The 7th edition of VCCircle Agri & Food Investment Summit, to be held on October 28, 2015, at Taj Lands End, Mumbai, will host a carefully curated gathering of agri & food sector experts including an impressive set of investors focused on fuelling growth through private capital.
Here is a sneak peek at what these investors have to offer in terms of expertise and knowledge besides an opportunity to raise money:
V T Bharadwaj – Managing Director, Sequoia Capital India
V T Bharadwaj as MD at Sequoia Capital has been spearheading investments in consumer, retail and healthcare sectors. Presently he serves as Director on the board of Prataap Snacks. The fund also counts Café Coffee Day, Hector Beverages and RAW Pressery as its portfolio companies.
Deepak Shahdadpuri – Founder & MD, DSG Consumer Partners
Deepak I Shahdadpuri has over 15 years of private equity and venture capital experience and is an active angel investor focusing on consumer businesses with a strong emphasis on the food and beverages value chain. Shahdadpuri serves on the board of Bakers Circle, Impresario, EazyDiner, Indian Home Gourmet, Saraf Foods, Sula Wines and Veeba Food, besides others.
Hemendra Mathur - MD, SEAF India Investment Advisors
Hemendra Mathur as MD for SEAF India Investment Advisors has been an active investor in the food & agribusiness sector for the last five years. He has invested in eight companies so far from the existing fund in sectors such as food ingredients, animal feed, fertilisers, seeds, organic foods, spices, wheat milling and restaurants. Mathur is also associated with many mentoring and incubator networks advising startups across a range of sectors.
Girish Nadkarni – Partner, IDFC Alternatives
Girish Nadkarni from IDFC Alternatives has over 22 years of experience in private equity, risk management and M&A with strong expertise in consumer, agri-business, rural infrastructure and telecom sectors. He has led investments in Parag Milk Foods, Staragri Warehousing and Collateral Management and NCDEX besides others.
Jinesh Shah – Founding Partner, Omnivore Partners
Jinesh Shah co-founded Omnivore Partners in 2010, a venture capital firm based in India investing in startups that are developing breakthrough technologies for food and agriculture. Since its inception, Omnivore has been able to create an impressive portfolio. The fund counts Skymet, Khedut, Eximdesk, Arohan Foods, Barrix, Stellapps, Y-Cook, EcoZen Solutions and Retigence in its portfolio.
Rakesh Sony - Director, Black River Food Fund
Rakesh Sonny, who is serving as Director at Black River Food Fund, has more than 20 years of experience in capital and private equity space. Prior to joining Black River, Rakesh was Director at Motilal Oswal Private Equity Advisors Pvt Ltd. Formed in 2003, Black River Food Fund is an independently managed subsidiary of Cargill, a privately held corporation and one of the world’s leading suppliers of food, agricultural and industrial products and services.
Shilpa Kulkarni – MD, Zodius Capital
Shilpa Kulkarni, MD at Zodius Capital, specialises in business development, strategy, M&A and investments. In the agri & food space, Zodius has been one of the leading funders of India’s largest online food and grocery store, BigBasket.
Rahul Garg – Principal, PremjiInvest
Rahul Garg at PremjiInvest is part of an investment team looking at PE and mezzanine investments in agri & food processing sector. It has been widely reported that PremjiInvest might lead Series C funding in grocery e-tailer BigBasket.
Given the impressive list of investors in the agri & food space, there is a lot look forward to and gain from VCCircle Agri & Food Investment Summit 2015. Register now to participate in this gala event or write to Kanika at register@vccircle.com / 0120-4171111.
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