Focus on environmental, social, and governance grounds to reap investment benefits post-pandemic: Risers Accelerator

Rachit Chawla, Director – Finance and Technology, Risers Accelerator

New Delhi, 23rd January 2021, Risers Accelerator, a conglomerate of India’s top entrepreneurs and investors dedicated to empowering innovative startups, predicts that investing on environmental, social and governance grounds can turn out to be a profitable maneuver in the post-Covid era, as the government policies seem to favor the same.

India is already the world’s third-largest producer of renewable energy and has plans to have 40% of its total energy needs met from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030. Environment-friendly initiatives will receive full support from the government and will have a relatively easier time scaling the ladder of success. Naturally, the investors who spot this trend and invest in “green” startups will also be able to reap significant profits in the near future.

The renewable energy market has grown rapidly in India over the past 4 years, posting a robust CAGR of 17.33% between 2016 to 2020. According to www.ibef.org, the Indian renewable energy market will attract investment worth $80 billion in the coming 4 years. This means there is a myriad of opportunities for both the investors and the startups in the renewable energy segment.

The e-vehicle segment – especially – is getting a lot of attention, with companies like Tesla launching premium e-vehicle models. While those models aren’t in the affordable range yet, they’ve proven that the limitations that were attributed to e-vehicles can be overcome with innovation. They’ve also inspired other players in the industry – big and small – to venture into the segment and make the most of the opportunities. Experts are betting that the stocks in the electric vehicle supply chain will skyrocket in the near future as the world becomes more environmentally conscious and people grow averse to using fossil fuel based vehicles that cause environmental pollution.

The Covid-19 pandemic has proven to be a wake-up call for humanity and has opened its eyes to the damage it has been doing to the environment. It isn’t just India but the entire world that has sprung into action. Industrial countries in Asia, like China, Japan, and Korea have all vowed to become carbon-neutral this century and are pushing out initiatives for the same. In an era of globalization, this is a great opportunity for all the investors worldwide,” said Rachit Chawla, Director – Finance and Technology, Risers Accelerator.

Along with the renewable energy segment, EdTech is another prominent sector that will witness significant growth in the coming years. Given the rapid transition to online learning platforms that was forced upon us by the pandemic, it is being estimated that the EdTech sector will grow from $2.8 billion in 2020 to $10.4 billion by 2025. There are over 4500 active EdTech startups in the country and more than 500 were added in the last 24 months alone. The opportunities in this sector are plenty and those who enter it early will stand to gain the most. As an active investor and startup mentorship organization, we would advise both the investors and the entrepreneurs to venture into these domains. It always makes more sense to swim with the current rather than against it,” he further added.

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Neel Achary is the editor of Business News This Week. He has been covering all the business stories, economy, and corporate stories.