IAN Alpha Fund, the second in the series of IAN Group’s VC funds, has co-led the ₹32.5 Crore funding round of Farm Watt Innovations, along with Rainmatter. The fresh capital will be utilised to strengthen the supply chain for India's rapidly expanding bioenergy sector, increase the number of biomass collection networks, construct additional aggregation hubs, invest in machinery, and develop its workforce. Founded in 2023 by Kumar Neelendu, Kumar Neelendu brings over 23 years of diverse leadership experience, with the majority of his career dedicated to rural development, spanning financial inclusion, agriculture, and sustainable livelihood initiatives. Since 2015, he has been actively involved in the renewable energy and bioenergy sector, working closely with European technology partners to secure the marketing rights for several advanced and future-ready technologies in the Compressed Biogas (CBG) industry. He has played a key role in introducing and commercialising these technologies across India and international markets. Recognising a critical gap in the emerging bioenergy ecosystem, Neelendu founded Farmwatt Innovations. He observed that while millions of tonnes of agricultural residue were being openly burned every year, the SATAT initiative had simultaneously triggered rapid investment in CBG and other green energy projects. However, there was no organised platform to connect biomass availability with the growing industry demand. Going forward, Farmwatt aims to expand beyond aggregation and technology integration by developing its own portfolio of CBG, bio-pellet, and biochar plants, creating a fully integrated circular bioeconomy platform that delivers environmental, social, and economic impact. Approximately 92 million tonnes of crop residue are burned annually in India, contributing considerably to soil degradation and air pollution while releasing an estimated 34 million tonnes of CO2 into the sky. In addition, India produces around 500 million tons of agricultural residue a year; much of it is underutilised even though it has the potential to be used as feedstock for renewable energy. The Government of India's SATAT (Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation) policy, which is propelling the swift growth of compressed biogas (CBG) facilities throughout the nation, has given this option even more impetus. However, the absence of a dependable, well-organised biomass supply chain that can produce high-quality feedstock on a large scale continues to be one of the industry's key problems. The investment underlines IAN Alpha Fund's conviction that India's clean energy transition would depend on a robust biomass supply chain. They have created a unique strategy that helps both farmers and bioenergy companies by fusing an organised aggregation network with a thorough understanding of rural markets. The company is well-positioned to grow as the need for biomass continues to rise, thanks to its seasoned founding team, expanding n
