Unilever Ventures

Unilever Ventures Limited serves as the investment arm of Unilever, focusing on venture capital and private equity investments. Established in 2002 and headquartered in London with an office in Mumbai, the firm targets various stages of investment, including seed/start-up, early stage, late stage, and expansion, while avoiding incubation phases. It primarily invests in sectors such as personal care, digital media, e-commerce, healthcare, and technology, with a particular interest in food and beverage, beauty, and wellness services. Unilever Ventures typically invests between $0.5 million and €10 million, seeking both majority and minority stakes in portfolio companies, and often takes board seats. The firm emphasizes investments in companies based in Asia and Europe, particularly Western Europe, while also considering opportunities in North America. In addition, it collaborates with The Unilever Foundry to offer technology innovators access to pilot projects and mentorship.

Pawan Chaturvedi

Partner - Asia

John Coombs

Managing Director

Olivier Garel

Managing Partner

Jan Harley

Investment Director and Founder

Rachel Harris

Partner

Andrew Lane

Co-Founder and Director

Anna Ohlsson-Baskerville

Partner

Devesh Papney

Investor

Stephen Willson

Managing Partner

Past deals in FMCG

Milkbasket

Series B in 2020
Milkbasket is a subscription-based micro-delivery service fulfilling daily dairy essentials and household needs of customers every morning. They deliver milk, bread, eggs, juices, butter, and other daily items needed every morning, right at customer's doorstep, free of charge. The company was founded in 2015, built on the unique Indian habit of getting fresh milk delivered at home every morning. They are based in Haryana, India but is also delivering in Noida, Dwarka, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad.

Scentials

Series A in 2019
“Scentials is building a unique beauty brands studio platform that combines fast paced innovations across beauty categories with endorsements from top tier Indian celebrities in sports, films & entertainment. The celebrity partnerships provide massive traditional and social media reach driving brand salience.”

Frontier Markets

Seed Round in 2019
Frontier Markets Consulting Private Limited operates as a marketing, sales, and distribution company. The company specializes in selling durables for bottom of the pyramid households in rural and peri-urban India. It provides solar lighting products, including torches and lantern through last mile distribution points; household appliances, smartphones, and 4G services. Frontier Markets Consulting Private Limited was founded in 2009 and is based in Jaipur, India with additional offices in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Odisha, India.

Milkbasket

Series B in 2019
Milkbasket is a subscription-based micro-delivery service fulfilling daily dairy essentials and household needs of customers every morning. They deliver milk, bread, eggs, juices, butter, and other daily items needed every morning, right at customer's doorstep, free of charge. The company was founded in 2015, built on the unique Indian habit of getting fresh milk delivered at home every morning. They are based in Haryana, India but is also delivering in Noida, Dwarka, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad.

Milkbasket

Series A in 2018
Milkbasket is a subscription-based micro-delivery service fulfilling daily dairy essentials and household needs of customers every morning. They deliver milk, bread, eggs, juices, butter, and other daily items needed every morning, right at customer's doorstep, free of charge. The company was founded in 2015, built on the unique Indian habit of getting fresh milk delivered at home every morning. They are based in Haryana, India but is also delivering in Noida, Dwarka, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad.

Milkbasket

Series A in 2018
Milkbasket is a subscription-based micro-delivery service fulfilling daily dairy essentials and household needs of customers every morning. They deliver milk, bread, eggs, juices, butter, and other daily items needed every morning, right at customer's doorstep, free of charge. The company was founded in 2015, built on the unique Indian habit of getting fresh milk delivered at home every morning. They are based in Haryana, India but is also delivering in Noida, Dwarka, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad.

Milkbasket

Seed Round in 2018
Milkbasket is a subscription-based micro-delivery service fulfilling daily dairy essentials and household needs of customers every morning. They deliver milk, bread, eggs, juices, butter, and other daily items needed every morning, right at customer's doorstep, free of charge. The company was founded in 2015, built on the unique Indian habit of getting fresh milk delivered at home every morning. They are based in Haryana, India but is also delivering in Noida, Dwarka, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad.

Hangyo

Venture Round in 2013
Hangyo Ice Creams Private Ltd. produces ice creams, milk, and milk products. The company offers cones, candies, sundaes, and ice cream cups of various flavors; and milk products, such as butter milk, curd, lassi, cold coffee, and mango lassi. It offers its products through its retail stores in Bengaluru, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttar Kannada, Hubli, and Kerala; and dealers. The company was incorporated in 2002 and is based in Mangalore, India. Hangyo Ice Creams Private Ltd. operates as a subsidiary of Srikrishna Milks Pvt. Ltd.

Froosh AB

Series A in 2008
Leading premium smoothie brand in the Nordics

Brand New Brands

Series A in 2005
Brand New Brands is a groundbreaking new company that brings together the entrepreneurial spirit of a start-up and the resources of an established corporation to create new foods and beverages that promote health and wellness. Brand New Brands uses a portfolio-based incubator model to develop and market the highest potential new functional food business opportunities for the U.S. marketplace. Core to their approach is the commitment to create food and beverage products that are efficacious (by medical standards), honest and transparent in their claims, and satisfying to eat or drink. By vetting and assessing the potential of scores of new product concepts, they take the most promising opportunities and fuse them with talented, passionate and proven entrepreneurial teams who turn ideas into thriving new ventures. They focus their efforts and resources by innovating “category-creating” brand platforms that are capable of crossing over from niche markets to the mainstream in three to five years. They only pursue opportunities where they can claim distinct competitive advantages over large food companies through IP, brand creation or non-traditional distribution. Their strategy is to take the most promising new nutritional technologies and deliver them to the marketplace through great-tasting products with engaging “lifestyle” brands that educate and attract loyal customers and progressive retail partners. They take opportunities to market that are likely to scale quickly due to the convergence of scientific advances, consumer readiness and media attention.