Karo Sambhav raises Rs 56 crore from Rainmatter by Zerodha; aims to scale up critical mineral recovery

Karo Sambhav has secured Rs 56 crore in a Pre-Series A funding round led by Rainmatter by Zerodha, as the company looks to expand its capabilities in recovering critical minerals from electronic and related waste streams.The circular economy enterprise, which has spent the past nine years developing e-waste collection and recycling networks across the country, said the fresh capital will be used to expand infrastructure designed to recover valuable, precious and critical materials from discarded electronics and other waste streams.Established in 2017 and funded through internal resources until this round, Karo Sambhav currently operates two recycling plants, has built collection networks spanning more than 50 cities, and has processed over 150,000 metric tonnes of waste.

The company has also received recognition for its role in advancing India's circular economy, including the Social Entrepreneur of the Year India 2021 award from the Schwab Foundation of the World Economic Forum.Materials such as gold, silver, copper, lithium, tin, indium and platinum group metals are increasingly becoming strategically important due to their extensive use in electric vehicles, renewable energy equipment, defence systems, aerospace applications and consumer electronics.

With these resources concentrated in limited regions and often difficult to mine, extracting them from discarded products has emerged as an important focus area for India to strengthen supply security and reduce reliance on imports amid evolving geopolitical challenges.Viraj Joshi, Vice President at Zerodha and Rainmatter, said Karo Sambhav has delivered sustained execution and created meaningful impact at a systems level in a sector that remains challenging.

He added that Rainmatter supports organisations working on long-term solutions that promote resource efficiency and strengthen climate resilience.Founder and Chief Executive Officer Pranshu Singhal said the company’s efforts over the last nine years were aimed at preparing for this phase of growth. According to him, many of the materials required by India's manufacturing sector already exist within products that have reached the end of their lifecycle, and the new funding will help build the infrastructure needed to recover those resources in a responsible manner.