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Imagine a startup turning India’s smallholder farmers into frontline climate warriors, not by fancy gadgets, but by blending ancient farming wisdom with cutting-edge tech. 🌾

Varaha is on a mission to transform degraded soils into carbon sinks, helping farmers boost yields and incomes while fighting climate change. From lush agroforestry in South India to regenerative fields in Punjab and Nepal, Varaha is proving that saving the planet can start right at the farm gate.👨‍🌾

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Let's dive in to know more!🚀

Table of Contents

• 🔎Setting the Stage

• ⚡Quick Take

• 📌Core Insights

• 🔍 Behind the Strategy

• 👥 Meet the Makers

CONTEXT
🔎Setting the Stage

1. In 2025, India saw its first major issuance of soil carbon credits to smallholder farmers, marking a breakthrough in bringing international climate finance directly to rural communities.📈

2. Early-stage activity in climate tech remains resilient, with three out of four deals in 2024 involving seed and Series A startups, highlighting a strong innovation pipeline.💵

3. India’s agriculture sector, employing 60% of the population, is emerging as a new frontier for climate tech, as smallholder farmers begin generating carbon credits through regenerative practices.🌱

⚡Quick Take

COMPANY BACKGROUND
📌Core Insights

• 🌏Headquarters: Gurugram, India

• 👥Core Team: 3

• 💼Business Model: Takes a percentage commission on carbon credit sales; partners with NGOS and agri-businesses for on-ground implementation.

• 🏢Founded: 2022

• 📈Traction: Varaha has onboarded over 100,000 smallholder farmers across more than 700,000 acres in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Kenya, and Tanzania.

🔍 Behind the Strategy

🤔What’s Exciting?

• 📊Market Opportunity: The voluntary carbon market is projected to reach $50B by 2030, and smallholder lands in Asia and Africa are largely untapped for high-quality credits.

• 🤖Tech-First Approach: Varaha’s use of satellite monitoring, AI, and blockchain addresses credibility and transparency-two major pain points in the carbon market.

• 🌏Global Partnerships: Early deals with blue-chip buyers like Google validate their model and open doors for scale.

🤔What’s Risky?

• 📝Regulatory Uncertainty: Carbon credit rules are evolving, and new regulations could impact project eligibility or economics.

• 🎯Competitive Landscape: Global standards (Verra, Gold Standard) and other tech startups are also vying for a slice of the carbon market.

• 🤝Farmer Adoption: Scaling farmer education and ensuring long-term commitment to new practices is a major operational challenge.

👥 Meet the Leaders