IMPACT= Podcast with Vineet Rai, Founder and Chairman of the Aavishkaar Group

In this episode of the IMPACT= podcast, we talk to Vineet Rai, Founder and Chairman of the Aavishkaar Group – an impact investment platform that “exists to bridge the opportunity gap for the emerging three billion”.

Founded in 2001 by Vineet, the group comprises of Aavishkaar Capital – the groundbreaking impact investment fund manager, Arohan – a microfinance institution, IntelleGrow – a venture debt company, Tribe3 – a technology-enabled lending platform and IntelleCap – the global impact ecosystem builder. The group also manages Sankalp – a renowned global platform for engagement around impact investing.

Today the group manages assets of more than $1.2 billion, operates in over 50 countries, and employs over 7000 people.

Together they serve the needs of entrepreneurs with investments ranging from debt of US $150, to equity of $15 million, while aligning the group to 13 out of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals or SDG’s.

Vineet, who believes that impact investing has the potential to change the world of finance irreversibly, has received numerous awards including the Impact Investor of the Year by News Corp for 2016 and the Porter Prize for Strategic Leadership in Social Space.

In this conversation, Vineet shares his journey to becoming a pioneering impact leader, the challenges he faced and how he overcame them. He also shares valuable insights on investing in SMEs and start-ups, and offers advice to future impact investors.