Technopak plans PE fund of Rs 300 cr

Technopak Advisors, a Rs 100 crore management consulting firm, is likely to raise a private equity fund in the range of Rs 300-500 crore during the end of this year.

Technopak Chairman Arvind Singhal confirmed this move in Bangalore on Friday. "We have an M&A arm which also advises our clients on fund-raising plans. The next logical step is to have a fund of our own which will focus on boot-strapping a start-up in our areas of focus," Singhal detailed.

Technopak traditionally has been strong in the retail and textiles segment and off late has branched out into hospitality and healthcare sectors. The fund investments will be in the range of Rs 20-30 crore in a venture.

"We are constantly diversifying our business and we are getting to a stage where we not only advice clients on setting up a hospital but also get to manage it," Singhal noted.

This will be on the lines of management contract prevalent in the hospitality sector where a builder puts up the required infrastructure and gives it to a hospitality brand to manage the hotel.

Giving a peek into what else Technopak is looking at, Singhal said the model of L&T or Bechtel is interesting and they are exploring ways to gave it a shape.

"We will take the EPC (engineering, procurement, construction) route for our hospitality and healthcare clients, advice them on the strategy and also give a shot at managing the properties," he detailed.

Technopak, in an effort to get into branding advisory, last week announced they have picked up a majority stake in the Bangalore-based Vertebrand Management Consulting.

"While we consult on strategies, Vertebrand will take it forward with branding initiatives. This is a similar move when we picked up a stake in Bangalore-based Foley Designs to have design as our portfolio," Singhal detailed.

Vertebrand is a Rs 10 crore firm that has worked on brand strategies for firms such as MTR and Nilgiris.