In separate developments, tech startup Optimist has raised $12 million in a funding round, while Lok Capital has fully exited its investment in Osam Dairy.
Optimist raises $12m in seed funding
Optimist, a technology-led cooling solutions startup, has raised $12 million in a funding round led by Accel and Arkam Ventures, along with prominent angel investors.
Founded in 2024 by Ashish Goel (ex-CEO & co-founder of Urban Ladder) and Pranav Chopra, Optimist develops air-conditioners designed for India’s high temperatures and power constraints. The company says its products are built to operate reliably under extreme heat and limited electricity supply.
“India has a population of over 1.4 billion people, but less than 130 million have access to real cooling today. That gap is the real problem we are trying to solve,” said Ashish Goel, Co-Founder & CEO at Optimist.
Headquartered in Gurugram and operating in Bengaluru and Haridwar, the company develops cooling systems built to handle India’s extreme heat and limited electricity supply.
Lok Capital clocks exit from Osam Dairy
Lok Capital, an Indian impact investment fund, has exited its investment in Osam Dairy, a private dairy brand in Eastern India, following the company’s acquisition by Dodla Dairy Ltd. Lok Capital had invested in Osam Dairy in 2016, its other investor being British International Investment (BII).
Founded in 2012, Osam Dairy processes around 1.1 lakh litres of milk daily, sourcing directly from over 25,000 dairy farmers across Bihar and Jharkhand. The company operates a vertically integrated supply chain to procure, process, and distribute milk and dairy products in eastern India.
Lok Capital is an India-focused impact investor that supports scalable businesses across food and agriculture, financial services, and climate solutions. Since 2004, it has deployed over $350 million across more than 45 investments.
