

Why Zerodha's Rainmatter is still writing climate cheques even as VCs pull back
₹350 crore. Rainmatter Foundation, which was set up in 2020 works as a different, non-profit entity which provides climate-related grants.While the firm's initial focus was on fintech, in the early 2020s, it ramped up investments to include industries like health and wellness as well as climate.Rainmatter’s stance comes at a time when many Indian venture capital funds have grown cautious on climate-tech, a sector that, despite early optimism, has struggled to deliver healthy exits or meaningful scale.Average cheque sizes in the segment have declined over the past three years, dropping from $52 million in 2023 to $28 million in 2024 and $27 million in 2025, according to data from Venture Intelligence, a private company tracking platform.“We never started investing in climate because other VCs were investing.
It’s not like we’re going to stop now because others have,” said Pai.Climate tech is an umbrella term that includes electric vehicles, sustainable agriculture, water management, circular economy models, waste recycling and more.In India, climate-focused venture capital has leaned heavily towards EVs and mobility, while private equity has largely backed renewable energy plays. Between 2022 and 2025, among the 10 largest climate-tech deals by venture capital, eight were in EVs.Most of Rainmatter’s climate-tech bets have spanned companies focused on recycling agricultural waste, climate insights, climate financing and controlled farming.
Alt Mat, Amwoodo, Aurassure, Climes and Ossus Bio are among the companies in its portfolio.“We’ve been conscious that EV and mobility have had a lot of access to capital. We’re focused on other sectors where capital is lacking,” Pai said.That said, the firm has not fully stayed away from
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