Karo Sambhav raises ₹56 crore in pre-series A funding round

Karo Sambhav, a Gurugram-based circular economy startup, has secured ₹56 crore in a Pre-Series A funding round led by Rainmatter by Zerodha, marking a significant injection of capital into India's burgeoning waste management sector. Announced on June 18, 2026, this investment is earmarked for rapidly scaling high-quality recycling infrastructure, with an immediate strategic focus on extracting critical minerals and other valuable materials from the nation's rapidly accumulating electronic waste. This funding arrives amidst a crucial period for India's environmental policy and industrial strategy. The country, now the world's third-largest generator of e-waste, faces immense pressure to enhance domestic resource security for critical minerals vital to sectors from AI to EVs, reducing reliance on volatile global supply chains. New, stricter Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, effective April 1, 2026, mandate four-stream waste segregation and digital traceability, while recent January 2026 amendments to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for plastics have tightened compliance by withdrawing End-of-Life disposal certificates. Karo Sambhav, founded in 2017 by Pranshu Singhal, has already established a substantial footprint, operating two recycling facilities and a collection network across over 50 cities, handling more than 150,000 metric tonnes of various waste streams. The immediate future will see Karo Sambhav strategically deploy this capital to build specialized facilities, particularly for critical mineral recovery, a move bolstered by its eligibility under the government's National Critical Mineral Mission. This investment underscores a broader national pivot towards formalizing the circular economy, which is projected to create millions of green jobs and contribute significantly to India's GDP by 2030. While challenges persist, particularly in integrating the informal waste sector and ensuring widespread compliance, investments like this signal a powerful, market-driven push to transform India's waste into a strategic resource, shaping its manufacturing future and environmental sustainability.