Bessemer Venture Partners sees $1 trillion digital opportunity in India; eyes quick commerce, D2C boom: report
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Global venture capital firm Bessemer Venture Partners has projected a $1 trillion digital economy opportunity in India over the next decade, led by a convergence of commerce, content, and rising consumer discernment.In a report titled 'Click, Watch, Shop: The Indian Consumer Opportunity', the firm said the upcoming wave of value creation in India's consumer internet space could be five times larger than the last decade, with much of it expected to accrue to startups building in segments such as quick commerce , direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands, and mobile-first content platforms.'Because of confluence of different sets of events, like smartphone penetration, improvement in the overall income levels of the country and the fact that there is a lot of favourable policy developments, we feel that India is well poised to be a trillion-dollar economy on the tech and digital side in the coming years,' said Anant Vidur Puri, partner, Bessemer Venture Partners.The venture capital firm highlighted quick commerce as a key trend reshaping the online retail ecosystem, where platforms like Zepto, Blinkit, and Swiggy Instamart have driven consumer adoption of rapid delivery services.The report also signals the rise of verticalised quick commerce startups such as Snabbit, Swish, and Slikk.On the consumer brand front, it noted that direct-to-consumer (D2C) startups across fashion, fitness, personal care, appliances, and food, such as Blissclub, Snitch, Mokobara, The Whole Truth, and Minimalist, are catering to the growing demand for aspirational, high-quality products among India's young, digitally native population.Bessemer's report also outlined strong investor tailwinds in areas like micro-transactions, pet care brands, mobile gaming, and content platforms built for short attention spans.Also, with artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities now embedded across consumer touchpoints, brands are leveraging technology to solve pain points at scale, it said.Bessemer Venture Partners, which started its Indian operations in 2006, has invested in more than 80 startups in the country so far, including BigBasket, PharmEasy, Urban Company, and Livspace. Its portfolio has seen nine companies go public, including Swiggy, Indian Energy Exchange , and Bharat Matrimony.Earlier this year, Bessemer Venture Partners closed its second dedicated India fund at $350 million, aiming to invest in startups across AI, software-as-a-service (SaaS), fintech, digital health, consumer brands, and cybersecurity domains.
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