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Miller Center Capital backs Manikstu Agro to scale goat livelihoods

June 2026 · 1 min read · Manikstu Agro Private Limited

Image: Miller Center for Global Impact

A catalytic loan from Miller Center Capital will help scale government-supported livestock units for smallholder households.

In June 2026, Miller Center Capital, the impact investing arm of the Miller Center for Global Impact at Santa Clara University, announced a catalytic loan to Manikstu Agro. The fund manager Beneficial Returns partnered on the investment. The amount was not disclosed.

The money will help scale government-supported livestock units for smallholder households. Manikstu's package for each unit includes a steel shed, a starter herd, farmer training, remote monitoring and support from para-vets.

According to the announcement, Manikstu works across more than 800 villages in Odisha and Chhattisgarh, and nearly 8,000 sheds are operational under India's National Rural Livelihood Mission. The company reports that goat mortality stays below 10 percent once a unit is running.

The company works with women-led household enterprises that it calls Goatpreneurs, and offers farmers market access through a guaranteed buyback programme. Co-founder Biren Sahoo said that nearly nine years of groundwork is now meeting government backing and real demand, and called the timing right for hiring, technology and infrastructure.

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