Deepak's Musings #170: 🎧 The podcast issue

👣 Podcast 1: The painful journey behind Veeba’s success

It is another banger of an episode and a must-listen for all founders building insurgent consumer brands. The latest episode of The BarberShop with Shantanu Deshpande has Veeba’s Viraj Bahl and Shantanu do a deep dive into what it takes to build a 1,000 Cr consumer brand.

🥜 Podcast 2: Pip & Nut’s journey from start-up to becoming one of UK’s leading nut butter brands

What happens when a peanut butter-loving runner turns a kitchen experiment into a £25M supermarket sensation? 🥜🎧

DSG Consumer Partners first partnered with Pip Murray in July 2019, pre-COVID, and has seen the brand explode.

💤 Podcast 3: The SleepyCat story

SleepyCat was featured on Brands of Tomorrow India, and founder Kabir Siddiq's journey is one you don't want to miss. DSG Consumer Partners has had a front-row seat watching SleepyCat transform how India approaches rest. In today's 24/7 world, where we've forgotten how to press pause, their mission resonates deeply: "To make the world a chilled-out place, one amazingly comfortable product at a time."

Click to watch the episode (only available in India): https://www.hotstar.com/in/shows/brands-of-tomorrow/1260147774/sleepycat-making-sleep-sexy/1271400681/watch

🇮🇳 Podcast 4: India’s soft power: A catalyst for growth and brand success

Most people underestimate the potential of 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚'𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 and what that implies as a 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬. India’s culture—music, cuisine, cinema, spirituality, and fashion—is deeply embedded in global consciousness. As this cultural appreciation grows, so does the demand for Indian goods. With 30+ million Indians living abroad, the diaspora is a powerful bridge between India and the world. Today, India is home to a new wave of confident, design-forward, sustainability-focused startups. One day, these brands aren't going to be built only for India. They will be creating for the world. Want to watch the full episode?

Click on the link: https://youtu.be/RHjt0FZulv8

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🇮🇳 Luxury brands double down on India’s BPC market

Luxury fashion powerhouses are making significant investments in India's burgeoning BPC market, reflecting a global trend where luxury brands are expanding into cosmetics to attract new consumers and boost revenue. Chanel, for instance, has restructured its Indian operations to independently manage its beauty and fragrance stores, aligning in-store offerings more closely with consumer preferences. This strategic shift underscores the growing importance of India's beauty sector as a key driver for luxury brands seeking to broaden their market presence.

🦉 Building an Insurgent Brand: The Sleepy Owl Turnaround

Since day one, DSG Consumer Partners has partnered with Ajai Thandi, Arman Sood, and Ashwajeet Singh. As a VC, we know that it is often best to let weak companies shut down. The nature of venture is that most startups will fail. In the case of Sleepy Owl Coffee, we felt that the business had all the necessary elements to allow it to rebase and grow again. This is a raw and inspiring comeback story in the making. It is a story of resilience, accountability, and strategic reinvention. The story is not over yet.

DSGCP first invested in Sleepy Owl Coffee on 24 January 2018, when the company was on track to close FY18 at 1.5Cr net revenue. Yes, it was a tiny startup, and our vision was to create the cold brew coffee category in India.

Over the next seven years, the company faced many challenges and nearly collapsed under the weight of rapid expansion, mounting losses, COVID headwinds, and a brutal market dominated by giants. But instead of fizzling out, the three founders sat down with the investors, took a hard look in the mirror, made bold cuts, pivoted sharply to quick commerce, and focused on fundamentals—quality, efficiency, and customer love.

If you’re into scrappy underdog tales and the real behind-the-scenes of startup survival, this one’s a must-read. You need a subscription to The Morning Context.

🚀 From launch to $300 million exit in 5 years

Unilever just acquired Wild for around $300 million — pretty big move considering Wild only launched in 2020 and hit nearly $60 million in sales last year. What’s interesting here is how Unilever’s leaning into sustainability and premium insurgent brands. Wild’s refillable, natural deodorant and super strong social-first marketing seem like precisely the kind of modern edge Unilever’s been after. A solid exit for the founders too — reportedly walked away with ~$125 million.

🎣 Big CPG continue to acquire BFY brands

Hershey acquirers BFY popcorn brand Lesser Evil. The product is delicious!

📰 Other consumer-related news: deals, funding, branding and more