Brand Capital enters Silicon Valley to scout for startups

Mumbai, Jul 10: Brand Capital, a strategic investment arm of media conglomerate BCCL, has set up its first international office in Silicon Valley to help the startups there tap the fast growing consumer markets in India.

It will work with early-stage startups from the Valley to access the Indian markets and also help entrepreneurs from India access the resources and scale througBrand Capital, a strategic investment arm of media conglomerate BCCLh investor participation from the technology hub of the US.

Brand Capital is part of Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd (BCCL) and its invested value stands at about USD 1.8 billion. It has partnered with over 600 investee companies across retail, FMCG, consumer durables, e-retail, digital and mobile, financial services and consumer services, among other sectors.

In a statement, Brand Capital said its new office will provide a gateway to global entrepreneurs in the Silicon Valley access the Indian markets.

Brand Capital CEO Sivakumar Sundaram said: "Given our deep understanding of the Indian consumer ecosystem, and the strength of our media properties, the Times Group is best poised to help global consumer-centric businesses enter India.

"Complex as the Indian consumer may be, our extensive experience in helping fast-forward the growth trajectory, puts us in a unique position to help businesses discover value through differentiation and disruptive market offerings."We are complimenting the entrepreneur and investor ecosystem by providing a large market traction to Indian businesses based here."

The team at the new office would be led by Neville Taraporewalla. In the recent month, the startup scene has seen hectic activities in India and investors have closed nearly 400 deals since the beginning of the year as against about 300 in the entire 2014.

The technology-focused investors dominate the list with a robust growth in internet and mobile markets. The top investors include Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global and Helion closing more than 20 deals each so far in 2015.

Other major investors in Indian startups include SAIF Partners, Accel Partners, India Quotient, Matrix Partners, IDG Ventures India, Kalaari Capital and Nexus Ventures, while iconic business leader Ratan Tata has also invested in many ventures in his personal capacity.

PTI