How Hearth Ventures is supporting artisans and weavers
India’s tryst with art began back when not many civilizations even existed, but Indian traditional art is now dying a slow death. The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the problem, with thousands of artisans rendered jobless.
India’s tryst with art began back when not many civilizations even existed, but Indian traditional art is now dying a slow death. The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the problem, with thousands of artisans rendered jobless.
This is where VC firm Hearth Ventures has stepped in to "reimagine Indian craftsmanship". Founded in 2021 by Shefali Chhachhi, Vinayak Kamath, and Vipul Jain, the Mumbai-based VC firm specifically looks at investing in businesses that support Indian handicrafts and arts, as well as circular economy companies.
"We want to play the role of a "mentor fund" in the Indian handicrafts and arts sector, and we truly believe that there’s immense opportunity for success in this space," Shefali tells YourStory.
Other than the impact on the artisan and crafts community, Hearth Ventures also looks at entrepreneurial talent, economics, scalability, and proof of potential success among other factors while deciding to invest.
Currently, it has US-based Shobitam Inc under its portfolio with an investment of $1.27 million. It is looking to make three more investments in the next two quarters.
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Startup Spotlight
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News & Updates
- On International Women’s Day, OYO has rolled out ‘#WomenInCtrl’ — the global hospitality tech platform’s first women-only hackathon in India. With this initiative, is inviting women developers from across the country to create real-world, tech-first hospitality products for the Gurugram-headquartered company.
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- To mark International Women's Day, Hyderabad-based FLO Industrial Park in partnership with the Government of Telangana, announced the launch of operations by 25 women-owned and operated units at the park, representing 16 diverse green category industries.
- A staggering 43 percent of working women have purchased products under the BNPL scheme, according to #WorkingStree, a study conducted by IndiaLends on working women in the run-up to International Women’s Day.
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