Who We Are
“Never doubt that a group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. It is the only thing that ever has.”
– Margaret Mead
As a non-profit tech-led venture philanthropy platform, ACT is built upon the premise that an entrepreneurial mindset, technology & innovation and collective action have the power to create meaningful social impact at scale.
We are driven by a bias for action to catalyse social change through collaboration across the board – startup founders, VCs, industry experts, NGOs, government stakeholders as well as the public at large.
Our work is driven by a 3 pronged approach:
Capital
Providing hard-to-find, early stage risk capital to take long-term bets and additionally supporting portfolio founders in mobilising follow-on capital.
Connections
Leveraging ACT’s unique network to enable network connections and curate targeted, high value mentorship opportunities for portfolio founders.
Collectives
Building collaborative platforms and programs that bring together multiple partners around specific, more pervasive problem statements.
Our grants are given as seed capital to incubate and accelerate innovations that have demonstrated ability to address some of India’s most complex social needs. In addition to providing funding, we work with our grantees on their strategy as well as operations and help them harness the strength of our collective – through best-in-class industry mentorship that can enable them to build sustainable organisations.
Essentially we treat each grant as an investment in India’s future and thus, focus on ensuring that it yields a return by meaningfully shifting life outcomes.
Know More About Our ApproachOur Focus Areas
ACT For Education
Enabling the bottom three quartiles of India’s population to learn at home by harnessing the power of affordable, accessible and high-quality ed-tech interventions.
ACT For Environment
Catalyzing climate action through innovations for better air quality, effective energy transition, efficient waste management, water security, and land rejuvenation.
ACT For Health
Empowering cutting edge solutions that bridge the access and affordability gap on primary care, NCDs, TB, and mental health.
ACT For Women
Aims to accelerate India’s progress in workforce participation through data, tech-led platforms and collaboration.
Our Community Is Our Superpower
With the trust and goodwill we earned through our work during COVID, we’ve been able to leverage an incredibly unique and valuable network of individuals and organisations to power our platform.
Anjali Bansal
Bejul Somaia
GV Ravishankar
Mohit Bhatnagar
Paula Mariwala
Prashanth Prakash
Sandeep Singhal
Shekhar Kirani
Sudipto Sannigrahi
Vani Kola
This is just a snapshot of our ever growing collective - as we journey ahead, we hope to inspire more such individuals & organisations to deeply engage with us as partners, advisors & collaborators!
Our Impact 2023-24
40.56Cr
Invested
35
Innovations
supported
21
Mn
Lives
Touched
Our proof of concept is embedded in the incredible impact achieved by the 35 entrepreneurs we’ve supported in 2023-24:
Scaling reach
by 10x
From reaching just about 2 Mn individuals during the pandemic to 21 Mn by Mar 2024, 85% of whom belong to India 3
Raising 5x follow-on
capital
14 of our portfolio founders raised additional external capital as their solutions started to demonstrate tangible impact
Winning prestigious
awards
21 of our portfolio organisations gained prestigious national & international recognition for the efficacy of their solutions
Unlocking government
partnerships
17 of our portfolio organisations cracked government partnerships to unlock further scale and sustainability
Latest Updates From The ACT Collective
What Our Partners Have To Say
Divya Jain
Founder - Seekho
I find great purpose in supporting ACT's vision because their journey has shown that collective action can bring about meaningful change. What sets ACT apart is their resolute dedication to fostering inclusivity and building resilience. Furthermore, their tireless endeavours to address vital areas like education, healthcare, climate action and gender equity solidify my belief in ACT's unique and far-reaching impact.
Utsav Kheria
Co-Founder - Rocket Learning (ACT For Education)
“The ACT team is a team of doers - they operate from a founder's PoV and not from a funder's PoV. They've guided us with their technical expertise, connected us to other founders and evolved our thinking on the scale of impact. As founders, we constantly feel looked out for and know that our requirements & challenges are always a priority for ACT”
Roopa Kudva
Managing Partner - Omidyar Network
“ACT has shown a demonstrated ability to galvanise resources and talent, execute on ground and work with a network of frontline organisations.”
Dr. Aakash Ganju
Co-Founder - Saathealth (ACT For Health)
“We were able to scale our health solution to millions of underserved citizens only because of ACT’s timely support. The ACT For Health team understands the need of the hour and have been patiently supportive and encouraging of our efforts - we’re really glad that we have them as our funders and partners on this journey!”
Krutika Ravishankar
Co-Founder - Farmers For Forests (ACT For Environment)
"ACT For Environment has been a source of tremendous support for us - from connecting us to relevant stakeholders in the ecosystem to spending large amounts of time helping us refine our financial models and organisational strategy. In ACT, we have a great partner - one that we feel comfortable reaching out to for help on nearly anything!"
ACT Capital Foundation For Social Impact is a not-for-profit company incorporated and registered under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013. All donations made to ACT Capital Foundation are eligible for income tax deduction under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act.
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