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Smita Ram

@smitaram

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Co-founder @WeAreRangDe | Helping rural entrepreneurs get access to credit through peer to peer lending | Join us at | #techforgood

Bangalore
Joined January 2009
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
The current poverty line is approximately ₹157. Per person. Per day. I hope this number has caught your attention because it deserves much more attention than it gets.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
How rural women in Maharashtra proved RBI wrong Chetna Gala Sinha is one of India's foremost champions of financial inclusion for women. Living in the village of Mhaswad, she saw the struggles of rural women firsthand. Here's her incredible story -
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
Where can you find the best pineapples in India? 🍍 Nagaland! Does that answer surprise you? Trust me, nothing beats the taste of the fantastic pineapple that is grown in Nagaland and much in demand all over. (1/n)
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
In 1997, Mann Deshi Mahila Sahakari Bank, founded by the women of Mhaswad, became the first bank by and for the rural women of India. The bank not only creates financial products that help rural women but also encourages entrepreneurship and financial literacy.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
The current poverty line is approximately $1.90 - Rs.145. Per person. Per day. I hope this number has caught your attention because it deserves much more attention than it gets
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
PS : We are inspired by leaders like Chetna every single day of our work at @WeAreRangDe The Groundbreakers Fund is dedicated to the resilient spirit of women entrepreneurs in rural India and you too can invest in them.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
Today, the bank has helped nearly half a million women achieve their goals. And a true champion of women, Chetna proved that if given the opportunity, women can achieve anything.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
5 months later the women approached RBI again, this time with a challenge of their own. They asked the manager if his team could calculate faster than them, without a calculator. Impressed by their confidence, RBI finally approved their banking licence.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
It’s a shocking number. Poverty is not an individual failing and it is not a crime. But people like you and me can help those in need. If you can think of even one person to help, visit
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
Rang De is a platform that lets you lend to rural entrepreneurs in India (lend, not donate) with an amount as low as ₹100. Lending that creates impact and returns - it is possible. We have disbursed more than Rs.50 crores in loans to people from underprivileged communities.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
An Indian is the second richest person in the world. It's a little strange to see social media posts with people celebrating this. There are people who belong to the same country where poverty is still a fact of life for crores.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
When they approached RBI for a banking licence, they were rejected as most of the women were illiterate. Instead of giving up, the women took this as a challenge. Fuelled with determination, Chetna started a literacy program in the village.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
So the next time you think of poverty, think of ₹157. Per person. Per day. As Prof. Yunus says, Poverty should only be in museums. Let’s not turn a blind eye to people who are experiencing it.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
Kanta Bai was not even asking for a loan. This incident triggered Chetna to open a bank, especially for rural women so that they could save, no matter the amount. But another roadblock was awaiting the women of Mhaswad.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
When farmers no longer need credit from Rang De, we will call ourself successful. I know it sounds odd coming from the CEO of a lending platform. But let me explain.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
One day Kanta Bai Salunke asked for Chetna’s help in opening her bank account. She wanted to save enough money by monsoon to buy a plastic sheet for her house. The banks refused to open an account for Kanta Bai as they considered her savings to be insufficient.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
How one woman completely changed the microfinance sector 🌟 Back in the 1970s, Vijayalakshmi Das (Viji) was researching the money market in rural India for her postgraduation. For the first time, she truly saw the struggles of underbanked Indians with informal lending.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
“Poverty is like punishment for a crime you didn’t commit.” – Eli Khamarov
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
In 2017, @ram_nk and I had decided to shut down Rang De. RBI had come up with regulations for P2P lending. It meant we had to apply for an NBFC P2P license and relaunch @WeAreRangDe As per guidelines, we needed to have net owned funds of ₹2 crores to even file for the license.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
The bottom 50% population earns an average of Rs.4500 per month. We are building @WeAreRangDe for them.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
Remember this scene from Jolly LLB? The line has a much more powerful message than we think. What makes rural Indians migrate to cities? What compels them to leave their ancestral homes, their culture and even families? So, to answer the question - Kaun hai ye log?
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
“Anyone who has ever struggled with poverty knows how extremely expensive it is to be poor.” ― James Baldwin
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
Nervous excitement as we prepare to pitch. The stage is set! #Google #GFS
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
“Once poverty is gone, we'll need to build museums to display its horrors to future generations. They'll wonder why poverty continued so long in human society - how a few people could live in luxury while billions dwelt in misery, deprivation and despair.” ― @Yunus_Centre
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
Close your eyes and picture a farmer. Who do you see? Is it a man in a dhoti or a young boy, helping his family in the fields?
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
Would you believe me if I said that the milk you drink everyday is subsidised? In India, dairy farmers do not charge the true value of their milk. India produces 22% of the world's milk, largest among all other countries. Yet, the dairy farmers earn peanuts.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
On January 26th, 2008 Rang De went live for the first time! We were a one of a kind platform and the model instantly resonated with our peers. Some like us had just started their careers and were enchanted with our audacious goals. They were our early adopters.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
"Humans don’t mind hardship, in fact they thrive on it; what they mind is not feeling necessary. Modern society has perfected the art of making people not feel necessary.” — Sebastian Junger
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
Super excited for this! :)
@WeAreRangDe
Rang De
2 years
We're thrilled to share that Rang De and @smitaram are part of the inaugural cohort of Google for Startups Accelerator - India Women Founders. The cohort includes 20 women founded / co-founded startups, selected from close to 400 applications! @google | #googleforstartups
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
This is a celebration of all the women who have in one way or another contributed to the growth of women of Bharat through Rang De. And I am deeply grateful for that. @WeAreRangDe @DCWDelhi
@WeAreRangDe
Rang De
1 year
It was a proud moment for all of us at Rang De to have our co-founder @smitaram receive the International Women's Day award from the Delhi Commission for Women. This motivates us even more to continue our work towards enabling millions of women entrepreneurs from rural India.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
It was such a privilege to be a part of the inaugural cohort of Google’s accelerator program for women founders. Getting to know 19 other co-founders, sharing our problems, helping each other solve problems just brought us together as a community. @GoogleIndia @WeAreRangDe
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
7 months
Are Indian artisans celebrated enough? The painting you see below is an example of Gond art - a 1400 year old art form. Gond painting is a beautiful art form carried forward by artisans to preserve the culture of the Gond tribe. One such artisan is Bhajju Shyam.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
86% Indians don't have access to formal credit. They are rejected by banks and exploited by money lenders. Here's how @WeAreRangDe is changing this ↓
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
86% Indians don't have access to formal credit. They are rejected by banks and exploited by money lenders. Here's how Rang De is changing this ↓ Old way: - High interest rates - Fails to empower women - Borrowers have 0 autonomy on when, how much and how long they borrow.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
Thank you @YourStoryCo for this award and for encouraging the Rang De mission of enabling Bharat!
@WeAreRangDe
Rang De
1 year
It was a happening week for us at Rang De as @smitaram , our co-founder and CEO received the 'SheSparks of Bharat’ award at #SheSparks2023 . Thank you @YourStoryCo for the recognition and honour. Here's Meeha Tewari from the team who received the award on Smita's behalf.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
It took us 1 year to go from 6000 to 7000 social investors.  And just 4 months to reach 8000 investors at @WeAreRangDe This is where we are in our journey today -  ₹56.6 crores disbursed to rural entrepreneurs 17,352 loans fulfilled  Thank you to everyone who joined in!
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
Food, fun and some amazing conversations in today’s #thindihopping with @ajit_bhaskar
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
“Anyone who has ever struggled with poverty knows how extremely expensive it is to be poor.” ― James Baldwin
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
75 years on, 25% of Indians are still poor We’re all gearing up for India’s 75th year of independence but the sad truth is not all Indians are really free. If you are poor, you are trapped. You are not free to make decisions around healthcare, education, livelihood & nutrition.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
Today, @WeAreRangDe turns 3 as a NBFC-P2P! - 6311 social investors have joined the platform - 14,175 loans have been fulfilled for rural entrepreneurs from 18 states - Interest rates have been as low as 4 to 8% p.a. I thank everyone who has believed in Rang De's mission.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
Which is the only variety of apples that belongs to India? 🍎🇮🇳 McIntosh? Golden Delicious? Sunehari? The answer is Ambri apples. If you didn't know this, here's more ⬇️
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
If your story started from any of these states and you want to give back, @WeAreRangDe wants to get in touch - Madhya Pradesh Uttar Pradesh Bihar Jharkhand Nagaland We have something super exciting planned that will make you proud. Reply to this and I'll send you the details!
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
Barely any of us would picture a woman. But what if I told you that 75% of full-time workers on farms are women? There is no end to the issues our farmers face, but for women farmers, there is another layer of limitations.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
4 years
India is home to one of the richest traditions of handcrafted art. Communities over generations have weaved, knit, crafted and painted art. Today, they are among the poorest enterprises of the nation. Support the artisans by buying handmade. #HandmadeDilSe
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
While we talk about startups raising crores of rupees in Series A fundings, maybe once in a while, we can think about the other end of the spectrum. I mean the ones who struggle to get access to any kind of credit to expand & grow - the women-owned very small businesses (WVSEs)
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
Instant deliveries, instant food, instant streaming We live in a world of instant. In this day and age of convenience and instant gratification, have you wondered what would happen if we apply the same rule for credit? Instant loans?
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
Even though women are silently fighting these battles, their resilience keeps shining through. Their presence in terms of the workload is - 70% in livestock - 47% in tea plantations - 47% in cotton cultivation - 45% in growing oilseeds - 39% in vegetable production
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
Some food for thought. The red line is the share % of pre-tax national income of the top 10% adults in India. The blue line is the pre-tax national income of the bottom 50%. The gap keeps widening every passing year. Source : World Inequality Database
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
7 years
So thrilled! RT @RangDe : Epic Selfie Alert! @VishalDadlani just became our newest brand ambassador and we are beyond excited. Thank (1/2)
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
6 months
“Anyone who has ever struggled with poverty knows how extremely expensive it is to be poor.” ― James Baldwin
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
- Commercial banks are owned by rich people. ✔️ Grameen bank is owned by the poor. Result? Today, Grameen Bank has - - 2600 branches across the country - 9M+ borrowers - 99.6% repayment rate - Inspired 64 countries countries @Yunus_Centre was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
Part of the top biodiversity hotspots in the world, Nagaland supports some fantastic agriculture and horticulture. Including pineapple farmers. But sadly, because of warehousing and connectivity issues, pineapple farmers face many challenges. (2/n)
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
When her father met with an accident, Bharathi was struggling to finish her BSc degree. She recently repaid her loan amount and now has her own optometry practise. You can enable others like her through the @WeAreRangDe Girl Child Education Fund -
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
"One reason global poverty has been so intractable is that it remains largely out of sight for those who are not living it, safely somebody else’s problem." - Kaushik Basu
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
11 months
Why do social enterprises not scale? Especially when you compare with businesses in the 'non' social domain with billion dollar valuations! This is a complex problem with many systemic issues.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
6 months
What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude. - Brené Brown
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
5 years
We finally went live again after close to 2 years! With the same freshness and excitement like we did in 2008. Give it a spin, let us know if it was worth the wait
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
The next time you want to enjoy a pineapple, remember the best ones are in Nagaland. So until you can make a trip to Nagaland, you can still support pineapple farmers and other rural entrepreneurs from Nagaland through the Rang De Freedom Fund :)
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
I wish every day started this way! #TGIF
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
11 months
Have you seen these beautiful elephant sculptures in Bengaluru’s Terminal 2? What if I told you they are made from a weed that is causing huge damage to forests? In the 1800s, Britishers brought the Lantana plant to India. Today, it has taken over 40% of Indian forests!
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
Rang De is NOT a crowdfunding platform. Nor a donation platform. Here's another question we get frequently and here's me explaining how Rang De is different. Join our tribe of social investors today at ! #rangdeindia #p2plending #fintech #techforgood
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
You can fill this form to express interest. Once you fill out the form, I will email you with all the details and also answer any questions that you may have. Join us as a co-traveler in our journey!
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
I find that we are spending more time explaining ‘why’ we are doing what we are doing to funders and investors more than anything else. It seems it’s easier to understand business models built for us as consumers much more than models built for restoring agency of rural families!
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
It’s a shocking number. An amount you would not notice usually. Poverty is not an individual failing and it is not a crime. But people like you and me can help those in need.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
It's been a great month for us at Rang De. Thank you to everyone who joined in as a social investor - we are 6000 strong :)
@WeAreRangDe
Rang De
2 years
6000 social investors! We've been looking forward to reaching the 6k milestone and we're so happy to share this with you all. A big thank you to our community of social investors for being a part of this journey If you'd like to join the tribe, visit
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
At @WeAreRangDe , we've tied up with The Entrepreneurs Associates (tEA) and have been able to give pineapple farmers low-cost and timely loans. Social investors have come together to invest in pineapple farmers, helping them grow both area under plantation and output. (3/n)
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
Why Social Investing? The year was 2020. The 1st lockdown had tested the resilience of artisans, farmers and entrepreneurs in rural India.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
Our tribe is growing! 🌱🌟 Rang De's social investor community has crossed 8000! It took us 1 year to go from 6000 to 7000 social investors. And just 4 months to reach the next milestone. Check out Rang De at ! @wearerangde
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
9 months
We have limited time on this planet and as social entrepreneurs, the only way to create large scale impact is through collaboration, not competition. At Rang De, we have seamlessly collaborated with some amazing impact partners, due to our alignment in mission and values.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
Fact : Regional Rural Banks which were set up with the primary objective of meeting the credit needs of those from the economically weaker sections, were advised to lend 60% of their incremental credit to this TG in the 90s - this went down to 10% at the end of the 90s.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
Thanks to them, we are - - Able to provide credit to rural entrepreneurs at an interest rate of just 4-8% - Financially including communities from the remotest parts of India - Build and scale a sustainable business model
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
On 1st September, we celebrated Rang De’s 3 year anniversary as a NBFC-P2P. I’d like to invite people in my network to become angel investors at Rang De. If you believe in our mission to enable last mile financial inclusion in our country, we would love to have you on-board.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
So what are we celebrating actually? Accumulation of wealth and an increase in inequality. One person amassing wealth will get so much more attention than crores of people at the bottom of the pyramid. It’s time to change this.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
If you're from Maharashtra and want to give back to your state, just reply to this post! We have something that will help you connect with your home state and create huge impact.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
We've just launched the West Bengal Handicraft Artisans Fund! Enable handicraft artisans to buy raw material and get repaid with interest. Support Dokra craft, Katha embroidery, wooden dolls and Madhur Kati at Start your week with social investing :)
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
Ram and I put all of our life’s savings which we were absolutely fine with. Sometimes you need your life's savings to create your life's work. But we were still falling short. We could have raised private equity but were uncertain about how it could impact our mission.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
If you can think of a one person and think about helping them, visit We are a platform that lets you lend to rural entrepreneurs in India (lend, not donate) with an amount as low as ₹100.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
We finally were able to file for the NBFC P2P license with the RBI. In the last 3 years, 108 angel investors have joined Rang De. All of them aligned with our mission to revolutionize credit access in India.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
Rang De has partnered with @akshayakalpa to help enhance livelihood opportunities for farmers by investing in their dairy farms. So far 491 social investors have - - Raised ₹1.17 crores - Disbursed ₹1.14 crores - Impacted lives of 93 farmers
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
Some have become - - Equity investors - Team members - Investors along with family Together in the last 15 years they have invested ₹126 crores to support 80,000+ low income families.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
Just a reminder that 85% of India's poor are in rural India. If you want to invest in someone from rural India and help them grow their business and income, visit
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
You know you are back in BLR when your morning breakie includes this! Simply divine
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
80% of our loans are disbursed to women farmers, entrepreneurs and artisans. Join our community of 8000+ social investors and invest in the potential of women. Visit @WeAreRangDe to know how to start your journey as a social investor
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
In 1976, @Yunus_Centre started @grameenbank to provide small loans to the poor. And commercial banks got very unhappy. Here's why ⏬
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
A big shoutout to our impact partner Indian Micro Enterprises Development Foundation who help micro-entrepreneurs like Sarita grow their businesses sustainably. Want to enable entrepreneurs from all over India? Visit and join 8000+ social investors!
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
We are helping individuals become bankers to the poor. Not through charity but through investments. @WeAreRangDe is helping people in rural India break this cage of poverty through access to credit. To know more, visit
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
It will: - Enable her to expand her business - Help her create jobs for people in Basti  - Inspire many others to strive for success in their hometowns Enterprise is the antidote to poverty. It's time we nurture it at the grassroots level.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
2668 billionaires have more wealth than 4.7 billion people. The number of billionaires has doubled in the last decade and so has the gap between the rich and the poor. You can help bridge this gap - visit and be a banker for the unbanked in India :)
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
Thank you @livemint for featuring my tweet. 😊
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
4 years
5 months of no work orders. Can you imagine that? #JaiJawanJaiArtisan can change that. Livelihoods with dignity for our artisans, gratitude for our soldiers
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
- They often earn half as much as men. - They don't get proper access to basic farming resources like seeds and fertilizers - They own less than 8% of farming land in India - Worst of all, they don't even get recognised as farmers for the most part
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
There is a woman named Sarita Devi who runs a small medical store in Basti, UP. Being the sole breadwinner of her family, she often struggles to meet their needs. There is a fairly simple solution: Sell more → Earn more. To do so, she needs credit.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
@shvm_b_ Thanks for that clarification, Shivam. Tried to get the right numbers but was slightly confusing. The figure in PPP is absolutely unbelievable.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
3 years
Thank you for believing in us #BikramChaudhury and #MeetaMisra ; we sincerely hope to make huge strides with your support! #GreenArcInvestments #RangDeIndia @ndtv
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
2 years
The Rang De way: - Encourage entrepreneurship in rural households - 100% of capital goes to the borrower - Borrowers feel safe & secure - Provide credit to women - 4-10% interest rate p.a. - Peer to peer lending India's poor pay the highest cost for credit.
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
Rang De is not subject to market risks because you’re not investing in the market. You are investing in people, their pride and potential. @WeAreRangDe - experience the magic of social investing at
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
4 years
Gratitude messages from all over. So much positivity and kindness. "You are the real stars and real brothers" a heartwarming message from a citizen to our soldiers #JaiJawanJaiArtisan . Join us on
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@smitaram
Smita Ram
1 year
UN estimates that if women farmers have the same access to resources as men, they can increase their yields by 20-30%. At Rang De, we believe in giving recognition where it is due. If there is one thing we can change for these women today, then it is their access to credit.
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