Investment includes backing of Vinod Khosla, Mohandas Pai, Mike Murray and others Seattle, USA and Bangalore, India. Unitus Seed Fund (USF) has secured over $8 million in investment commitments for its seed-stage venture capital fund focused on accelerating “BoP startups” – startups serving low-income consumers – in India. USF invests in for-profit scalable companies that will… Read more >
Updates
Unitus Seed Fund lands $8 Million for BoP Startups from Leading Early-stage Investors
January 3, 2013 – Press Release, Unitus Seed Fund
Unitus 2012 Mid-Year Update
August 18, 2012 – Unitus Capital, Unitus Equity Fund, Unitus Impact, Unitus Labs, Unitus Seed Fund, Update
The Unitus family is partnering with a growing list of exciting, innovative young companies that share the common goal of creating opportunity for millions of people living at the bottom of the economic pyramid (BoP). As you will see from this semi-annual update, we’ve got some very compelling work happening across the Unitus family! As… Read more >
Unitus Seed Fund is Expanding!
July 8, 2012 – Unitus Labs, Unitus Seed Fund, Update
We’re expanding our seed investment program Since we launched Unitus Seed Fund in late 2011, we have researched, learned, connected, and completed enough investments to be confident of the potential for delivering opportunity to millions of lower-income people via seed investing in innovative startups that serve them. There is no question as to the need… Read more >
Hippocampus Learning Centres partners with Grameen Koota
May 3, 2012 – Media Exposure, Unitus Labs, Unitus Seed Fund
A Profit-Driven Approach to Affordable Education: A Review of Hippocampus Learning Centers Government schools across India are haunted with serious issues. Teachers are absent 25 percent of days and teaching less than 55 percent of the time. This contributes to the low enrollment rates across the country, standing at a mere 37 percent of 361… Read more >
Unitus Capital raises $5m for Forus Health
April 27, 2012 – Press Release, Unitus Capital
Unitus Capital advises Forus Health on raising $5 million from Accel Partners & IDG Ventures in India Bangalore, April 26, 2012: Bangalore-based affordable medical technology and solutions company Forus Health Pvt. Ltd. (Forus) has successfully raised Series A funding of $5 million from two leading venture capital funds, Accel Partners and IDG Ventures India. Unitus… Read more >
Unitus Seed Fund invests in Villgro Innovation Marketing
April 11, 2012 – Press Release, Unitus Seed Fund
Unitus Seed Fund is excited to announce that we’ve made our 4th seed investment in 2012 in Villgro Innovation Marketing based in Chennai! Villgro Innovation Marketing (VIM) is building an innovative last mile rural distribution business starting in the South India state of Tamil Nadu. They are focused on distributing affordable, high value-add agriculture and… Read more >
Surprising results with homeless pilot in Chennai
March 26, 2012 – Unitus Labs, Update
Unitus Labs has published the fifth and final case study from the Sorenson-Unitus Ultra Poor Initiative, a report that explores how the Equitas Bird’s Nest pilot was able to successfully stabilize housing for extremely poor homeless families in Chennai, India. Equitas Development Initiatives Trust (EDIT) launched the program in 2009 with a simple premise –… Read more >
Updated India BOP statistics
March 18, 2012 – Unitus Seed Fund, Update
Last year, Omidyar Network presented a very helpful report called Inclusive Innovation which referenced some recent statistics on the size of the BOP (the base of the economic pyramid) population in India. India’s BOP represents 835 million people and $360 billion in disposable income SOURCE: McKinsey Global Institute; Global Insight; EIU Read More > Tags: base… Read more >
Why social entrepreneurs need to think about exits
March 13, 2012 – Unitus Seed Fund, Update
As a startup entrepreneur, you are mostly thinking about how to survive and getting to the next milestone next week or next month. And then an investor inevitably asks you, “what are your most likely exit opportunities?” Your first thought is “why the heck is that even close to a relevant question for me to… Read more >
ENCASH raises $2.56 million for rural ATMs in Philippines
March 7, 2012 – Press Release, Unitus Capital
Electronic Network Cash Tellers, Inc. has raised USD 2.56mn equity capital from funds managed by Incofin Investment Management and responsAbility Manila, March 6, 2012: Electronic Network Cash Tellers, Inc. (“ENCASH”), the first independent ATM distributor in the Philippines, headquartered in Manila, is pleased to announce that they have raised USD 2.56 million from Rural Impulse… Read more >
2011 Unitus family update
February 13, 2012 – Unitus Capital, Unitus Equity Fund, Unitus Impact, Unitus Labs, Unitus Seed Fund, Update
Update from Unitus family on activities and progress in 2011 towards our poverty impact mission 2011 has been an exciting year for the Unitus family. Thanks to your help over the years we have been able to continue our tradition of high impact innovation. A few highlights from 2011: Birthed two new initiatives: Unitus Impact… Read more >
Unitus Seed Fund launches in India with three seed investments
February 5, 2012 – Press Release, Unitus Seed Fund
New Unitus Labs Initiative Seeks to Accelerate Development of Innovative Startups Which Have the Potential to Significantly Benefit Families Living on Less Than $2 Per Day Seattle, WA and Bangalore, India, February 6, 2012 — Unitus Labs, an international non-profit focused on reducing global poverty through economic self-empowerment, is launching today the Unitus Seed Fund,… Read more >