Kinara Capital Stays Profitable

MSME relevance for 9 years

• Kinara Capital driving last-mile MSME financial inclusion had turned full year profitable in FY15 and continues the growth despite several industry odds.
• Kinara Capital offers asset purchase and working capital collateral-free business loans in the range of INR 1 lakh to 30 lakhs within a 24-hour disbursement cycle with an average ticket size of INR 8 lakh to 9 lakhs. The credit assessments are done with the help of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning based data-driven automated credit decisioning.
• Kinara Capital had raised USD 178 million from investors namely Sorenson Impact Foundation, Gaja Capital and IndusInd Bank.
• Over the last decade, Hardika Shah, CEO and Founder of Kinara Capital aided the MSMEs to flourish incorporating industries like auto components, textile, plastic and food products.
• Hardika Shah had been a champion of localization. Localized nuances helped her understand the pain points of the MSMEs which today stands as the pillar of this Srobust fintech.
• Kinara Capital was awarded the Gold Award as 'Bank of the Year-Asia' by the IFC/SME Finance Forum for their impact on SME Financing.

Hardika’s HerVikas

• Kinara Capital understands the pain of capital starved women entrepreneurs which led to the launch of HerVikas program in 2020, aiming to expand the ambit of empowerment to the emerging women entrepreneurs.
• By the 5th anniversary, HerVikas had redesigned the landscape of financial inclusion empowering women operated small businesses.

LIFE BEHIND THE CHAOS

• Born and brought in a Gujarati Family in Bombay, Hardika’s mother ran a provisional store.
• The Kinara Capital CEO begins her day with feeding pets and finds relaxation in experimenting variety of dishes like Sushi, Gnocchi and or even a local Kannada Speciality, Nuchina unde.
• Making lavender candles and olive oil soaps at homes rejuvenates the Fintech Founder.
• The founder’s Sundays see zoom calls playing Housie or Antakshari with family.
• Chances are high when the founder is not caught building one of the biggest unsecured lending platforms, you will find her with the sewing machine and charcoal painting too.

Editor’s Note

Hardika Shah’s mother ran a provisional store in Mumbai and aspired to create a chain which she could never translate due to lack of capital. The daughter went on turn the dreams of Indian MSMEs into reality. Series of funding, sound model and empathetic approach kept Kinara Capital profitable for 9 consecutive years.