

EP#8 Vinay Singh – The business of building brands and investing in new-age consumer companies
In today’s episode, Vinay Singh, Founding Partner @Fireside Ventures, joins our host Digjay, to share his path leading up to Venture Capital, the business of building & investing in consumer brands, the expectations of new age consumers and the corresponding change in narrative with the rise of modern D2C brands or Brands 2.0.
Vinay Singh is a Founding Partner at Fireside Ventures, an early-stage consumer-focused venture fund which has invested in brands like boAt, Mama Earth, Vahdam Teas & Bombay Shaving Company to name a few. With 7+ years at Hindustan Unilever as Marketing Manager for a multi-crore brand, extensive expertise in digital marketing at McKinsey & Co., and Bankbazaar.com, Vinay has a unique perspective on the intersection between consumer brands and technology. He has also been an entrepreneur, as the founder and CEO of Stepni.com, which was later acquired by Quikr. You can reach out to him here on Linkedin
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Show notes –
1. (1:05) Vinay’s path leading up to being a VC with Fireside Venture
2. (05:02) Fireside Ventures - Focus on consumer brands
3. (09:25) What are the characteristics of Brand 2.0?
4. (13:57) Differentiating your brand among increasing competition; importance of building a brand narrative that resonates with your customers
5. (16:15) Evaluating early-stage consumer brands; Key questions that a brand should be able to answer before fundraising
6. (18:33) How Fireside partners & assists direct-to-consumer brands in it’s portfolio?
7. (23:17) Key elements that should be a part of a consumer brand’s fundraising pitch
8. (27:33) Rapid fire and closing remarks