Upaya Social Ventures

Haqdarshak is a technology-enabled platform working to transform how Indian citizens learn about, apply for, and benefit from, government schemes. The company is composed of a group of passionate social entrepreneurs using technology to impact the next billion. The team comprises of individuals from diverse background who have come together out of common interest and passion. The investor community represents individuals holding prestigious positions in different companies across various sectors.

Lal10 enables creative manufacturing MSMEs to easily digitize, manage and sell their inventories for cross-border wholesale. Lal10 is Shopify + Alibaba for Indian MSMEs. Small manufacturers use Lal10’s Karigar application to digitize physical inventories which are available for RFQs on our global wholesale platform. They are creating a maker’s revolution by digitizing micro and small manufacturers to take their creative products to global markets. India has over 1.2mn such MSMEs involved in the manufacturing of apparel, home furnishings, decor products. We have digitized 30k SKUs to date and are the largest vertical platform for MSMEs for cross-border wholesale in India. Post pandemic layers of middlemen/ export houses and traditional channels of sales like exhibitions have been disrupted. They have created an efficient alternative with innovative technology-led solutions catering to these large and untapped supplies. They are seeing strong organic adoption of technology for quick market access by local manufacturers and pandemic has only accelerated its requirement. They believe that the future of retail is local. They are targeting small & medium-sized buyers in the US, UK, and Middle east using efficient data analytics and aggressive marketing. It provides them the benefits of a big-box retailer, i.e. affordable sourcing, contemporary design curation & assortment of products. These buyers are resellers on Amazon, Etsy, or Mom & Pop shops, Private labels, and have traditionally been only dependent tradeshows.

GO DESi is a packaged foods startup that manufactures confectionery and regional-focussed treats. The company collaborates directly with farmers, self-help groups (SHGs), and other rural businesses, empowering them to expand and capture a significant share of consumer value in rural India.

Producer of fresh food products intended to empower the rural youth. The company's products are packaged safely and hygienically and delivered to the customer within a few hours, providing consumers with farm-fresh products at affordable prices.

Producer of fresh food products intended to empower the rural youth. The company's products are packaged safely and hygienically and delivered to the customer within a few hours, providing consumers with farm-fresh products at affordable prices.

ZooFresh Foods is disrupting the fish & meat industry in eastern India by creating an integrated aggregation and distribution model, with farms, farmer networks, logistics, storage points, rural hubs, and state-of-the-art FSSAI certified urban retail outlets.

Krishi Star is a social enterprise with the vision to scaled economic transformation for small farmers in India. India's Food processing industry is projected to grow at 20% over the next 5 years to INR 30M Cr. At the same time, there exists farmer-owned food processing capacity but it is often underutilized due to challenges especially in market linkages and product quality and consistency. This presents a business and impact opportunity. To fill this gap, Krishi Star is a Food Brand that supplies quality natural, food ingredients sourced from our network of farmer-owned food processing units. Our main focus is marketing and selling products through our brand. We also engage in capacity-building through our integrated supply chain approach, which will be the foundation for our long-term scaled growth. For example, we are currently partnering with the Government of Andhra Pradesh to construct a farmer-owned factory. We currently have 80+ institutional customers across Mumbai, Goa, Pune, and Delhi and operations across Maharashtra and Gujarat. Our goal is to scale pan-India, building a INR 160Cr business and INR 100Cr farmer-owned capacity over the next 7 years.

Parvata Foods is a socio-commercial enterprise that has emerged from the two graduates of the Indian Institute of Management. It is dedicated to creating a value chain of organic produce from Sikkim and other North-Eastern states. The company aims to build a value chain in fruits, vegetables, and spices to elevate the living standard of farmers in difficult hilly areas by integrating them with the main value chain. Parvata Foods also undertake processing to add value to the products. Parvata Foods was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal.

Maitri provides livelihood for home based caregivers through organizing, skill training and employment linkages.

Tamul Plates provides disposable dinner plates, disposable snack plates, trays and serveware, bowls, on the go boxes, and cutlery and glass. Their customers inquiries are addressed through phone, email, and online applications.

Samagra is a sanitation social enterprise that provides access to clean, safe, and reliable community toilet facilities.

Justrojgar is an online employability platform.