Upaya

Upaya, India

Upaya fight extreme poverty from the ground up by building scalable business, dignified jobs, and long-term prosperity in the world´s most vulnerable communities.

Nearly 256 million people in India are living on less than $1.90 per day. Living in extreme poverty means more hardship than simply earning a small amount of income. It means living with constant uncertainty. 

Extreme poverty means a daily struggle to survive, a life with no dignity. 

Upaya was founded on the simple realization that a ladder out of extreme poverty is rooted in sustainable jobs. Upaya started as an experiment, investing in four businesses in rural India that created almost 1,000 jobs within three years.

Upaya identify early-stage businesses with the greatest potential for job creation in the world’s most vulnerable communities. Through their investments and accelerator program, they help entrepreneurs grow their businesses and create jobs that lift families out of extreme poverty. Upaya invest in companies that are too small for commercial banks, venture capital, and other investors, but too large for microfinance institutions. These companies in the “missing middle” can create more jobs in vulnerable communities.

Interhands has been a Grantor of Upaya since 2016, with a yearly recoverable grant to finance their investments in India and other countries.