"Rozana Secures $22.5M Funding to Expand Rural Commerce"

Rozana, a pioneering rural commerce startup, has successfully secured $22.5 million in its latest funding round, with Bertelsmann India Investments (BII) taking the lead, alongside support from Fireside Ventures and existing investors.

Founded in 2021 by Ankur Dahiya, Adwait Vikram Singh, Mukesh Christopher, and Prithvi Pal Singh, Rozana is geared towards advancing its rural commerce reach with this substantial investment. The company's strategic plan involves expanding its warehousing and logistics infrastructure into new districts, bolstering its technology platform, and scaling up its workforce across technology, product, and operations teams.

Specializing in e-commerce and logistics tailored exclusively for rural India, Rozana currently operates in approximately 12,000 villages spanning 13 districts within Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

Ankur Dahiya, CEO of Rozana, emphasized the significance of this funding in further fortifying the company's logistics and supply chain infrastructure, thus broadening its reach and empowering rural communities with access to essential products.

With a formidable network of over 18,000 last-mile partners, predominantly comprising village residents, Rozana has earned substantial consumer appreciation, particularly with approximately 90% of its partners being women.

Expressing enthusiasm about the untapped potential in rural India, Rohit Sood, Partner at Bertelsmann India Investments, commended Rozana's remarkable offerings and the team's commitment. He expressed confidence in the company's ability to make a meaningful impact in millions of lives and underscored Bertelsmann's excitement to embark on this transformative journey with Rozana.

Rozana's strategic collaborations extend to working closely with Binny Bansal's xto10x to propel its vision of becoming India's fastest-growing rural commerce company. Through this partnership, xto10x will contribute expertise in various aspects such as warehouse design, last-mile delivery, technology integration, and category expansion.

Prior to this substantial funding round, Rozana had already attracted investment, securing $2.5 million in a previous round co-led by 3one4 Capital and Europe's IEG – Investment Banking Group.

HBL