Our Enduring Impact
Chiratae Ventures operates at the intersection of technology, innovation, financial returns and ESG/Impact. A subset of Chiratae’s investments in tech-led solutions has been directed to yield results in contribution towards UN SDG targets.
Our Focus Areas
Underserved Geographies
With over two-thirds of online consumer demand arising from Tier II & III towns of India, the need to democratise tech access to essential products and services. Existing market offerings largely cater to metropolitan cities of India, creating a huge access gap across India’s smartphone user base. We at Chiratae would like to tap into these underserved areas, paving the way toward improved social and economic conditions for the local population.
Underserved Target Groups
Underserved target groups include lower to middle-lower income segments, marginalised segments, women, vernacular population with limited English literacy, smallholder farmers, small borrowers, individual and MSME entrepreneurs, differently abled etc. Chiratae Ventures is determined to work towards improving and transforming said target groups with the aid of technology. This includes enabling access to education, healthcare and finance while extending knowledge to access markets and business techniques.
Gender
Addressing the gender gap has garnered increased attention in India, with a long road ahead. Private markets with technology at their disposal have a huge role to play in this societal change. Chiratae Ventures has been 2X gender certified by CDC and strives to continue strengthening gender diversity within the firm. We aim to invest in businesses that aid our vision to address the representation and experience of women as entrepreneurs, leaders, employees and customers.
Underserved Geographies
With over two-thirds of online consumer demand arising from Tier II & III towns of India, there comes the need to democratize tech access to essential products and services. Existing market offerings largely cater to metropolitan cities of India creating a huge access gap across India’s smartphone user base. We at Chiratae would like to tap into these underserved areas, paving the way towards improved social and economic conditions for the local population.
Underserved Target Groups
Underserved target groups include lower to middle-lower income segments, marginalized segments, women, vernacular population with limited English literacy, smallholder farmers, small borrowers, individual and MSME entrepreneurs, differently abled etc. Chiratae Ventures is determined to work towards the betterment and transformation of said target groups with the aid of technology. This includes enabling access to education, healthcare and finance while also extending the knowledge to access markets and business techniques.
Gender
Addressing gender gap has been garnering increased attention in India with a long road ahead. Private markets with technology at their disposal have a huge role to play in this societal change. Chiratae Ventures has been 2X gender certified by CDC and strives to continue strengthening gender diversity within the firm. We aim to invest in business that aids our vision to address the representation and experience of women as entrepreneurs, leaders, employees and customers.
Micro, Small & Nano Entrepreneurs
MSMEs are the backbone of Indian economy with over 63.4M units employing 120M people and contributing nearly 30% of GDP. Digital empowerment of Indian micro, small and nano entrepreneurs enable their potential to double their revenue. The challenges they face include financial and market linkages, infrastructure and ease of doing business. We at Chiratae would like to enable tech companies to increase MSMEs’ access to technical revolution, finance, logistics, sourcing and market.
Employment & Employability
Unemployment and under-employment are two big problems India has been facing for a long time. The fall of employment rates in India especially of female labour has been exacerbated by the pandemic. While creating adequate job opportunities, it also becomes essential to hone the employability skills of young Indian workforce. We at Chiratae believe that startup sector can generate more employment while scoping towards the larger goals of ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.
Climate Action
The latest addition to Chiratae’s impact strategy is Climate Action, an SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) urging the world to take necessary steps to combat climate change and its effects. Chiratae Ventures understands its social responsibility and invests into new age companies which are working towards controlling and reversing the adverse effects on climate. Many companies in Chiratae’s portfolio are regularly offering ideas for smart climate agriculture, food security, sustainable production and consumption.
Nano Entrepreneurs & MSME
MSMEs are the backbone of the Indian economy, with over 63.4M units employing 120M people and contributing nearly 30% of GDP. Digital empowerment of Indian micro, small and nano entrepreneurs enables their potential to double their revenue. Their challenges include financial and market linkages, infrastructure and ease of doing business. We at Chiratae want to enable tech companies to increase MSMEs’ access to technical revolution, finance, logistics, sourcing and market.
Employment & Employability
Unemployment and under-employment are two big problems India has long faced.The pandemic exacerbated the fall in employment rates in India, especially of female labour. While creating adequate job opportunities, it also becomes essential to hone the employability skills of the young Indian workforce. We at Chiratae believe that the startup sector can generate more employment while scoping towards the larger goals of ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.
Climate Action
The latest addition to Chiratae’s impact strategy is Climate Action, an SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) urging the world to take necessary steps to combat climate change and its effects. Chiratae Ventures understands its social responsibility and invests in new-age companies working towards controlling and reversing the adverse effects of climate. Many companies in Chiratae’s portfolio regularly offer ideas for smart climate agriculture, food security, sustainable production and consumption.
Responsible Investing
We understand the importance of ESG aspects, and we have been integrating ESG risk management in our operations since 2016. Chiratae Ventures being a responsible investor, is committed to ensure adherence by all our portfolio companies to the ESG standards prescribed by IFC, CDC & DFC.
We aim to bring positive impact through combining financial performance with the values of our stakeholders, to benefit people and planet in the long term
For any questions or concerns about the Fund’s Environmental, Social & Governance Policy and/or the portfolio investments financed by the fund, please reach out to us at: compliance@chiratae.com. We will respond within a reasonable period of time. Where the question or concern relates to a portfolio investment financed by the Fund, the interested or affected person(s) are first encouraged to discuss the matter directly with the portfolio company. In cases where the concerns are not addressed sufficiently at the portfolio company level, please do email to us.
There is no cost or fee associated with submitting a question or concern. Interested and affected parties can request confidentiality of identity.