Deepak's Musings #158: 🐾 Did you know Asia has the 3rd largest pet care market?

💅🏻 How India’s Booming Beauty Market is Attracting Major Venture Capital

Author

Deepak Shahdadpuri
October 14, 2024

I am interested in all things consumer and insurgent brands. In my newsletter, I share what I read, think about, and reflect upon. You can follow me on Twitter at @dishahdadpuri or DSG Consumer Partners at @dsgcp.

p.s. You can click any summary link to read the full article from its source.

We will see tremendous growth the the pet market over the next 20 years in Asia

💅🏻 India's BPC Surge: A Golden Opportunity for Investors?

Deep dive into why investors want to invest more in the beauty and personal care space. What is interesting to note is how changing consumer demand and preferences has enabled new insurgent brands to develop and launch products with a narrative that meets the ever-changing needs of these consumers.

Why Investors Love the Indian Beauty Industry

Beauty trends in India lie at the intersection of social media, innovation, and global competition, which means something to investors in the BPC space.

🧱 BrickByBrick new episode: The Forest Essentials story

On the topic of the Indian beauty industry, my partner Hari Premkumar recently interviewed Sam Bedi, Executive Director of Forest Essentials – one of the most iconic brands in India. He speaks about how the founder Mira Bedi still (after 20 years) considers the brand a passion project and not a business. Forest Essentials story is a masterclass on building a luxury brand at price points of your choice in a patient and fundamentally strong manner. It is a great case study on what is possible when you are genuinely passionate about what you are building and the benefits of patient building with a strong focus on quality and the brand mission.

The Forest Essentials Story: Pioneering Luxury Ayurveda in India

Brick by Brick: Building Insurgent Brands · Episode

🐅🇮🇳 Verlinvest continue to be excited by India

I have enjoyed having Verlinvest as an LP and a long-term partner. I first co-invested in 2010 in Sula Vineyards and, over the years, in older leading insurgent consumer brands, including Veeba, Epigamia, and Go Zero.

Belgian investment firm Verlinvest to double its bets in India's growing consumer market

Belgium's Verlinvest aims to double its annual investment in India within three years, a top executive said, focusing on healthcare and lifestyle companies, as it bets on the growing spending power in the world's fastest-growing major economy.

🥤ABInbev is expanding capabilities to non-beer categories

The expansion at their Los Angeles facility will allow the production of RTD cocktails.

Anheuser-Busch invests $16M in facility to boost drinks ‘beyond beer’

AB InBev’s investment in its ready-to-drink (RTD) products outside of beer shows that the company views this category as increasingly profitable.

🛒 Interestingly, the next head of Nestlé India is coming from Amazon

Will Tiwary's transition from Amazon, where he led as Country Manager, signal a new chapter for Nestlé India as the company continues to expand in the dynamic FMCG market?

Nestle's Suresh Narayanan to retire, Amazon’s Manish Tiwary to take over

Nestle India's chairman and managing director Suresh Narayanan will retire on July 31, 2025. Manish Tiwary, currently with Amazon, will succeed him as managing director from August 1, 2025.

🐾 Pet parenting is coming to Asia

Asia's pet tech industry is booming, driven by a cultural shift from pet ownership to pet parenthood. With a projected market value of $29 billion by the end of 2024, startups are capitalizing on this growing trend. Innovations in pet health, AI-powered services, and e-commerce are transforming how pet parents care for their pets.

The Rise of Pet Tech in Asia: Market Trends, Opportunities, and the Future of Pet Care

Find out the latest market trends, success stories and opportunities in the pet tech industry in Asia.

🛵 Q-comm: And now we have 7

1.Blinkit. 2.Instamart. 3.Zepto. 4.Big Basket. 5.Amazon. 6.Flipkart. 7.Reliance

Reliance targets q-comm, challenging Blinkit, Swiggy's Instamart

Reliance Retail has entered the quick commerce market, aiming to compete with players like Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart. Using its extensive store network, Reliance plans to offer rapid deliveries within 10-30 minutes in major cities and untapped smaller towns, without charging any fees.

🏁 D2C Insider’s new fund for Indian consumer startups

D2C Insider has reached the first close of its debut fund, raising US$1.3 Mn( ₹10 crore) out of a targeted US$3 Mn (₹25 crore), aimed at investing in early-stage consumer startups. The "Super Angels Fund" is designed to support promising direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands, providing investment to 20-25 startups with average funding of US$ 125,000 (₹1 crore) per venture.

D2C Insider hits first close of maiden fund to back consumer startups

Startup enabler D2C Insider said Wednesday it has marked the first close of its first fund to invest in early-stage consumer startups. 

🎯 Zydus Wellness wants to invest in CPG brands

Zydus is targeting both domestic and international markets, focusing on acquisitions in the food, nutrition, and personal care sectors.

Complan maker plans to invest up to ₹200 crore in direct-to-consumer brands

Mergers and acquisitions in the consumer goods space have spiked since covid as cash-rich companies look to expand their portfolios to meet emerging needs of consumers.

🥊 Zomato vs Bookmyshow

Zomato’s acquisition of Paytm’s ticketing business has sparked a major rivalry with Bookmyshow, India’s leading ticketing platform. This competition goes beyond just selling tickets; it’s about controlling the live-events ecosystem, with a focus on understanding audience behavior and attracting high-profile artists. While Bookmyshow dominates large events like Coldplay’s upcoming tour, Zomato’s tech-first approach and recent moves into live entertainment aim to disrupt the market. As the battle heats up, the question remains: who will come out on top in India’s booming live events sector?

Artists, users, or platforms: who wins in the Zomato vs Bookmyshow fight?

After its Rs 2,000-crore Paytm deal, the foodtech is hiring industry veterans and signing on A-list celebs to outplay the market leader

🏟 Is Zomato doing a Live Nation in India?

Does Zomato want to be a bit like Live Nation? As it enters the out-of-home category, it wants to own ticketing, events, and venues.

Keep in mind the US Justice Department is suing Live Nation.

Zomato poaches Bookmyshow exec, mulls stadiums for new biz unit

Zomato has begun poaching key talent for its "Going Out" business unit, District, including Kunal Khambhati, the head of live events and intellectual property (IP) at Bookmyshow.

Justice Department Sues Live Nation-Ticketmaster

The Justice Department, along with 30 state and district attorneys general, filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster.

⛩️🌮 Gen Z are eager for new flavours

I have witnessed the growth of more ethnic flavours in North America and Europe over the last decade. Walk into any supermarket or convenience store in any major (or even smaller) city, and you will find global cuisine spanning Indian, Chinese, Thai, Mexican, and more, available in formats from chilled to frozen and RTC to RTE.

Nestlé's launch of Chinese and Mexican brands further indicates what consumers are asking for.

Expect to see a similar demand for ethnic flavours play out in India and Southeast Asia.

Nestlé taps into $110B global cuisine markets with Mexican, Asian brands

The debut of Mings and Tapatío allows the food giant to capture growing interest for international cuisine, particularly among Gen Z consumers eager for new flavors.

📰 Select funding & deal news

Funding and deal news that caught my attention

Pantomath's Bharat Value Fund strikes fresh bet in local diaper maker

Bharat Value Fund has invested $14.5 million (Rs 122 Crs) .

Temasek in talks to pick minority stake in Haldiram's at $11 bn valuation

The Singapore state investor is holding preliminary talks to buy from 10 per cent to 15 per cent in Haldiram's

Moët Hennessy invests in nonalcoholic wine brand

The luxury beverage maker’s partnership comes after it reported declining revenue in the sparkling wine category in the first half of 2024.

Sofie Pavitt Face Receives Seed Funding From True Beauty Ventures

From one of NYC's most sought-after aestheticians, Sofie Pavitt Face specializes in grown-up skincare for grown-ups with acne.

Butterfly Equity to buy Duckhorn Portfolio wines for nearly $2B

The sale of the luxury company is part of a larger consolidation in the high-end wine category as brands adapt to harsh market conditions and the changing tastes of drinkers.

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