#5 Ways This Company Is Helping Indian Entrepreneurs Scale In Australia The company focuses on the wealth management of family offices in Australia.
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India and Australia's trade relations have stood the test of time with India being the latter's first major trading partner. While markets have grown in leaps and bounds, creating opportunities for businesses to expand and co-exist in both the countries, many believe that there's still a long way to go. Indian banker Ramnaresh Gorlamandala, in collaboration with Pras Indrakumar and Lasanka Perera, founded Tat Capital in 2013 to build a bridge of connectivity between the two nations.
Gorlamandala, who had migrated to Australia in 2004 to finish his masters in international business, decided to settle in the country and since then he has always been involved in financial services and equity markets. He has done deals worth over a billion Australian dollars through various investment banks and stock broking firms. While his dedicated involvement with community projects helped him meet his co-founder Pras, Lasanka came on board after their repeated meetings in industry circles.
Pras comes from a background of private banking and wealth management for family offices across Australia. Lasanka, on the other hand, has an experience in foreign exchange trading. Thus Tat Capital was born out of the fusion of three different yet essential aspects of financial services.
"We have three different areas of core expertise and leveraging on the same, Tat Capital has built a strong foundation. Our vision is to build stronger cross-border trade relations than it exist now and increase capital raising opportunities across Australia and the Indian subcontinent," said Gorlamandala.
Helping Start-ups And SMEs Raise Capital
The company functions as a mid-market advisory house. "We help start-ups and growth companies that have a proof of promising concept — they have already started generating revenue. We look at companies that want to expand and grow from $10 million to $100 million. So, we interact with companies who have a minimum valuation of 20 million Australian dollars. We provide them access to investors who not only provide financial assistance but also strategic expertise," added Gorlamandala.
Access To Over 350 Australian Family Offices
Another service that Tat Capital focuses on is the wealth management of family offices in Australia. "Family offices are generally families that have over 100 million dollars in total investment. Banking on Pras' expertise of handling family offices, Tat Capital today has a portfolio of over 350 Australian family offices," he pointed out.
Managing Foreign Exchange Trade For SMEs
Tat Capital offers many services that have helped boost the trade relations between two countries. Gorlamandala said, "We handle foreign exchange payments hedging for over 400 SMEs, identifying cost efficiencies. Thus, effectively helping them manage their operational efficiencies. This is where we work as an alternative banker."
A Platform For India-Australia Trade And Investment
Focusing on growth stage companies, the trio has launched TatXpo, their annual flagship event in India. It will serve as a platform for Australia-India trade & investment. "TatXpo helps entrepreneurs discover opportunities. It will also help investors identify the right companies to invest in. From the last TatXpo, held in India in 2016, one company SenSen Networks will soon be listing on the Australian Stock Exchange," said Gorlamandala, adding, "This year, we will be organizing TatXpo in Mumbai and will be focusing on Fintech, IOT and Smart Cities."
Scaling Into An International Market
Having helped companies scale and enter international markets, Gorlamandala has a few tips for entrepreneurs. "While scaling into another market, start-ups should always have adequate capital for growth and factor in the potential impact of foreign exchange movements and policies on future business. They should know all the rules and regulations to be adhered to while expanding into a foreign market. They also have to be extremely alert about their competition in the new country. Another important point is to identify the right investors, who won't just help you financially but also strategically," advised Gorlamandala.
"According to the numbers as of 2016, the bilateral trade relations between India and China were worth over A$150 billion dollars, whereas that of India and Australia were approximately A$20 billion dollars. There is huge potential for growth here but it hasn't happened because of very few service providers to support trade and investment between Australia and India." Four years into the business and Tat Capital has raised over 100 million dollars, helping Australian companies raise capital through Indian investors and vice versa.