Surat: With an objective to motivate business promoters to create long-term wealth by increasing enterprise value through structured funding like private equity and IPO (Initial Public Offering) rather than being limited to traditional profits, the Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI) jointly organised a seminar on ‘profit to wealth creation’ jointly with the Kumbhat investment banking at Avadh Utopia.
SGCCI president Nikhil Madrasi, said that Surat has always been known for business and entrepreneurship, but with the changing times, we now need to go a step further from ‘profit’ and look towards ‘wealth creation’. Today, on this platform, we have experts from the financial sector and successful business leaders who will explain to us the journey from private equity to IPO and the secrets of increasing enterprise value. I am confident that today’s session will open new doors of development for our entrepreneurs of Surat.
Neeraj Kumbhat, Founder and CMD, Kumbhat Advisors, spoke about Surat’s strong entrepreneurial ecosystem and its evolution as a high-growth business hub. He emphasized that Surat has consistently shown profitability across all sectors, but now the next phase of growth lies in institutionalizing businesses and accessing capital markets. Along with this, he presented the firm’s extensive capabilities in debt syndication, private equity, pre-IPO and IPO advisory.
The event also featured an interesting panel discussion in which in the first session, Deven Choksey, Managing Director, DRChoksey Finserv, shed in-depth light on investor perspectives, capital allocation strategies and a broader view of financial markets. He explained how investors evaluate businesses and the importance of positioning for long-term value creation.
The second session featured a panel discussion with Girish Luthra, Dhruv Luthra and Vineet Rai. The panel discussed in detail the ‘why, when and how’ of private equity funding, providing guidance on the right time to raise funds, selecting the right partners and aligning strategic objectives between promoters and investors. Private equity investments made by entities like JM Financial provide external validation of the quality of the business and management. Also, as institutional mechanisms are in place, the company is able to maintain its operating efficiency even in the absence of the promoter.
Kumbhat Investment Banking played a key role as the exclusive financial advisor to Green Gen Enviro Protection and Infrastructure Limited (a part of the Luthra Group). The company received a capital of Rs. 900 million in private equity investment. SRF Family Office also participated in this investment process.
Ashwin Desai and Ketan Jota shared their experiences from the journey to becoming a public listed company. They discussed in detail the IPO journey, its preparation timeline, regulatory processes, and the benefits of listing such as increased credibility and easy access to capital, the transition from a family business to a professionally run business. Along with this, they also talked about the challenges of maintaining transparency and governance standards.
The event was enthusiastically participated by industrialists, entrepreneurs and HNI investors. Through the Q&A, the attendees gained first-hand and practical knowledge about private and public market fundraising.
Overall, the ‘Profit to Wealth Creation’ program provided a strong platform to bridge the gap between profitable businesses and value-driven enterprises and provided useful information and guidance to entrepreneurs looking to enter the capital market.
