to Hesa in combining rural fintech distribution with agri commerce, though DeHaat is more farmer-inputs focused and Hesa is more VLE/distribution focused.
• Spice Money: Aditya Birla Nuvo-backed fintech distribution network of rural nano-ATM and BC agents offering banking, payments, insurance, and financial services. Same business model as Hesaathis in delivering BFSI products at the village level.
• Ninjacart: Tech-driven agri supply-chain platform connecting farmers with retailers, restaurants and processors. Comparable to Hesa's agri-output trading stream (Big Haat, WayCool, Agri10X partnerships) though focused more on supply chain than last-mile.

Emerging players

• Samunnati: India's largest agri-finance and open agri-network player providing working capital, market linkage, and capacity building across the agri value chain. Listed Hesa partner but also operates competing farmer-engagement infrastructure in overlapping geographies.

Broad incumbents

• ITC e-Choupal: Long-established (since 2000) rural agri-distribution platform operated by ITC, reaching 4M+ farmers via physical e-Choupal kiosks. Most established broad incumbent in rural agri distribution; Hesa is effectively a tech-enabled next-generation version of this model.
• Reliance JioKrishi / JioMart: Reliance's rural commerce and agri services initiatives leverage the Jio retail and digital infrastructure. With massive capital and existing brand trust in rural India, Reliance is the most consequential broad incumbent threat to Hesa's distribution position.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors18 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hesa