About Upaya
We envision a world where everyone has the opportunity to earn a dignified living and pursue their dreams. We believe in a hand-up, not a hand-out, and that access to sustainable, dignified jobs can be the bridge from poverty to prosperity.
Our mission is to create dignified jobs for the poorest of the poor by building scalable businesses with investment and consulting support.
We identify early-stage businesses with the greatest potential for job creation in the world’s most vulnerable communities. Through our investments and accelerator program, we help entrepreneurs grow their businesses and create jobs that lift families out of extreme poverty.
We invest in companies that are too small for commercial banks, venture capital, and other investors, but too large for microfinance institutions. These companies in the “missing middle” can create more jobs in vulnerable communities.
The companies in our portfolio represent some of the most challenging geographies and industries in India, where most investors won’t dare to go. We invest in under-served areas in order to benefit marginalized populations.
One investment has the potential to change the trajectory of an entire generation. We measure what matters, create cost-effective solutions, and maximize the impact of every dollar.
The Wicked Problem
Nearly 256 million people in India are living on less than $1.90 per day. Living in extreme poverty means more hardship than simply earning a small amount of income. It means living with constant uncertainty.
Extreme poverty means a daily struggle to survive, a life with no dignity.
Upaya was founded on the simple realization that a ladder out of extreme poverty is rooted in sustainable jobs. Upaya started as an experiment, investing in four businesses in rural India that created almost 1,000 jobs within three years.
Upaya started as an experiment to test the simple theory that that a ladder out of extreme poverty is rooted in sustainable jobs.
Jobs come in many forms, so we must ensure the jobs our partners create can and will lift families out of extreme poverty.
Upaya values collecting impact data, evaluating the results, and sharing it with our community.
Upaya’s model depends on finding the right entrepreneurs to achieve our mission of fighting poverty with job creation.
The “patient capital” we are able to provide is made possible by the generous donors who support us.
Upaya is deeply grateful to those institutions and individuals who make our work possible
Upaya has been grateful to collaborate with these organizations to ensure our partners can meet their growth capital needs.
Academic Partner
Upaya Social Ventures is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Seattle
508 Yale Ave N #214,
Seattle, WA, 98109
Bangalore
91 Springboard,
21 George Thangaiah Complex,
80 Feet Road, Near Sir CV Raman Hospital, Bangalore - 560038
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