Turiya Investments sets the benchmarks on socially responsible investing

Unlike typical venture capitalists, Turiya focuses on best-practices for ecology and community, a sense of ideals, and innovative business ideas outside the old paradigm of just software and tech

Even as technology-based companies continue to draw big money and investors, there is a niche but growing interest among investors to fund socially relevant ideas. One such name is Delhi-based Turiya Investments.

Started in 2019 by Luke Talwar, 27, Turiya Investments prides itself as an investment consultancy which, unlike old-school venture capitalists, focuses on responsible best-practices for ecology and community, a sense of ideals, and innovative business ideas outside the old paradigm of just software and technology.

As per the recent data published by Emerging Portfolio Fund Research, socially responsible investing (SRI) or ESG investments have seen record inflows of $168.74 billion in 2020 versus $63.34 billion in 2019.

"Most investment firms are primarily focusing on Internet driven industries and a lot of great businesses in different areas get neglected. We at Turiya Investments believe that you don’t necessarily need a fancy (educational) degree to get an investment. A good business idea and a zeal to make it happen is more important," says Talwar.

After a women’s self-help group of ten farming community ladies successfully supplied the pulp of Indian fruit jamun to a Nasik-based company, which manufactured wine from this pulp, Turiya Investments came into focus.

Devender Patel, a local social activist in Madhya Pradesh, put the investment firm in touch with this group known as Van Durga.

Turiya hand-held this group of farming women to procure de-seeding machines, pulping machines and the cold storage unit while teaching and motivating them to produce farm products for the end-use market. “We don’t typically see our clients through the proof-of-project stage, but we did this for Van Durga because we saw a lot of potential in their business idea,” Talwar says. The Van Durga project, which is an agro-forestry venture, is a Rs 16 crore investment for the company who identified Osmium Global as an investor.

Turiya Investments is associated with several high net worth investors (HNIs), and other investment firms to arrange funds which they further invest in these socially responsible ventures.

The firm has also invested in Lok Kavach Healthcare, which has invented a new anti-viral coating (AVC) technology that acts against all harmful microbial activity including the coronavirus, bacterial and fungal spores. The company claims the product has gone through several tests for effectiveness, in European and Indian Labs, and its manufacturers say it’s a versatile anti-microbial solution that can be applied to any number of surfaces, as well as cloth, to insure this material against harmful microbial activity.

The person behind the company is biochemical microbiology scientist Dr J R Rao. "The response for Lok Kavach has been amazing. We’re receiving a great response from direct consumers to property management organisations, hotels, gyms, etc. A lot of clothing manufacturers have also contacted us to work with them on antimicrobial fabrics. We are very confident that It’s going to be a game changer," says Talwar.

He adds that the businesses Turiya is investing in have a perfect combination of profitability, innovation, and great scalability.

"They are meant to grow immensely and make good returns for themselves and other promoters. If we get a great exit option, we will surely consider it, but that’s not the plan right now. The plan is to grow them responsibly and expand to newer heights," Talwar says.