What Bindi International does

Bindi International, legally EMPBindi International Association, is a non-profit organization founded in 2015 and headquartered at the Harmara campus on Tilonia Road in Kishangarh, Rajasthan. It operates programs across at least 11 Indian states, including Rajasthan, Kerala, Gujarat, Karnataka, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Nagaland, and Ladakh, serving rural women, students, tribal communities, and spice sector workers. Its mission is to support livelihoods of marginalized rural women in India through vocational training, entrepreneurship development, education, and climate leadership, addressing 14 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The organization's core products include a five-month Solar Engineering Training Program that equips women to install, repair, and assemble solar home lighting systems, torches (Bindi Torch), and lanterns (Diva Lantern); the Enriche Curriculum covering eight women's empowerment topics (digital literacy, health, entrepreneurship, financial management, and others) which has directly trained 3,077 women with 15,385 indirect beneficiaries; the Digital Community School deploying iPads and projectors in rural areas; and the Youth Climate Leadership Curriculum (YCLC) developed with ReNew Foundation. The organization operates an in-house R&D facility with 3D printing, PCB milling, computerized embroidery, and mechanical workshop equipment for prototyping durable, locally-repairable solar products, and a web-based Solar Energy Monitor at bindi-internationalsolar.org. It is governed by a Director (Harsh Tiwari) and department heads covering Communication, Education & Health, and program management.

Bindi International is funded through grants and donations from institutional donors, corporate CSR programs, and UN agencies. FY2022-23 income was INR 182,182,000 against expenditure of INR 186,260,000, producing a net loss of INR 4,078,000 (prior year net income was INR 27,934,018). Core strategic partners include UN Women (Build Back Better program in Rajasthan and Kerala), ReNew Foundation (YCLC climate curriculum), HDFC Parivartan (CSR livelihoods), Royal Rajasthan Foundation (solar training), and AIDA (Solar Sakhis in Nagaland). All programs are delivered free of cost to beneficiaries through a train-the-trainer model relying on trained women solar engineers, health workers, and climate fellows as the distribution channel.

Name

Bindi International

Legal name

EMPBindi International Association

Website

https://www.bindi-international.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Bindi International (EMPBindi International Association) is an Indian non-profit, founded in 2015 and headquartered in Kishangarh, Rajasthan, that trains rural women as solar engineers and delivers empowerment, education, livelihood, and climate-leadership programs across 11+ Indian states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Development and Women's Empowerment Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Educational Support Services (611710), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Rural Livelihoods & Economic Empowerment (BPAGABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education, Skills & Workforce Development Aid Programs (BPADABAE), Solar Workforce, Training & Safety Services (Installer Training, Certification, EHS) (EUAMABAO), Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK)

Keywords

• Rural development programs
• Solar electrification training
• Women empowerment education
• Nonprofit livelihood services
• Community climate programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Kishangarh

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. NGO Grants and Donations: Bindi International operates as a non-profit organization (EMPBindi International Association) that raises funds from institutional donors, foundations, corporations, and individuals to fund its programs. The organization implements projects funded by UN agencies (UN Women), corporate CSR initiatives (HDFC Parivartan), and bilateral/multilateral donors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bindi International runs community-based training and empowerment programs for marginalized rural women in India, including a five-month Solar Engineering Training Program, the Enriche women's empowerment curriculum, the Digital Community School for rural children, the Climate Leadership Curriculum for youth, and supporting livelihood initiatives. Trained women solar engineers manufacture and distribute solar products (Bindi Torch, Diva Lantern, Home Lighting Systems) directly within their villages. Programs are delivered free of cost to beneficiaries and funded through grants, donations, and CSR partnerships with organizations such as UN Women, HDFC Parivartan, and ReNew Foundation.

Product overview

Bindi International operates as a non-profit organization focused on women's empowerment through a portfolio of interconnected programs. The core offerings include a Solar Engineering Training Program that trains rural women as solar engineers, the Enriche Curriculum providing comprehensive women's empowerment education, and the Digital Community School delivering technology-enhanced non-formal education to rural children. Solar products (torches, lanterns, home lighting systems) are manufactured and sold by trained solar engineers, creating a complete ecosystem from training to product deployment. Additional programs include the Climate Leadership Curriculum for youth climate education and various livelihood initiatives including water/sanitation projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Digital Community School (DCS): Digital education program for children in rural communities operating across Rajasthan, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, and Assam.

Products and services

• Solar Engineering Training Program Five-month residential training program that equips rural women with technical skills to install, repair, and assemble solar equipment including home lighting systems, torches, lanterns, and diva products. Graduates become community-based solar engineers who electrify rural households.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,077 women directly trained through Enriche program with 15,385 indirect beneficiaries
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UN WomencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 July 2024UN Women project 'Build Back Better - Ensuring Women's Health, Wellness, and Safety' targeting women spice sector workers across Rajasthan and Kerala. The initiative aims to build capacities, strengthen existing systems, and engage frontline workers on health, wellness, and safety topics, raising awareness among over 6,000 women.
• Manjari FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 July 2024Partner organization in the UN Women project implementing the 'Build Back Better' initiative for women spice sector workers.
• Think Through ConsultingminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 July 2024Partner in the UN Women project providing consulting support for the women's health and safety initiative.
• Wayanad Social Service SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 July 2024Partner in Kerala for the UN Women 'Build Back Better' initiative targeting women spice sector workers.
• Vidhya Aditi FoundationminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 19 June 2024Co-organized workshop on menstrual hygiene and good touch-bad touch education for parents of autistic children, caregivers, and others.
• ReNew FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 June 2024Collaboration with ReNew Foundation to implement the Climate Leadership Curriculum (YCLC), a three-step approach (Think, Speak, Act) reaching 5,000+ students across 75 government schools in Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Karnataka.
• Josh App (VerSe Innovation)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 October 2023Joint collaboration for International Rural Women's Day 2023, where influencers documented stories of rural women changemakers through live streams and videos on the Josh platform.
• Welham Boys SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 October 2023Two-day workshop 'Global Changemakers' initiative bringing urban youth from Dehradun into meaningful interaction with rural women grassroots champions and Bindi International trainers.
• AIDAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 June 2023Joint effort between EMPBindi International Association and AIDA to implement a three-month Solar Sakhis training program in Northeast India, with graduation ceremonies held in Dimapur, Nagaland.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Barefoot College: Barefoot College, also based in Tilonia (adjacent to Bindi's Kishangarh HQ), trains rural women as solar engineers and deploys them to electrify off-grid villages worldwide. Most direct peer—same geography, same target beneficiary, same core program model.
• SELCO Foundation: SELCO Foundation provides decentralized solar energy solutions to underserved Indian households with a strong livelihood and women's empowerment angle. Comparable mission of energy access + economic empowerment in rural India, though with deeper technology and finance focus.
• SEWA (Self-Employed Women's Association): SEWA is a large Indian trade union and NGO organizing self-employed women in the informal economy, including energy access and livelihoods. Serves the same rural women beneficiary base with vocational training and economic empowerment programs.
• PRADAN (Professional Assistance for Development Action): PRADAN works with rural poor communities in India on livelihoods, agriculture, and women's empowerment. Comparable multi-state rural development model with strong focus on marginalized women farmers.
• Development Alternatives: Development Alternatives designs and delivers sustainable development solutions in rural India, including women's empowerment, clean energy, and livelihoods. Comparable integrated rural development mission with NGO structure.
• Grameen Shakti: Grameen Shakti is a Bangladesh-based social enterprise providing renewable energy to rural households, with a strong women-led Solar Energy Program. Comparable model of rural solar electrification through women entrepreneurs, neighboring geography.

Emerging players

• Digital Green: Digital Green uses technology (video, AI) to improve agricultural extension and rural livelihoods in India and globally. Comparable digital community education and rural India focus, though Digital Green's primary vertical is agriculture.
• Milaan Foundation: India-based NGO focused on education, health, and empowerment of adolescent girls in rural and tribal communities. Comparable target beneficiary (marginalized rural women and girls) and educational focus.

Broad incumbents

• Grameen Foundation: Grameen Foundation operates globally on poverty alleviation, financial inclusion, and rural women's economic empowerment. Operates on a similar model but at a much larger scale with international scope.

Others

• Seva Foundation: Seva Foundation partners with local organizations globally to support women's empowerment and community development. Functions as a grantmaking and capacity-building partner rather than direct service provider in India.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/empbindi
• Facebookfacebook.com/empbindi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bindi-international

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Bindi International