iNaturewatch Foundation

What iNaturewatch Foundation does

iNaturewatch Foundation is a registered charitable trust established in 2014 and headquartered in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The organization builds capacities of urban Indian communities for nature conservation and animal welfare through citizen science, with operational presence across seven states (Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka, West Bengal, New Delhi, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh). It runs an integrated portfolio spanning restoration (18 ha of forest and lake ecosystems restored over 2021-2024 with 50-70% biodiversity uplift), education (50+ programmes, 10+ online courses, 50+ workshops, 5 camps, 5 themed lectures, 10 projects), and animal welfare, with sub-brands including NatureXplore, Butterfly Campus, Butterfly Patrol, Butterfly Express, Stray iCARE, Project Trailblazers, Project Eco-Sweep, and Project Moth Caterpillars.

Its core technology consists of two citizen science mobile applications, iTrees and iButterflies (updated in 2025 with improved performance and enhanced species data), used for biodiversity documentation across multiple taxa. The organization also publishes field guides such as A Pocket Field Guide to Taloja Hill Forest (2023) and a Mangrove Field Guide in Hindi and English. The organization is led by two highly credentialed founders, Dr. V. Shubhalaxmi (India's first Moth Lady and author of India's first Field Guide on Indian Moths) and Isaac Kehimkar (India's Butterfly Man and BNHS's highest-selling author on Indian Butterflies), both alumni of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).

The revenue model is multi-streamed but small-scale and largely CSR-mediated. NatureXplore generates one-time per-head excursion fees (Rs.250 for schools, Rs.350 for colleges, two-hour batches on weekdays, group sizes above 25, ages 10-14). Online courses on trees, bugs, butterflies, birds, and young naturalists generate subscription/recurring revenue. The largest revenue stream appears to be CSR funding and grants from corporate partners, most notably Publicis Groupe (Butterfly Gardens for Police Stations project Oct 2024-Sept 2025; 10 free school Butterfly Gardens Nov 2025-Sept 2026), DCB Bank (Taloja Hill field guide), United Way Mumbai, and corporate volunteering engagements with Standard Chartered, KPMG, Oracle, HSBC, Pidilite, Societe Generale, and Starbucks. Customer segments span K-12 schools (Zilla Parishad, Don Bosco, DAV Public, Vishwajyot, Greenfingers Global, and others), government (Navi Mumbai Police Stations), individual students aged 10-14, and urban communities. Since 2024 the trust has operated under a lean, flexible team structure with AI positioned as an "invisible team player."

Name

iNaturewatch Foundation

Legal name

iNaturewatch Foundation

Website

https://inaturewatch.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

iNaturewatch Foundation is a 2014-founded Navi Mumbai-based charitable trust that runs citizen science, education, restoration, and animal welfare programmes across seven Indian states, serving urban communities, K-12 schools, government, and corporate CSR partners through its iTrees and iButterflies apps, NatureXplore excursions, online courses, and Butterfly Campus school gardens.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Forestry (800), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Citizen Science & Conservation Volunteer Tourism Programs (On-Site) (THAAAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wildlife Viewing & Birdwatching Tours (THAAAEAB), Wildlife Interpretation & Education Centers (Visitor Centers, Museums) (THAAAFAG), Guided Wildlife Safaris & Game Drives (Sanctuary/Reserve-Based) (THAAAFAF)

Keywords

• Citizen science programs
• Environmental education services
• Biodiversity documentation apps
• Ecosystem restoration projects
• Nature conservation training

Headquarters

HQ city

Mumbai

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. NatureXplore Excursions: Revenue generated from wildlife excursion fees for students visiting project sites in Mumbai. NatureXplore offers themed trails with specific pricing for schools and colleges.
2. CSR Funding & Grants: Corporate Social Responsibility funding from companies like Publicis Groupe for specific conservation projects such as Butterfly Campus school gardens.
3. Online Courses: Wildlife education courses offered online covering trees, bugs, butterflies, birds, and young naturalists programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

iNaturewatch Foundation is a Registered Charitable Trust that delivers nature conservation, biodiversity education, and citizen science programming in India. It runs flagship citizen science mobile apps (iTrees and iButterflies) for biodiversity documentation, the NatureXplore outdoor excursion program with themed nature trails, the Butterfly Campus school garden initiative, paid online wildlife courses, and on-the-ground ecosystem restoration projects including Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Ambivli Biodiversity Park, and Taloja Hill.

Product overview

iNaturewatch Foundation is a Registered Charitable Trust (since 2014) working in environmental protection and animal welfare through citizen science in India. The organization's portfolio includes flagship citizen science mobile apps (iTrees and iButterflies) for biodiversity documentation, NatureXplore outdoor learning adventures with thematic trails, the Butterfly Campus school garden program, and structured online courses on biodiversity topics. The foundation also offers field guides and publishes monthly newsletters, complementing conservation projects including reforestation, biodiversity parks, and animal welfare initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NatureXplore: Nature-based excursions and outdoor learning adventures for students, offering 10 thematic trails to project sites in Mumbai including wildlife safaris, eco-habitats exploration, and conservation programs.
• Stray iCARE
• Butterfly Campus
• Butterfly Patrol
• Butterfly Express
• iTrees
• iButterflies
• Project Trailblazers

Products and services

• NatureXplore Outdoor Excursions Outdoor learning adventures offering wildlife excursions to project sites in Mumbai for schools and colleges, with 10 thematic trails at SGNP, Ambivli Biodiversity Park, and Taloja Hill. Targets students aged 10-14 in two-hour morning and afternoon batches.
• iTrees App Citizen science mobile application for documenting and tracking urban tree and plant biodiversity across Indian states, with enhanced species databases.
• iButterflies App Citizen science mobile application for butterfly species documentation and biodiversity data collection, integrated with the Butterfly Patrol volunteer program.
• Butterfly Campus Initiative to transform school grounds into ecological sanctuaries by installing free butterfly gardens in schools, especially in regions where green spaces are limited. Provides hands-on biodiversity education for students.
• Online Wildlife Courses Self-paced online courses covering trees, bugs, butterflies, birds, and young naturalists, delivered via video conference with online assignments. Modules include Trees for Beginners, Bugs for Beginners, Butterflies 4 Beginners, Birds for Beginners, and Young Naturalists.
• A Pocket Field Guide to Taloja Hill Forest Field guide publication covering 49 species across plants, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals of Taloja Hill Forest in Navi Mumbai; sponsored by DCB Bank as a CSR initiative.
• Butterfly Patrol Citizen science program for volunteer-based butterfly population monitoring and documentation, integrated with the iButterflies mobile app.

Quantifiable outcome

• Restored 18 ha of forest and lake ecosystems
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ladybird Environmental Consulting LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Knowledge Partner for Butterfly Campus project. Provides environmental consulting expertise for the school butterfly garden program, contributing to project design and implementation guidance.
• United Way MumbaiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsors free nature walks, mangrove walks, and school programs. Provides funding and organizational support for community engagement activities.
• Magic BusminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImplementation partner for butterfly garden project at Govt. Urdu Primary School in Bengaluru along with Societe Generale.
• L.V. Prasad Eye InstituteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPrevious partner from Mobile Apps 4 Climate Change project (2014), which launched iNaturewatch biodiversity apps in partnership with WWF India.
• WWF IndiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner for Mobile Apps 4 Climate Change project (2014) that developed and launched iTrees and iButterflies citizen science applications.
• BNHS (Bombay Natural History Society)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounders Dr. Shubhalaxmi and Isaac Kehimkar are products of BNHS. The organization has historical ties to BNHS for conservation work and field guide publications.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON): India-based research and education center focused on ornithology and natural history. Comparable in niche scientific focus and educational outreach, though it operates more as a research institution than a citizen science nonprofit.

Broad incumbents

• WWF India: Large incumbent environmental NGO with broader mandate (tigers, climate, forests) but overlapping citizen science and education programming. iNaturewatch was a WWF India partner on the 2014 Mobile Apps 4 Climate Change project that produced iTrees and iButterflies.
• ATREE (Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment): Major Indian conservation and research organization with biodiversity restoration, education, and citizen science programs. Overlaps with iNaturewatch on biodiversity monitoring and urban/peri-urban ecosystem work, though on a much larger academic scale.
• The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI): Large Indian sustainability and environmental research organization with education programs and field projects. Overlaps with iNaturewatch on environmental education, though TERI operates at a much larger institutional scale with broader mandate.

Emerging players

• iNaturalist: Global citizen science platform where users document biodiversity observations. Direct technology competitor to iTrees and iButterflies, with vastly larger user base and AI-powered species identification, though it is a platform rather than a regional program.
• eBird (Cornell Lab of Ornithology): Global citizen science bird-monitoring platform. While not a direct India-based peer, it represents the standard against which iNaturewatch's bird-related apps and programs are benchmarked for usability and data quality.

Direct peers

• Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS): India's premier conservation organization where iNaturewatch's founders were trained and from which they published field guides. BNHS operates the broader conservation research and citizen science scope (bird counts, butterfly projects) that iNaturewatch's programs build upon, making it the closest institutional analogue.
• Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF): India-based conservation NGO running long-term ecological research, citizen science, and education programs across species and habitats. Comparable science-driven, founder-led nonprofit model with similar mission alignment and grassroots programs.
• Centre for Wildlife Studies: India-focused conservation nonprofit combining scientific research, citizen science, and environmental education. Comparable mid-sized organization with similar fundraising structure (grants, individual donors) and program mix including school outreach and community engagement.
• Wildlife Conservation Trust: India-based conservation NGO operating habitat restoration, wildlife research, and community education programs. Comparable footprint in Maharashtra and similar CSR/corporate partnership model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/inaturewatch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/inaturewatch-mobile-apps

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about iNaturewatch Foundation