Investment platform AWE Funds secures $15M in commitments

AWE Funds, a prominent investment platform focusing on gender smart investments in the US and India, has announced the successful first close of its Early Growth Venture Fund in India.

The fund has secured an impressive $15 million in commitments, with a target of reaching a total fund size of $45 million and the possibility of an additional $15 million through a green-shoe option.

AWE Funds aims to invest this capital with a mission-oriented approach, fostering gender equity and sustainability across five significant sectors in India.

AWE Funds’ first fund in India – Achieving Women Entrepreneurs Early Growth Fund I is a SEBI registered fund.  This fund has attracted investment support from blue-chip international and India based institutional investors and HNI investors including, Zia Mody (Founder- AZB & Partners), Soumya Rajan (Founder & CEO- Waterfield Advisors), Padma Chandrasekaran (formerly Gates Foundation), Divya Sampath (formerly 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) and many similar notable leaders.

Seema Chaturvedi, Founding Partner of AWE Funds, said, “The fastest growing market and an under-appreciated resource, in most countries are women. By focusing on gender equity and climate action which are very significantly and inextricably linked, AWE Funds team is uniquely positioned to identify investment opportunities that deliver superior commercial returns to our investors while unlocking serious nation building impact returns. Our investments unleash a virtuous economic value creation cycle that generates sustainable and scalable multi-generational prosperity. We are very grateful to our early investors who have supported us and invite others to join this movement,”

AWE Funds invests at the pre-series A and Series A rounds, in mostly post revenue companies. It is typically the first institutional investor catalysing additional sources of capital including other strategic and financial investors, by leveraging the vast domestic and international networks of its partners, especially in the India – US corridor.

The success of AWE Funds’ investment thesis has already been proven through its warehoused portfolio consisting of Freshokartz Agri Pvt Limited, Velmeni Inc., Agam International, which together have not only already helped over 250,000 women gain agency while enhancing sustainability, but have also already demonstrated significant financial returns to the investors.

AWE Funds has set the target of helping 30 million women globally to gain agency by 2030. It seeks to accomplish these targets by investing in companies that promote participation of women as owners, consumers, producers, employees, employers, leaders, supply chain and market makers. In doing so, AWE Funds additionally seeks measurable Climate Action (both mitigation and adaptation) and greenhouse gas reduction by and through its portfolio companies.