India Value Fund to present VC Circle "Consumer Investment Summit" in Mumbai

Company Brief

Mumbai, February 10, 2010

India Value Fund will be presenting the VC Circle consumer investment summit "Indulge India" in Mumbai to bring together entrepreneurs and the investing community on a common platform to leverage the Indian consumption story and discuss which areas of the Indian consumption story are most attractive. The day-long conference will feature over two dozen speakers and will capture defining trends of the Indian consumption story, as it continues to evolve.

This conference comes at a poignant point in Indian business history. Today, in India, new consumption patterns are driving new consumer brands. Analysis of the deal data from VCC Edge, a financial research platform from VCCircle, shows that investor interest is very high in brands in apparel, retail, hospitality, OTC drugs and lifestyle-driven products and services. And, pureplay FMCG brands lean towards M&A play given their attractiveness to strategic investors.

Also, though lifestyle consumption is throwing up new-age service brands, it is still product brands that are at the heart of traditional businesses. Urban consumption is relatively skewed towards lifestyle and that's where the early stage growth capital is headed. But, growth in traditional FMCG and retail remains intact given India's wide base of pyramid. A lot of strategic money and late stage/buyout funds are chasing this end. Thus, there are immense opportunities for investors in domestic consumption and INDULGE INDIA aims to capture and discuss these opportunities with some of India’s finest business minds.

Commenting on the association, Mr. George Thomas, Partner, India Value Fund said, "IVF is delighted to be associated with this insightful summit in Mumbai. This summit brings together some of the greatest business minds of India to throw light on the scope of investment in various brands with India’s ever evolving consumption story. "

He added, "India is on the brink of a major consumer revolution. There is major demand for varied products and services in both rural and urban India, which is compelling the investment world to stay tuned into India. New consumption patterns are driving new consumer brands. Thus, this day-long conference will feature distinguished speakers comprising brand gurus, investment pros etc. to capture the defining trends of the Indian consumption story, as it continues to evolve."

Furthermore, Mr Siddharth Bafna, Partner and head of the Corporate Finance & Transaction Services Practice, Lodha & Co said, "Besides the consumer goods space, which is clearly taking off, there are so many interesting consumer service brand stories out there today that have been investment worthy. Take the online ticketing business, the taxi companies, restaurants, etc. and you will find that there are altogether new categories being created which require nurturing from the investment community.

As incomes increase and spending power of the average Indian explodes, the importance of building strong, durable brand franchises will become a necessity to be able to successfully compete for mind and wallet share. Indian organisations will need to step up to  the plate and invest heavily to compete with global brands, both in terms of establishing strong brand equity as well as building innovative business models to reach out and be relevant to an ever wider section of the consumer base. 

This forum can provide a great platform to debate and identify patterns which are more likely to succeed in the marketplace, allowing both the investing and operating communities to better understand how the retail consumer will drive the next trillion dollars in GDP, and position themselves to hitch the best seats on the bus."

Mr Sahad PV, Founder & Editor, VCCircle said, The consumption theme is undeniably a favourite with the alternative asset class and corporate M&A hunters driven by the Indian GDP story and the vast and muti-layered domestic market. We believe that deal activity will continue to chase the Indian consumer and that the VC/PE community will further gravitate towards potential investee companies, who directly touch consumers. If we take just three segments, say apparel, retail and F&B, of the entire consumer pie, there have been nearly 100 VC/PE deals leading to investments of $752 million so far. There are at least two dozen sectors which have a direct connect with the consumption story. We are really talking billions of dollars going after this sector.There will be several panelists at the forum from an ecosystem of brand gurus, investment pros, FMCG czars and today’s Davids (challenger brands). Some of them are: Mr. Sumir Chadha - MD, Sequoia Capital India, Vishakha Mulye - MD & CEO, ICICI Venture, Mr. Darshan Mehta - CEO, Reliance Brands Ltd, George Thomas - Partner, India Value Fund Advisors, V S S Mani - Founder & MD, Just Dial Pvt Ltd, Rajesh Puri - CEO, Meru Cab Company, Bharat Banka - MD, Aditya Birla Private Equity Fund, Deep Kalra - Founder and CEO, MakeMyTrip.com, Ved Prakash Arya - MD & CEO, Milestone Capital Advisors etc.

For further information, please contact:

Corporate Voice|Weber Shandwick

Neha Manucha

Tel: + 91 22 40311237

Email: nmanucha@corvoshandwick.co.in