Breathe ESG is an enterprise SaaS company that builds an AI-enabled sustainability management platform to help organizations measure, report, and reduce their greenhouse‑gas emissions and manage ESG data and compliance across frameworks such as GRI, CSRD and BRSR.[4][3]
High‑Level Overview
- Mission: Make sustainability practical, affordable and accessible by centralizing ESG data, automating GHG calculations (Scope 1, 2 and 3) and producing audit‑ready reporting and Net‑Zero roadmaps for organizations.[3][4]
- Investment philosophy / For an investment firm: (not applicable) — Breathe ESG is a portfolio company / product company; it has raised pre‑seed and seed capital from investors including 100X.VC and others to scale product and international expansion.[1][5]
- Key sectors: Enterprise software for corporate sustainability, decarbonization analytics, built‑environment and real estate customers (early clients include WeWork, Embassy Group and other firms in the built environment according to company statements).[2][3]
- Impact on the startup ecosystem: As an India‑founded climate/ESG SaaS player, Breathe ESG contributes tools that lower the operational friction of ESG compliance for mid‑to‑large enterprises, enabling faster corporate adoption of reporting standards and creating demand for data, decarbonization services and implementation partners in the region.[3][2]
For a portfolio (product) snapshot:
- Product: An all‑in‑one ESG management platform (including a Breathe Zero module) that centralizes ESG metrics, automates Scope 1/2/3 emissions calculations, provides analytics, customizable dashboards, supplier assessment and generates framework‑aligned reports and audit logs.[4][3]
- Customers served: Corporates and real‑estate / built‑environment enterprises, sustainability teams and CSR program owners who must manage ESG data and reporting at scale.[2][4]
- Problem solved: Reduces manual data collection and calculation errors, creates a single source of truth for ESG data, simplifies compliance with multiple reporting frameworks and helps set and track decarbonization targets.[4][3]
- Growth momentum: Founded in 2022, launched product and secured pre‑seed/seed funding (including ~$315K pre‑seed from 100X.VC and broader seed activity reported), expanded pilot customers and signalled international expansion and feature rollout such as Breathe Zero.[1][5][3]
Origin Story
- Founding year and founders: Incorporated in 2022 and co‑founded by Karantaj Singh and Shaayak Chatterjee (reported founders) as a Bengaluru‑based startup.[1][2][3]
- How the idea emerged: The company positions itself as addressing widespread corporate difficulty with ESG data management and reporting — centralizing fragmented ESG inputs and automating greenhouse gas calculations to make reporting and Net‑Zero planning practical for organizations with limited ESG expertise.[2][3]
- Early traction / pivotal moments: Early commercial adoption by clients in the built environment (WeWork, Embassy Group, ESPL, Ethos cited by the company), product launch of the flagship platform and fundraising rounds (pre‑seed / seed) that funded product enhancement and international expansion plans.[2][1][3]
Core Differentiators
- Product differentiators
- Full‑stack ESG SaaS: Combines data centralization, emissions calculations (Scope 1, 2, 3), framework‑aligned reporting and decarbonization simulations in one product rather than point solutions.[4][3]
- Breathe Zero: Dedicated module for Net‑Zero planning and tracking backed by analytics and initiative libraries.[3]
- Developer / user experience
- Customizable dashboards, entity mapping, granular access controls and exportable audit logs to support multi‑entity corporate deployments and compliance workflows.[4]
- Speed, pricing, ease of use
- Emphasizes “easy to use” and customer‑first framing; automation of calculations and report generation reduces manual workload and speeds time to audit‑ready outputs (company claims).[4]
- Ecosystem & partnerships
- Reported strategic partnerships and pilots with large built‑environment firms indicate channel and industry alignment for implementation and consulting services.[3][2]
Role in the Broader Tech Landscape
- Trend alignment: Rides the accelerating global push for standardized ESG disclosure, Net‑Zero commitments and mandatory reporting regimes (e.g., CSRD and similar rules) that drive demand for automated, auditable ESG software.[4][3]
- Why timing matters: Regulatory tightening and investor scrutiny are forcing companies to move from one‑off sustainability initiatives to continuous, data‑driven ESG programs — creating a market window for enterprise SaaS that automates those workflows.[4][1]
- Market forces in their favor: Increasing corporate commitments to Net‑Zero, growth in Scope‑3 scrutiny, and the proliferation of reporting frameworks raise demand for platforms that can consolidate data and produce framework‑specific reports.[4][3]
- Influence on ecosystem: By lowering the technical and operational barriers to ESG reporting, Breathe ESG can accelerate corporate demand for implementation partners (consultants, decarbonization tech), create reproducible workflows for sustainability teams, and expand the addressable market for carbon‑reduction services in India and internationally.[3][2]
Quick Take & Future Outlook
- What’s next: Continued product maturation (advanced analytics, expanded Scope‑3 coverage), international expansion and deeper vertical integrations in sectors such as real estate, manufacturing and supply‑chain heavy industries are logical next steps given their reported direction and customer base.[1][3][4]
- Trends that will shape them: Regulatory convergence on mandatory ESG disclosure, standardized emissions accounting practices, and demand for verified audit trails will favor platforms that provide traceable, framework‑aligned reporting and Net‑Zero planning.[4][1]
- How influence might evolve: If Breathe ESG scales its enterprise footprint and integrations, it could become a regional leader for ESG compliance automation — driving higher expectations for data quality and creating commercial opportunities for decarbonization vendors and auditors in its ecosystem.[3][5]
Quick take: Breathe ESG is an India‑born enterprise climate SaaS aiming to simplify ESG reporting and Net‑Zero workflows with an integrated platform and growing corporate traction; its near‑term success will depend on deepening Scope‑3 capabilities, partnering across implementation ecosystems, and navigating the rising tide of mandatory reporting standards.[4][3][1]
Sources: company site and product pages, media profiles and funding reports from CB Insights, YourStory, Inc42 and the company’s website.[4][3][1][2][5]
