Sameer Narula, who has promoted early-stage venture capital firm August Capital Partners, has invested an undisclosed amount in the start-up Rent-a-Keg in his personal capacity. The deal involves Narula taking a minority stake and a seat on the board of advisors of the company in the UK.
Rent-a-Keg is a branded beverages, distribution, catering and events company based in London. Founded in 2004, it has expanded across the UK to become a beverages and events brand in the industry.
August Capital Partners is raising $25 million for its maiden fund, which will look to invest into start-ups tapping the Indian consumption story. The firm is expected to make a first close after getting commitments worth $10-12 million.
According to Narula, the current investment has been done in his personal capacity as the fund has not made its first close yet. “I have done this as a personal investment since the fund is still to do a first close. However, I am open to roll it into the fund post-close if it meets our mandate at that point,” he said in an e-mail.
Narula had known the company’s CEO George Workman, as well as the business, since 2005. “Our big focus this year is to expand our franchisee programme and grow our branded beverages and catering business in the UK and the continental Europe. We are actively speaking with potential franchisees and partners, and considering entering the Asian market in due course,” added Narula.
Narula hadearlier invested in Bangalore-based Etable, a stealth-mode start-up. It is a social network-based data analytics platform which allows restaurants, service providers and advertisers to capture insights into their customers’ preferences and usage patterns.