Investment themes by sectors keep changing, but if there is one constant in India in terms of opportunities, it is the evergreen and bankable consumer sector. In a country that has more than 1.2 billion population, it is a no-brainer to comprehend why it is so. As Indian consumers are evolving fast in terms of consumption patterns, taste and behaviour, entrepreneurs are creating attractive businesses to capitalise on the emerging segments which are at an inflection point.
According to VCCEdge, the financial research platform of VCCircle, consumer discretionary and consumer staples industries have witnessed a total of 750 private equity and venture capital deals to the tune of $10 billion over the last five years. These deals were in segments like food & beverage, household products, retailing, consumer services, QSR and apparel & luxury goods, among many others.
VCCircle is back with its third edition of VCCircle Consumer Investment Summit, to get a lowdown on new trends and provide a platform for the confluence of views from CEOs of top and upcoming companies in FMCG, QSR, apparel & fashion brands, as also from India’s leading private equity investors, for a full-day programme.
The industry stalwarts would brainstorm on the big picture opportunity in the business and from there, the event will move on to highlight the success stories of entrepreneurs in the field, right from the horse’s mouth. The summit will also offer a platform for sector-focused discussion, followed by networking sessions.
Here is a quick preview of the conference agenda and coverage areas:
VCCircle Consumer Investment Summit 2012 (to be held on Wednesday, March 21, at ITC Grand Central, Mumbai) will kick off with a panel featuring Shankar Narayanan, managing director of the Carlyle Group, and R Ramakrishnan, who has served as one of the top executives at the appliance and lighting products firm Bajaj Electricals, in a session moderated by Deepak Shahdadpuri, MD of Beacon India Private Equity.
The panel would dissect the Indian consumption story, touching issues such as the size and the potential of the Indian consumer sector, the high-growth segments at the cusp of innovation and nearing their inflection points, attractive segments for PE investors, business segments where MNCs would dominate as against domestic players, besides discussing the challenges to scale and success.
The full-day event will also cover three red-hot areas within the consumer sector where we are witnessing loads of entrepreneurial and investment activities.
The sector-focused panel on FMCG will include a host of panellists such as Jaspal Singh Sabharwal (Partner, Everstone Capital Advisors), Rajeev Samant (founder & CEO of Sula Vineyards) and VS Pradeep (MD of Cholayil Group) in a discussion moderated by Nikhil Raghavan (Principal, Bain Capital). Speakers will discuss opportunities for entrepreneurship and investments in the Indian FMCG space, given the presence of large companies in most of its segments. It would also look at an evaluation of verticals such as pre-packaged foods, soft drinks, dairy products, perishable meat, fruits and vegetables, baked goods, alcohol, toiletries, etc.
The panel on restaurants will see Amit Kapoor (MD, Matrix Partners) moderating a discussion on the factors which will create large companies in the Indian restaurants space and what the investors look for in these business models. The panel would include speakers such as VT Bharadwaj (MD, Sequoia Capital), Jaydeep Barman (co-founder & CEO, Faaso’s Food Services) and Jay Singh (co-founder & executive director, JSM Corporation Pvt Ltd).
Another session moderated by Nikhil Khattau (MD, MF Advisors) would look at the apparel, accessories and luxury goods segment as aspiration-led goods and services are increasingly commanding a greater wallet share in the Indian market. The speakers would include Sanjiv Kapur (MD, Wolfensohn India), Pradeep Hirani (CMD, Kimaya Fashions Pvt Ltd), Sanjay Vakharia (founder & director, Spykar) and Jay Gupta (MD, The loot (India) Pvt Ltd).
The event will also see Sanjay Kapoor, MD of PE-funded Genesis Colors, share his story while Vishal Gandhi, founder of Gandhi & Associates, will take the audience through key legal aspects and terms in VC deals and Rajesh Sharma, national head (market development) at Brand Capital, will talk about brand as a weapon to win the game.
Join us as we identify India’s fastest growing consumption categories and entrepreneurs who will lead the way. For more details on registration and participation, please click .
