A consumer revolution is upon us, bolstered by new-age brands. Bain & Company calls them insurgent brands keen to outperform their respective markets and on track to capture an outsized share of growth. They not only challenge incumbents with disruptive products, services and business models but also resonate well with Gen Z and millennials, demographics that dominate India’s consumer landscape.

In a digitally driven consumer ecosystem, B2C and D2C brands are the new power players expanding their reach and redefining almost every category, be it food and beverage, beauty and personal care or lifestyle. Think of personalised skincare,like Minimalist, plant-based F&B with essential nutrients like Beyond Meat, or how consumer electronics startups like boAt and Noise have disrupted high-end audio and wearable markets in India.

Ecommerce as a go-to distribution channel also fuels this consumer segment. Delivering across India’s sprawling network of pin codes is no longer an added perk but a necessity for driving business growth.

A quick look at the numbers narrates the growth story well. While the ecommerce market is estimated to reach $400 Bn by 2030, at a CAGR of 19%, investors have been bullish on early stage consumer brands embracing digital commerce for growth. India’s startup ecosystem has yet to recover fully from the funding winter. However, ecommerce brands have bagged $1 Bn in funding alone in 2024 (Q1-Q2) and the total number of funding since 2014 is more than $34 Bn, according to Inc42 data.

What makes early stage consumer brands so appealing to investors? Inc42 caught up with Archana Jahagirdar, founder and managing partner of Rukam Capital, to find out. Set up in 2019, the Delhi-based venture capital firm invests in early stage consumer products and services companies with significant growth potential. The VC has funded as many as 20 startups, including noted brands such as Go DESi, Sleepy Owl Coffee, Burger Singh, BECO, The Indus Valley, Curefoods and more.

During the interaction, Jahagirdar shed light on the three pillars forming the investment playbook of Rukum Capital and how the VC keeps pace with an evolving market and adds value to portfolio companies. Here are the edited excerpts from the interview.

Inc42: What is the core philosophy of your investment playbook? How does it help you spot and scale promising consumer brands?

Archana Jahagirdar: Our playbook involves working with startup founders who understand the three core pillars of building a business from the ground up. The first is spotting the gap in the market. Sometimes, startups introduce........

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