SAN FRANCISCO, April 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brand Capital International (BCI), the venture capital firm that provides capital and expert guidance to help startups expand into India’s market, announced today that it is building strong momentum in the United States. With recent investments in U.S.-based startups such as Starting 11, Square Panda and CricClub, BCI has been assisting companies from the U.S. and around the globe to set up base in India, one of the largest consumer markets in the world.
BCI focuses on four main sectors that are rapidly growing in India: Healthcare, Financial Services, Mobile Entertainment and Gaming, and Education.
Education*: India has the 2nd largest eLearning market in the world behind the U.S. It is expected to reach $2 billion by the end of 2021, with 9.5 million online students. India has the world’s largest population of about 500 million in the age bracket of 5-24 years, which provides a great opportunity for the education sector.
Healthcare: The healthcare market is projected to increase three-fold to reach U.S. $133.44 billion by 2022.There is a significant scope for enhancing healthcare services considering that healthcare spending as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is rising. The government’s expenditure on healthcare sector grew to 1.6% of the GDP in FY20BE from 1.3% in FY16. Health insurance is gaining momentum in India. Gross direct premium income underwritten by health insurance grew 17.16% YoY to Rs. 51,637.84 crore (U.S. $7.39 billion) in FY20.
Financial services: India is expected to be the fourth largest private wealth market globally by 2028. As of November 2020, Assets Under Management (AUM) managed by the mutual fund industry stood at U.S. $407.39 billion. Another crucial component of India’s financial industry is the insurance industry. The total first year premium of life insurance companies reached U.S. $36.73 billion in FY20.
Mobile Entertainment and Gaming: In 2020, India’s mobile gaming segment registered a market size of U.S. $1.2 billion and is expected to increase at CAGR of 6.1% by 2025. The country posted average revenue of US $8.8 per user, with user penetration rate of 10.1%. According to the Media and Entertainment Outlook 2020, India is likely to emerge as the world’s sixth-largest OTT (over-the-top) streaming market by 2024. The market is expected to post a CAGR of 28.6% over the next four years to generate revenue worth U.S.$2.9 billion.
Brand Capital International works with some of the world's most visionary entrepreneurs and business leaders to launch truly transformational companies. Its portfolio includes businesses in the fast-growing healthcare, ed-tech, lifestyle and gaming sectors:
Financial Services: OneValley, FINTECH.TV, Oddup
Information & Media: 1World Online, Quor
Education & Edutainment: Square Panda, Indorse
Healthcare: Hug Innovations, Tali Digital
Lifestyle & Entertainment: CricClubs, Bubblo, Machaao, InMusik, Let’s Antakshari, Starting 11
“We wanted to find a partner to help us expand and grow in India. Brand Capital International and its parent company, The Times Group, have a strong brand in India and a great deal of credibility. That is why it was an easy decision for us,” said Gaurang Torvekar, founder and president of Indorse. “We were looking for someone who was more than a VC; we were looking for someone who could actually help us with marketing and branding aspects in India.”
“The convergence of several market factors, from low-cost and high speed mobile and internet advancements to government commitments to education grants and programs, has created an unprecedented opportunity for startups to reach millions of consumers in India,” said Piyush Puri, Executive Vice President, Brand Capital International. “We’re passionate about helping leadership teams quickly and successfully reach new audiences in India through our investment, expert guidance and unmatched network of partners.”
To learn more about how BCI helps:
- Read about BCI portfolio companies
- Contact BCI to ignite your India expansion plans
- Follow market movers at the BCI blog
*Statistics source: IBEF.org
About Brand Capital International
Brand Capital International (BCI), headquartered in San Francisco, California, is the strategic investment arm of The Times Group, the largest media conglomerate in India. BCI channels its deep domain expertise and insights in the Indian economy to steer early-stage and high-growth companies from across the globe to thrive in one of the world's fastest growing markets. To learn more about Brand Capital International, its investment thesis and its portfolio companies, visit us at www.brandcapitalus.com
Contact:
christina.lockwood@timesgroup.com