2024 at LoEstro: Year in Review
As we bid farewell to 2024, we take a moment to reflect on an extraordinary year for LoEstro Advisors. Over the past 12 months, we have continued to uphold our commitment to delivering excellence across our investment banking and strategy consulting practices, setting new benchmarks across the education and healthcare sectors.
From landmark deals to transformative consulting engagements, thought-provoking insights, and meaningful social initiatives, 2024 has been a year of remarkable achievements. Our journey this year has been defined by impactful partnerships, visionary clients, and an unwavering focus on innovation and growth.
We’ve strengthened our leadership in the education sector and made strides in the healthcare space, showcasing our ability to adapt and excel in new territories. Through the LoEstro Scholars Program, we’ve extended our vision beyond business, emphasizing our responsibility to foster education and sports talent across India.
Chapter 1: Raising the Bar in Dealmaking
The deal market in 2024 witnessed a robust resurgence across M&A and fundraising activities, with both strategic and financial investors displaying strong interest in the education sector. Against this dynamic backdrop, we successfully navigated complexities to close four marquee transactions that underscored our expertise and leadership in the education investment banking sector.
- Phoenix Greens Partners with Lighthouse Learning: In a strategic partnership transaction, Phoenix Greens School of Learning, based in the rapidly growing Kokapet catchment in Hyderabad, entered into a partnership with Lighthouse Learning. This deal marked our 3rd transaction with the KKR-backed K-12 platform and exemplifies our ability to connect complementary institutions and drive synergy in the K-12 education space.
- Project Futuris: We facilitated equity funding for a leading international K-12 operator, bringing in strategic investors from India, to facilitate their expansion in the Singapore K-12 market. This transaction marked our foray into the International Education Investment Banking market, reinstating our deep investor connects in India.
- Project Stonehenge: We advised a leading Indian private university to successfully raise debt funding from Axis Bank. This marked our 5th debt transaction in the education sector.
- Project Galaxy: We helped a large private education group in South India to complete a sale and leaseback transaction with a leading Middle Eastern private equity fund. This deal underscores our capability to unlock value for educational institutions through complex structured finance transactions.
As we look back on the year, we are filled with gratitude for our clients, partners, and team members. It is their trust in us and our ability to deliver results that drives us to continue pushing ourselves to be the best in the industry.
Chapter 2: Advising Leading Institutions on Their Growth Journeys
We deepened our engagement with some of the most reputable institutions across the education sector, partnering with clients like Amity Education Group, Vibgyor Group of Schools, Allenhouse, and others to deliver transformational solutions. Our consulting expertise spanned diverse mandates, including strategic growth planning, restructuring initiatives, operational optimization, and financial advisory, empowering institutions to navigate challenges and unlock their full potential.
We also advised clients on some unique zero-to-one engagements such as our engagement with the founders of Bower School of Entrepreneurship on their program design, execution strategy and successful launch. These partnerships are a testament to our unwavering commitment to driving sustainable growth and innovation in the education landscape.
Chapter 3: Leading the Way in Thought Leadership Across Sectors
Thought leadership remains a cornerstone of our focus on giving back to the ecosystem that has given us so much. In 2024, we continued to push boundaries by publishing in-depth research reports and insightful articles that provided actionable intelligence and strategic direction for stakeholders across the industry.
Pioneering Insights Through In-Depth Reports
This year, we published four flagship reports that addressed critical themes and emerging trends in education and healthcare:
- Hospitals for Bharat: We partnered with Medium Healthcare Consulting to produce a comprehensive analysis of India’s Small and Medium (SME) Hospitals landscape, focused on generating actionable insights for stakeholders in healthcare delivery to improve their offerings and operations.
- Elite India - Insights from India’s Premium K-12 Market: An exploration of the premium K-12 landscape in India, with detailed benchmarking of the premium IB, IGCSE and CBSE schools across key strategic tier-1 markets of the country.
- State of India K-12: A definitive guide to understanding India’s rapidly growing K-12 ecosystem, covering trends, challenges, and growth prospects, and focus areas for operators, investors and regulators.
- The What, Why, and How of K-12 Platforms: A detailed study on the growing relevance and rise of K-12 platforms globally, with case studies of leading players, and key market drivers, with the mantra to success.
Amplifying Reach Through Thought-Provoking Articles
In addition to our reports, we published 41 articles in 2024 across our diverse coverage sectors including education, healthcare and consumer, offering fresh perspectives on a wide array of topics, from education technology innovations to healthcare transformation strategies. These articles not only enriched industry conversations but also solidified our position as a trusted voice in shaping the discussion in these sectors.
Chapter 4: Participating in Leading Forums and Hosting Events
At LoEstro Advisors, we believe that driving impact extends beyond our advisory work. This year, we actively participated in leading industry forums and hosted our first of many-to-come events.
Our Founder and Managing Partner, Mr Rakesh Gupta presented the “Key Trends Shaping India HigherEd” at the 7th Education Leaders Conclave hosted by ObserveNow, one of the largest events focused on higher education in India.
Rakesh also went back down memory lane when he was invited as the keynote speaker at LAKSHY-A, a day with alumni, at his alma mater Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, to share his wisdom and unique experiences.
Our Analyst, Udayan Nath moderated a panel discussion titled “Navigating the Startup Jungle: Challenges Young Entrepreneurs Face Today” featuring esteemed panelists at the launch event of the Bower School of Entrepreneurship.
We also marked a significant milestone as we hosted our inaugural Founders’ Mixer for the Indian School of Business (ISB) alumni community. Over 75 founders, investors, and startup enthusiasts from the ecosystem came together for an evening of shared ideas and joy.
The evening was filled with inspiring stories as esteemed founders shared their journeys, victories, challenges, and invaluable learnings, in what was just the beginning of many such events in the future.
Chapter 5: Continuing Our Focus on the LoEstro Scholars Program
What made this Diwali even more special for us is our continued commitment to giving back. This year, we partnered with Mrida Education and Welfare Society, where we sponsored the education and sports training of 50 underprivileged students, ensuring they have the resources to pursue both education and competitive sports.
Chapter 6: Building the Team for Our Next Phase of Growth
As LoEstro Advisors continues to expand its coverage and grow rapidly, we have extensively focused on expanding our team with the addition of 4 new team members in 2024, helping us strengthen our ability to serve clients.
- Maithili is a lawyer by qualification and began her career in the Mergers & Acquisitions practice at Trilegal. She later joined the Pheonix Greens School of Learning, where she focused on all aspects of K-12 operations, led the school’s performance turnaround initiatives, and supported the execution of the eventual partnership with Lighthouse.
- Harsh is a qualified chartered accountant by profession. He brings an experience of 2 years in the financial due diligence group at KPMG wherein he worked on various marquee deals with private equity clients covering diverse sectors.
- Soumya is a qualified chartered accountant and brings solid experience in financial due diligence with her 3-year-long stint at EY, where she worked on rigorous FDD assignments on marquee deals across diverse sectors including consumer goods, manufacturing, healthcare, and K-12 education.
- Udayan graduated from Christ University and started off his career as an Analyst at Verity Knowledge Solutions. He has previously been part of the Summer Analyst program at Goldman Sachs. With a passion for education and mentorship, he was also part of the founding team at The Next Chapter and is a LinkedIn Top Voice.
The year also saw a couple of promotions with Rishabh making Senior Associate and Udayan turning Senior Analyst, reinstating our belief in rewarding high performers.
This year was also exceptional, as it marked the launch of our Bangalore office, giving us improved access to the Bangalore business ecosystem and helping us serve our clients better. We also saw robust growth in our healthcare vertical where we now have 10+ deals in the pipeline, and continued our partnership with India’s leading entrepreneurs serving some of the largest brands in education.
Chapter 7: Staying Connected and Having Fun
We understand that a vibrant company culture goes beyond just professional achievements. The past few months have been filled with moments of celebration, connection, and team bonding that truly reflect our collaborative spirit.
Our Bangalore offsite exemplified our commitment to fostering personal connections beyond the office walls. The team enjoyed a pool party, providing a perfect setting for relaxation and informal conversations, and recording some of the most fun moments of our year, with our Analyst-cum-cameraman Ayush stealing the show with smooth 360-degree shots.
Harley’s continued to be the go-to-place for all our birthday F&B orders, while Nilofer took a beating with the team’s diminishing liking for the iconic chai. California Burrito (CB) still maintained its stronghold for Saturday lunch and late-night dinner orders, while the team is actively on the lookout for better alternatives.
Our WeWork office became a hub of friendly competition, with the foosball table emerging as a popular spot for stress-busting. Our team members Rishabh and Udayan clinched a close win in the tournament finale, extending our competitive spirit and our passion to win, beyond deal tables.
Through these activities and celebrations, we’re fostering an atmosphere where professional excellence meets personal connections, ensuring that while we work hard, we never forget to enjoy the journey of fulfillment together.
Here’s to Further Breaking Boundaries in 2025
As we look ahead to the next year, our ambitions are fueled by the momentum of 2024. The coming year promises to be a pivotal chapter for LoEstro Advisors as we continue to expand our footprint, deepen our sectoral expertise, and drive meaningful impact for our clients and communities.
In 2025, we envision further diversification of our offerings with an increasing focus on the technology and consumer sectors. We are committed to nurturing talent within our team and extending the reach of our social initiatives through the LoEstro Scholars Program. Additionally, our thought leadership efforts will focus on addressing emerging challenges and opportunities across the education, healthcare, consumer, and technology sectors.
With gratitude for the trust placed in us by our clients, partners, and team members, we step into 2025 with renewed energy and optimism. Together, we will continue to create value, embrace challenges, and shape the future of our clients and community.
Only upwards from here!!!
LoEstro Advisors is an investment banking firm specializing in sell-side fundraising and M&A advisory, along with a strong consulting arm. Recognized as the #1 financial advisor in education in India, we are the advisor of choice to India’s blue-chip education businesses.
Over the last four years, we have grown to be one of India’s largest (in terms of M&A transactions) homegrown boutique investment banks, with $1.2bn+ worth of combined deals closed across education, healthcare, consumer, and technology sectors.
