Arjun Vaidya, co-founder, V3 Ventures
Consumer-focused investment firm V3 Ventures looks to deploy ₹250-300 crore annually in early-stage startups this year, up from ₹220-240 crore last year.Using an evergreen investment structure, rather than a traditional venture capital fund, over the past four years, the firm is currently investing across seed to Series A rounds.Nearly 70 per cent of its annual deployments are earmarked for new investments and the rest for follow-on rounds. Arjun Vaidya, co-founder, V3 Ventures, outlines why he remains bullish on India’s consumer opportunity, and the firm’s investment strategy and exit roadmap.Edited excerpts:
V3 has backed only consumer businesses. What makes you confident about this space?
It’s the only sector I’ve worked in over the last 12 years, so it was a natural choice.More importantly, India itself has changed dramatically. Consumers today are increasingly choosing high-quality Indian brands over imported products. Rising disposable incomes, digital commerce and access to premium products across tier-II and tier-III cities have expanded the opportunity. I believe ‘consumer’ is an evergreen sector.Categories may evolve — from traditional snacks to protein bars or sugar-free products — but consumption itself continues to grow over the long term.
