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- Musings From Deepak @ DSG Consumer Partners #110
Musings From Deepak @ DSG Consumer Partners #110
All things consumer & insurgent brands. What I am currently reading, thinking about, and reflecting upon. You can follow me on Twitter at @dishahdadpuri or follow DSGCP at @dsgcp.
DSG Consumer Partners Announces Promotions and New Hire to Strengthen its Leadership Team
At DSG Consumer Partners, we are building a different type of venture capital firm focused on partnering with the next generation of insurgent consumer brand founders. We believe that brands take time to scale and we, as a firm, need to be patient and build our brands brick by brick. This means building a team that understands our method of company building which requires a mentor-apprentice model. It is with pride that today we announce two promotions that demonstrate the product of our apprenticeship model. We are promoting Hariharan Premkumar to Managing Director and Pooja Shirali to Vice President.
Over the last 5 years, Hari and Pooja have made significant contributions internally at the firm and cultivated deep roots within the consumer ecosystem in India. Hari has led numerous internal initiatives and has been pivotal in sharpening our investment process, leading all India investments, building out a full team, and reinforcing our unique point of view as the first consumer brands-focused investor in India and Southeast Asia. Pooja has grown from the ranks as a crucial team member, is our culture carrier and embodies what we want to see in our team.
DSG Consumer Partners is also delighted to welcome Anushka Bharvani full-time as Vice President (Marketing, Branding and Consumer Insights). Anushka will play an important role in our portfolio support team for the companies we have invested in across India and Southeast Asia since 2013. Anushka joins the firm after a decade-long career at Unilever where she had a successful track record in brand-building and marketing consumer businesses in the Vitamins, Beauty and Personal Care categories, regionally in Asia Pacific and globally. Anushka’s strength lies in her ability to unlock consumer insights and transform them into compelling go-to-market strategies, impactful campaigns and innovations that forge a path towards building purposeful and well-loved consumer brands.
These two promotions and new hire are a testament to our focus on building the best team possible to deliver on our commitment to deliver value to our founders. I am confident that Hari, Pooja and Anushka, will play instrumental roles in driving our success as we identify and invest in the next generation of insurgent consumer brands in India and Southeast Asia.
Podcast: What makes an insurgent brand
NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg sits down with Bain & Company VP of Consumer Products practice, Charlotte Apps, to discuss details from the firm’s recent Insurgent Brands report.
DSGCP and Bain & Company recently completed a detailed report on Insurgent Brands in India which will be published soon.
🧠 Mental wellness and food 🧠
Two ends of the barbell:
1. 62% of consumers cite healthfulness of food is increasing as a purchase driver, but at the same time
2. 47% of consumers said they have cut back on non-essential food and beverage products, chosen brands that are less expensive and purchased less premium food products.
Insurgent (and incumbent) brands need to to know which consumer they are going after or are able to offer a “value” in the premium price charged for better-for-you products.
Blood and their mission to revolutionize the period experience for modern Southeast Asian women
Tech In Asia profile DSGCP portfolio co Blood. What many people do not know is that I passed on this investment when I first met Peck and Caleb in October 2017 when the company was still called PS Love. I was very impressed by the duo and introduced them to a few angels who invested in the business. Over the next 5 years, we tracked their progress and watched them build the business brick by brick. I am so happy we managed to join them on their journey in 2023. DSGCP tracks the most promising founders we meet even if we do not invest. We want to continue learning from founders that excite us and help, where possible, on their journey.
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