Singapore's Venturi achieves first close on consumer fund

The vehicle, which launched six months ago with a target of $150 million, will back companies in India and Southeast Asia across the fast-moving consumer goods, education, and healthcare services spaces.

Generation P, a holding company set up by Frédéric de Mévius, founder of Verlinvest and Planet First Partners, and Alexander de Wit, an ex-Verlinvest executive and co-founder of Planet First, are among the anchor LPs. Others include Peugeot Invest, a Peugeot family investment vehicle, and Ackermans & van Haaren, a Belgium-headquartered diversified investment group.

“We are bringing together a small number of investors with similar values looking to participate in the Asian consumer story. Our goal is to be an investment platform for our investors and we will aim to offer up to 100% of fund commitments in co-investment opportunities,” said Nicholas Cator, managing partner at Venturi, in a statement.

Cator previously spent 13 years at Verlinvest, latterly as a managing director in Singapore responsible for the local office and investments across Asia and then briefly as an operating partner. Verlinvest, which was established by the founding families of the Anheuser-Busch InBev brewing empire, has made a string of consumer investments across Asia and backed several sector specialist GPs.

Venturi plans to make 7-8 investments from its debut fund, writing checks of $15-40 million. The goal is to support companies looking to scale up in the region. The first investment came last September as Venturi participated in a $90 million Series D for Livspace, a home interiors renovation platform with a presence in India and Southeast Asia.

The firm has committed to donating at least 1% of its revenue to support two Asia Foundation programs, one focused on female empowerment and education and the other on tackling climate change. In addition, the team members will donate “a meaningful part of their carried interest” to charities in the region.

“Venturi’s consumer focus will enable a better understanding of new consumer trends and an ability to identify tomorrow’s winning brands in the post-COVID-19 world. The accelerated shift we have seen in digital transformation and the pivot to e-commerce is in line with Venturi’s core area of focus and expertise,” said de Mévius, who is a member of the firm’s investment committee as well as an LP.

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• Topics
• Southeast Asia
• South Asia
• Fundraising
• GPs
• LPs
• Singapore
• India
• Verlinvest
• Venturi Partners