Aavishkaar’s next big move: a global fund

$232 million. That’s the figure on Vineet Rai’s mind these days. The founder and managing director of Aavishkaar, a Mumbai-based social venture capital firm that invests primarily in companies that address rural India’s unique needs, wants to achieve a combined corpus (funds under management) of the abovementioned figure. Why? Once it scales up to that size, Aavishkaar will become the…

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Exclusive: Acumen Fund India Head Steps Down

Meghna Rao, country director for non-profit venture capital investor Acumen Fund India, has stepped down from the firm within a  year of being appointed to the post. The India portfolio is now being overseen by Ankur Shah, who has been designated interim India country director, according to the firm’s website. Shah also leads the firm’s education investments here. Responding to…

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Lok Capital Changes Tack to Stay in the Game

Lok Capital, the Rockefeller Foundation-backed social venture capital firm, has emerged from a tough 2011 with a realigned investment game plan. From being focused only on the microfinance sector, the Gurgaon-based firm now has a broader mandate to invest in healthcare, education, employment services and other financial services businesses. The recast follows its declining fortunes in the domestic microfinance sector…

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