Manish Taneja

Co-lead a workshop (with Sumathi my business partner and Komal lath of Tute Consult) on branding and communication and why/how its' strategic & important for the portfolio companies of an early stage growth focused PE fund in Mumbai this noon. very interactive session. lots of takeaways. one of the biggest benefits of doing such workshops with founders and CXOs of growth companies is that you get to first hand understand their pain points and priorities. which makes you realize there is a long road ahead laden with great opportunity for those in PR & comms if we take off our hats and look at it from their perspective.

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Q-Commerce overtaking traditional e-commerce? Currently we are seeing a big boom in terms of the different SKUs being sold in Quick commerce apps like Zepto, Blinkit, etc. - Atomberg Technologies 's fans - Sony's PS5 - Samosa, Chai and what not - Digital Gold from Jar! Zepto is in talks to raise $300m for its broader ecommerce play. While Swiggy is preparing to file for an IPO this year, incumbent Flipkart is readying its entry into quick commerce. Zomato has invested $240 million in Blinkit over the last one year. Taking a step back, the lines between quick commerce and traditional e commerce have started to become increasingly blurred with QCom pretty much catering to every needs! Also, multiple reports suggest that QCommerce can potentially become bigger than traditional e commerce in India!  Case in point : According to Goldman Sachs, the valuation of Blinkit is greater than Zomato's core food delivery biz! Non-grocery boom in Q-Commerce: Categories including beauty, toys, health and electronics are witnessing robust sales growth on quick-commerce platforms overall. While the overall base for the new categories is still small, aggressive expansion by these players is starting to ensure a dominant presence for these categories. Plus AOV is higher which also comes with better margins, making it a win-win! Case in point: Zepto - 2x sales MoM in segments such as toys and electronics accessories - Beauty category expanded 3x QoQ - ~15% of Zepto’s $1.2bn annualised gross sales currently comes from non-grocery products (Source: Goldman Sachs) For several D2C quick commerce has become the fastest growth channel as well as the platform with highest customer engagement This is definitely a positive for the consumers and the Q-Commerce players, but is everything on the up and up?   As the demand for space on quick-commerce platforms skyrockets, niche D2C cos in segments like FMCG, beauty and personal care, and health and fitness are agreeing to pay a 30-45% commission on sales, besides shelling out on advertising and discounting on these Q-Com platforms. On top of the commissions, brands are also regularly spending around 20% of their total sales on ads on the platforms, and discounting their products by about 20-25% (totaling 60-70% revenue!). This is in stark contrast to the 10-20% commission that large FMCG cos pay these platforms reflecting the intense competition for visibility. The brand's scale and comparison with competitors are crucial considerations when it comes to new listings. On the positive side, smaller D2C brands have seen 40-60% total revenue coming from Q-Commerce compared to ~10-20% from traditional ecommerce, which is surprising! Essentially, Q-com currently has a BIIIG Bargaining power against new D2C brands and can essentially make or break their businesses! Is this sustainable on the long run? #ecommerce #quickcommerce #india #zepto #businessmodel #d2c #startups #LIPostingChallenge

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Buying gold / silver coins on the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Trithiya come under low frequency - low complexity purchase category. It is a seasonal product bought generally during specific occasions. Zepto Blinkit Swiggy lapped up this opportunity and started selling this with the benefit of quick delivery. No wonder the sales picked up quite well. I wonder how much would it have impacted the sales of larger eComm players. Sales trends from swiggy is already out. I am sure the trend will be similar for Zepto - Aadit Palicha and Blinkit - Albinder Dhindsa I detailed out this approach and more in my notes - https://lnkd.in/gBmvVKy2

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Today, we are excited to share our biggest investment as Antler, in India so far. At Antler, incl. our Elevate continuty fund (Fady Abdel-Nour, CFA), we're thrilled to co-lead a $11M pre Ser A in Namma Yatri, alongside Blume Ventures Karthik B. Reddy and Google In this business, a few times in your career, you come across a truly disruptive business model that challenges the way things have been done, and extremely obsessed founders creating a culture that is so unique, you have never seen it before. When that happens, despite all the things not clear, it’s a joy to jump on board that potential rocketship. That’s what we have seen in the way Namma Yatri is being built by Magizhan Selvan and Shan M S with (a) a disruptive business model in urban mobility, rethinking how to make the life of a driver better and (b) Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) at its heart. 46 million trips have already been completed, with >7 million registered users. For us, this is also a continuation of our commitment to investing in a future on DPI / Beckn / ONDC, started in 2022. h/t Susmit Patodia. Rajiv Srivatsa Magnus Grimeland Martell Hardenberg Teddy Himler Keerat Singh Sethi Vimal Kumar Sheetal Lalwani T Koshy sujith nair Pramod Varma

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2021: Only grocery delivery app in India with 10 minutes delivery 2024: Competitor chasing the '10 minute' brand segment Zepto is the only player sticking to its original promise - and is clearly acing it Scaling up a grocery delivery business is particularly challenging in India. And adding up a unique attribute, as huge as this –  has clearly been game changing for Zepto. Success didn’t come easy to Zepto too, There was a time when all the Q-commerce players faced backlash & people questioned the safety of drivers. Some brands stopped claiming the delivery time altogether, from “groceries in 15-30 minutes”, they went to “groceries in minutes” But Zepto didn’t, it went on to install a myriad of dark stores across locations, and is already serving superfast deliveries in 10 cities. Top 3 factors that helped Zepto drive exceptional growth over a very short span of time: - Captivating Customer Experience: The platform served a deeply engaging user experience and the service promise was being consistently fulfilled – a powerful combo. - Outstanding Retention: All thanks to near-perfect buying journey, Zepto achieved a retention rate which was considered only to be a fantasy for the industry earlier. - Not slowing down: More dark stores and continuous geographical expansion at the same time helped the startup acquire customers in huge numbers. Zepto cracked the key to scale in the quick commerce space by constantly growing at the same pace, and not compromising customer satisfaction at the same time – simple yet not easy. A perfect example of go big, go fast – it is surely a fascinating study for the space creators. No matter the circumstances, the brand didn’t let go of its biggest differentiator, eliminating all the question marks experts had put to its launch. What do you think is going to be the future of grocery delivery space in India? #casestudy #growth #startup

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As an investor its fascinating to watch founders tackle a complex market, nail a sticky value proposition and figure out global GTM. When we met Shashank Bijapur Madhav Bhagat and Rohith Salim a couple of years back it was still early. In a short while Spotdraft has changed the way mid-market businesses leverage AI to make contract management more efficient and intelligent. The company has seen strong market pull by scaling to 400+ customers, 120% NRR, 85%+ gross margin while doubling revenue in each of the past three years. Here is their journey straight from the founders. SpotDraft Arkam Ventures

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Deal Announcement – Complete transaction in Less than 3 months! Maiz Kitchens, a first of its kind modern QSR chain that believes in serving fresher, healthier fast food at an affordable price, successfully closed its Series A fundraise. Founded by Veer Bharatiya, Maiz is poised to replicate the Chipotle story in India! Radix acted as the Exclusive banker for this transaction which was closed in less than 3 months’ timeframe! What does Maiz’s super quick Series A turnaround tell us? In one line, despite how the larger macro environment, whether it's the Funding winter or the preceding Unicorn race, Investors fundamentally are always looking to unearth those Diamonds in the rough. Startups with strong fundamentals, visionary leaders, proven execution capability and large TAMs don’t have to rely solely on burning investor money for growth. These companies are always poised to leverage their customer love and execution strength to get the likeminded and right investment partners for targeting next big milestone. Maiz is one such diamond! 4 things that worked in favour of Maiz: o  A great team with clear vision and phenomenal execution capability. o  A solid plan executed to last decimal point details. o  Abundance of customer love which is visible in stellar Unit Economics. o  Super nimble approach of management with clear focus on Capital Efficiency Maiz is both a testament and validation of the Radix way! At Radix, we pride ourselves in being able to spot these gems. We are always long-term partners with the founding team and do our part in materializing their vision. Today, Radix Capital Advisors takes immense pleasure in announcing the successful closure of INR 21.5 Cr Series A fundraise for Maiz Kitchens. All the best to Maiz team! Brace yourself for the next Maiz outlet in your city! Congratulations Veer Bhartiya Rahul Chhabria, Pratiksha Barasia Maya Taparia Ashish Chacko Akash Bagul Mahesh Triplicane Damodaran Vignesh Ramanan Maiz Kitchens Radix Capital Advisors Yash Vora   Keep Spicing Up and Scaling New Heights – Onwards & Upwards ! #startups #SeriesA #Fundraise #DealAlert #consumer

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It's important to note that a huge jump in profits doesn’t always mean a company had an outstanding quarter or year. Often, these big numbers can come from one-off gains or unusual events, rather than consistent performance over time. For example, Zomato posted its first-ever profit of ₹2 crore in Q1 FY24, compared to a loss of ₹186 crore in the same quarter last year. But if you look closer, a one-time deferred tax benefit of ₹17 crore had a big impact on boosting their #profitability.

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My two cents on the E-Commerce M&A's in India article by Inc42 Media https://lnkd.in/gnG5nzXV I don’t see any consolidation or mergers happening amongst the large e-commerce players, but to gain market share in new categories, some of these larger companies will likely acquire smaller ones. Flipkart acquired Myntra, allowing them to at least compete with AJIO or Tata CLiQ. However, they let vertical category focussed companies like Nykaa and FirstCry, grow significantly. They probably wouldn't want to make that mistake again. If a new player emerges in a fast growing new category, then the larger e-commerce companies will likely try to acquire those businesses before they become a potential competition." Gemba Capital #ECommerce #ConsumerTech

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*Economic Times* 📝 IHCL acquires majority shareholding in operating company of Tree of Life 📝 Company registrations on downhill trek, down 22% in October 📝 Swiggy raises Rs 5,085 crore from anchor investors ahead of IPO launch 📝 Govt to sell up to 2.5% stake in Hindustan Zinc through OFS 📝 Salesforce India FY24 profit jumps 40% to Rs 888 crore 📝 GAIL Q2 Results: Profit rises 11% to Rs 2,672 crore, revenue up 3.5% 📝 NBCC secures Rs 500 cr contract from BIS 📝 India, Kazakhstan to set up a JV in critical minerals sector 📝 Marut Drones raises $6.2 million from Lok Capital 📝 QubeHealth raises pre-series A funding from UIV, CanBank 📝 Deep-tech startup CastNX raises ₹ 23.22 cr from Arpit Khandelwal 📝 Wealth fund INA and VC firm Granite plan to invest $1.2 billion in Indonesia tech *Business Standard* 📝 L&T to acquire 21% stake in E2E Networks in two-part Rs 1,406 crore deal 📝 Manappuram Finance Q2 results: PAT up 2% at Rs 571 cr on gold loan boost 📝 Will launch 3 biosimilars globally in 2-3 years: Biocon Biologics CEO & MD 📝 Shriram General Insurance eyes listing in 3 years, Q2 net profit up 17% 📝 Oil India Q2 results: Net profit rises multi-fold to Rs 2,016 crore 📝 Fidelity increases IPO-bound Lenskart valuation by 12% to $5.6 billion 📝 Apollo Green Energy prepares for IPO, eyes Rs 10,000 cr portfolio by 2025 📝 CBDT allows tax officials to waive or reduce interest due from taxpayers 📝 Bharat Connect clocks Rs 1 trillion in transaction value in October 📝 India joins race to host 2036 Olympics with formal letter of intent to IOC 📝 India's domestic air tariff up 43% in 5 years, just behind Vietnam *Financial Express* 📝 Morgan Stanley opens new GCC in Mumbai 📝 Udaan’s growth stalls, losses down 19 per cent in FY24 📝 Energy demand in India to jump 35 per cent, power capacity triple by 2035 📝 Vanguard cuts Ola’s valuation to $2 billion 📝 Kharif output seen up 5.4 per cent, to boost rural income *Mint* 📝 US yields mixed as election risks rise after solid 10-year note auction 📝 L&T boosts AI, data centre ambitions with E2E Networks deal 📝 US trade deficit widens to over two year-high in September 2024 on import boost 📝 Dr. Reddy’s to expand GLP-1 portfolio eyeing obesity and diabetes drug markets 📝 DCGI frames rules for imported cosmetics 📝 JSW Steel and Korean steel-maker eye $7.7 billion investment in Odisha plant 📝 Titan Q2 Results: Net profit falls 23% to ₹704 crore; revenue rises 25.8% YoY 📝 NMDC board to consider bonus issue for first time in 16 years on November 11 📝 Muthoottu Mini Financiers launches NCD issue to raise ₹150 crore 📝 UN report calls for trillions in climate finance to aid developing countries

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India Inc reported a 6.6% decline in Net profit for the September quarter over June. But the biggest drop was seen by the consumer-facing consumption sector, which saw a QoQ decline of 22 per cent. Higher inflation is impacting consumers’ spending power. The consumption in the economy is slowing down, and now all hopes are in the marriage season. One should not expect robust growth in the December quarter (QoQ) with the expectation of single-digit growth. We need monetary and fiscal support to bring back consumption cycle growth.

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It is fabulous to see the growing interest in Angel Investments in Startups.. The news of Mamaearth stocks and also those of Zomato, Policy Bazar etc doing so well and making many new millionaires is definitely helping the cause. Some of these angel investors are beneficiaries of exits and esops and hence believe in this asset class, while others are looking to build such breakout events in their lives. Yet there are others who thrive in the ecosystem and enjoy riding the wave while making profits or losses from it. Whatever is the motivation, this space needs to be tread with caution. As a lead investor of our syndicate VG Angels at VentureGarage and having over a decade of experience in this space, I often advice my fellow angel investors the following: 1. Angel Investment is probably the riskiest asset class and requires patience. If you want to be one, then invest in 7-8 cos in 3 years or so and then expect a breakout in the 4th year from one of them. 2. There are over 20000 startups registering in the country every year, it is almost impossible for you to source and then invest in one of the top 20 of those. Follow a syndicate lead investor or a curated angel network for the deal flow and evaluation. 3. Founders are not looking for your mentorship. Invest in them first and then maybe you can mentor them. Definitely do not invest in founders who need your active guidance. 4. Learn about the future opportunities and build your thesis around some sectors. Learning new stuff is one of the big requirements and motivators of angel investments after all. Invest in those sectors which you are bullish about. Happy investing! https://lnkd.in/g2xx3zBX

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Disclosure: I have worked with this company. I have no axe to grind with this company. SRK is an acquaintance. Signing up such Superstar, possibly with investment running into crores, isn't a small or even a middling deal. It is a big deal. Which is why afterall, the company and its officials have been talking about it on social media including LinkedIn, so vociferously. Therefore, purely from a conceptual perspective, this first #adfilm / #tvc is not so suitable on several #strategic fronts. * It is pulling down the brand imagery of someone for who's brand imagery they would be investing crores into. #shahrukhkhan becomes a salesman for a missed-call activity. * The first campaign should have been a brand launch campaign, a thematic campaign. Building the association, highlighting the #motherbrand, Muthoot Blue. The other Muthoot, with exactly the same legacy, is listed and multiple times bigger; has several celebrities including Amitabh Bachchan with relentless campaigning. Particularly, outside of Kerala, the other Muthoot is actually incomparably bigger in multiple aspects. Ordinary potential customer, has always been confused at best... actually, for an ordinary customer, Muthoot means the other Muthoot. For #differentiation and for #brandbuilding of the differentiated #brand, the launch film should have been a brand/thematic creative. * If this Muthoot is targeting new customer profile/s, these uninitiated new customers would be even more unaware of two different Muthoots and about the advantages of Gold Loan. First they need to tell these customers about gold loan and about Muthoot Blue. * Basic logic: the biggest challenge facing Muthoot Blue is the lack of differentiation and a #distinctive #brandidentity. So the brand Muthoot Blue needs to be promoted/built foremost and the most. Then Gold Loan and it's benefits. Then how to get a Gold Loan. Muthoot Blue has jumped, with this campaign, to 3rd step directly. * With this small tactical advt they have made SRK a sales plan for missed call and also would be passing on a lot of enquiries to Muthoot Finance. #marketing #marketingandadvertising #advertisingcampaign #srk #celebrity #brandambassador #goldloan

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Next steps in India Mobility are continuing to show progress - one of the top investments that continues to show IndiaFirst #ProudInvestor #ProudVC #IndiaFirst #BestLPs

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🚀 Swiggy Set to Make Waves with ₹11,300 Crore IPO: Key Details and Market Implications 🌐 Swiggy, India's food delivery giant, is set to go public with an IPO launching on November 6, 2024, aiming to raise around ₹11,327 crore (~$1.35B). Shares will be priced at ₹371-₹390 each (around $4.64), with trading expected to start on November 13, 2024. IPO Highlights: Price Range: ₹371-₹390 per share Funds Allocation: Expanding logistics and quick commerce operations This IPO is launching amidst rising tech-driven competition in India’s market. By securing capital, Swiggy plans to advance its quick commerce capabilities, aiming to gain a strategic edge over competitors like Zomato. Market Impact: Swiggy’s IPO offers a unique investment opportunity with strong growth potential, balancing between established dominance in food delivery and quick commerce expansion. Investor Insight: With a grey market premium around ₹25, sentiment is optimistic. As Swiggy steps into the public sphere, it's poised to redefine India's fast-paced delivery ecosystem. #IPO #SwiggyIPO #Investment https://lnkd.in/eyHRRPXh

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A significant milestone on the Sarvagram journey and we are very excited to continue our support to the stellar team. When we invested in 2022, we saw a distinctive company which was serving an unaddressed segment in a very large market i.e middle class households in rural India. The narrative around rural financing has primarily focused on farmers and low-income populations. However, there's a huge gap in addressing the needs of the aspirational rural middle class—the 80-100 million households with annual incomes ranging from ₹3-5L, spread across multiple income sources. This demographic is eager to improve both their income levels and quality of life, yet their financial needs have often gone unmet. Banks and microfinance institutions have targeted agriculture or low-income women but the rural middle class is a large whitespace. Though they may have access to product financing like two-wheeler or car loans, a significant portion of their aspirations remains unaddressed. SarvaGram is stepping into this gap with a holistic, customer-centric platform that offers a diverse range of financial services—from lending products and farm mechanization solutions to insurance offerings — as opposed to a mono-line strategy, which we believe works better in denser urban markets. In addition to our thesis on rural lending, we have found working with the stellar team, led by Utpal Isser and Sameer Mishra, a collaborative and insightful partnership. Their exceptional execution and understanding of the rural market have enabled SarvaGram to create lasting impact and drive sustainable growth. It has been equally enjoyable to learn from their experiences and we truly appreciate the openness of team. We have also appreciated working with our co-passengers from #Elevar, #Elevation and #Temasek and look forward to the #Peak XV team. With this fundraise, SarvaGram is on track to continue its impressive growth trajectory and we are excited to be part of this journey of SarvaGram driving meaningful change for rural middle-class households. Utpal Isser SarvaGram Sreeraman V TVS Capital Funds #FundingSuccess #RuralIndia

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Facts about the gold retail market in India: - India is the second largest consumer of gold - Jewellery retail sector in FY24 was worth $80bn (6.4 lakh crs) - Organised retail comprises about 36-38% of the overall market - Other than the large branded retailers, ther are about 500,000 local goldsmiths and jewellers - 66% of gold consumption is for jewellery and remaining for bars and coins - the sector is expected to grow $145bn by 2028 with 43% accounting for big branded retailers #gold #titan #retail

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Buying #Gold this Dhanteras? A few good pointers in this article - before you decide where/how to buy. "banks charge up to 10 per cent more than market rates, making the premium a significant drawback" "The RBI rule stipulates that banks cannot buy back gold coins purchased from them" Decide what matters most to you... and make an informed choice! Explore #digitalgold at Freo Freo #gold #dhanteras #digitalgold Anuj Kacker Hitarth Saini

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