Next Bharat Ventures Impact Report 2026: Bridging Social Impact and Financial Performance

Next Bharat Ventures (NBV), a Japan-backed impact-first fund, released its Impact Report 2026 on August 28, 2026, in Bengaluru, highlighting its role in scaling businesses that serve India’s rural and informal economies. The portfolio of 21 companies has cumulatively reached 2 million lives across India 2 (urban informal economy) and India 3 (rural livelihood economy), demonstrating that commercial viability and measurable social change can go hand in hand.

Financial Growth and Livelihood Improvements:
The report reveals strong commercial traction, with approximately 80% of the portfolio startups already on a clear path to profitability. This growth has translated into direct economic gains for vulnerable communities:

Farmers and Tribal Farmers: Experienced a year-on-year income growth of 75%. Agriculture portfolio revenues surged by 246.66%, reaching over 214,000 beneficiaries.

Artisans: Saw a 93% increase in income. For instance, Kadam Haat expanded its artisan network from 400 to 6,500, boosting annual incomes from ₹7,000 to ₹55,000, while MeMeraki scaled heritage artists’ monthly incomes from ₹25,000 to ₹32,000.

Street Vendors and Informal Workers: Street vendor incomes grew by 25%. Enterprises like Haqdarshak successfully enabled welfare scheme access for approximately 1.4 million informal workers.

South Indian startups, including Telangana-based Krishivan and Sid’s Farm, contributed significantly by reaching over 3.64 lakh lives.

New Investments and Fund II Expansion:
To further fuel this ecosystem, Next Bharat Ventures announced fresh investments totaling INR 20.76 crore across healthcare, mobility, agriculture, and the informal economy:

Blackfrog Technologies: Secured INR 9 crore for its patented, WHO-PQS prequalified active-cooled vaccine carrier (Emvólio), which has benefited over 251,512 people in India and expanded into Africa.

eBik: Received INR 7.5 crore for electric mobility solutions (e-cycles and e-karts) supporting 6,000 gig workers and delivery personnel.

CIBOS: Awarded INR 2 crore to provide solar-powered cooking solutions for street vendors.

Velaan Mart: Received INR 1.26 crore for connecting farmers directly with institutional buyers.

SGB Agro: Secured INR 1 crore to develop low-vibration farm equipment that reduces manual labor.

Looking ahead, NBV’s second INR 2,000 crore fund anchored by Suzuki Motor Corp and backed by five Japanese limited partners (LPs) will prioritize investments in last-mile healthcare gaps and artificial intelligence (AI) for social good.