Venturi Partners announces $225 million second fund to back consumer brands

The second fund will target high-growth sectors such as retail, education, healthcare, and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG).

Venturi Partners, a growth-stage consumer-focused investment firm, has announced the launch of its second fund with a target corpus of $225 million, with a hard cap of $250 million, to invest in disruptive consumer brands.

The second fund will target high-growth sectors such as retail, education, healthcare, and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), with a continued focus on India and Southeast Asia, the firm said in a statement.

Venturi is aiming for a first close of its fund by the end of the June quarter at $130 million, backed by existing investors. The firm had launched its first fund with a corpus of $180 million in April 2022 from prominent families in Europe and Asia.

Through its maiden fund, the firm invested in seven consumer companies across various sectors such as education, F&B subscription, beauty and personal care, retail, and home interiors. Its existing portfolio includes companies like Livspace, Country Delight, Believe, Pickup Coffee, DALI, K-12 Techno and JQR.

“Our investment philosophy remains unchanged, backing brands that create meaningful change and deliver innovative solutions to consumers. We take an active ownership approach with our portfolio companies, working closely with founders to help unlock growth and scale their businesses. With this second fund, we are excited to continue partnering with ambitious entrepreneurs across the region,” said Nicholas Cator, Founder of Venturi Partners.

This comes at a time when India-focused venture capital (VC) firms have kickstarted their fundraising efforts after a year-long pause, as investors are now looking to deploy the large pools of unallocated dry powder reserves they have been sitting on.

After VC fundraising in 2024, at just $2.7 billion, hit a five-year low, several global as well as domestic investment firms have announced large funds this year. These include Accel, Bessemer Venture Partners, Cornerstone VC, and Prime Venture Partners, among others.

Moreover, investors are increasingly showing interest in India’s rapidly growing consumer-tech sector, amid a recovering startup funding landscape.

Promising liquidity events, higher discretionary income and the ease of launching brands are some of the reasons why brands are mushrooming in the world’s third largest start-up ecosystem, where the consumer deal pipeline is only strengthening, Moneycontrol reported earlier.

Given the current trajectory, VC fundraising this year is expected to surpass the low levels seen last year, bolstered by a strong startup IPO pipeline and an improving funding environment.