Udyogini

What Udyogini does

Udyogini is a registered Indian non-profit organization founded in 1992 under the leadership of Ms. Ela Bhatt (founder of SEWA) in response to a World Bank initiative on women's economic empowerment. It is headquartered in New Delhi with six state offices in Raipur, Ranchi, Dewas, Bundi, Chamoli, and Kolkata, operating across the Indian states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Rajasthan. The organization's core programmatic verticals are Value Chain Interventions (covering 22 products including honey, lac, chilli, tamarind, herbal tea, and ghee), Skilling and Training through the Udyogini School of Entrepreneurship (USE), Livelihood Development, and Climate Change and Entrepreneurship. Supporting infrastructure includes Village Level Retail and Aggregation Centers (VLRACS), a Business Services Providers (BDSPs) network, Nutrition Gardens (Poshan Vatika), and Water User Groups (WUGs). Reported impact metrics include 224,369 lives touched, 48,015 women entrepreneurs reached, 27,704 youth in skilling programs, and a 50% average annual income increase for women through value-chain interventions. Beneficiaries — women in rural and tribal India and rural youth — receive services free of charge, with the organization funded entirely through donations (eligible for 50% tax benefit under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961) from individuals, corporations, and institutional donors including HDFC Bank Parivartan, Azim Premji Foundation, Oracle, FalconX, Crypto Relief, and Accion. Strategic implementation partners include ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) and IFFCO for sustainable farming inputs. The current CEO is Rashmi Saxena Sarkar, who transitioned from the role of Program Coordinator.

Name

Udyogini

Legal name

Udyogini

Website

https://udyogini.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Udyogini is an Indian non-profit, founded in 1992 under Ms. Ela Bhatt, that delivers women's economic empowerment and rural livelihood programs — including value-chain development, skilling, and climate entrepreneurship — to over 50,000 women and youth across six Indian states, funded entirely through donations and institutional grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Women's Economic Empowerment & Livelihood Development Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Crop Production (11511), Support Activities for Animal Production (115210)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Rural Livelihoods & Economic Empowerment (BPAGABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Gender Equality, Inclusion & Social Protection Programs (BPADABAK), Forestry, Land Use & REDD+ Programs (BPADALAF), Program & Project Implementation (TA Delivery) (BPADAEAA)

Keywords

• Women entrepreneurship programs
• Rural livelihood development
• Value chain interventions
• Skill development training
• Non-profit organization

Headquarters

HQ city

New Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Udyogini operates as a registered non-profit organization funded entirely through donations. All programmes, initiatives, and activities are funded through donations from individuals, corporations, and institutional donors. Donations qualify for 50% tax benefit under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961 in India.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Udyogini is a non-profit organization that delivers women economic empowerment programs in rural and tribal India. Its core offering consists of four program areas: (1) Value Chain Interventions spanning 22 products (honey, lac, chilli, tamarind, herbal tea, ghee, etc.) across 5 states via VLRACS and BDSPs; (2) Skill Development through the Udyogini School of Entrepreneurship (USE); (3) Livelihood Development including natural resource management; and (4) Climate Change & Entrepreneurship focused on regenerative agriculture and solar solutions. Programs are delivered free of cost to beneficiaries, funded by donations and grants.

Product overview

Udyogini is a women's economic empowerment NGO (not a technology product company) offering a portfolio of livelihood development programs. The core offerings include Value Chain Interventions (operating across 22 products in 5 states), Udyogini School of Entrepreneurship (USE) for skill development, Livelihood Development programs for farmers, and Climate Change & Entrepreneurship initiatives. Supporting infrastructure includes Village Level Retail and Aggregation Centers (VLRACS) and Business Services Providers (BDSPs). Additional programs include Nutrition Gardens (Poshan Vatika) and Water User Groups (WUGs). These programs work together to provide end-to-end support from training to market access for women entrepreneurs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Udyogini School of Entrepreneurship (USE): Training program for young people in simplified but effective business management, financial literacy and business plan training.

Products and services

• Value Chain Interventions End-to-end value chain development across 22 products (honey, lac, chilli, tamarind, herbal tea, ghee, etc.) in 5 states. Uses village-level retail and aggregation centers (VLRACS) and Business Services Providers (BDSPs) to deliver a documented 50% income increase for women entrepreneurs.
• Skilling and Training (Udyogini School of Entrepreneurship - USE)
• Livelihood Development Program
• Climate Change and Entrepreneurship Program
• Village Level Retail and Aggregation Centers (VLRACS)
• Business Services Providers (BDSPs) Network
• Nutrition Garden (Poshan Vatika)
• Water User Groups (WUGs)

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% income increase for women through value chain interventions
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• AccioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccion partnership for financial inclusion and women entrepreneurship development. Accion is a global microfinance organization that pioneered the microfinance movement.
• ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with ICAR Pusa for bio-decomposer technology to promote sustainable farming practices. ICAR developed the bio-decomposer solution marketed by IFFCO.
• IFFCO (Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFFCO partnership for marketing bio-decomposer solution and agricultural inputs for sustainable farming. IFFCO markets the ICAR Pusa bio-decomposer.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• PRADAN (Professional Assistance for Development Action): One of India's largest rural livelihoods NGOs, operating across multiple states with a focus on women's Self-Help Groups, agriculture value chains, and livelihood promotion — closely mirroring Udyogini's model and target geography.
• Mann Deshi Foundation: Maharashtra-based nonprofit providing entrepreneurship training, microfinance, and market linkages to rural women — directly comparable to Udyogini's rural women entrepreneur development programs.
• Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP): NGO working with rural women in Maharashtra and other states on enterprise development, climate-resilient agriculture, and women's leadership — highly comparable in focus, geography, and delivery model.
• Hand in Hand India: Works with rural women in India on enterprise creation, skill training, and job placement, similar in target beneficiary and program structure to Udyogini's skilling and entrepreneurship programs.
• SEWA (Self-Employed Women's Association): India's largest women's empowerment organization founded by Ela Bhatt, who also founded Udyogini. Both target rural and informal-sector women with economic empowerment programs including microfinance, value chain development, and skill training.

Others

• Accion International: Global microfinance pioneer and existing Udyogini partner. Comparable in focus on financial inclusion for underserved women entrepreneurs, though Accion operates as an international network rather than a single-country NGO.

Emerging players

• Trickle Up: International NGO that pioneers livelihoods programs for extreme-poor women in India, using graduation approach. Comparable beneficiary profile (rural, marginalized women) and livelihood-promotion methodology.
• Digital Green: Tech-enabled agricultural extension organization that partners with NGOs including in India to improve smallholder farmer productivity. Comparable focus on rural agricultural value chains and women farmers.

Broad incumbents

• Grameen Foundation India: Affiliate of the global Grameen microfinance network, working in India on rural poverty alleviation, digital financial services, and women's economic empowerment — overlapping mission and donor base with Udyogini.
• Heifer International: Global nonprofit operating in India with livestock and value-chain programs for rural women. Comparable in its livestock/goatery and women-empowerment programming but operates at much larger global scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Udyogini1
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCFfSj9lECT3cz-3sD93bh_w
• Facebookfacebook.com/iamudyogini
• LinkedInin.linkedin.com/company/udyogini1992
• Instagraminstagram.com/udyogini

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Udyogini