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India’s agricultural sector has long grappled with systemic inefficiencies — fragmented supply chains, limited price transparency, and restricted access to formal credit for small and medium enterprises operating within the ecosystem. Against this backdrop, Bengaluru based agri finance startup ONO has secured $1.2 million in a pre-Series A funding round, signalling growing investor confidence in technology led solutions for India’s post-harvest agriculture economy.
The round was led by Aeravti Ventures, a venture capital firm with a focused thesis on agri tech and deep tech investments in India. Tremis Capital and a cohort of angel investors also participated in the raise. Notably, this investment marks Aeravti Ventures’ second consecutive commitment to ONO, having previously anchored the startup’s seed round — a strong indicator of the firm’s conviction in ONO’s business model and long term trajectory.
Building the Infrastructure for Agri Finance
Founded by Rama Rao Kancharapu and David Pokuri, ONO has developed a data and artificial intelligence driven platform that addresses critical pain points across the post harvest agricultural supply chain. The platform equips farmers, traders, transporters, and buyers with real time market intelligence, pricing data, logistics support, and access to formal credit — tools that have historically remained out of reach for agri-SMEs in rural and semi urban markets.
Today, ONO operates across 12 states and over 125 districts, with more than 1.3 lakh participants active on the platform, upwards of 2,000 paid subscribers, and over ₹200 crore in beneficiary payouts facilitated. Equally notable is the platform’s credit quality — ONO maintains a non performing asset ratio of just 0.05%, a figure that stands in stark contrast to conventional industry benchmarks and underscores the robustness of its AI-driven underwriting model.
Strategic Expansion and NBFC Acquisition
The fresh capital will be directed toward strengthening ONO’s technology platform, geographic expansion, and deepening its lending infrastructure. Most significantly, the startup has acquired a stake in a non banking financial company (NBFC) — a move that repositions ONO from a pure play technology platform to a direct lending entity, considerably broadening its capacity to deliver formal credit to underserved agri SMEs.
The Road Ahead
ONO’s journey reflects a broader shift in how investors and entrepreneurs are approaching India’s agrarian economy — not merely as a social challenge, but as a significant commercial opportunity. With its expanding footprint, disciplined credit performance, and strengthened financial infrastructure, ONO appears well positioned to become a foundational player in India’s agri finance landscape.
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