Investment firm AWE Funds has successfully secured $15 million for its inaugural fund in India, with a strategic focus on investing in innovative businesses across key sectors such as climate and sustainability, food and agriculture, healthcare, education, and fintech. With a mission to promote gender equality and combat climate change while generating lucrative returns for its investors, the gender-focused investor is ambitiously targeting an overall fund size of $45 million, with an additional green-shoe option of $15 million.
Backed by a coalition of esteemed international and India-based institutional investors, as well as High Net Worth Individuals (HNIs), the SEBI-registered fund boasts support from prominent figures including Zia Mody (Founder, AZB & Partners), Soumya Rajan (Founder and CEO, Waterfield Advisors), Padma Chandrasekaran (formerly with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), Divya Sampath (formerly of Microsoft), Ajay Prabhu (former COO, Quest Global), Ramakishnan Raman (Founder, aXYKno Capital), Vikas Chaturvedi (Founder, Valuecent), Sunil Srivastava (CEO, Ampera Life), Simran Jindal (Executive Partner, IBM Consulting), alongside other notable leaders.
Seema Chaturvedi, founding partner of AWE Funds, articulated the firm’s strategic vision, stating, “The fastest-growing market and an under-appreciated resource, in most countries, are women. By prioritizing gender equity and climate action—two interconnected imperatives—AWE Funds is uniquely positioned to identify investment opportunities that deliver superior commercial returns to our investors while catalyzing significant nation-building impact.
Our investments catalyze a virtuous economic value creation cycle, fostering sustainable and scalable multi-generational prosperity. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our early investors for their unwavering support and invite others to join us in this transformative journey.” The investment firm’s burgeoning portfolio includes promising startups such as Freshokartz, Remedico, Velmeni, and Agam International, showcasing its commitment to fostering innovation and sustainable growth across diverse industries.
