DSG Consumer Partners
DSG Consumer Partners invests in emerging consumer brands across India and Southeast Asia.
Overview
DSG Consumer Partners is a consumer-focused venture capital firm investing across India and Southeast Asia. Deepak Shahdadpuri established the firm in 2012 after identifying a gap in institutional capital for emerging consumer brands. DSGCP now backs businesses across food and beverages, beauty and personal care, health and wellness, apparel, pet care, education and hospitality. Its focus is on consumer brands that can build lasting customer relationships and grow into category leaders.
Investment Focus and Stage
DSGCP invests from the earliest stages and can invest up to $5 million as a first institutional cheque. The firm does not restrict itself to a particular financing stage, and it often backs founders before incorporation.
Rather than organising its strategy around conventional industry categories, DSGCP invests around long-term shifts in consumer behaviour. Its eight core themes include looking and feeling good, healthy living and longevity, premiumisation, convenience, changing family structures, the shift from unorganised to organised markets, experiential living, and products that are better for consumers and the planet. The firm backs both digital-first and offline-first brands.
Its approach combines venture investing with the discipline of private equity, with a strong emphasis on fundamentals, capital efficiency and patient brand building.
Fund Size and Portfolio
DSGCP's fourth fund closed at $114 million, taking the firm's assets under management to more than $350 million. The fund attracted capital from both existing and new limited partners, with 72% of the Fund IV capital coming from existing investors.
Since 2012, DSGCP has backed more than 100 early-stage investments and 140+ founders, with 19 exits and eight category-defining brands across its track record. Its portfolio includes OYO, Veeba, Sula Vineyards, Epigamia, Supertails, Go Zero, 82°E, Hunger Inc., SATURDAYS and Leverage Edu.
Fund IV has added brands including Farmley, Go Desi, KNYA, Bombay Banta, Go Zero and Merlin Brands in India, along with investments across Southeast Asia such as Blood and Moom, Pickup Coffee, Coolmate and Marathon Education.
Leadership
Deepak Shahdadpuri is Managing Director and Founder. He has focused on consumer investing since making his first investment in Sula Vineyards in 2004. He later established DSGCP around the belief that emerging consumer brands needed patient capital combined with a deeper understanding of brand building.
Hariharan Premkumar serves as Managing Director and Head of India. He joined DSGCP in 2019 after eight years in buyout investing and investment banking. His background in capital-efficient businesses helped shape the firm's approach to building brands with strong fundamentals from an early stage.
Sameer Mehta is Managing Director and Head of Southeast Asia, leading DSGCP's regional operations. The broader leadership team includes investment, consumer insights, marketing, portfolio management and finance professionals.