Bertelsmann Investments Successfully Expands Investments in Indian Growth Market
- Bertelsmann India Investments funds deliver strong performance
- Eight-figure investments in Rozana, Nat Habit, and Lets Transport
- Carsten Coesfeld: “I am impressed by the entrepreneurs and the potential of the individual companies in the Indian market.”
Carsten Coesfeld, CEO of Bertelsmann Investments, said: “Bertelsmann has participated very successfully in the Indian growth market for many years through Bertelsmann India Investments. I am very pleased that our latest investments further strengthen our commitment in India. Rozana, Nat Habit and Lets Transport are all very impressive entrepreneurial success stories with very different business models. I am as impressed by the entrepreneurial qualities of their founders as I am by the potential of each business in the Indian market.”
Rozana, founded in 2021, is an e-commerce platform that specializes in the delivery of everyday goods to rural regions in India – a market that has traditionally been underserved by traditional e-commerce due to navigation and logistics challenges. Rozana has circumvented these issues through its proven e-commerce model, where the company leverages a network of 13,000 local partners to facilitate last-mile delivery, reaching around one billion people in the rural population.
Nat Habit, founded in 2019, is India’s pioneering brand for natural personal care products, offering a range of Ayurvedic formulations for direct sales. The range, which is manufactured in-house, includes various skin and hair care products, all made from natural ingredients and free from chemicals. Nat Habit operates in the premium mass segment and stands out for its innovative supply chain and R&D. The company has its headquarters in Gurugram, India.
Lets Transport is a technology-enabled marketplace for so far little consolidated urban logistics and was founded in India in 2015. BII participated in a funding round for the start-up already in 2018. The company provides a service for truck drivers, connecting vehicle owners with institutional customers for logistics services and thus ensures a high level of planning reliability and customer satisfaction. The Lets Transport platform already has over 220,000 registered trucks and more than 200 large corporate customers.
Shobhna Mohn, Chief Strategy Officer of Bertelsmann Investments, commented: “BII was founded in 2012 with the aim of making India part of Bertelsmann's growth and innovation strategy. In twelve years, BII has established itself as a highly demanded, reliable partner for start-ups and co-investors in India and has built up a very attractive portfolio with several innovative unicorns in various sectors. BII is continuing this path with new innovative investments.”
Pankaj Makkar, Managing Director of BII, added: “For me and my team at Bertelsmann India Investments, these recent investment successes are a strong motivation to continue on our path, strive for new successes, and create value for our stakeholders. The Bertelsmann-wide Boost program provides us with the financial resources to do so. At Bertelsmann India Investments, we are scouting innovative business models including in the D2C space, especially those that have revolutionized around supply chain and product differentiation. We are a sector agnostic fund which means we can invest in any tech related topic.”
About Bertelsmann Investments
Bertelsmann Investments (BI) comprises Bertelsmann’s global venture capital activities as well as the Bertelsmann Next growth unit. The venture capital arm includes the Bertelsmann Asia Investments (BAI), Bertelsmann India Investments (BII), and Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments (BDMI) funds, as well as selected fund and direct holdings in markets including Europe, the United States, Brazil, Southeast Asia and Africa. The Bertelsmann Next unit advances the entrepreneurial development of new growth sectors and business areas, including Digital Health, HR Tech, and Mobile Ad Tech. To date, around €1.9 billion has been invested in around 500 innovative companies and funds through Bertelsmann Investments. Bertelsmann Investments currently holds over 350 active investments worldwide through its network of start-ups and funds.
Contact
Jan Hölkemann
Communications Bertelsmann Investments, Spokesperson / Communications Content Team
Phone: +49 (0) 52 41 80 89923
