India is no longer the nation with the largest poor population, thanks to great strides across several key industries. But the work is far from over.
Bringing Village Fresh Produce to Urban India
When Selvakumar Varadharajan, founder and Chief Executive of Laymen Agro Ventures settled in Bangalore to start a family, he and his wife soon began to long for the farm-fresh produce and dairy of their childhood that was not available in urban India. This prompted them to move back to Coimbatore to start a venture that would provide urban citizens with access to fresh agro-products while improving the livelihoods of small-holder farmers and rural youths in the process.
Upaya's Kicks Off Agribusiness Accelerator with Workshop in Bangalore
Happy Farmers, Happy Consumers
The Need of the Hour: Agri-Business Innovation
Farmers around the world face intense pressure. Steadily rising cost of inputs, combined with downward pressure on prices, and price volatility in general, make it difficult to predict how much income one can earn in any given season. Despite the grim trends, I am optimistic that dedicated entrepreneurs and creative business models can usher in the operational and technological innovations that are needed.
GlobalCitizen: This Woman Agripreneur Is Putting Sikkim on the Global Map
Woman agripreneur and Upaya Partner Siddhi Karnani of Parvata Foods is breaking stereotypes in the highly male-dominated agriculture industry in India. Read the article on globalcitizen.org >>
How does Upaya pick participants for its Accelerator Cohort?
Upaya Kicks Off Partnership with UpSkill
Upaya is pleased to announce the kick-off of our partnership with UpSkill Management Services, a Mumbai-based business focused on training unskilled workers for employment in sectors such as retail and auto repair.
How to Become A Successful Woman Entrepreneur
Earlier this year, we at Upaya wrote about the tenacious female founders in our portfolio and how their companies were outperforming the others. We asked them what piece of advice they would give to other aspiring women entrepreneurs. From their insights, several themes emerged. . .
Pioneering Capital: Opportunities for Impact Investors
In a piece written for NextBillion.net, Upaya's CEO, Sachi Shenoy, and board member, Nathan Byrd, discuss the challenges and opportunities around pioneering capital, and how impact investors can do so much more with much less.
Sanju, Rickshaw Driver
Kate Cochran Named GlobalWA's March Changemaker
Global Washington's March newsletter featured Kate Cochran, CEO of Upaya Social Ventures, as this month's changemaker. The article shares Kate's journey into international development, and how she ultimately became the CEO of Upaya.
Upaya Featured in GeekWire with UpSkill and Seattle University
Upaya Investee Featured in GloalWA's "Voices from the Field" Series
Mansi Agarwal, Founder & CEO of Upaya's newest investment, UpSkill, was recently interviewed by Global Washington Executive Director, Kristen Dailey, in a series focused on employment and skills training in the developing world. Watch the full interview from Global Washington to learn more about how UpSkill is creating dignified jobs for India's disadvantaged youth.
