86 Investing in consumer companies and finding out what consumers really want with Phoebe Scriven of VGC Partners

<p>Amongst EIS funds and VCTs, consumer companies is less popular than B2B investments but still have their attractions. VGC Partners is one of the few managers that focus on this area and we get Investment Director, Phoebe Scriven to discuss it.</p><p>In a fascinating discussion we cover many topics:</p><ul><li>why consumer is still attractive despite the economy</li><li>how the dynamics of returns in consumer venture capital investments is different from B2B</li><li>how to understand the consumer when its not something that you would buy yourself</li><li>getting conviction when data is limited</li><li>developing investment theses</li><li>finding quality within a group of companies within the same space</li><li>how creative companies can find a formula for repeat success</li></ul><br/><p>Phoebe brings lots of real life examples and really brings out her thought processes and approach to making investments. </p><p>01:00 how Phoebe became involved in venture capital</p><p>02:40 what VGC does</p><p>04:45 why is consumer attractive now</p><p>07:00 consumer brands don't scale as quickly - don't need unicorns to get good returns</p><p>13:00 B2C vs B2B investing - </p><p>14:00 understanding the consumer if you aren't the consumer</p><p>19:00 how to get insights into consumers - qualitative insights</p><p>23:15 quantitative insights</p><p>26:45 thinness of data and using opinions: testing beliefs and getting conviction</p><p>32:45 looking for differentiation when you see a lot of similar companies</p><p>36:45 example of circular economy companies</p><p>41:30 other areas of current interest - VR gaming, </p><p>46:45 creating formulas for repeated creative success</p><p>49:50 favourite questions</p><p><strong>Links</strong></p><p>VGC website - <a href="https://vgc.partners/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://vgc.partners/</a></p><p>Phoebe's email - phobe@vgc.com</p><p>LinkedIn - <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/phoebescriven/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/phoebe