SoftBank May Invest up to $750 Million in Robotic Pizza Startup Zume

Alteria Capital has invested Rs 33.5 crore (around $5 million) in organic cold-pressed juice and beverage maker, Raw Pressery. The investment includes both equity and venture debt from Alteria Capital, a first-time move for venture debt firm.

Alteria currently has commitments of Rs 550 crore with anchor investments from IndusInd Bank, SIDBI and a large domestic family office foundation. Earlier, Alteria had invested in startups like ready-to-cook meal brand Fingerlix, education technology platform Toppr and Universal Sportsbiz.

Vinod Murali, co-founder and managing partner of Alteria Capital, said, “We are seeing increasing interest in the Indian consumer segment and this investment is aligned with our belief that strong, Indian consumer brands backed by venture capital are going to create massive outcomes in the medium to long-term”.

Founded in 2013 by Anuj Rakyan, Raw Pressery will use the new capital for expanding distribution domestically and internationally in the Middle East and South East Asia.

Anuj Rakyan, founder and CEO of Raw Pressery, said, “The Alteria team has always been very supportive of our vision and growth plans. The additional equity infusion will also provide a huge boost to us and we are excited with this partnership”.

Food and beverages start up Nutricane Beverages is aiming to have a presence at nearly 10,000 retail outlets in India with its patented processed sugarcane beverage.

The company, which last week started rolling out its range of products, is planning to be present in states, including NCR, Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan in the first phase.

It aims to have 3 per cent market share in the beverages segment in India by the next three years.

Nutricane Beverages co-founder Sachin Goel said “A lot of R&D was done to make this product. Besides, regular consumer trials were undertaken over a period of years and the response has been overwhelming. We aim to have 3 per cent market by 2020. The product will be present at all modern trade as also other retail outlets, hotels and restaurants. The target is to be present in about 10,000 retail touch points in one year through 400 distributors.”

The company claims to have 80 per cent original juice in the drink without any preservative and is betting on the millennials for its sales.

Cremica Food Industries, one of the leading FMCG conglomerate has raised USD 15 million from Rabo Equity Advisors, Investment Advisors for India Agri Business Fund II (the “Fund”)

With this funding, Rabo has also acquired a minority stake in Cremica.

“Cremica is excited to have Rabo Equity on board as an investor. Rabo’s deep sector knowledge and experience in the food space will help Cremica in a long way towards fulfilling its growth plans,” shared Akshay Bector, Chairman & Managing Director, Cremica Food Industries Limited.

Cremica is a fast growing sauces, condiments, and snacks company managed by Bector whose product range includes chips, sauces, sandwich mayonnaise, salad dressings, and syrups.

Cremica is looking to achievesales of INR 10,000 million by 2020 and expand its distribution network to 120,000 outlets in three years from 40,000 at present, thereby expanding its presence through the country.

The company is also looking to expand its manufacturing capacity at its existing complex at Phillaur and also plans to set up a food park and manufacturing plant in Himachal Pradesh.

“Rabo Equity is delighted to invest in Cremica and believes that under the leadership of Akshay Bector, Cremica shall become a strong household brand when it comes to sauces, condiments, and snacks,” added Rajesh Srivastava, Chairman & Managing Director, Rabo Equity Advisors.

Rabo Equity Advisors managed by Srivastava currently advises two funds in India, IABF – II and IABF– I. India Agri Business Fund I– a $120 million fund which is fully invested in companies like Prabhat Dairy, NCMSL, LT Foods, Daawat Foods, Vacmet, Global Green etc. and the recently raised – IABF II.The Fund has a long-term “Knowledge Sharing Agreement” with Rabobank.

Max Ventures & Industries Limited (MVIL), a part of one of India’s leading multi-business conglomerates, the Max Group, has announced its intent to invest in Azure Hospitality Pvt. Ltd., which owns and operates Mamagoto, a mid-scale casual dining restaurant chain and Speedy Chow/Roll Maal, a quick service restaurant (QSR) format for Indian & Chinese street food and an Institutional Catering Service.

This will be the first investment by MVIL, a holding company formed recently through a three way demerger of the erstwhile Max India Ltd, to provide the latter’s investors with specific and undiluted access to diverse lines of businesses, unlock shareholder value and enable sharper focus on each operating business.

The company which is owned by Kabir Suri and Rahul Khanna has raised a series A round of funding last year to expand its business in Delh-NCR.

Established in 2009, Azure Hospitality is a leading hospitality business chain offering South East Asian cuisine in a differentiated format.

MVIL will be co-investing in the second round with Goldman Sachs, the key investor in the first round.

Explaining the rationale behind the investment, Sahil Vachani, MD, MVIL, said, “Within the sectors that we are actively considering for investment, we particularly favored Azure Hospitality because of the vision of its founders, their values , the scale they have demonstrated and the potential for profitable growth. We are also pleased to partner the existing investor, Goldman Sachs, who is investing further at this stage. The strong fundamentals of Azure coupled with huge growth prospects within the sector make this an exciting opportunity for MVIL.”

The Indian food industry is estimated at USD 100 Bn. within this, the organised sector is expected to grow at 16% CAGR to USD 28Bn, in the next 5 years.