British International Investment (BII) - UK

The UK's development finance institution deploys over £200M in India, offering low-interest long-term debt and equity, with a focus on women-led and green startups. BII's India climate portfolio has surpassed $1 billion and its overall India exposure — its single largest country book — is valued at over $2.2 billion, spanning direct equity/debt tickets as well as fund-of-fund vehicles; one recent example is the $15 million IIDEA Fund launched with 3one4 Capital specifically to back women founders and non-urban innovators across energy transition, health, agriculture, deep-tech and manufacturing. As a founding member of the 2X Challenge, BII targets 30% of its new core investments toward women's economic participation, consistent with this scheme's stated focus on women-led and green ventures. Given BII's ticket sizes and infrastructure-heavy climate mandate, it is generally a better fit for scaling-stage companies with institutional governance already in place than for early-stage startups.