C4D Partners

We have achieved our second #exit this year, marking our sixth exit out of the thirteen equity investments in our India portfolio within six years of our Fund. We are happy to share that C4D Partners has partially exited from Freyr Energy Services Pvt Ltd. Our journey with Freyr illustrates our approach to creating a balance between meaningful impact and healthy financial returns. The renewable energy company has not only delivered #environmental benefits but also fostered #gender equity, along with generating a robust #ROI for its investors. Radhika Choudary Saurabh Marda Read the full story here: https://lnkd.in/gwAU9N_U

Amidst its triumphs and challenges, what we cherish the most of 2024 is the collaboration, support and growth we have experienced with our investors, portfolio companies, industry peers, and the team. As we close the chapter on a memorable 2024, here are our top 5 picks from the year gone by - #1⚡ Another year of strong impact combined with a good financial performance - 3 Exits achieved with Fund-1 achieving 51% DPI in its 6th year delivering an IRR of 15%. #2💪 The portfolio companies that remain are performing well, delivering both on impact and financial returns. Our annual portfolio event brought together the founders and leaders of our India portfolio companies, making it a remarkable event with insightful sessions for the entrepreneurs. #3🌟 We strengthened our leadership with the on-boarding of Gaurav Gupta and the promotion of Sowmya A. as Partners. Our leaders participated in several global and Indian industry events as speakers and delegates, gaining and sharing actionable insights. We also independently hosted an industry event, bringing together leaders and stakeholders of the impact ecosystem, which was an astounding success #4🤝 We have received commitments from new LPs to our Fund-2, the C4D Bharat Shubharambh Fund. We are thankful for the trust placed in us by the new investors. #5💼 We continue to build a strong pipeline for Fund-2. In the last 3 months, we have had the opportunity to assess 84 potential investee companies that meet our primary investment criteria and the evaluation of 20 of them is progressing. Along with the highs, we faced a couple of setbacks as well, especially towards the end of 2024, related to our anchor investor and to one of our portfolio companies. However, we continue to remain committed to delivering excellence, driving innovation, and fostering strong relationships with all those who make our journey possible. Thank you for being a part of our story. We have just begun and are all set to create even more success together in 2025! Wishing everyone a year of growth, health, and prosperity. #happynewyear #2025 #success #financial #growth #strongreturns #industry #relationships #events #innovation #business #impactinvesting #2024 #highlights #c4dpartners #wemindthegap

Impact investments or funding for positive social impact, along with strong financial returns, may not be a new concept for Indian investors. However, the dynamic model only gained traction in the past decade. Earlier, the landscape was dominated by not-for-profit organisations👇 But by 2010-2011, investors realised that creating a lasting impact required a more sustainable structure, something akin to the venture capital model. That shift in perception boosted domestic funds like Capital 4 Development (C4D) Partners, which has been making waves since 2017. C4D’s journey began in 2013, when it was known as ICCO Investments, a subsidiary of the Dutch NGO ICCO Cooperation. Backed by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it started with a $20 Mn fund and focussed on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across Latin America, Africa and Asia. By 2016, it had invested $15 Mn in more than 30 companies but ran into a host of challenges like regulations, limited partners’ lack of enthusiasm for evergreen funds and the need for stronger management ownership. The team spun out in 2017, rebranded as C4D Partners and hit the ground running. By 2018, it closed the $30 Mn C4D Asia Fund, while ICCO Cooperation was later acquired by Cordaid Investment Management. C4D prefers businesses that grow steadily, around 40-50% annually, without relying on aggressive sales tactics. It also uses stress-test models to ensure portfolio companies can weather harsh conditions and remain cash flow-positive. “We don’t need 100x growth,” said founder and CEO Arvind Agarwal. “What matters is manageable, sustainable growth and profitability within a year or two.” Inc42 had an exclusive conversation with Arvind Agarwal, who discussed the evolution of impact investing in India, C4D Partners’ investment thesis and where the industry is headed. Read more: https://4-2.co/3AZhAjl #Inc42InDepth #investments #interview

"We have proved that impact investing can deliver solid financial returns and real societal changes," says C4D Partners Founder and CEO Arvind Agarwal as he shares his thoughts in the latest edition of Inc42 Media's Moneyball series. Within six years of fund life, we have achieved - ● 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝘀: Delivered 45% DPI at the fund level and 51% in India. ● 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝗻𝘀: Commit to invest at least 30% of Fund AUM in women-owned or women-led businesses (WSMEs). 42% of our portfolio comprises WSMEs and 58% in India. ● 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁: Our portfolio is not just 100% ESG compliant, but our businesses actively solve various social and environmental issues, such as reducing 73.8k+ tons of CO2 contribution, creating jobs for the underserved with employment generated for 20.2k+ people, and partnering with 778.4k+ smallholder farmers and suppliers. In his interaction with Inc42 Media's Meha Agarwal, Arvind speaks about the impact investment space in India, C4D's journey, strategy, robust track record in the country, and our upcoming Fund-2. Read the full interaction here - https://lnkd.in/gtywsrW7 #interview #inc42 #moneyballseries #impactinvesting #esg #business #startups #financial #environmental #social #roi #c4dpartners #wemindthegap

With sustainability and innovation in focus at C4D Partners, we believe that biotechnology is one of the most exciting and impactful sectors to watch. Advancements in biotech are revolutionizing industries. From life-saving medical treatments to agricultural sustainability, the potential of biotech to transform global quality of life is immense. At C4D Partners, we believe that biotech has incredible growth potential, but like other impact-driving sectors, it requires patient capital to deliver sustainable results and drive meaningful change. And hence, we're blending our deep sector knowledge and passion for innovation to identify and support the next generation of biotech leaders. Through our upcoming Fund-2, we seek to invest in early-stage biotech businesses across Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, Med-tech, Agri-tech, and Bio-IT/Services. If you're an early-stage biotech company looking to raise capital, you can reach out to us at - https://lnkd.in/dnmZ5Bct You might also like to read our recent article on investments in the advancement of research and technology in the agriculture space - https://lnkd.in/dDc7VtEQ Let us know your thoughts in the comments. For more updates on the latest funds, investments and innovations, stay tuned! Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) #biotech #healthcare #pharma #medtech #agritech #agriculture #investments #funding #business #innovation #startups #india #c4dpartners #wemindthegap

At C4D, we do not say we're family. We're a team that supports, values, and empowers each other. We have open conversations, celebrate each other's successes and support each other in the face of challenges. We freely share our opinions, our stories, our difficulties, and also our laughs, and, of course, our food! We believe these little things make us a close-knit group and a great team! As we celebrate Diwali back home with our families, here's sending a token of love and happiness your way, from ours to yours. Once again, Happy Diwali 🪔✨ #diwali #india #team #c4dpartners

Wishing you and your loved ones, a prosperous and joyous Diwali 🪔✨ #diwali #india #festivaloflights #c4dpartners #wemindthegap

We'll be at the 𝗚𝗜𝗜𝗡 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘂𝗺 next week! C4D Partners will be represented by our Founder & CEO Arvind Agarwal and Managing Partner Gaurav Gupta, at one of the largest events of the impact investment space hosted by The Global Impact Investing Network in Amsterdam on October 23rd and 24th. As we continue to achieve milestones in our Fund-1 and resolutely raise our Fund-2, we look forward to sharing our updates, experiences, and outlooks while connecting with industry peers to engage in meaningful conversations and explore new synergies. If you're in Amsterdam next week and would like to meet, we'll be there between 21 and 25 October. Please feel free to reach out! #impactinvesting #events #giin #business #fundraising #investorrelations #c4dpartners #wemindthegap

An invigorating melody of waves, inspiring conversations and insightful workshops summarize our C4D Partners Annual Portfolio Meet 2024. Organized in Goa between the 4th and 6th of October, this year's portfolio meet was designed around the theme 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲. Following the theme, sessions that would aid individuals to keep moving ahead in their professional and personal lives were organized. We began with a refreshing morning session of Yoga by Kamala Bharadwaj, Founder of Satya Yoga Foundation, who followed it up with a wonderful discussion on Stress Management and Leadership — The Bhagavad Gita Way. Kamala described five phrases from the Gita, explaining wonderfully how leaders should approach stress. After this soulful session, we were joined by Yash Sandeep Kadakia from Fedex Securities for an informative presentation on IPOs. It helped our entrepreneurs understand the technical nuances of the process and how they can launch IPOs for their organizations to raise capital. While we understand that moving on from anything you have so dearly built is difficult, it is usually in the best interest of what you have built and often necessary - be it in personal life or business. With this thought in mind, we invited Dr. Aditi Raghuram for a session on Leadership Transition. The interactive session, with multiple engaging activities, approached the topic from an emotional standpoint and helped participants understand and realize where they stand in their journey, the emotions they might go through, and how they can manage those emotions to facilitate the well-being of their organization and themselves. We also had some delightful evenings, with a fun cruise dinner and an entertaining live music program after the day's sessions. We're happy to share that the leaders of our portfolio companies highly appreciated the sessions and shared that each session was informative and helpful. At C4D, we believe that events like these help people open up and connect more closely, thereby enhancing relationships. It is with this thought that we host events at all levels - company, portfolio, and industry - and continually try to build a conducive environment for all stakeholders. Thanking everyone who joined us, we must acknowledge that it was your energy and enthusiasm that made the event possible and truly memorable! Also, a big shoutout to our organizing team for bringing this fantastic event to life! We're already looking forward to the next one. For now, signing off with some great memories from the event. Stay tuned for more updates and insights from C4D Partners! #event #movingforwardwithapupose #c4dpartners #wemindthegap #leadership #teamwork #gratitude

Founder and CEO Arvind Agarwal and Managing Partner Gaurav Gupta will represent C4D Partners at the SuperReturn Asia next week in Singapore! At the event that hosts private equity leaders from across the globe, we look forward to insightful conversations with some brilliant individuals from the industry. We'll be in Singapore from 23 to 26 September for the event being hosted at Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre. Feel free to reach out to Arvind and Gaurav from our leadership team for a quick meeting. To register for the event, you can visit: https://lnkd.in/etiJCaZJ