ACT Announces INR 1.43 Cr in Grant Funding for 5 Tech-First Ideas to Foster Social Impact

ACT, an Indian venture philanthropy platform that supports tech-first innovations to create social impact at scale, has announced INR 1.43 Cr in grant capital to 5 idea-stage solutions as a part of a pilot that aims to bridge the early-stage funding gap.

Social innovators in India often face a critical funding gap between idea and execution as traditional grant-givers seek deployment-ready solutions, while VC investors prefer market tested ideas. Without this build capital, founders often struggle to hire quality tech talent to build prototypes, slowing down the pace of tech-first social innovation. With this pilot, ACT is looking to enable aspiring social entrepreneurs to build, test, and iterate toward scalable social impact. 

The 5 recipients of ACT include:

• Sakshm AI: An AI-powered skilling solution, founded by Apurv Mehra, Sanchit Sharma, and Kashish Mittal, that tailors personalized learning journeys for Tier 2 and 3 graduates to specific tech job roles

• V-All: A gamified civic action platform, founded by Bindi Dharia, that enables individuals to discover volunteering opportunities that match their skills, interests, and availability

• RenewCred: India’s first carbon registry, founded by Abhimanyu Rathi, with a fully digital measurement, reporting & verification (MRV) process that integrates IoT, ML and blockchain technology to issue high-quality carbon credits in near real-time

• The Barabari Collective: A hybrid skilling platform, founded by Harihar Menon and Karthik Krishnakumar, that enables underserved youth develop practical tech skills while earning through freelance work, creating a pathway to both learning and livelihoods

• Supernan: A tech-first platform, founded by Neethi Bhat and Sriganesh TV, that trains and certifies women as professional nannies to enhance their livelihoods and connects them to parents in need of high quality childcare

ACT to Provide Mentorship and Advisory Support

In addition to capital, these social startups will also receive build support in the form of dedicated tech advisory by Sahaj Software towards building a minimum viable product (MVP) as well as targeted mentor connections on fundraising and business model strategy. 

Sowjanya Kanuri, Director at ACT, says, “When bold ideas are backed with timely funding support, they have the potential to solve some of Bharat’s most pressing challenges at scale. At ACT, we’ve seen firsthand how tech-driven innovations can create lasting impact when paired with sustainable business models. However, the lack of early build capital is a critical need and the absence of this funding can be a barrier for those looking to start ventures in this space. With this pilot, ACT hopes to unlock a pipeline of scalable innovations that build a more equitable and sustainable Bharat and we’re excited to work with these founders to convert their ideas into reality.”