# Next Bharat Ventures Next Bharat Ventures is a Venture Capital based in Gandhinagar, India. ## Overview - **Organization type:** Venture Capital - **Headquarters:** Gandhinagar, India - **Region:** Asia - **Address:** Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India - **Founded:** 2024 - **Assets under management:** Undisclosed - **Website:** nextbharat.ventures - **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/nextbharat ## Regulatory record - **Reports private funds:** No ## About Next Bharat Ventures is a subsidiary of Suzuki Motor focused on supporting impact entrepreneurs in India. It facilitates community building, strategic network facilitation, and patient capital investments to uplift the informal and rural sectors. Founded in 2024 in Gandhinagar, India, Next Bharat Ventures has made three investments, including a January 27, 2026, investment in MeMeraki. ## Sectors - AgriTech & FoodTech - Waste Management & Circular Economy - Livelihoods & Artisan Economy - Dairy & Livestock - Crafts & Culture - Social Impact ## People - Vipul Jindal — Managing Director, Founder and CEO - Sachin Ahuja — Founding Member & Head of Operations and Partnerships - Akari Arai — Founding Member and Programs - Naomi Ishii — Board of Director, Next Bharat Ventures; Representative Director & Executive Vice President, Suzuki Motor Corporation - Kenichi Ayukawa — Board of Director, Next Bharat Ventures; Executive Fellow, Suzuki Motor Corporation; Board of Director, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. - Kinji Saito — Board of Director, Chief Networking Officer, Next Bharat Ventures; Councillor, Global Marketing, Suzuki Motor Corporation - Kurachi Nobunari — Board of Director, Next Bharat Ventures; Department General Manager, Next-Gen Tech Development Div., Yokohama R&D Center, Suzuki Motor Corporation - Somya Mandal — Suzuki Innovation Centre ## Questions ### What is the relationship between Next Bharat Ventures and Suzuki Motor Corporation? Next Bharat Ventures is operationally independent but strategically tied to Suzuki. Four of its seven named board members hold senior positions at Suzuki Motor Corporation, including Representative Director Naomi Ishii and Maruti Suzuki India board member Kenichi Ayukawa. The firm's Chief Networking Officer, Kinji Saito, serves concurrently as Councillor of Global Marketing at Suzuki. This governance structure gives the venture arm unusual access to Japanese industrial networks without operating as a corporate venture capital unit in the traditional sense. ### How does Next Bharat Ventures deploy capital? The firm does not publicly describe a conventional venture fund. Its primary deployment vehicle is the Next Bharat Residency, a two-month accelerator program starting Winter 2026 that provides funding and mentorship to impact entrepreneurs. A separate one-to-three-year Fellowship Program backs translational academic research. An Agile Program launching November 2025 embeds corporate teams to co-develop solutions with portfolio companies over four months. No limited-partner structure or committed-capital vehicle is disclosed. ### Which sectors and geographies does Next Bharat Ventures target? The firm concentrates on India's informal and rural economy — what it calls 'India 2' (Tier 2 urban informal) and 'India 3' (small-town and village economies). Portfolio focus areas include agriculture and food processing, dairy and livestock supply chains, handicrafts and artisan livelihoods, waste management and circular economy, and agri-tech. Portfolio companies operate across at least 12 Indian states, with particular density in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, plus one agri-tech studio in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. ### Does Next Bharat Ventures make direct equity investments or fund commitments? The firm's website does not reference equity stakes, fund commitments, or participation as a limited partner. Its model is programmatic: founders join residencies and fellowships that combine grant-style or program-linked funding with operational support. There is no public evidence of balance-sheet venture investing, SPV formation, or co-investment alongside external institutional GPs. ### What is Next Bharat Ventures's posture on co-investments alongside external GPs? The firm does not publicly participate in co-investment syndicates, special-purpose vehicles, or club deals with external fund managers. Its disclosed activities center on proprietary residency, fellowship, and exchange programs, with corporate relationship-building focused on Japanese market access through Suzuki's network rather than financial co-investment. ## Related profiles - [Nextalia](https://altss.com/profile/nextalia) - [Next Big Ventures](https://altss.com/profile/next-big-ventures) --- Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/next-bharat-ventures Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology