Green sustainable construction startup Strawcture Eco has raised $375K in a series seed round from Social Alpha, Villgro Innovations Foundations, and Brigade REAP.
The investment round also saw participation from Rahul Talwar, Director of DLF Family Office, and HNIs.
Strawcture Eco prevents stubble burning by creating an alternative application for agricultural waste that provides better incentives to farmers. Further, the construction sector’s enormous carbon footprint, coupled with high-water requirements during the lifecycle of construction, makes the company’s bio-panels the ideal, impact-driven alternative.
Speaking on the funding, Shriti Pandey, CEO of Strawcture Eco, said: “We are a building material company focused on using alternative fibers to wood and other carbon-intensive raw materials to make value-added products. Our partnership with Social Alpha, Villgro Innovations Foundation, Brigade REAP is aligned to our vision of building a circular economy-based decentralized manufacturing model that uses 100% natural fibers to make our products and boosts the livelihoods of local farmers.”
Commenting on the investment in the construction startup, Nikhita Nadkarni, Director – Livelihoods & Prosperity at Social Alpha, said, “Strawcture Eco is an interesting company with multifold impact across climate, health, and livelihoods. Strawcture’s specialized product is a carbon-negative alternative to wood and other chemical-based construction materials, which reduce the time and resources required in conventional construction and help counter stubble burning by creating an alternative market for agricultural waste. Social Alpha is excited about the sustainable construction sector as we see great potential for several innovative, impactful, and market-creating products.”
“Strawcture Eco embodies Villgro’s philosophy – that climate action, when coupled with livelihood improvement, is a powerful force for change. Every farmer that sells their crop stubble to Strawcture, and every carpenter that works with the company’s eco-friendly material, effectively becomes a climate warrior. We are delighted to be an investor in Strawcture’s growth journey and look forward to building their capacity to scale not just their business but also their impact on society,” Ananth Aravamudan, Sector Lead, Climate Action said.
Further talking about the funding, Nirupa Shankar, Executive Director at Brigade Group & Director at Brigade REAP said, “We have been actively looking at the Alternative Materials space to deliver our vision of a Sustainable Real Estate organization. Every country in the world today is focused on ‘Sustainability’ and there is significant movement from consumers to adopt Sustainable products. Conservation of forests resulting in the need to look at alternate materials is gaining ground. India is no different.”
“We also see significant value in using Strawcture’s products across Brigade in meeting ESG goals. Brigade REAP’s investment vehicle PropTech@REAP is proud to be leading the change to sustainability in the Real Estate sector through Strawcture,” he added.