RenewCred (Net Zero Initiative Private Limited), a climate-technology company developing India’s first fully digital and science-led carbon credit standard and registry for the voluntary carbon market, has successfully closed a ₹4.15 crore seed funding round comprising both equity and grant capital.
The round was led by Campus Angels Network and also saw participation from Kairos Early Opportunity Fund, build3 Startup Studio, VentureStudio Ahmedabad University, Ideashacks Investor Network, ACT Capital Foundation, and Social Innovation Lab by CITI Bank–IIT Kanpur, along with several angel investors.
Abhimanyu Rathi founded RenewCred with support from a leadership team comprising Yogendra Panchal, Shilpi Saboo, and Kaushik Gupta, and together they are building core market infrastructure for high-integrity carbon credits with a strong focus on non-nature-based methodologies such as biochar, EV fleets, renewable energy, methane reduction, clean fuels, and industrial decarbonisation.
Notably, the company ranks among the earliest in India to operate as a purpose-built carbon credit standard and registry designed specifically for emerging market conditions, and through its platform, RenewCred aims to remove 2.0 gigatons of greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere over the next 14 years. At the center of its strategy lies its proprietary digital platform, Net Zero, which enables continuous monitoring, reporting, and verification through digital MRV at the level of each individual credit issued. Unlike legacy, document-heavy carbon systems, RenewCred integrates live data streams, scientific models, and automated checks, thereby reducing verification timelines by 75 percent, lowering transaction costs by over 50 percent, and significantly enhancing trust and auditability.
In parallel, the company works closely with a growing science network of domain experts who co-develop sector-specific methodologies, validate assumptions, and ensure that issued credits remain conservative, measurable, and defensible under global buyer scrutiny. Furthermore, RenewCred plans to issue its first set of carbon credits this quarter, marking a major milestone in operationalising a fully Indian, technology-native carbon market infrastructure.
Commenting on the vision, Abhimanyu Rathi, Founder & CEO, RenewCred, said, “Carbon markets today suffer from five structural problems: lack of trust, opaque data, slow verification cycles, high costs, and fragmented accountability. RenewCred is being built to solve exactly these failures. By combining rigorous science, a transparent standard, a live registry, and a technology platform that monitors every credit end-to-end, we are creating market infrastructure that is faster, more affordable, and fundamentally more credible. This round allows us to deepen our methodologies, scale Net Zero, and deliver carbon credits that buyers and regulators can genuinely trust.”
Echoing this confidence, Chandran Krishnan, Managing Director, Campus Angels Network, said, “What stands out for us is RenewCred’s clear understanding of the structural gaps in carbon markets and their focus on building credible, technology-led infrastructure. They are addressing a real problem with relevance for India’s evolving climate and compliance landscape. Through this investment, we are backing a team with strong scientific depth and execution capability.”
Similarly, Ashok Subramanian, Managing Partner, Kairos Early Opportunity Fund, added, “High-quality carbon markets will be built on technology, not paperwork. RenewCred’s decision to focus on non-nature-based credits, continuous data, and in-house standards and registry infrastructure positions them well for where global markets are headed. We see strong potential for RenewCred to emerge as a reference platform for credible carbon credits from India.”
Looking ahead over the next 9–12 months, RenewCred will focus on expanding its library of non-nature-based carbon credit methodologies, scaling the Net Zero digital MRV and registry platform, growing its science network and sector-specific expertise, onboarding project developers and buyers seeking transparent and continuously verified credits, and positioning India as a credible source of high-integrity, technology-verified carbon credits for global markets.
