Next Bharat Ventures held a forum to highlight importance of broad-based investment that helps solve social issues.
Next Bharat Ventures IFSC Private Limited (NBV), a Suzuki wholly owned subsidiary in India, has held its “Next Billion Forum 2026” in Bengaluru, India.
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The forum had the theme of “Viksit Bharat 2047 (Developed India)” for India’s 100-year anniversary of independence in 2047.
Forum participants engaged in active discussions and networking for aiming to create sustainable business for the “next billion people” regarding development in India and making social impact with leaders of industry, government and academia from India and Japan.
NBV was founded in 2024 to help solve social issues in India through business. In India, home to approximately 1.4 billion people, it has invested and supported impact entrepreneurs across a wide range of sectors, including agriculture, financial inclusion, supply chains, and mobility, to connect with the “next billion people” (beyond the approximately 0.4 billion people Suzuki has already connected through mobility).
Amitabh Kant, former CEO of NITI Aayog and former G20 Sherpa, Pawan Kumar Chandana, co-founder and CEO of Skyroot Aerospace, Yusuke Nakano, Mayor of Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka, Toshihiro Suzuki, Representative Director and President of Suzuki, Hideaki Domichi, former ambassador of Japan to India and Outside Director of Suzuki, Vipul Jindal, Managing Director and CEO of NBV, and approximately 300 people attended this forum.
Mr. Jindal presented the Impact Report, highlighting NBV’s achievements to date and the impact of its investment and business support activities at this forum. NBV has invested and supported twenty companies operating in sectors including food processing, agriculture, and financial inclusion. It says it has contributed to improved livelihoods and increased incomes for approximately 1.9 million people. One of the portfolio companies, Blackfrog Technologies, provides the portable vaccine refrigerator “Emvolio,” contributing to improved access to healthcare by enabling the safe and reliable delivery of vaccines in rural and remote areas.
In a fireside chat between Mr. Jindal and Mr. Chandana, they shared their experiences of growing their businesses while overcoming challenges such as fundraising, talent acquisition, and regulatory handles during the startup phase. They also spoke about the difficulties of getting a start-up on a sustainable growth trajectory.
In addition, the panel discussion was moderated by Mr. Kant and featured four companies that have been supported by NBV. Participants engaged in active discussions on how to address social challenges in India, including women’s empowerment, and urban-rural disparities in the adoption of healthcare and technologies.
Toshihiro Suzuki, Representative Director and President, Suzuki Motor Corporation said: “We are truly honoured to contribute to India’s growth together with all of you. Suzuki has built and grown its business alongside India for a long time. Based on this experience, we believe that supporting impact entrepreneurs leads to both solving social issues and achieving sustainable economic growth. We will continue to fully support them and contribute to realizing prosperity for ‘next billion people’ through co-creation connecting India and Japan.”
Amitabh Kant, former CEO of NITI Aayog and former G20 Sherpa said: “For India to achieve sustainable growth by 2047, it is essential not only promoting economic growth but also creating employment and fostering entrepreneurship in rural areas. NBV identifies entrepreneurs who are tackling various social issues and provides ongoing support through training, business assistance, and funding. These initiatives influence people’s lives and have an important role of rural development and entrepreneurship promotion, which are being advanced by the Indian government. I hope that this model will be widely shared with other companies and government agencies and expanded throughout India.”
Vipul Jindal, Managing Director of Next Bharat Ventures said: “India’s future will not be shaped by just a handful of unicorn companies. We believe that a lot of ‘elephant companies’ [see below note for definition] that create jobs in local communities and continuously improve people’s lives will be a driving force for the growth of next phase. For this reason, we have supported entrepreneurs who are committed to solving social challenges. Going forward, we will continue to take on the challenge of building a better future for India by contributing to improved livelihoods and sustainable growth through investments driven not by conventional industry or sector boundaries, but by ‘the issues that need to be addressed.’”
NB: An ‘elephant company’ is a company deeply rooted in the local community and engaged in sustainable and grounded business.
