AgriSURE — ₹750 Crore Fund for Agri and Rural Startups, Tickets up to ₹25 Crore
Patient capital for high-risk agricultural innovation
AgriSURE was announced in 2024 as a blended-capital fund for agriculture and rural enterprise. It is a SEBI-registered Category II AIF with a ₹750 crore corpus — ₹250 crore from the Ministry of Agriculture, ₹250 crore from NABARD and ₹250 crore mobilised from banks, insurers and private investors — managed by NABVENTURES, NABARD's venture arm. The fund runs for ten years, extendable by two or more.
Capital moves through two routes. The Fund of Funds Scheme, with ₹450 crore, commits to sector-specific, sector-agnostic and debt AIFs that invest in agri and rural startups. The Direct Scheme, with ₹300 crore, lets NABVENTURES invest straight into startups. The target is around 85 startups, with tickets up to ₹25 crore for technology-driven, high-risk, high-impact ventures.
What the fund offers
| Item | Position |
|---|---|
| Ticket | Up to ₹25 crore per startup, subject to investment merit |
| Instrument | Equity, debt or blended capital |
| Routes | Direct investment by NABVENTURES, or through an AgriSURE-backed AIF |
| Focus | Farm value chain, FPO and FPC linkages, farm mechanisation, IT-based solutions, rural infrastructure, employment |
| Support | NABARD's rural network, FPO connections and mentoring alongside capital |
NABVENTURES and the AIFs
NABVENTURES' investment committee decides direct investments; AgriSURE-backed AIFs decide their own. The Ministry and NABARD sit on the fund's governance but do not select startups.
Agri and rural, technology-driven
- •Startup or rural enterprise in agriculture or allied sectors: agri-tech, food processing, animal husbandry, fisheries, supply chain, farm mechanisation, biotechnology, waste management, renewable energy, climate solutions
- •Technology-driven, with a high-risk, high-impact profile that commercial VCs under-serve
- •FPO- and FPC-linked ventures and value-chain businesses are explicitly in scope
- •Investment-ready: a proven model and a plan that justifies the ticket
- •DPIIT recognition expected for startups
What NABVENTURES' committee reviews
- •Certificate of Incorporation, DPIIT recognition, MoA/AoA, cap table and prior investment agreements
- •Audited financials for all years; management accounts; three-to-five-year model
- •Investment memo: problem, product, farmer or rural impact, value-chain position, traction
- •Evidence of impact — farmers served, FPO agreements, yield or income data
- •Regulatory approvals (FSSAI, seed or fertiliser licences, pollution consents) as applicable
- •Valuation basis; use-of-funds plan
- •Founder KYC, team CVs, statutory compliance record
Questions founders ask about AgriSURE
No. It is an investment fund; capital comes as equity or debt on commercial terms. The grant instrument for agri startups is the RKVY programme.
₹25 crore is the maximum; NABVENTURES and its partner AIFs invest across sizes. Early-stage startups usually enter through the fund-of-funds route via a partner AIF.
No, but FPO and FPC linkages are a stated priority and strengthen the case.
Yes, if it is technology-driven and sits in the agricultural value chain.