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					</table><p>Delhi-based solar irrigation services company <a href="https://www.oorjasolutions.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oorja Development Solutions</a> closed its Pre-Series A funding round, raising $1.5 million from six investors.</p>
<p>The company plans to use the funding to deploy agri-energy infrastructure for irrigation and milling and deepen operations in the existing and new states. It also plans to launch a B2B2C vertical to deliver solar irrigation solutions to agribusinesses and SMEs who engage with smallholder farmers for procurement.</p>
<p>The $300,000 grant from the Swiss Re Foundation will be used to deliver climate-smart farmer advisory services to help farmers diversify to high-value crops, reduce dependence on chemical inputs, and increase crop yields.</p>
<p>The company received $1.2 million in equity finance from five <a href="https://acumen.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Acumen</a>, <a href="https://www.elea.org/en/home-en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">elea</a> (a family trust advised by <a href="https://arthaimpact.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Artha Impact</a>), <a href="https://echoinggreen.org/signal-fund/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Echoing Green Signal Fund</a>, Partners Group via its employee-run impact investment association <a href="https://www.partnersgroup.com/en/about-us/our-sustainability" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PG Impact</a>, and <a href="https://www.1to4.ch/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1to4 Foundation</a>, and $300,000 in non-dilutive funding from the <a href="https://www.swissrefoundation.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Swiss Re Foundation</a>. These investors would join Oorja&#8217;s existing investor, Schneider Electric Energy Access Asia.</p>
<p>Oorja co-founders Amit Saraogi and Clementine Chambon said, &#8220;We are delighted to welcome on board reputed impact investors and funders who are aligned with our mission to decarbonize agriculture while putting the needs of smallholders first. Their support comes at a crucial time as we get ready to scale up from the regional to the national level, putting us on a path to profitability.&#8221;</p>
<p>Paraag Sabhlok, Associate Director, India Portfolio, Acumen, said, &#8220;We are optimistic about Oorja&#8217;s pioneering Pay-Per-Use approach to make solar technologies accessible and affordable for such farmers. We believe that Oorja&#8217;s solar-based agri solutions have the potential to drive higher farm output and better livelihood opportunities. At scale, the asset-sharing model will be critical in facilitating a just energy transition by reducing the use of diesel generators.&#8221;</p>
<p>Oorja was <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/mercom-winners-2023-renewable-industry-awards" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recognized</a> as the Best Off-grid Project for its innovative Pay-Per-Use Irrigation services for smallholder farmers at the Mercom India Renewables Summit 2023.</p>
<p>In 2021, Oorja <u><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/oorja-raises-funding-agri-solar-solutions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">secured</a></u> $1 million in seed funding from Schneider.</p>


Oorja Raises $1.5 Million to Deploy Agri-Energy Infrastructure


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					</table><p>Bengaluru-based <a href="https://oorja.energy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oorja</a>, a tech startup specializing in predictive modeling for clean mobility solutions, has secured $1.5 million in funding to support product development, facilitate market expansion, and make inroads in the European and North American markets.</p>
<p>The funding round was led by <a href="https://micelio.com/micelio-funds/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Micelio Fund</a> and <a href="https://www.capital-a.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Capital-A</a>. Java Capital, Anicut Capital, and Lead Angels also participated in the round.</p>
<p>Oorja employs a fusion of physics and machine learning (ML) to offer predictive modeling solutions tailored for engineers and designers within the electric vehicle (EV) sector. This approach simplifies intricate engineering challenges, expediting the shift towards clean mobility.</p>
<p>Their cloud-based platform presents a user-friendly method for optimizing battery packs, effectively tackling issues encompassing materials, range, capacity deterioration, thermal control, and cell design.</p>
<p>Vineet Dravid, Founder of Oorja Energy, said, “Physics-based tools that are currently used are complex, difficult to deploy, and slow down time to market. Our motivation behind Oorja has been to solve complex engineering problems at the design stage with a cutting-edge world-class product made in India. Our hybrid approach uses a combination of physics + ML to improve accuracy and speed up time to market.”</p>
<p>Oorja has been supported by the Indian Science Technology Engineering Facilities Map (I-STEM) program.</p>
<p>On the back of EVs gradually gaining traction in India, thanks to government subsidies, several startups working in the clean mobility sector have raised funds from angel investors, venture capital, and private equity funds. This has helped them boost their product design capabilities and facilitated their expansion in India and entry into international markets.</p>
<p>Recently, a parliamentary committee <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/parliamentary-panel-fame-program-by-two-years" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposed</a> extending India&#8217;s Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid &amp; Electric Vehicles program by two years beyond its March 31, 2024 deadline to help maintain affordable EV prices.</p>
<p>In 2023, India <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/electric-vehicle-sales-q2-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">witnessed</a> significant growth in EV sales, with a 66% year-over-year surge in Q2, reaching 371,340 units. India had over 2.4 million registered EVs as of June 2023 (excluding Telangana and Lakshadweep).</p>


Clean Mobility Solutions Startup Oorja Secures $1.5 Million Funding

<p><a href="https://www.oorjasolutions.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oorja Development Solutions</a>, a Delhi-based off-grid solar services provider, said it had secured $1 million in seed funding from Schneider Electric Energy Access Asia (<a href="https://www.electrifi.eu/schneider-electric-energy-access-asia-seeaa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SEEAA</a>).</p>
<p>The company will utilize the funding for agri-energy infrastructure projects and expand its operations and team in northern India. The funding will also help the company scale its operations in existing and new markets in India over the next 18 months.</p>
<p>The company aims to expand its consumer base in rural areas of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. It is expected to deploy 121 solar projects concentrated in 22 clusters, impacting up to 6,000 low-income houses by December 2022. These projects will employ 45 local community members and save around 200 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions by December 2022.</p>
<p>The company, backed by Cross Border Growth Capital, aims to empower 10 million farmers globally by 2030 with affordable solar-powered irrigation, milling, and cooling services.</p>
<p>Oorja said its consumers are farmers with a monthly income of less than $100. They save up to 50% by shifting from diesel to solar-powered green energy. The company estimates that users can enhance their farming income by 100% by expanding the number of growing seasons, cultivating new crops, and reducing post-harvest waster of horticultural produce.</p>
<p>The company has also received $180,000 in a grant from Water &amp; Energy for Food Grand Challenge (<a href="https://we4f.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WE4F</a>) and the <a href="https://www.advanceconsulting.nl/financing/grants/doen-foundation/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwwY-LBhD6ARIsACvT72NQp4ZgGIyQ1XzlSMEgtNHDcIPvQ5KyElwn1l4x0uy3FU8Ac3BZcm0aApM8EALw_wcB" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DOEN Foundation</a>. The grant has been awarded to install 18 agri-energy clusters benefiting over 30,000 farmers. It will also receive technical assistance to scale its innovations and expand its reach among women farmers.</p>
<p>In 2019, Oorja Development Solutions <a href="https://mercomindia.com/oorja-wins-100000-solar-pumps/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">won</a> the Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge for its community solar pumping systems implemented in rural India.</p>
<p>Oorja&#8217;s innovations are backed by social impact investors like Echoing Green and supported by the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship.</p>
<p>According to Mercom&#8217;s <a href="https://mercomcapital.com/product/1h-q2-2021-solar-funding-ma-report/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1H and Q2 2021 Solar Funding and M&amp;A Report,</a> in 1H 2021, global VC funding – including venture capital, private equity, and corporate venture capital – in the solar sector increased 680% to $1.6 billion, compared to $210 million in 1H 2020. In 1H 2021, a total of 85 investors participated in solar funding.</p>
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Oorja Raises $1 Million in Seed Funding for Agri Solar Solutions

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