Sumit Sinha

Sumit Sinha is a Partner in the Firm's General Corporate, M&A, Private Equity & Venture Capital and Real Estate practices, operating out of the New Delhi office. His primary practice area is Mergers and Acquisitions, and he has about 20 years of experience.

His areas of practice include mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, private equity and venture capital transactions, corporate restructuring and reorganisations, and general corporate and commercial transactions. He has advised domestic and international clients, including private equity funds, venture capital funds, banks and financial institutions, and businesses across a range of sectors.

He has significant transactional experience and has been actively involved in some of the significant M&A and private equity deals, and has been appreciated by clients for his hands-on approach and solution-oriented legal advice.

He has previously worked with Trilegal, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas (erstwhile Amarchand Mangaldas), J Sagar Associates and DMD Advocates. He completed his B.S.L. LL.B. from Symbiosis Law College, Pune, in 2006. He has featured in the Forbes India Legal Powerlist 2022 and 2023 as one of the "Top 100 Individual Lawyers" (Above 10 Years Experience) and was recognised as amongst "India's Future Legal Leaders" by India Business Law Journal in 2020. He was recently ranked amongst the country's top 5 legal advisers for private equity and M&A transactions by Venture Intelligence in their Legal Advisors Standing 2024. He has also been recognised by Legal500 and IFLR1000.

His representative experience includes advising Goldman Sachs on its USD 25 million investment in Bharti Infratel, the passive infrastructure holding company of the Bharti Airtel Group, and on the sale of FCCBs of SpiceJet Limited held by it to WL Ross; advising JP Morgan on the exercise of a put option and its exit from BPTP Limited; and advising Everstone Capital on private equity investments in Ozone Overseas Limited and Crystal Crop Protection Private Limited.

He advised Telenor, a Norway-based telecom company, on the acquisition of a 67.25% stake in the UASL business of the Unitech group, the settlement of shareholders' and other disputes with the Unitech group in Unitech Wireless Tamilnadu Private Limited (Uninor), and negotiating and finalising a deal with a new Indian partner to carry on the business of providing telecommunication services in India. He also advised Escorts Limited in one of the most prominent transactions of 2021, in relation to a strategic investment by Kubota Corporation, Japan of US$1.26 billion for acquisition of control to become a joint promoter along with the existing promoters in Escorts Limited.

He advised FedEx on the acquisition of the transportation, warehousing and express delivery undertakings of AFL Private Limited and the transportation and warehousing undertaking of Unifreight India Private Limited; advised GE Healthcare on the consolidation of its healthcare businesses in India; advised Aircel Limited on the sale of 4G spectrum to Bharti Airtel Limited; and advised Vipul Medcorp Insurance TPA Private Limited, Vipul Medcare Private Limited and their promoters on the sale of the entire shareholding of these entities to Vidal Health Insurance TPA Private Limited and Vidal Healthcare Services Private Limited.

Other matters include advising Greaves Cotton Limited, a listed Indian company, on acquiring a majority stake in an electric vehicle manufacturing company; advising MonotaRO Co. Ltd., Japan's largest industrial products e-commerce supplier, on acquiring majority shareholding in IB MonotaRO; advising Lightspeed on a partial exit from a leading Indian technology startup in the travel and hospitality sector; and advising Au Financiers on the sale of a majority stake in its wholly owned subsidiary Au Housing Finance Limited to Kedaara Capital and Partners Group.

He has also advised Z47 (formerly Matrix Partners) on multiple investments and follow-ons across various B2B, B2C, SaaS and other e-commerce platforms ranging from early stage to Series B funding rounds; advised Peak XV Partners (formerly Sequoia Capital India and South Asia) on multiple investments and follow-ons across various e-commerce and artificial intelligence companies ranging from early stage to Series C funding rounds; advised Z47 (formerly Matrix Partners), Kalaari Capital and Bharat Innovation Fund on their 100% exit from an investee company providing technology and analytical solutions; and advised a fund advisory company managing two agri-focused funds on various aspects of Indian laws.

Further matters include advising Taparia Family Office (erstwhile owners of Famy Care Limited) on their acquisition of a majority stake in the Guardian pharmacy chain from Samara Capital; advising Madison India Capital on the restructuring of its private equity investment in an Indian company engaged in broadband and access network services; advising the investment managers of AdvantEdge (an early-stage venture capital fund) on setting up a Category II AIF, including structuring advice, documentation and assistance with registration with SEBI; and advising a public sector undertaking engaged in the development of city gas distribution networks on a potential acquisition of 100% equity shares of a renewable energy company owning and operating wind assets.

He has also advised a global pharmaceutical company on an investigation undertaken on its Indian subsidiary with respect to various FDA non-compliances, including preparation of an investigation plan, review of documents, conducting interviews of key management personnel, undertaking a site visit and preparing a detailed investigation report submitted to the parent company. He conducted an investigation from an ethics and integrity standpoint on a leading Indian technology startup in the travel and hospitality sector pursuant to an anonymous whistle-blower complaint, involving extensive document review, analysis of forensic experts' reviews, interviews of key management personnel and submission of an investigation report. He also conducted an investigation from a criminal law and contractual obligations standpoint of an ex-employee of a fund advisory company.