Agritech-focussed venture capital firm Omnivore, which is a backer of companies like DeHaat, Pixxel, AgNext, Animall, and Bijak, among others, has made four appointments to lead key functions.
The VC firm, which has offices in Delhi and Mumbai, has roped in Arindom Datta as senior advisor from Rabobank. Datta served as executive director of rural and development banking/advisory at Rabobank.
Previously, he was the director of CARE India, a women-focused non-profit. He has also worked at the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development for more than 10 years.
With over three decades of experience, Datta’s wealth of industry insights will serve as an important asset in deploying Omnivore’s third fund, the venture capital firm said in a statement,
Meanwhile, Omnivore has also hired Aaushi Sharma as a senior associate and Michelle Nazareth as an associate. Sharma was previously a part of the leadership programme at Bayer Crop Science, which she pursued after completing her MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. She had worked with Honda R&D India and State Bank of India.
On the other hand, Nazareth was previously a consultant at Dalberg Advisors, which she joined after completing her postgraduate studies at The London School of Economics.
Moreover, Omnivore has also roped in Soumee Saha as the in-house legal manager from AZB & Partners, where she was working as an investment funds lawyer. She was previously associated with Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas.
The VC firm has also elevated Abhilash Sethi to the role of investment director. He joined Omnivore as a principal in 2018 and worked closely with several portfolio companies. He also led Omnivore's exits from Eruvaka and Mitra.
Omnivore is currently investing from its third venture capital fund. It marked the first close of its third fund at $150 million (about Rs 1,230 crore) in June. It is looking to close the Omnivore Agritech and Climate Sustainability Fund 3 at $175-180 million next year.
