Our investment
Description of the investment.
Description of the investment.
This fund (Fund II) will be a continuation of Fund I’s strategy to back tech start-ups that democratise access to essential products and services for India’s next 400 million internet users. Fund I focused on agriculture/food, financial services, software as a service (SaaS), skilling and healthcare. Fund II will also invest in electric vehicle and manufacturing opportunities – in particular, the addition of the electric vehicle sector as an investment area at the cross section of inclusion and climate.
Impact information
Applies to investments made from 2019 onwards. The tabs in this section define what we expect to achieve through the investment, assessing the potential impact of the investment against six dimensions of impact. You can find more details on our methodology of assessing impact here.
Applies to investments made from 2019 onwards. The tabs in this section define what we expect to achieve through the investment, assessing the potential impact of the investment against six dimensions of impact. You can find more details on our methodology of assessing impact here.
What?
| Impact |
|---|
Arkam aims to improve the quality of life for underserved low-income beneficiaries, by investing in companies that are either providing good quality jobs in sectors such as manufacturing, or providing access to essential products and services across sectors such as financial inclusion and agriculture. |
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How?
| How? |
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Arkam aims to invest 30-40 per cent of capital in companies working in financial services and agriculture sectors. Arkam aims to invest 20-30 per cent of capital in companies creating good quality jobs for un-and semi-skilled workers. |
Who?
| Stakeholder | Geography | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Low-income beneficiaries that were previously unserved or under-served in terms of access to essential products/services. |
Pan-India |
Fund I track record: Low-income reach, disaggregated by sector: 40 per cent in financial services; 69 per cent in agriculture. |
| Blue-collar workers who are predominantly un-or semi-skilled. |
Pan-India |
Fund I track record: Low-income reach, disaggregated by sector: 70 per cent in skilling-tech; 69 per cent in agriculture. |
How much?
| Scale | Depth/Duration |
|---|---|
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Fund I track record: impacted over 82 million lives. We expect Fund II to impact over 100 million lives. |
We expect a significant portfolio of beneficiaries to improve incomes and quality of life because of Arkam’s companies. |
Contribution/additionality
| Contribution/additionality |
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Risk
Evidence RiskThis risk pertains to lack of availability of aggregable impact data, especially data pertaining to depth of impact. We are in discussions with the manager to conduct external verification of impact at least once through the fund life. This risk will be mitigated by instituting robust measures that allow routine measurement of impact. Execution Risk30-50 per cent of the portfolio will invest in sustainability which is a relatively new investing pillar for the fund manager. This risk will be mitigated by hiring quality teams. |
Impact score
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Impact score (at point of investment)
The Impact Score is a tool to help us manage our performance against our strategic impact objectives. It is designed to incentivise investments that support our productive, sustainable, and inclusive objectives. The Impact Score shown is based on the 2022-2026 Impact Score methodology. You can find out more here. The Impact Score is published for investments made from 2022 onwards. The Impact Scores are calculated at the point of investment. We publish the Impact Scores of new investments annually, once the information has been externally assured by an independent third party. |
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7 |
Environmental and social information
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Environmental and social summary
A high-level description of the environmental and social aspects of the investment. This may include a summary of key environmental and social risks identified during environmental and social due diligence (ESDD); key elements of an environmental and social action plan (ESAP); or ways in which we plan to support the investee improve environmental and social standards, such as through their environmental and social management system (ESMS); as well as any other priority areas agreed with the investee.
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Environmental and social risk
A risk category rating, which indicates the level of environmental and social risk associated with an investment. For an explanation of the categorisations used, see here. We consistently provide an environmental and social risk category for all investments screened from 2023 onwards.
Environmental and social summary
We agreed an ESAP focused on the improvement of the ESMS regarding roles and responsibilities, dynamic risk management, training, and reporting.
Environmental and social risk
Low
Reporting and Complaints Mechanism
The Reporting and Complaints Mechanism allows anyone outside BII to report alleged breaches of the business integrity or environmental and social provisions of BII’s Policy on Responsible Investing. This includes breaches made by BII, a BII investee, or a portfolio company of a fund in which BII has invested. The Reporting and Complaints Mechanism Rules are available here. Reports and complaints can be submitted by email to [email protected] or by mail. See more details on our Reporting and Complaints Mechanism here.
For any other general enquiries contact us at [email protected]
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Key facts
- First published
:
When the investment was first published on the website database.
- December 2024
- Last updated
:
When the last quarterly update of the website database occurred.
- June 2026
- Project number
:
An identifier number shared by investments in the same project.
- D6315
- Status
:
The current status of the investment (green flag for active and red flag for exited).
- Active
- Region
:
The geographical region where the country is located. We currently invest in Africa, South Asia, South East Asia and the Caribbean. In 2023, BII’s investment mandate was extended allowing it to invest in regional funds linked to Ukraine, with the majority of activity expected to begin post-war. Investments outside these regions were made prior to 2012 under previous investment mandates.
- South Asia
- Country
:
The countries where the investment delivers impact. Where impact is delivered in multiple countries, this is indicated.
- India
- Sector
:
We prioritise those sectors that facilitate development and need our capital the most. Our priority sectors contribute towards many of the Sustainable Development Goals. They range from investing in the power infrastructure that will provide people with better access to electricity, to investing in financial institutions that direct capital to the individuals and businesses that need it the most.
- Construction and real estate, Financial services, Infrastructure, Manufacturing, Technology and telecoms
- Investment policy :
- Growth
- Investment type :
- Fund
- Start date :
- August 2024
- Amount :
- $10m
- Currency of investment :
- USD
- Fund manager:
- Unitary Investment Management LLP
- Domicile
:
The company or investment fund’s place of incorporation.
- India
We provide capital in the following ways: directly – through direct equity, direct debt, guarantees and other non-intermediated financial instruments; and indirectly – principally through investment funds.
Type of investment portfolio that each investment is made under. Since 2014, we have run two investment portfolios: Catalyst and Growth. In addition, our Kinetic Portfolio enables us to manage concessional investment strategies.
For direct investments and fund investments, this is the date BII committed capital to the investments. This is typically the date on which legal agreements are signed by all parties.
For the portfolio companies of our fund investments, this is the date (either the month or the quarter) on which the fund committed capital to the portfolio company.
For direct equity investments, this is the date at which British International Investment exited the investment.
For debt investments, this is the date at which the final debt repayment was made.
For funds, this is the date at which the fund was terminated.
For underlying fund investments, this is the date at which the fund manager exited the investment.
The total amount committed, per financial instrument, per investment, on the date BII becomes subject to a binding legal obligation to provide funding or assume a contingent liability. This information is provided in US dollars.
For direct investments, this is the amount that BII has committed to the business or project. For fund investments, this is the amount BII has committed to the fund.
The currency in which the investment was made.
- First published
Investments made by this fund into companies:
For further information about these companies, visit https://www.arkamvc.com/
| Investment name | Country | Region | Sector | Fossil Fuel or Renewable Exposure | Start date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 91Trucks | India | South Asia | Manufacturing | June 2025 | Active | |
| Chara technologies Private Limited | India | South Asia | Construction and real estate | December 2025 | Active | |
| Draftspotting Technologies Private Limited | India | South Asia | Technology and telecoms | March 2025 | Active | |
| Eccentric Engine Pvt. Ltd. | India | South Asia | Technology and telecoms | March 2025 | Active | |
| Hyprbots Systems Private Limited | India | South Asia | Technology and telecoms | March 2025 | Active | |
| Kuhltherm Private Limited | India | South Asia | Technology and telecoms | December 2025 | Active | |
| Mirana Innovations Private Limited | India | South Asia | Manufacturing | September 2025 | Active | |
| Octolife Climate Solutions Private Limited | India | South Asia | Infrastructure | December 2025 | Active | |
| Smallcase Technologies Private Limited | India | South Asia | Technology and telecoms | June 2025 | Active | |
| Stoic AI Private Limited | India | South Asia | Technology and telecoms | December 2025 | Active | |
| TransBnk Solutions Private Limited | India | South Asia | Financial services | September 2025 | Active | |
| Vaya | India | South Asia | Technology and telecoms | March 2025 | Active |
