Enabling rural shops to grow their business through sustainable livelihood solutions
Essmart distributes life-improving products to build a network of rural retailers selling socially impactful agriculture, clean tech, and energy efficiency products.
15M small retailers—88% of India’s $950B in retail spending—are not digitized or equipped to sell durable agricultural products due to constraints in working capital, space, customer service, and product maintenance. Essmart de-risks these high-value products for shop owners to act as agents of change in their communities—and as active selling points of innovative, impactful products.
Essmart has over 5,000 active shops on its platform and is well poised for growth with a revamped, scalable model. The company generated $2M of revenue in 2022 and is on pace to generate $3.5M in 2023.
Notable Achievements
- Winner of the Sankalp Global Awards in 2022.
- Winner of the FM Kirby Prize in 2023.
Currently Operating in One Region
Press Mentions

February 25, 2023
2022-2023 F.M. Kirby Impact Prize Winner: Essmart
We are thrilled to announce Essmart as the recipient of the 2022-23 F.M. Kirby Prize for Scaling Social Impact! Essmart is a for-profit social enterprise in India, on a mission to grow rural...
Read on Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) | Duke University, Fuqua School of Business »More Ventures in Education, Energy & Environment, and Health
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