Villgro Innovation Nabs Seed Capital From Unitus Seed Fund


Chennai: An innovative rural distribution company, Villgro Innovation Marketing, has raised a successful round of seed funding from Unitus Seed Fund, a U.S. based investment firm, and a group of angel investors to further expand its operations in South India. Unitus Capital acted as a financial advisor to Unitus Seed Fund on this investment.

Chennai based Villgro Innovation Marketing is a rural distribution company, which is creating an affordable and low-cost rural distribution channel or access and advisory on sustainable products in agriculture, dairy, water and energy to improve rural livelihoods.

Founded in 2009 by Paul Basil and based out of Tamil Nadu, the company has an impact on over 360,000 rural users with technology and solutions reaching the grassroots. It has identified and activated more than 2000 social innovators. Villgro is a cash-and-carry business for distributing products which improve the livelihoods and living standards of small and marginal farmers in India.

According to the website of Unitus Seed Fund, Dave Richards, Investment, Rural Distribution, “We said Villgro that we are interested, but we need another co-investor to complete this seed round.” They were impressed by the great team and the direct and immediate impact that it was making on the rural population.

Unitus Seed Fund was founded in 2011 and makes seed equity investments in startups which have potential for improving the lives of those living at the base of the economic pyramid. It is a project of Unitus Labs, an international non-profit which focuses on reducing poverty through economic self-employment.