India-focused impact investment firm Next Bharat Ventures, led by Suzuki Motor Corporation, has launched its second fund, targeting a corpus of Rs 2000 crore ($210 million), per an announcement.
The two-year-old venture focuses on sectors like agriculture, rural supply chains, financial inclusion, healthcare, rural mobility, and AI, it said in a statement.
The initiative aligns with India’s national development priorities, including Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat 2047, by supporting locally built enterprises focused on job creation, improving farmer incomes, strengthening rural value chains, and promoting women-led entrepreneurship.
Founded in 2024, Next Bharat’s first fund had a corpus of Rs 340 crore.
“Our first fund is proof that impact and business can co-exist, and that strong businesses can be built and scaled around livelihoods and improved quality of life,” Vipul Jindal Nath, founder and CEO at Next Bharat Ventures, said in a statement.
“Our impact founders are innovators working on grassroots-level transformation while ensuring business output, with over 90% of our portfolio companies already heading towards profitability in their early years,” he added.
The firm has backed more than 20 startups, including MeMeraki, an Indian folk art marketplace; E-Bik, which provides e-mobility solutions for rural transport; SGB Agro, a mechanisation platform for small-holding farmers; and Atypical Advantage, a platform focused on employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
The startups operate across areas such as rural livelihoods, agriculture, mobility, and inclusion.
“Japan’s investment in India has always been rooted in a shared belief in India’s potential, and nowhere is that more evident than in our four-decade partnership,” said Toshihiro Suzuki, Representative Director & President of Suzuki Motor Corporation.
“The most important legacy is not the cars themselves, but the enterprises born from it—ordinary shops that became major dealerships, repair workshops that became auto-parts suppliers, and a single supplier that gave rise to entire SME ecosystems.”
In this way, he added, the platform has created an estimated 3,000-plus entrepreneurs across India, each a homegrown engine of local jobs and income.
Next Bharat Ventures said it also provides non-financial support to founders through mentorship, networks, and community initiatives. Its 10-day residency programme supports early-stage entrepreneurs through mentorship and equity investments ranging from Rs 1-5 crore.
The firm also runs the Why Club, a founder community aimed at enabling peer learning and collaboration among impact entrepreneurs.
