{
  "id": 13134296,
  "title": "NABARD-backed NABVENTURES raises Rs 450 Cr for second fund",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/nabard-backed-nabventures-raises-rs-450-cr-for-second-fund",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-09T11:30:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "YourStory",
    "slug": "yourstory",
    "url": "https://yourstory.com/2026/10/nabventures-hits-rs-450-crore-first-close-for-second-fund"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development's (NABARD) venture capital arm, NABVENTURES, has successfully closed its second fund, amassing Rs 450 crore in initial commitments. The fund targets a corpus of Rs 1,500 crore, with NABARD serving as the anchor investor. Its primary focus is on technology-driven start-ups in the agriculture and rural development sectors. Established in 2018, NABVENTURES has already invested in 23 companies across India's agritech and rural startup landscape, including Unnati, Eggoz, Beyond Snack, and Jai Kisan. Fund II, with a focus on growth capital, aims to support enterprises addressing structural challenges in the agricultural value chain, including agritech, climate-smart solutions, supply chain and logistics, rural fintech, food and agribusiness, and other businesses driving rural transformation. NABARD's Chairman, Dr. Shaji Krishnan V, emphasized the significance of the First Close in advancing NABARD's commitment to fostering innovation across India's agriculture and rural economy. The fresh capital deployment comes amid a funding recalibration in India's agritech sector, with startups raising $202 million across 36 deals in 2025, a 25% decline from the $269 million raised in 2024. Despite the overall cautious sentiment in the broader venture ecosystem, established agritech operations continue to secure investments.",
  "summary": "NABARD’s venture capital arm has announced the first close of its second fund to back early- and growth-stage rural and agritech startups despite a broader funding slowdown in the sector.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}