Musings From Deepak @ DSG Consumer Partners #78

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.

It is Super Returns Asia 2022 and I look forward to meeting many of my LPs in Singapore this week. If there is anyone who is interested in the Indian and SE Asian consumer venture opportunity, please do reach out and get in touch.

I have met a large number of LPs this week and it is clear that India has become a core market for asset allocators across strategies. It was interesting laying out the DSGCP playbook and how we built some of India's category-leading insurgent brands from Sula to Veeba to Epigamia over the last 10 years. Almost all LPs had never met a seed stage venture fund focusing on CPG and the only benchmarks they had for venture were Cambridge Associates or Horsley Bridge which are tech-centric. They didn't know which bucket to put us in and how to benchmark us. Interesting!

D2C Founders Should Enter Food Retail Only If They Have Deep Pockets — inc42.com

Viraj Bahl, CEO of DSGCP portfolio co VRB (Veeba) this week spoke at The D2C Summit 3.0.

Japan's Kirin in talks to triple investment in Indian craft beer maker Bira — retail.economictimes.indiatimes.com

Indian #insurgentbrands continue to attract interest from the global strategic and financial sponsors. The growth in consumer spending is driving the largest CPG companies to scan India for M&A opportunities. In the past few weeks, I have met with Kellogg, Nestle, Unilever, L'Oreal, General Mills and other strategics who are actively scouting in India and SE Asia.

How Europe’s CPG leaders can navigate inflation | McKinsey

With inflation persisting, consumer-packaged-goods manufacturers can’t rely on the strategies that got them through the past two years. It’s time for a reset.