Nabventures marks first close of Rs.1,500-Cr second fund at Rs.450-Cr

Mumbai-based Nabventures, the venture capital arm of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), has raised INR 450-Cr in the first close of its second fund. The fund is targeting a total corpus of INR 1,500-Cr, which includes a greenshoe option.The firm focuses on investments in early- to growth-stage startups within the agricultural and rural sectors. The company plans to use the capital to support businesses addressing challenges across the agricultural value chain and rural markets. Key investment areas will include agritech, food and agribusiness, rural fintech, climate-smart solutions, and logistics. Additionally, the fund will target enterprises working on financial inclusion, sustainability, climate resilience, and livelihood creation.Nabventures was established in 2018 as a subsidiary of NABARD to invest in agriculture and rural development. The firm manages Fund I and the AgriSURE fund, and it has previously backed 23 enterprises, including companies such as Unnati, Eggoz, and Jai Kisan.