Unitus Ventures, a early stage venture capital firm, onboards sustainability veteran Sanjiv Rangrass and global leader Raj Nooyi. Sanjiv joins the firm as the Venture Partner. He will lead the firm’s investment strategy in the Climate Sector, a focus sector for the next fund that Unitus will launch in early 2023. Raj joins as the Venture Advisor, and his global experience will help Unitus’ portfolio companies to scale globally.
Sanjiv has had a long and illustrious career of four decades at ITC Ltd, where he joined as a trainee and eventually became the CEO of the company’s agribusiness unit before retiring in June 2022 as the conglomerate’s Group Head for R&D, Sustainability, and Projects. He is an active investor and mentor to startups including unicorns such as Zetwerk and BlackBuck. He also has an envious track record of making investments in various agritech startups like Vegrow, Absolute Foods, Krishify, Farmart, Loopworm, and AgNext, to name a few. A trailblazer in sustainability, Sanjiv has also invested in climate focused companies like Metastable Materials, and Wastelink. Sanjiv is also an Independent Director and Board Member at Zetwerk.
Raj brings 35 years of experience of working with some of the world’s leading technology and services companies such as Hewlett Packard, PRTM, Tata Consultancy Services, and IBM. where he led the design, development, and implementation of solutions to improve supply chains, accelerate product innovation and effect organizational change at a global level. Alongside his industry engagements, Raj has remained committed to social justice and international development and has been associated with several non-profit organizations including Plan International where he served as the interim CEO.
Commenting on these appointments, Surya Mantha, Managing Partner, Unitus Ventures said “I have had the privilege of working with both Rangy (as Sanjiv is fondly called by everyone) and Raj. I have long admired their energy, business acumen, and inspiring leadership. As a firm, we are excited to welcome them both. They will play a pivotal role in supporting our portfolio companies in their next phase of growth and international expansion. Rangy’s extensive experience in agritech and sustainability will form the anchor for our investment strategy in the Climate sector for our next Fund. Raj brings deep global operating experience which will help our portfolio companies in their international expansion efforts.”
“For the past decade, Unitus Ventures has invested in early-stage founders building products and services for India’s masses. I am pleased to join the firm at this juncture as it adds climate to its investment strategy. The world today stares at a 8 Billion population where climate change is arguably the most important existential challenge it faces. Not surprisingly, there is a flurry of entrepreneurial activity addressing different aspects relating to climate change, ranging from sustainable agriculture to mobility and energy management. These are early days and the sector has massive potential for innovative new companies to emerge, which will create millions of jobs and investor value while addressing the challenge at scale. I am looking forward to working with the team to establish Unitus as the leading climate investor in India” added Sanjiv Rangrass, Venture Partner, Unitus Ventures.
Raj Nooyi on joining Unitus Ventures as Venture Advisor said “The world is increasingly looking to India as the engine for product innovation. “Built in India, for the World” is becoming the mantra in several sectors, the most notable of which is SaaS (Software as a Service). A deep pool of technical talent coupled with a large and demanding domestic market has prepared Indian entrepreneurs and startups to compete with the very best companies globally. I am excited about helping Unitus’ portfolio companies achieve international scale and success.”
