Unitus Seed Fund, a leading venture seed fund that invests in start-ups that come up with products and services for the masses, has led a new investment round in VillFarm, a Bengaluru-based sustainable agri-inputs firm.
Other investors included Zurich-based Rianta Capital, angel investor R Ramaraj, and a group of non-resident impact and angel investors represented by Sunil Edwards.
VillFarm will use the money to build a portfolio of proprietary agriculture input products and expand its distribution network. VillFarm’s products are all organic or natural, for use across different soil types, crops and crop lifecycles, and have been validated on the field by farmers.
While most of the agri-inputs in the country are dominated by domestic and international inorganic chemical-fertiliser and pesticide majors, the use of organic and natural agri-inputs products is increasing. This demand has been taken care of mostly by small, local players. “There is a large potential to disrupt the agricultural sector by providing superior quality inputs that result in improved yields as well as farming sustainability,” says Dave Richards, Managing Partner, Unitus, explaining the firm’s investment in VillFarm.