What Samridhi Fund does

Samridhi Fund is an approximately Rs. 430 crore social venture capital fund established in 2012 that provides risk capital in the form of equity and equity-linked instruments (convertible debentures, preference shares) to scalable social enterprises operating in eight low-income Indian states — Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and West Bengal — where approximately 68% of India's poor reside. The fund was capitalized by four institutional contributors: India's Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), the UK's Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) and United India Insurance Company Limited (UIIC), and FCDO's commitment marked one of the first investments under its India Private Sector Programme. The fund is managed by SIDBI Venture Capital Limited (SVCL), a wholly-owned SIDBI subsidiary that oversees seven funds with combined corpus exceeding Rs. 1,700 crore.

The fund's portfolio comprises around 20 investee companies diversified across financial inclusion (NBFC-MFIs Annapurna, Janakalyan, Sonata, Saggraha, RGVN; small finance banks via ESAF and RGVN; fintech Online PSB), healthcare (Glocal hospital chain, KIDS Multispeciality, Collateral Medical), agriculture and food (INI Farms horticulture, NatureLand Organic, Gramco Infratech post-harvest, Sahaj dairy, Siddhi Vinayak potato), clean energy (Oriano solar EPC, Claro solar water pumps), and water and sanitation (Rite Water Solutions, with 3,500+ plants installed). Documented cumulative impact metrics include 4.8 million+ beneficiaries, 22,000+ jobs created, 5.9 million people with access to financial services, Rs. 31,000 crore of business volume generated in low-income states, and 3,000+ MT annual CO2 offset.

The fund generates returns through long-term capital appreciation realized via IPOs, strategic sales or secondary sales, supplemented by standard fund management economics handled by SVCL. The investment team comprises four named professionals including Investment Committee members and senior SVCL leadership, and the mandate is structured to deliver both developmental impact and competitive risk-adjusted returns — positioning Samridhi as a developmental-finance instrument rather than a commercial venture fund.

Name

Samridhi Fund

Legal name

Samridhi Fund

Website

https://samridhifund.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Samridhi Fund is a ~Rs. 430 crore social venture capital fund established in 2012 that provides equity and equity-linked capital to scalable social enterprises in eight low-income Indian states (Bihar, UP, MP, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, West Bengal). It is funded by SIDBI, FCDO UK, LIC and UIIC, and managed by SIDBI Venture Capital Limited.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Impact Venture Capital

NAICS

Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Venture Growth / Recurring Revenue Credit Funds (FSANAIAG)

Keywords

• Social venture capital
• Impact investment fund
• Equity financing
• Development finance
• Low-income states investing

Headquarters

HQ city

Mumbai

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns: Venture capital returns through equity and equity-linked instruments in social enterprises. Returns generated through capital appreciation, exits via IPOs, strategic sales, or secondary sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Samridhi Fund is an approximately Rs. 430 crore social venture capital fund that provides risk capital to scalable social enterprises delivering economic, social, or environmental benefits to the poor in eight low-income Indian states. The fund invests via equity and equity-linked instruments such as convertible debentures and preference shares, targeting developmental impact alongside attractive risk-adjusted financial returns through long-term capital appreciation.

Product overview

Samridhi Fund is a single social venture capital fund managed by SIDBI Venture Capital Limited. The fund provides equity and equity-linked instruments (convertible debentures, preference shares) to social enterprises across eight low-income Indian states. The portfolio spans multiple sectors including financial inclusion, healthcare, agriculture, clean energy, water & sanitation, education, and infrastructure. The fund does not operate as a platform with separate modules but rather as a unified investment vehicle with a portfolio of investee companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.8+ million beneficiaries reached across India
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Omidyar Network: Large, multi-strategy impact investment firm with significant India exposure across financial inclusion and digital ID; broader portfolio mandate than Samridhi but overlapping social-enterprise investing philosophy.

Direct peers

• Acumen Fund: Global impact VC pioneer investing patient capital in early-stage enterprises serving the poor across South Asia and Africa, with a comparable dual-mandate of financial return and social outcome.
• Ankur Capital: India impact VC investing seed and early-stage capital in agriculture, healthcare, and education ventures serving low-income Indian consumers — comparable niche focus and instrument mix.
• Aavishkaar Capital: India-focused impact VC firm investing growth capital in enterprises serving low-income communities across sectors including financial inclusion, healthcare, and agriculture — the closest direct analogue to Samridhi's strategy and geography.
• Lok Capital: India-focused impact fund manager with dedicated vehicles (Lok Capital I/II/III) investing in financial inclusion, agriculture, and healthcare businesses serving low-income populations — overlapping portfolio sector mix with Samridhi.
• Unitus Ventures: India-focused impact VC investing early-stage capital in financial inclusion, education, and healthcare startups serving the mass market — directly comparable target geography and beneficiary segment.
• Aspada Investment Advisors: India-focused impact VC backed by Sarona Asset Management, investing growth equity in financial services, healthcare, and agriculture for low-income customers — directly comparable thesis and stage of investment.
• Insitor Impact Fund: Asia-focused impact VC providing equity and quasi-equity to early-growth enterprises serving low-income consumers across South and Southeast Asia — overlapping stage, instrument, and impact thesis.

Others

• SIDBI Venture Capital (other funds): Sister funds under the same investment manager (SVCL) — directly comparable institutional platform but addressing different sectors/stages; relevant for understanding Samridhi's parent governance.
• Michael & Susan Dell Foundation (India): Philanthropic impact investor active in India across education, financial inclusion, and health; comparable mission and beneficiary focus but uses grants/patient capital rather than return-seeking VC.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments22 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Samridhi Fund