Client
An Individual investor (HNI) with an interest in the Health & Nutrition space and wanting to look at investments in the Agri / Agri-Tech domain.
Mandate
The investor intended to invest in an Agri / Foods business with a focus on “Health & Nutrition” based positioning. In this domain, he had expressed interest in exploring the Smart Protein category and accordingly had zeroed down on few start-ups for consideration.
USPI was onboarded to understand and evaluate the start-ups including a detailed Due Diligence and eventually recommend an investment strategy into a portfolio of companies in the chosen area.
Our Engagement
USPI engaged with the identified start-ups (3 of them) in the Smart Protein space to gain a first-hand understanding of their businesses. A detailed study and diligence was done on the following aspects.
- Product, its Market Readiness and Revenue Potential
- Positioning & Value Proposition
- Process Technology involved in producing the product
- Uniqueness of the product / technology and whether it has a distinctive competitive advantage
- Business Plan and ability of the idea to scale-up and create sustained value for the investor
- Systems & Processes, especially Knowledge Management and Technology / R&D processes
- Founders & the team
Basis this, an investment strategy was proposed to invest in two out of the three businesses identified.
Outcomes Delivered
The investor ended up acquiring a Significant Minority stake in one start-up to begin with.
USPI was also retained to support the investor in operationalising the strategy and executing the business plan, which included scaling up the existing business and also foraying into value-added products.
