The Aavishkaar-Intellecap Group, one of the innovators in impact investing in India, today announced raising an equity round of USD $25 million led by Triodos Investment Management and Shell Foundation, an independent charity established by the Shell Group. Triodos has invested USD 15 million, divided equally between Triodos Fair Share Fund and Triodos Microfinance Fund, while the Shell Foundation has contributed USD 10 million of the total capital raised. The investment will be infused in the parent company and will enable the group to consolidate and expand its bouquet of ecosystem building initiatives/businesses across the globe.

Vineet Rai, Founder, Aavishkaar–Intellecap Group says on the capital raising, "As the world chases ambitious Sustainable Development Goals, Aavishkaar-Intellecap Group's contribution as entrepreneurial ecosystem builders would be seminal in unleashing the entrepreneurial energy toward some of the core challenges around Employment, Health, and Energy & Financial Inclusion that the world desires to address. We also believe that entrepreneurs and businesses may have substantial contribution to make in addressing complex challenges of poverty and hunger. We are excited with our partnership with Triodos Investments and Shell Foundation, who join us as equity holders and as trusted long term partners in our audacious journey of making impact by building businesses with the other 3 Billion."

Over the last decade, Aavishkaar has established a successful track record with over US$ 155 million under management and a diverse portfolio of high – impact businesses at various levels of growth. This spans a range of sectors, namely agriculture, dairy, education, energy, handicrafts, health, water and sanitation, technology for development, microfinance and financial inclusion. Vineet Rai is one of our longstanding partners and the driving force behind other initiatives in which Triodos IM has also invested, for instance in Intellegrow.

Commenting on the recent investment, Marilou van Golstein Brouwers, Chair of the Management Board of Triodos IM said, "We have found a values-aligned partner in the Aavishkaar-Intellecap Group. We share the belief that entrepreneurship is key in the transformational change that is needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. With this new investment we look forward to continuing our shared journey in building an impact investing ecosystem where entrepreneurship can thrive, creating sustainable livelihoods and contributing to positive change for our planet and society."

More information about Aavishkaar can be found here.