Ashar Group announced the launch of Ashar Urban Futures Lab (UFL), India's first venture studio focused on urbantech, proptech, and constructiontech sectors. According to reports from Livemint, the company has committed ₹25 crore to support 10-15 startups over the next 24 months. The venture studio will provide ₹50 lakh initial investment per startup to bridge the funding gap in urban innovation.
As reported by Livemint, Ashar UFL operates through a structured three-phase framework designed to accelerate startup development. The program identifies real industry problems, rapidly builds and tests solutions in real-world conditions, and prepares startups for market traction and fundraising. The 300-day build program creates a structured pathway from concept to commercial success within 12 months.
According to Livemint, Ashar Group aims to reshape India's urban future by supporting startups across urbantech, proptech, construction tech, climate resilience, and material innovation. The venture studio addresses the challenge that traditional venture capital often prioritizes rapid scaling over longer urban tech development cycles. As noted by Ayushi Ashar, Director of Ashar Group and Founder of Ashar UFL, the program provides direct access to a live, operating real estate ecosystem from day one.
As reported by Livemint, Harnidh Kaur, Founding Strategic Partner of Ashar UFL, emphasized that urban innovation often fails due to founders remaining disconnected from systems they aim to revolutionize. The venture studio positions itself as a co-builder rather than a passive investor, ensuring that 5-6 startups per cohort receive operational understanding and real-world integration that traditional support systems cannot provide.
