Triodos Fair Share Fund and Triodos Microfinance Fund have taken a 14.91% equity stake in Intellegrow in India.

Founded from the IntelleCap group in 2009, Intellegrow officially began operations in 2010, providing venture debt financing to small and early stage medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across India and in the following sectors: agricultural supply chain, clean energy, education, financial inclusion, healthcare, and water and sanitation. As per September 2015, Intellegrow has provided 114 loans to 65 SME’s.

Currently, there is a USD 8 billion financing gap in India for early stage SMEs focusing on base-of-the-pyramid sectors. Intellegrow aims to close that gap by offering access to businesses unable to receive financing and in sectors of financial inclusion, healthcare, agriculture and renewable energy among others, that are key in addressing the basic needs of a large part of the population. Arvind Kodikal, Senior Investment Officer for Emerging Markets and incoming board member to Intellegrow: “Intellegrow is an excellent fit within Triodos Investment Management’s strategy given its focus on a primarily underserved SME market, and its strong financial and social performance. With our ambition to catalyse growth in this market in India, we are looking forward to working together to take Intellegrow to the next level by providing our expertise on business strategy and internal controls”

In 2014, Intellegrow received a loan from Hivos-Triodos Funds, making us the first international lender to the company. As it furthers its ambitions to become the leading lender for early stage SME’s in India, Triodos Investment Management sees the an opportunity to further its growth ambitions by taking a role as an active stakeholder.