DV Excellus (DVE), established in 2016 and now with 25 full-time staff, is a tech company focused on providing agricultural technological solutions to farmers while linking agri-suppliers through a tech-enabled platform. The company is also the parent of Kheti Ventures, which began operations in 2019. Kheti is an agri-food tech digital platform that connects agri-input companies, farmers, and agri-product buyers through its web and mobile platforms, i.e., Kheti Farm and Kheti Food. DVE’s current strategic shift is to build an agri-fintech platform, which will allow farmers to easily access agri-loans and insurance, addressing a critical gap in Nepal’s agricultural sector. The company has already designed a streamlined process that connects farmers with financial institutions to secure agri-loans for purchasing farm inputs through their KHETI Karja feature, developed in collaboration with NMB Bank and integrated into the Kheti Farm app.

Contact: Website Facebook LinkedIn Kheti App

Post-investment Facilitation for Market Expansion

DVE has recently partnered with NMB Bank through its Kheti app, an agri-tech platform offering two key services: Kheti Farm, which provides advisory and agricultural inputs, and Kheti Food, which connects smallholders with buyers. Together, they launched the NMB Kheti Karja (Agriculture Loan), offering smallholders collateral-free loans of up to £1,250 for two years at an 11% interest rate. This initiative has significantly reduced the reliance on high-interest informal loans, making it easier for banks like NMB to meet agricultural lending mandates and reach smallholders directly. In less than a year, the service has facilitated over £625,000 in loans (with no default cases) to more than 800 smallholder farmers. These loans have been used to purchase agri-inputs and services available exclusively through the Kheti app. 

To accelerate its growth, DVE has partnered with Aadhyanta Fund Management, which recognizes the potential of DVE’s Agri-FinTech platform and plans to invest. Following this investment, CASA’s technical assistance (TA) will support DVE in expanding its market, securing institutional partnerships, and promoting financial literacy. Key initiatives under this support include onboarding new vendors and farmers, integrating insurance products, and developing monitoring tools. CASA’s TA will also help expand the Kheti platform to Provinces 2, 4, and 5, reaching 8,000 smallholders, with 50% of them being women. The combined investment will cover DVE’s operational costs, infrastructure, and technology, aiming to disburse £3.75 million in loans to 3,000 farmers (40% of whom will be women) for quality agri-inputs. 

The duration of the 12-month project is from August 2024 to July 2025.

Updated: February 2025