Zero Poverty Ventures India Funds — Social Business Fund | Wisefolio

Zero Poverty Ventures India Funds

Cat II · Managed by Social Business Fund

We finance and support social businesses to end poverty and the climate crisis.

Private equity, private credit and real-estate funds that don't employ leverage except for operating needs. The largest AIF category.

Overview

About

Zero Poverty Ventures India Funds is a SEBI-registered Category II Alternative Investment Fund (Reg. No. IN/AIF2/23-24/1377) managed by Navaka Social Business Fund Private Limited (formerly Yunus Social Business Fund Bengaluru Pvt Ltd). Founded on the philosophy of Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus's 'social business' model, the manager was established in 2017 as an RBI-regulated NBFC dedicated to providing non-dilutive, patient debt capital to Indian social enterprises. The fund — internally described as the 'TaS WASH and Waste Fund' — is specifically dedicated to investing in enterprises addressing water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH), and waste management challenges, sectors central to poverty alleviation and environmental sustainability. Operating from Bengaluru, the manager has disbursed ₹67 crore to approximately 30 enterprises across waste, agriculture, education, and livelihoods. The founding team — led by Suresh Krishna and Vinatha M Reddy, themselves co-founders of Grameen Koota (now CreditAccess Grameen) — brings deep microfinance and social development roots. In 2025, the entity rebranded from 'Yunus Social Business Fund Bengaluru' to 'Navaka Social Business Fund' following the changed political context around Muhammad Yunus after August 2024.

Investment philosophy

Navaka Social Business Fund is rooted in the principles of 'social business' — using market-based tools to solve social and environmental problems, particularly poverty, waste, livelihoods, housing, healthcare, and agriculture. Guided by seven principles: social/environmental goals first, financial sustainability, repayment of investor principal (no dividends or further returns), reinvestment of profits, environmental consciousness, market wages, and doing it with joy. The AIF focuses on WASH and waste enterprises that combine tangible impact with business viability — providing long-term, patient loans and hands-on growth support delivered by local professionals who partner with social businesses rather than simply transact with them.

Team17

Raj Kumar

Fund manager

Portfolio & Investment Manager

Raj Kumar serves as the Portfolio and Investment Manager at Navaka Social Business Fund, overseeing investment execution and portfolio management across the fund's WASH and waste-focused enterprises.

Sai Kumar

Fund manager

Portfolio & Investment Manager

Sai Kumar is a Senior Portfolio Associate at Navaka Social Business Fund, supporting investment monitoring and portfolio company engagement across the fund's social enterprise portfolio.

Gayana Lakshmipathy

Fund manager

Portfolio & Investment Manager

Gayana Lakshmipathy is a Portfolio Analyst at Navaka Social Business Fund. She holds a Bachelor's degree and supports deal analysis and portfolio company tracking.

Suresh K Krishna

Founder, Managing Director & CEO

Suresh K Krishna is the Founder, Managing Director and CEO of Navaka Social Business Fund Pvt Ltd (formerly Yunus Social Business Fund Bengaluru). He is also a Co-founder of Grameen Koota (now CreditAccess Grameen), one of India's leading microfinance institutions. His work bridges social development, microfinance, and impact investing, with a focus on supporting businesses that solve poverty, waste, and livelihood challenges across India. He is the SEBI contact person for the fund.

Vinatha M Reddy

Founder and Chairperson

Vinatha M Reddy is a co-founder and Chairperson of Navaka Social Business Fund, and Managing Trustee of T. Muniswamappa Trust, a registered public charitable trust that provides the campus for the fund's Bengaluru office. She is also a co-founder of Grameen Koota (now CreditAccess Grameen), and has deep roots in the social development and microfinance sectors in India.

Registration

SEBI registration

SEBI-registered

SEBI registration no.IN/AIF2/23-24/1377

RegisteredNov 2023 (2 years ago)

Valid untilPerpetual

Contact personSuresh Krishna

AddressNo. 103 106 107, T Muniswamappa Trust Campus, Anjanapura Main Road, Avalahalli, JP Nagar 9th Phase, , Bengaluru 560 108, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560108

Investment manager

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Disclaimer

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