25th April, 2025: Social Venture Partners India (SVP India) hosted its annual marquee online event ‘Fast Pitch’ last evening, bringing together 10 stories of grassroots innovation and impact.
Through the YouTube Live event, approximately 4400 people participated across India. This resulted in raising about ₹5.5 crore in online and offline donations, in a single evening to support impactful nation-building work.
Fast Pitch is not a fundraising event—it’s a platform where 10 carefully selected NGOs from across India share their on-groundwork with online audiences in a five-minute pitch. These finalists were chosen from 258 applicants and underwent three months of focused training by a professional storytelling trainer and dedicated SVP India partners as coaches to sharpen their organization’s pitch and build confidence to present to a diverse audience pool.
The final pitches were evaluated by a distinguished jury panel: Namita Thapar (Executive Director, Emcure Pharmaceuticals Ltd), Reshma Anand (Regional Director, Ford Foundation India), and Sridhar N E (Chief Sustainability Officer, Titan Company Ltd).
The top three NGOs of the evening were:
- Biome Environmental Trust – Gold Winner (Awarded a grant of ₹25 lakhs by SVP India): Based in Bengaluru, Biome is addressing urban India’s growing water crisis by promoting sustainable water and sanitation systems. From reviving lakes and digging recharge wells to influencing city-wide water policy, Biome acts as a bridge between grassroots action and institutional change. Their standout campaign, A Million Wells for Bengaluru, encourages households to build recharge wells to manage rainwater, reduce flooding, and improve groundwater levels. With the winning grant, they plan to build 10 more wells to support 1,500 households and expand their school programs to reach another 1,500 students.
2. Underprivileged Advancement by Youth (UPAY) – Silver Winner (Awarded a grant of ₹15 lakhs by SVP India): Started in Nagpur, UPAY brings education directly to children living on the streets and in underserved communities through its two flagship programs—Footpathshaala and Reach & Teach. These open classrooms offer more than just lessons; they provide care, creativity, and opportunity. What began with a simple idea of bringing school to the footpath now runs 46 centers in 10 cities, reaching over 12,000 children. With the new grant, UPAY plans to support 2,000 more children and expand with 40 new centers in the next two years.
3. NudgED Trust (Delhi) – Bronze Winner (Awarded a grant of ₹10 lakhs by SVP India): NudgED is tackling India’s learning crisis by focusing on early childhood learning at home. Their free app, Top Parent, supports parents of young children (ages 3–8) with simple, effective audio content in Hindi and Marathi. Aimed at low-income families, the app helps parents support their young children’s learning at home. With over 1.5 million downloads and high engagement, NudgED now plans to scale their reach to 5 million families by 2027 and also expand in 3 more languages Telugu, Kannada, and Gujarati.
Each of the other 7 participating NGOs are awarded ₹3 lakhs as a grant from SVP India, acknowledging their commitment and effort.
Speaking about the event, Govind Iyer, Founding Board Member and All India Chairperson, SVP India, said, ” Fast Pitch reminds us that meaningful change is often driven by small, focused organisations working close to the ground. It’s inspiring to see everyday citizens come together to support them with their time, trust, and money. These are not just donations — they are investments in hope and in an equitable India.”