26 Feb 2018  |   03:01am IST

Our team will be 200 strong in 5 years: Kharangate

Ashutosh Kharangate, 34, is the managing director of Mangal Analytics and Research Consulting Pvt Ltd (MARC). MARC specialises in financial analytics and market research. After his last job with PricewaterhouseCoopers he realised that he had a passion of doing something headquartered in Goa and make a name in business advisory. VIKANT SAHAY finds out more

VIKANT SAHAY

HERALD: What is your field of specialty?

ASHUTOSH KHARANGATE: Our field of specialty includes market research and project feasibility study for any new ventures / businesses. It includes mergers and acquisitions support for any collaborations or tie-ups. It also includes financial analyses to assist business. We believe that there exists a huge need to provide guidance to SME’s / start-ups by employing proper financial analytical techniques which will enable them to start well, be more structured and organised and achieve optimum profitability.


HERALD:How does your company help Goans, specially start-ups?

AK:  I see several start-ups make the following blunders due to an absence of a business model; no understanding of the size of the market or business environment; absence of the approach to the market – how will they get orders and absence of a good mentor to guide them.

Having seen precious time and money being wasted due to silly errors, I feel motivated to create a support system for the start-ups.

We help start-ups by providing following services:

Project Feasibility Services –Prior to one commencing a venture, MARC conducts a thorough research on it. This research entails making an assessment of revenue one can generate over a period of next 3-5 years. It also includes detailed assessment of costs, both initial and operational. Hence, the businessman knows his expected profitability and returns on investment. Most of this study involves primary research. This is also called as preparation of a business plan and is critical.

Financial Analytics – MARC works with several startup’s to guide them on success of their venture. MARC uses its financial knowledge to assess the financial statements and other records of the organisation to identify loopholes and suggest ways and means of improving profitability. MARC also specialises in developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) which help to guard against income leakages and ensures smooth operations.

Mergers and acquisitions – MARC is more focussed on the services domain of M&A. It enables several entrepreneur’s prepare the right documents for investors and obtain the right valuation. MARC also provides legal support to ensure that clauses affecting the financial interest of the client are well protected. Due diligence is our core forte and we are hired across the country to execute challenging assignments. 

Internationalisation – we enable companies find markets across borders. Both, inbound and outbound. Depending on the product / service our counterparts look for the right match after a thorough research and also suggest the best entry strategy.


HERALD: Who are your major customers?

AK: Our clients include Magsons, Monginis, Borkar Group, Astra Group, Umang Software, Synapse Group and many more in the SME and start-up space. Over the last 5 years we have helped create over 50 entrepreneurs through our advisory services.


HERALD: How have you innovated to deliver your service? 

AK:  We have learnt our traits in a small market like Goa. Not a lot of data is available. Hence our work gets challenging. This has made us develop scientific tools of data capture. We also bend our backs to obtain data from primary sources. Hence our findings and submissions vs actual results have minimum variations.  Having been associated with a Big 4 also ensures the quality of the deliverable is top notch. The team has been trained to deliver high quality product at an affordable price. We also are very flexible and develop deliverables as per client’s specific needs.


HERALD: How do you see the Goa market? 

AK: The Goa market is definitely evolving. The start-up scene is more developed and organised. They are keen to make a well informed start. Similarly the SMEs have reached a level where they believe they need professional guidance on strategy and finance. Hence we believe our set of services is utmost required by businesses today. A few years back the challenge was to convince businesses that they need us. Today we are approached by businesses of different sizes for services ranging from preparation of a business plan to valuation for an investment.


HERALD: Where do you see yourself in next five years?

AK: We take a lot of pride in the employment we generate for talented and committed Goans. For a company of our size we have employed 30 locals primarily MBAs. Five years from now we see ourselves as a team of 200 strong and dedicated individuals who shall be solving complex financial models across the world. We have started working in this regard and today service clients across Europe. In addition we hope to be the most sought after and credible business advisory firm in Goa for the start-up and SME sector in Goa as well as neighbouring states.

IDhar UDHAR

Idhar Udhar