Rozana Raises ₹290 Crore To Expand Rural Omnichannel Retail

A rural-focused retail platform Rozana has raised ₹290 crore in a Series B funding round as it looks to expand its omnichannel commerce network across India’s rural markets.

The round was led by Bertelsmann India Investments, with participation from Fireside Ventures, Spark Growth Ventures, Bikaji Family Office, and FE Securities, alongside several family offices. The capital will support the company’s expansion into additional states, technology investments, and new product categories.

Founded by Ankur Dahiya, Adwait Vikram Singh, and Mukesh Christopher, the platform focuses on building retail infrastructure designed for rural consumers. The company currently operates in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, reaching more than one million rural households across approximately 21,000 villages.

Expanding Rural Retail Infrastructure

The latest funding comes as Rozana scales a hybrid retail model that combines digital commerce with physical retail infrastructure and community-led last-mile delivery.

The company runs a consumer-facing digital platform alongside a network of more than 75 retail experience centres supported by owned distribution infrastructure. The model is designed to address logistical and trust challenges that often limit the reach of conventional e-commerce in rural regions.

At the centre of this system are more than 35,000 women partners who operate within their local communities, acting as fulfilment agents and customer touchpoints. Their role includes assisting households with product selection, order placement, and deliveries.

According to the company, this community-driven model differs from the discount-led marketplace approach that dominates urban e-commerce platforms. Instead, the network emphasises local trust, physical product access, and assisted commerce.

“Rural India is home to nearly a billion people, yet the basic act of shopping has long lacked fairness, dignity and choice,” said Ankur Dahiya, Co-Founder, Rozana. “At Rozana, we are changing this by building trust through women partners, modern experience centres, and access to products that households can see and believe in. This funding will help us deepen our presence, broaden our categories, and continue empowering communities across Bharat.”

A Large But Underserved Market

India’s rural consumption economy represents one of the country’s largest untapped retail markets. Rural regions account for a substantial share of national consumption across staples, household goods, apparel, and personal care products.

The company estimates that more than 200 million rural households spend over ₹20,000 per month on consumer goods and everyday necessities. Over the past several quarters, rural consumption growth has also outpaced urban growth, reflecting rising demand for both essential and discretionary products.

Despite this scale, rural commerce has historically remained underserved by mainstream e-commerce platforms due to factors such as fragmented logistics networks, limited digital adoption, and lower trust in online transactions.

Rozana’s approach attempts to address these structural challenges by combining physical infrastructure with digital ordering systems. By embedding community partners in the supply chain and enabling assisted purchasing, the company aims to bridge the gap between traditional retail and digital commerce.

“Rozana founders are committed to dedicating their lives for rural transformation,” said Adwait Vikram Singh, co-founder of Rozana. “It is a means for wealth creation not only for investors but also an opportunity to create wealth for a community far away from the sector’s imagination. Our commitment through Rozana is for rural empowerment.”

Investors See Opportunity In Bharat’s Consumption Growth

Investors participating in the round point to rising rural demand and limited retail infrastructure as key drivers of opportunity.

According to Pankaj Makkar, Managing Director, Bertelsmann India Investments, the company has demonstrated operational growth while building infrastructure suited to rural markets.

“India’s next consumption wave will be won in Bharat’s heartland, and Rozana is building the kind of trusted, omnichannel retail platform that rural households actually need,” he said. “With revenue up 4x since the last round, Rozana has demonstrated both product–market fit and disciplined execution at scale. We are pleased to back the team again as they deepen their presence across the Gangetic belt, expand categories, and scale responsibly to serve many more rural households.”

Existing investors also highlighted the role of local partnerships in shaping the company’s model.

“It has been a privilege to be a part of the remarkable journey of Ankur and Adwait as they build Rozana into the defining digital commerce company for rural India,” said Kanwaljit Singh, Managing Partner, Fireside Ventures. “By empowering women in villages to become their partners, they are also influencing the social fabric of these communities. We are proud to continue to support them.”

Similarly, Rohit Sood, Partner, Bertelsmann India Investments, noted that embedding local entrepreneurs within the supply chain has helped build consumer trust in rural markets.

“The rural commerce opportunity is massive and underserved,” he said. “Rozana’s model is unique in the way it embeds women entrepreneurs at the centre of the supply chain and builds consumer trust in Bharat’s heartland, where traditional e-commerce has struggled.”

Scaling Across Northern India

With the new capital, Rozana plans to expand its retail network and technology infrastructure as it moves into its next phase of growth.

The company intends to increase the number of experience centres to more than 200 and enter two to three additional northern states in the Gangetic belt. Its longer-term goal is to reach around 130,000 villages.

The funding will also be used to strengthen its digital platform, broaden product categories, and develop private label offerings while building deeper partnerships with consumer brands.

Rozana’s expansion strategy reflects a broader shift among technology-driven retail platforms towards serving markets beyond metropolitan areas. While urban e-commerce adoption has matured over the past decade, rural regions continue to present significant opportunities for companies willing to build tailored infrastructure and distribution models.

For investors and startups alike, the segment represents a combination of high population density, rising purchasing power, and increasing digital access—factors that are gradually reshaping how commerce operates across India’s smaller towns and villages.

As platforms like Rozana expand their reach, the next phase of India’s digital commerce growth may increasingly be shaped by innovations designed for rural consumers rather than urban markets alone.