Latest news with #VasudhaMadhavan
United News of India
29-06-2025
- Automotive
- United News of India
EV 2025 : Funding futures, battery innovation drive India's EV ambitions
Chennai, June 28 (UNI) The day 2 of Entrepreneur India EV 2025 unfolded with high-octane Sessions, power-packed panels, and bold ideas aimed at accelerating India's electric mobility revolution. The conversations revolved around the transformative potential of collaborative financing, battery innovation, and policy-powered disruption--clearly underlining that India's EV dream is not just alive but charging forward. The day commenced with an insightful keynote address titled 'From 2 to 20 million: India's Ambitious EV Journey' delivered by Mr. Mahesh Babu, Global CEO, Switch Mobility. Setting the tone, he said 'India is not just adapting to change—we're driving it. From policy breakthroughs to grassroots innovation, the momentum in our mobility and technology sectors is unstoppable. But to reach the next milestone, we need more than just investment—we need intent, collaboration, and bold execution.' Addressing the summit Ms. Ashita Marya, CEO, Franchise India said 'India's EV journey is no longer about catching up—it's about leading with purpose. What we witnessed today is a powerful convergence of innovation, finance, and entrepreneurship. At Franchise India, we believe the future belongs to those who not only build sustainable solutions but also scalable ecosystems. EV 2025 is a clear reflection of that vision taking shape.' This was followed by a forward-thinking panel discussion: 'Unlocking the Future of EV Funding: Collaborative Funding, Technological Innovation, and Economic Impact.' Ms. Vasudha Madhavan, Founder and CEO of Ostara Advisors, moderated the panel, which featured Mr. Kunal Mundra, CEO & Founder, Astranova Mobility, Mr. Nandagopal R, President and National Business Head - Green Finance, Shriram Finance, Ms. Akanksha Sharma, AVP, Green Finance, Namdev Finvest, Ms. Nehal Gupta, Founder and MD, AMU Leasing Pvt. Ltd, Mr. Dev Arora, Founder and CEO, Alt Mobility. In her opening remarks, Ms. Vasudha Madhavan observed, 'In the last decade, we've watched India's EV ecosystem evolve from an idea to an industry. But today, capital isn't just a resource—it's the missing building block that can either make or break innovation.' Panelists emphasized the urgency of building trust, inclusivity, and accessibility within green finance. Ms. Akanksha Sharma noted, 'Financial inclusivity isn't just a metric—it's a mindset… we must look beyond documents and credit scores and start funding intention. That's how we unlock real, scalable impact.' Ms. Nehal Gupta said 'Capital is our raw material—and yet accessing it remains our biggest challenge. It's not enough to build assets; we need to build belief—in the model, in the mission, and in the future.' A deep-dive panel on battery technology followed, exploring the theme: 'Transforming Battery Manufacturing: Advanced Chemistries, AI, and Regulatory Dynamics.' In a powerful insight, Guru Punghavan, CEO, Boson Cell said 'Our initial venture was to recycle end-of-life batteries and retrieve the salts. Now, we've vertically integrated into cell manufacturing, which lets us produce low-cost lithium-ion cells—potentially even more cost-effective than Chinese cells in the EV sector.' As the event concluded its second day, EV 2025 continued to serve as a vital platform for thought leadership, innovation, and cross-sector collaboration. With impactful dialogues and clear calls to action, the expo reaffirmed India's growing momentum toward sustainable mobility solutions. UNI GV 1730
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Business Standard
22-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Climate technology startups stumble in a cold investment climate in India
Investment by private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) funds in the country's climate technology (tech) startups has seen a sharp fall, despite the big focus of the government on reducing carbon emissions and pushing for cleaner fuels. The reason: There is a big gap between startup climate tech needs for long-term funding and what VCs find bankable. According to data by research agency Tracxn, PE and VCs in 2023 put in substantial $1.66 billion in over 157 climate tech companies, with an average deal size of $10.57 million. But that number nosedived to $910 million in 2024, with the average deal size falling by half to an average of $5.5 million. And in 2025 to date, PE/VCs have put in a mere $270 million in the first six months of the year, but in only 37 companies — a third of what they did in the last year. The value of the largest deal this year to date has been in Euler Motors, which raised $75 million from the UK government climate fund British International Investment, a development finance institution of the UK government, and Hero MotoCorp in May of this year. The top five deals (which collectively received $188 million) until now accounted for over 68 per cent of the total PE/VC investment. Explaining the trend, Vasudha Madhavan, founder and chief executive officer of Ostara Advisors — which has facilitated deals worth over $125 million in the climate tech space, where they have focused exclusively for the past four years — says that they get a lot of demand for organising investments from startups in this space — ranging from agritech firms working on smart regenerative practices, Internet of Things-based models to make places and buildings more energy efficient, electric mobility, and companies in the recycling space, etc. But, says Madhavan: 'Only a few make the cut. One of our key criteria is that the company should be in a position to raise $2-4 million. Only then do we take them to the larger fund audience and support them at a strategic level. We come in at the Series A level — when the company is generating $2-4 million in annualised revenue and has some visibility towards profitability, even if it is at the earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation level.' She also points out that government policy support helps in making investors comfortable — for instance, Ostara is talking to companies in the solar space, where the government has a big role and a supportive policy. However, despite the problems, some of the key funds that have invested in the tech space include British International Investment (it has done two deals this year already), Zerodha founder Nithin Kamath's Rainmatter Foundation (two deals this year), UK-based EM Impact Capital, an independent investment firm focused on emerging markets (one deal this year), and Zurich-based responsAbility (one deal until now this year), which invests in climate finance and impact-driven startups, among others.
Hans India
06-06-2025
- Business
- Hans India
Accelerating Climate Action: How Indian Innovators Are Driving Sustainability on World Environment Day
Bengaluru: As the world comes together to mark World Environment Day, a wave of climate-conscious leadership is rising in India. Visionary entrepreneurs and businesses across sectors are stepping up—not just with promises, but with action. Whether it's backing climate-tech innovation, embedding sustainability in manufacturing, or revolutionizing urban mobility, leaders are reimagining how business can be a force for environmental good. Their message is clear: real progress toward a net-zero future demands collaboration, innovation, and purpose-driven investment. Vasudha Madhavan, Founder & CEO of Ostara Advisors, emphasizes the role of climate-tech in driving systemic change. 'On this World Environment Day, we reaffirm our commitment to driving sustainable change by supporting innovative climate-tech companies. Our mission is to connect visionary entrepreneurs with the capital they need to build a greener, cleaner future for India and beyond, helping accelerate the journey to net zero. Together, through collaboration and conscious investment, we can speed up the transition to a low-carbon economy and create lasting environmental impact. Let's use this day to inspire action and embrace sustainability in small day-to-day choices we make in our lives.' For IDEMIA Secure Transactions (IST), sustainability is embedded into product design and operational processes. Matthew Foxton, India Regional President and Executive Vice President of Branding & Communications at IDEMIA Group, shares, 'At IDEMIA Secure Transactions (IST), environmental sustainability is thought into everything we do. On World Environment Day, we reaffirm our commitment to reducing environmental impact across our operations, from eco-designed products to improved manufacturing and service processes. Initiatives like GREENPAY and GREENCONNECT reflect how IST incorporates environmental considerations into secure payment and connectivity solutions. We follow a clear path: reduce, reuse and recycle, while partnering with responsible suppliers and driving resource efficiency across our value chain. At IST India, this commitment comes alive through energy-efficient practices, waste reduction, and community-driven initiatives.' In the mobility space, Routematic is leading efforts to reduce emissions through smarter corporate transport. Sriram Kannan, Founder & CEO of Routematic, notes, 'This World Environment Day, as the global focus sharpens on curbing pollution, we're reminded that sustainability must be embedded in every layer of business operations, including how we move people. With ESG goals reshaping corporate strategies, businesses are rethinking employee transport and Routematic is proud to lead this shift. As India's leading AI-driven Corporate Transport-as-a-Service provider, we combine AI-powered route optimization, shared mobility, and EV integration to reduce emissions and resource use. Serving 300,000+ users across 23 cities, and targeting 30% EV fleet adoption, we're building a corporate mobility ecosystem that's smart, responsible, and truly sustainable.' Together, these voices signal a transformative shift in how Indian businesses are approaching sustainability—through bold leadership, collaborative action, and innovative solutions that serve both planet and people.
