Nearly three years after launching Gruhas, a Venture Capital (VC) fund for entrepreneurs, Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath has come up with another fund – Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund – this one for consumer brands, in partnership with Collective Artists Network, a Mumbai-based talent management and influencer marketing firm.
“The timing of the fund launch is opportune. Right now, we are in a sweet spot where the funnel for private equity/venture capital money coming into India, is reduced quite a bit. So the opportunity that exists today, wasn’t there 12 months ago,” Kamath told Moneycontrol.
“With two people coming from two different genres, we will have a multiplier effect. Seeing Nikhil’s track record and the level of disruption he has made in the Indian economy, we are confident,” Vijay Subramaniam, founder and Group CEO, Collective Arts Network, told the publication.
Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund
(1.) It has been launched at an initial investment fund of ₹150 crore. According to Subramaniam, the two participating companies alone are underwriting 30-35% of the venture.
(2.) The joint venture has already ‘locked’ down its first five investments and will invest up to a million dollars in early-stage companies.
(3.) Of those five investments, one is a sexual wellness brand, and the second, a maker of innerwear. This, Subramaniam said, signals Gruhas Collective’s ‘support for transformative ideas across various segments within the growing creator economy.’
(4.) Majority of the investments will be done within the next year, noted Zerodha’s Nikhil Kamath, adding that the fund will become ‘much larger’ in the coming years.
(5.) Additionally, the venture will primarily work with businesses that focus on technology.
