Philanthropy Asia Summit: Indian rural-focused start-ups showcase growth by promoting livelihood of farmers

Key points

• Five Indian rural-focused start-ups showcased their growth stories, innovative business models and scaling strategies at the Philanthropy Asia Summit (PAS) here on Tuesday (May 19, 2026), highlighting how technology-driven enterprises are improving livelihoods and promoting sustainable development in rural India.
• The second day of the summit, themed “Innovation Spotlight", brought together innovators, start-ups and social enterprises working across agriculture, renewable energy, rural development and sustainable livelihoods.
• For dairy farmers Mumbai-based Digivriddhi (DGV), an integrated financial, insurance and marketplace platform for dairy farmers, highlighted how it has built a digital financial ecosystem serving nearly 10 lakh farmers in less than seven years.
• Operating across eight states, including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Maharashtra, DGV works with banks and financial institutions to bring small dairy farmers into the formal financial system.
• “The firm provides the financial foundation that rural dairy farmers never had,” said Sowmiya Venkatesan, Executive Director of DGV, during her...