ONO Raises $1.2M Pre-Series A Led by Aeravti Ventures to Scale Agri-SME Lending
Bengaluru-based Agri-Finance startup ONO has raised $1.2 million in a Pre-Series A funding round led by early-stage venture capital firm Aeravti Ventures, with participation from Tremis Capital and a clutch of angel investors. The fresh capital arrives as the company scales its data and AI-led post-harvest infrastructure for Agri-SMEs and prepares for a larger Series A round.
The announcement, made on May 19, 2026, marks Aeravti Ventures' second cheque into ONO, having previously led the company's seed round. According to Tracxn data, ONO has now raised a cumulative $1.81 million across four prior rounds, with its last reported post-money valuation pegged at ₹34.8 crore ($4.12 million) as of November 2024. The latest round signals deepening investor conviction in ONO's thesis of building structured financial and market infrastructure for India's fragmented agricultural value chain.
Building the Post-Harvest Data Layer
Founded in 2021 by Rama Rao Kancharapu and David Pokuri, ONO operates a data-first fintech and market linkage platform that addresses long-standing inefficiencies in India's post-harvest supply chain. The platform offers real-time intelligence around pricing, volumes, logistics and market behaviour, enabling faster payments, improved price realisation and reduced transaction risks for farmers, commission agents, traders, transporters and buyers.
The company's proprietary underwriting infrastructure has delivered a 0.05% non-performing asset (NPA) ratio across ₹100 crore of co-lending — a benchmark that underscores the strength of its data-led decisioning. Operationally, ONO has built scale across 12 states and over 125 districts, serving more than 1.3 lakh ecosystem participants. The platform counts over 2,000 paid subscribers and has facilitated beneficiary payouts exceeding ₹200 crore.
Long-distance market linkages — often spanning over 500 kilometres — have enabled the movement of more than 25,000 metric tonnes of produce through ONO's network. Significantly, the company's Data and AI-led onboarding infrastructure has slashed frauds and defaults in long-haul agri trade transactions to below 2%, against industry benchmarks of 25% to 30%.
Founder and Investor Perspective
"Agricultural supply chain continues to operate with significant inefficiencies due to lack of structured data, trusted networks and timely access to finance. At ONO, we are building a technology and intelligence layer for the post-harvest ecosystem that enables stakeholders to make faster, smarter and more reliable decisions, and more importantly, get timely access to fair credit. With Aeravti Ventures continuing to back us in this journey, we are focused on scaling our lending and market infrastructure capabilities across India," said Rama Rao Kancharapu, Founder & CEO of ONO.
Deployment of Capital and NBFC Acquisition
The fresh capital will be utilised towards strengthening ONO's technology platform, expanding its presence across newer markets, deepening its lending infrastructure and accelerating ecosystem growth across the agricultural value chain. In a notable strategic move, ONO has acquired a significant stake in a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) to deepen its lending capabilities and strengthen credit access for underserved Agri-SMEs. The company is concurrently preparing for a larger Series A raise.
ONO at a Glance
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Latest round | $1.2 million Pre-Series A |
| Lead investor | Aeravti Ventures |
| Other participants | Tremis Capital, Angels |
| Total equity funding to date | $1.81 million across 4 prior rounds |
| Founded | 2021, Bengaluru |
| Founders | Rama Rao Kancharapu, David Pokuri |
| Geographic footprint | 12 states, 125+ districts |
| Ecosystem participants served | 1.3 lakh+ |
| Paid subscribers | 2,000+ |
| Beneficiary payouts facilitated | ₹200 crore+ |
| Produce movement enabled | 25,000+ metric tonnes |
| NPA on co-lending book | 0.05% across ₹100 crore |
| Fraud/default rate | Below 2% (industry: 25-30%) |
"ONO is solving one of the most critical infrastructure gaps within Indian agriculture, building trust, transparency and financial accessibility across post-harvest supply chains. The company's ability to leverage data and AI to unlock market access and reduce inefficiencies at scale strongly aligns with our investment thesis at Aeravti Ventures. Having partnered with ONO since its seed stage, we continue to remain highly confident in the team's execution capabilities and long-term vision," said Rishabh Singh, Managing Partner of Aeravti Ventures.
About Aeravti Ventures
Aeravti Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on backing transformative startups across sectors including Agriculture, Healthcare, Deeptech, and enterprise technology. The firm partners with founders building scalable technology-led businesses solving large structural challenges across India.
About ONO
ONO is an Agri-Finance startup building a data and AI-led fintech and post-harvest supply chain platform for India's agricultural ecosystem. The company leverages proprietary market intelligence, underwriting infrastructure and long-distance market linkages to improve price realisation, credit access and transaction trust for smallholder farmers and Agri-SMEs across India.