Investment Banking · India
Investment Banking & Strategic Advisory for Indian Founders and Promoters
Principal-led M&A, capital formation, and board-grade strategic advisory for Indian companies from INR 40 Cr–INR 4,000 Cr revenue. Sell-side, buy-side, growth equity, and cross-border corridors – ICAI-led, delivered by the partners you meet in the pitch.
Who this is for
Indian founder or promoter preparing for exit
You've built an INR 100 Cr–INR 1,500 Cr revenue business and are 12–24 months from a strategic sale, PE recap, or IPO track. You need a positioning thesis, buyer universe, and SEBI/FEMA-aware structure – not a broker who will circulate your deck.
Mid-market CEO or independent director
You're evaluating an acquisition, divestiture, minority recap, or promoter buyout. You want independent, senior counsel that owns the analysis rather than a pitch built to close a mandate.
Indian family office or independent sponsor
You're sourcing platform or add-on deals in the India mid-market. You need diligence, structuring, and post-close value-creation planning from a team fluent in both Indian regulation and cross-border capital flows.
Indian company with US / Singapore exposure
You have offshore revenue, an IP holding structure, or an acquisition target abroad. You need an India-anchored advisor who can execute the cross-border leg without handing you off to a foreign affiliate.
What you get
- Strategic positioning memo and buyer or investor universe map
- Confidential Information Memorandum (CIM) and management presentation
- Quality-of-earnings pre-diligence and data room readiness pack
- Valuation reference range with comparable transactions and DCF cross-check
- SEBI, FEMA, and FDI pathway map where relevant to the transaction
- Process management – outreach, NDAs, EOIs, term sheets, and closing coordination
How an engagement runs
- 01
Strategic assessment
2–3 weeksBusiness review, financial normalization, positioning thesis, and a candid readiness verdict. We tell you what a sophisticated buyer or investor will see before you go to market.
- 02
Preparation & materials
3–4 weeksCIM, management deck, financial model, and data room build-out. Quality-of-earnings pre-diligence to surface adjustments before a buyer's advisor finds them.
- 03
Market outreach
4–6 weeksTargeted outreach to a curated buyer or investor universe – Indian and global strategics, PE sponsors, and family offices. NDAs, EOIs, and management meetings orchestrated tightly.
- 04
Negotiation & selection
4–6 weeksNon-binding to binding progression, term negotiation, exclusivity, and buyer selection. You keep control of the decision; we own the process discipline.
- 05
Diligence & close
8–14 weeksConfirmatory diligence, SPA/SHA negotiation, regulatory coordination (SEBI, CCI, RBI as applicable), and closing. Post-close transition planning where operational continuity matters.
Sectors we serve in the Indian market
Selected engagements
Indian SaaS company structured a US-facing holding stack to unlock a strategic buyer universe.
Entity redesign, transfer pricing, and IP alignment – positioned the business for a cross-border strategic sale without disturbing operating cash flows.
Read engagementCross-border payments fintech scaled Indian operations with regulator-clean Singapore flows.
Dual-jurisdiction structuring, treasury design, and investor-ready reporting – supporting a growth equity conversation with credible international unit economics.
Read engagementForeign PE sponsor executed a control deal in an Indian mid-market platform with FEMA-clean structure on first filing.
SEBI, FEMA, and CCI coordination alongside commercial diligence – closed on the sponsor's target timeline with no regulatory rework.
Read engagementEngagement structure & indicative fees
All engagements are scoped to outcomes, not hours. Fees are indicative and finalized after a 30-minute scoping call.
Readiness Sprint
Strategic assessment, positioning thesis, buyer or investor universe, valuation reference range, and a diligence-readiness verdict. Delivered as a board-ready pack.
Full Sell-Side / Capital Raise
End-to-end M&A or capital raise execution: materials, outreach, negotiation, diligence, and close. Success fees benchmarked to Lehman-style scales for lower and core mid-market mandates.
Most Indian promoters start with a Readiness Sprint to test the exit or capital hypothesis under pressure, then engage us to run the full process when the timing is right. We do not run auction processes where senior attention gets diluted across dozens of mandates.
India Mid-Market Exit & Capital Raise Briefing
India Mid-Market Exit & Capital Raise Briefing
A senior-authored briefing on what an Indian mid-market sale or capital raise actually requires in 2026 – valuation drivers, buyer behavior, and the diligence issues that kill deals in the last 30 days.
- Current buyer landscape: Indian and global strategics, PE, and family offices
- Valuation reference points by sector and revenue band
- SEBI, FEMA, and CCI touchpoints founders miss
- 12-month readiness calendar from decision to close
Comparison
Choosing your India investment banking advisor
How Nirji's principal-led model compares to bulge-bracket banks and traditional Indian mid-market boutiques for founders, promoters, and boards.
| Bulge-bracket bank | Indian mid-market boutique | Nirji Ventures | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serves INR 40 Cr – INR 4,000 Cr revenue companies | Rare below INR 2,000 Cr | ||
| Principal-led (no junior handoff) | Sometimes | Always | |
| Cross-border India ↔ US / Singapore in-house | Via affiliate | Rare | |
| ICAI-qualified leads | |||
| Independent – no financing conflicts | |||
| Readiness Sprint before full mandate | Rare | Standard | |
| Indicative retainer | USD $250K+ | USD $50K – $150K | USD $50K – $125K (Sprint) |
| Typical mandate timeline | 9 – 12 months | 6 – 12 months | 6 – 12 months |
Comparison reflects typical scoping for India mid-market M&A and capital raise mandates. Fees vary by scope, complexity, and mandate structure; figures are indicative only.
Further reading
How to prepare for a sell-side exit – a promoter's framework
ReadFounder exit and succession – a structured playbook
ReadCross-border M&A – structuring the India ↔ US corridor
ReadInvesting in Indian startups from Singapore
ReadInvest in India – unlocking the next growth cycle
ReadIndian rupee and the US dollar – structural drivers
ReadFrequently Asked Questions
What size Indian companies does Nirji work with for investment banking mandates?
We focus on the India lower and core mid-market – typically INR 40 Cr to INR 4,000 Cr in revenue, with enterprise values between USD $25M and $500M. Below that range, a Readiness Sprint is still valuable; above it, a bulge-bracket bank is usually better suited to the auction dynamics that transaction size supports.
Do you handle sell-side, buy-side, or both?
Both. Sell-side dominates our mandates – promoter-owned businesses preparing for exit, family-owned companies planning succession, and PE-backed companies running a sale process. On buy-side we work with independent sponsors, family offices, and strategics executing platform or add-on acquisitions in the India mid-market.
How do you approach capital raises for Indian companies?
Growth equity, private credit, and structured capital are the three pockets we run most often. We start with a capital strategy conversation – what problem does the capital solve, what dilution or leverage is acceptable, and what does the next 24 months look like – before running any outreach. Then we build materials, run a curated process, and negotiate terms.
How do you handle SEBI, FEMA, and CCI touchpoints in a transaction?
Every mandate is scoped with the regulatory pathway baked in. SEBI (for listed or listing-track situations), FEMA (for any cross-border capital flow), CCI (for combinations above thresholds), and RBI (for FDI/ODI routing) are mapped in the strategic assessment phase – not surfaced late. Filings are executed by partner law firms we coordinate; we own the structuring memo.
How do success fees work on an India sell-side mandate?
Retainer plus success fee is the standard structure. Success fees benchmark to Lehman-style scales adjusted for deal size – typically a higher percentage on the first dollars, tapering above. The retainer is credited against success at close on most mandates. We share a full fee proposal after the Readiness Sprint so there are no surprises.
How long does a typical India sell-side process take from kickoff to close?
Six to twelve months is the honest range. Two to three weeks for strategic assessment, three to four weeks to prepare materials, four to six weeks of outreach, four to six weeks from EOI to binding term sheet, and eight to fourteen weeks of confirmatory diligence plus SPA/SHA negotiation and closing. Timelines compress for well-prepared companies and stretch when quality-of-earnings or related-party issues surface late.
Do you help with cross-border transactions between India and the US or Singapore?
Yes – this is a core part of our practice. We structure India ↔ US, India ↔ Singapore, and India ↔ Southeast Asia transactions covering holding-company design, tax and transfer pricing, regulatory pathway, and repatriation. Because we run both legs, we avoid the coordination gaps that emerge when an Indian banker hands off to a foreign affiliate.
Do I need a Readiness Sprint before engaging you for a full mandate?
Not required, but strongly recommended. The Sprint tests your exit or capital hypothesis, surfaces the diligence issues that would otherwise appear in month five of a live process, and gives your board a defensible view of the valuation range. Many promoters use the Sprint output to decide whether to go to market now or wait 12 months.
What sectors do you cover in the Indian market?
SaaS and software, fintech, healthcare and pharma, MedTech, consumer and D2C, business services, manufacturing, and industrial tech are our most active sectors. We add sector specialists to the deal team where deep domain expertise materially changes buyer positioning or valuation.
Ready to scope an engagement?
Principal-led M&A, capital formation, and strategic advisory for US founders and mid-market boards. Start with a Readiness Sprint.
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