In January 2014, the launch of the Indian Inclusive Innovation fund was announced by the National Innovation Council and the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. All these months the fund remained on paper, but now the newly elected Narendra Modi government has announced concrete steps that could see it becoming operational within this financial quarter (Q2) itself.
INDIA INCLUSIVE INNOVATION FUND CORPUS
The India Inclusive Innovation Fund (IIIF) will be a for-profit entity with a social investment focus and will invest and provide funding to social enterprises with the aim of maximizing social impact with modest financial returns
The total corpus of the fund will initially be Rs 500 Crores and will have a maximum limit of Rs 5000 Crores. The Government of India will pitch in with a contribution of Rs 100 Core in the first year of operations.The Fund will later on seek capital from a range of difference sources such as PSU Banks, Public Sector Enterprises, Multilateral Agencies, Corporates, PE Investors and investment firms
IMPACT INVESTING FUND INDIA
The fund will be operationalized through the creation of Trust and the setting up of an Assest Management Company(AMC), the AMC will be registered under the Alternate Investment Fund guidelines of SEBI.
The Government has already signed an MoU with IDBI Trusteeship Services Limited to act as Trustees to the Fund. A sum of Rs 16.5 has also been released to the NSIC for preparation of the registration documentation and completing the formatlities required to register the AMC.
FUND OBJECTIVES
The primary objective of the India Inclusive Innovation Fund will be to provide risk capital in the form of equity investments to social enterprises that intend to deliver new technologies and services aimed at enhancing the quality of life at the Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP). The fund will invest in companies at different stages of growth and for scaling up successful business models.