Rural commerce startup Rozana raises $22.5M in funding led by BII, others

Rural commerce startup Rozana has raised $22.5 million in funding to revolutionize rural ecommerce in India. Bertelsmann India Investments (BII) led the funding round, which included participation from Fireside Ventures, existing investors, and notable figures like Vivek Gupta, co-founder of Licious. 

The funding will enable the startup to expand its warehousing and logistics capabilities, enhance its technology platform, and strengthen its team across various departments.

The genesis and growth of Rozana

Founded in 2021 by Ankur Dahiya, Adwait Vikram Singh, Mukesh Christopher, and Prithvi Pal Singh, Rozana has quickly established itself as a key player in the rural e-commerce sector.

With a focus on serving the needs of rural communities, Rozana operates across 13 districts in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, reaching over 12,000 villages. The startup's innovative hyperlocal e-commerce model leverages village-based "peer partners" for last-mile delivery, ensuring convenience and affordability for rural customers.

Empowering rural India through innovation

Rozana's model is not just about business growth; it's a mission to empower rural India. The company offers a wide range of over 5,000 products, making essential goods accessible to nearly a billion people in underserved rural markets.

The network of 18,000 peer partners, 90% of whom are women, plays a crucial role in this ecosystem, delivering orders to as many as 30 to 40 households in their communities. This system not only provides convenience to customers but also offers additional income opportunities for the partners.

Partnering with Binny Bansal's xto10x Technologies

The recent funding will also facilitate Rozana's collaboration with Binny Bansal's startup scaling platform, xto10x Technologies. The partnership will focus on warehouse design, last-mile delivery solutions, launching new product categories, and expansion strategies. 

“The opportunity in rural India is greatly underappreciated and this team is the ideal one to unlock it. The offering created by Ankur, Adwait and Mukesh is outstanding and it is hard to find a company with such consumer love,” said Rohit Sood, Partner at Bertelsmann India Investments. “The possibility to create meaningful impact in millions of lives excites us and we are thrilled to partner with Rozana on this journey,” he added.