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Hesa is a technology company.
Hesa operates as a unified commerce platform designed to empower businesses and consumers within India's rural regions. It serves as a tech-led bridge, enabling brands to connect with last-mile consumers through a phygital model that combines physical outreach with digital platforms. The company integrates elements of rural technology, fintech, and agritech to facilitate transactions, promotions, and value chain unification, fostering community engagement among local businesses and brands.
Vamsi Udayagiri, with a decade of experience in the rural supply chain, founded Hesa in 2020, bringing his extensive background from running successful rural-focused expos and initiatives like Rural Yellow. He was joined by co-founder Hema Nandiraju, who focuses on human resources strategy. Their insight stemmed from the observed rural-urban commercial divide, leading to the creation of a platform that leverages technology and human capital to address this disparity effectively.
Hesa primarily serves businesses looking to penetrate the vast rural Indian market, as well as the rural populations themselves, by offering access to goods and services. The company's vision is to stimulate rural economic growth by bridging the commerce gap and empowering these communities. It aims to create lasting impact by providing essential digital and physical linkages that drive economic participation and opportunity across remote areas.
Hesa has raised $4.3M across 2 funding rounds.
Hesa has raised $4.3M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Hesa has raised $4.3M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Hesa's investors include Vansh Oberoi, Aarushi Sharma, Faad Network, IPV, Venture Catalysts USA Chapter, Wells Fargo, Venture Catalysts | India's First Integrated Incubator.
Hesa is a rural tech company building a unified commerce platform that connects corporates, SMEs, banks, governments, and NGOs to rural India for buy-sell transactions, brand promotions, and social initiatives.[1][2][3] It serves rural communities, village entrepreneurs (Hesaathis), and brands by solving access barriers in over 650,000 villages through a mobile-first app combined with on-ground workforce, focusing on fintech, agritech, and FMCG sectors like banking, insurance, agricultural inputs, and daily essentials.[2][3][4] With 61-100 employees and strong growth via partnerships (e.g., HUL, P&G, Mahindra), Hesa drives rural commerce by enabling doorstep transactions, digital payments, and advisory services, empowering aspirational families and fostering economic inclusion.[2][4]
Founded in 2012 in Hyderabad, India, Hesa (Hesa Enterprises Private Limited) emerged from the founders' decade-long experience in rural domains; they are related and driven by a mission to "connect and empower rural India," addressing daily struggles like long commutes for banking, agri sales, or recharges.[1][2][3] The idea crystallized from observing urban-rural divides, blending social, physical, and digital elements into a phygital (physical + digital) platform led by village-level Hesaathis.[1][3] Early traction built on a user-friendly app supplemented by on-ground efforts, evolving into AgriTech and FinTech verticals, with full-time founder commitment and strategic funding to refine business models.[1][4]
Hesa rides the rural tech disruption wave in India's "Bharat" market, targeting the next billion users amid rising smartphone penetration, UPI adoption, and demand for phygital commerce in underserved villages.[3][4] Timing aligns with post-pandemic rural e-commerce boom and government pushes for financial inclusion, where market forces like agri digitization and FMCG expansion favor integrated platforms over siloed solutions.[2][4] It influences the ecosystem by empowering village entrepreneurs, bridging urban brands to rural demand, and fostering development across fintech/agritech, setting a model for scalable rural B2B2C marketplaces.[1][4]
Hesa is poised to dominate rural commerce as India's village economy digitizes, with plans to expand into savings, insurance, and deeper lending while scaling Hesaathi networks.[4] Trends like AI-driven agritech advisories and embedded finance will amplify its phygital edge, potentially onboarding millions more users via partnerships. Its influence may evolve from niche enabler to rural tech leader, redefining access for the world's largest rural population and delivering outsized impact on livelihoods. This positions Hesa as the bridge turning rural struggles into scalable opportunities.[3][4]
Hesa has raised $4.3M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $2.3M Pre-Series A in June 2022.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1, 2022 | $2.3M Pre-Series A | Vansh Oberoi | Aarushi Sharma, Faad Network, IPV, Venture Catalysts USA Chapter, Wells Fargo |
| Jun 1, 2021 | $2.0M Seed | Venture Catalysts | India's First Integrated Incubator |