Musings From Deepak @ DSG Consumer Partners #18

All things consumer & insurgent brands. What I am currently reading, thinking about and reflecting upon.

Mswipe names Ketan Patel as CEO — hr.economictimes.indiatimes.com

Great to see Ketan Patel being appointed CEO at DSGCP portfolio co Mswipe. Founder (and friend) Manish Patel has built the foundations of a strong fintech business and I am confident that Ketan can help lead the business through the next phase of growth.

YouVit launches its vitamin gummies in Hong Kong — www.linkedin.com

DSG Consumer Partners vitamin portfolio co YOU launched their products in #HongKong today at 126 Watsons Hong Kong stores.

Former Licious executives launch digital pet care platform; raise $2.6M in pre-series A round led by Saama Capital, DSG Consumer Partners — yourstory.com

After 5 ys of searching, @DSGCP is excited to announce its 1st investment in the Indian #petcare space partnering Supertails. Supertails also saw other investors in this round including global Indian icon Deepika Padukone, Kunal Bahl, Titan Capital, Sauce VC and Whiteboard Capital among others. #insurgentbrands 

Licious raises $192 mn from investors led by Temasek, Multiples PE — www.livemint.com

So happy to see Licious scale and become the market leader in its category. I remember meeting the founders in Bangalore when they were raising their Series A. I passed. I have seen them deliver on their playbook and leverage the change in consumer behaviour. This is an opportunity DSGCP called wrong #alwayslearning

Mswipe looks to transform into a digital bank for small merchants — www.thehindubusinessline.com

Also aims to be an NBFC, hopes to have its own license in the next three to six months

Sex Product Startup Maude Surpasses $10 Million In Funding, Raises Unprecedented Series A — www.forbes.com

Maude plays in the same category as DSGCP portfolio co Ramblin' Brands who manufacture and market Smile Makers. With millennials and Gen-Zs being more open minded and bigger womens platforms embracing sexual wellness as a core component to overall well-being, I expect to see more brands enter the category.

D2C Brands Bank On Social Media Savvy To Catch Up With Big Retail — inc42.com

India’s growing D2C segment is innovating social media engagement with a focus on creating brand narratives and community-building

Sixth Sense Ventures leads Series A round in fruit and veggie D2C brand Fraazo — www.vccircle.com

Fraazo, a direct to customer brand in the fresh fruit and vegetables space, said it has closed $11 million (Rs 82 crore) in a

BeautyMatter | Juicy Chemistry Raises $6.3 million in a Series A — beautymatter.com

Led by our friends at Verlinvest and Purplle.

Vegan KitKat Just Launched. Nestlé Told Us How They Made It.

Vegan is definitely mainstream. “One of the most common requests we see on social media is for a vegan KitKat, so we’re delighted to be able to make that wish come true.”  said Alex von Maillot, Head of Confectionery at Nestle.