VCCircle Consumer Investment Summit on 24 Feb in Mumbai

VCCircle is organizing VCCircle Consumer Investment Summit on 24 Feb,2010 at ITC Grand Central, Mumbai .The India consumption story is one of the most chased themes for investors in the alternative asset class and M&A-savvy corporates driven by the high share of wallet these product and service brands command. With the Indian economy growing at nearly 8% and domestic consumption being largely resilient to the downturn shocks, this story has become even more compelling. The breadth of opportunities (for investors) can find a parallel possibly only in China.Which areas of the Indian consumption story are most attractive? Which are India’s future brand giants? How are brands valued? Which areas command high discretionary spending?

Speakers of this event are Sumir Chadha - MD, Sequoia Capital India, Vishakha Mulye - MD & CEO, ICICI Venture, Leo Puri - MD , Warburg Pincus India, Darshan Mehta - CEO, Reliance Brands Ltd, George Thomas - Partner, India Value Fund Advisors, Ashish Gupta - Helion Advisors, V S S Mani - Founder & MD, Just Dial Pvt Ltd, Avnish Bajaj - MD, Matrix Partners India, Deepak Shahdadpuri - MD , BCP Advisors, Ved Prakash Arya - MD & CEO, Milestone Capital Advisors, D Sundaram - Vice Chairman, TVS Capital, Bharat Banka - MD, Aditya Birla Private Equity Fund*, Ullas Kamath - Deputy MD, Jyothy Laboratories*. More Entrepreneurs & Company CEOs joining.(*Yet to be confirmed)

Agenda of this summit:

Keynote address on the Indian consumption story: A macro perspective

Panel 1 - The great Indian consumer: myth or reality

With the economy growing at 8%, a growing middle class and an enormous bottom of the pyramid market, this is one country in the planet that offers domestic demand for goods and services like no other. The per capita consumption of jam, butter, cola, crisps and an endless list of similar items is much below the global average, leaving that much more room to cover. Predictably, major FMCG and consumer brands are knocking at India’s doors to capture large slices of this market.What is the market size and potential for branded goods and services? Will this be dominated by multinational or domestic players? From a regulatory standpoint, how significantly will the FDI restrictions limit the growth of this sector, particularly retail where there are hurdles to foreign investment? What kind of growth opportunities does India’s GDP growth translate into for consumption-led sectors? Will urban or rural consumption drive this growth?

Panel 2 - The mofussil story

The bottom of the pyramid market and rural consumption is clearly hard to ignore. There are homegrown challenger brands which stand tall against the Goliaths.What is the opportunity set for regional players and in what domains? What kind of companies succeed in the rural game? What has been the experience of VC/PE firms in investing in small-town brands? How have regional brands survived and overcome competition? Is it difficult to invest in local brands as regional promoters may not be quite like their urban counterparts and may be still uncomfortable attracting private money?

Panel 3 - New - age brands

Will service brands march past traditional FMCG product brands in terms of investor interest? What are the ROI dynamics between product and service brands? Which kind of brands will be India’s future brand giants? Are investments in service brands driven by lack of investible opportunities in mainstay brands? Brand valuation: How differently is a service brand valued compared to a traditional brand?

Keynote speech: Understanding the Indian consumer

Panel 4 - Luxury or mass market brands: a look at Indian consumer pie

India is at first glance a mass market. But luxury brand retailers like Murjanis and Genesis Colours have attracted investor interest. Why? Where are the opportunities in mass market? How big can niche and luxury brands get? Does geography restrict a mass market brand? Price Vs Quality

Panel 5 - The economics of deals

Will India’s consumer businesses see large M&A, consolidation and buyout deals? Which part of the consumption story is most attractive from the investors’ and entrepreneurs’ standpoint? Will this sector be a play of strategic investors or will VC/PE deals too play a dominant role? There have been too few deals led by VC/PE players although this is one of the dominant themes for most of them. Why?

Special Session: India's most valuable consumer brands: how were they built and the lessons learnt.