Associate - Arnava Legal [Earlier Kosmos Partners] - Bangalore
(2025-03)
Corporate Transactions, Startup Advisory & M&A
- Advised startups and emerging companies on general corporate governance, structuring and operational legal frameworks, including incorporation, founder arrangements, equity structuring, ESOP frameworks and corporate documentation.
- Assisted a beverages industry startup in a pre-seed fundraising transaction (~₹7 crore), including review and negotiation support for the SSA and SHA, participation in negotiations, tracking fulfilment of conditions precedent and advising on key provisions including indemnities, representations and warranties, anti-dilution and founder obligations; additionally supported drafting of IP assignment deeds and employment agreements.
- Assisted on a sell-side acquisition (~₹5+ crore) involving negotiation and execution of a Share Purchase Agreement (SPA), supporting drafting revisions, resolving commercial negotiation points and coordinating with counterparties to advance the transaction toward completion.
- Assisted a fintech startup through its full corporate lifecycle, from incorporation and founder structuring to preparation for external fundraising and investor negotiations.
- Supported VC and PE fundraising transactions (~₹10+ crore range), including review and negotiation support for Share Subscription and Shareholders' Agreements (SSHA) and Deeds of Adherence, ensuring appropriate governance rights, investor protections and founder obligations.
- Conducted legal review and issue-spotting across transaction documents, cap tables, governance rights and investor protections, identifying key legal risks and proposing revisions to safeguard client interests.
- Supported transaction execution by preparing transaction summaries, negotiation issue trackers and document comparison notes and coordinating revisions between founders, investors and senior counsel.
- Advised on a cross-border technology transaction (~$6M+), supporting structuring and negotiation of commercial agreements including SaaS licensing, term licensing, Master Services Agreements (MSA) etc. assisted with transaction documentation, negotiation support and coordination of closing deliverables.
- Drafted and reviewed technology and commercial agreements, including SaaS agreements, MSAs, licensing arrangements and commercial service agreements, focusing on IP ownership, liability caps, indemnities and data protection.
- Assisted clients in structuring and negotiating technology agreements for digital platforms, SaaS providers and technology service companies; prepared issue summaries highlighting commercial and legal risks to support negotiations.
- Advised fintech clients on regulatory frameworks governing digital payments, payment aggregators (PA), payment gateways (PG) and cross-border payment models under RBI regulations.
- Conducted detailed analysis of RBI circulars and statutory frameworks including the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, preparing regulatory memoranda and compliance summaries for fintech clients.
- Assisted fintech companies in evaluating licensing requirements, compliance thresholds and operational structures for payment infrastructure and digital financial services.
- Prepared regulatory briefing notes and compliance checklists relating to payment processing, settlement mechanisms and fintech regulatory obligations.
- Assisted in trademark prosecution matters, including conducting trademark availability searches, performing Vienna Classification searches for device marks, reviewing classifications under the Nice Classification and preparing user affidavits and supporting documentation for trademark applications.
- Assisted with corporate compliance and governance matters, including review of statutory documentation, corporate records and filings.
- Prepared legal research memoranda, meeting summaries and internal advisory notes; managed document organisation, version control and coordination across multiple matters to support efficient transaction execution.
Intern - Spectrum Legal - Bangalore
(2024-08 - 2024-08)
- Drafted objections to an impleading application and assisted in preparing a software licensing agreement.
- Researched the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, bidding eligibility requirements and the doctrine of estoppel in objections under Section 11 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act.
- Analysed legal issues relating to passport renewal in the context of pending criminal proceedings and the maintainability of salaried executive directors.
- Assisted in drafting an audit report and researched regulatory frameworks including RERA payment directives and appeal rights of indigent persons under the CPC.
Intern - Spice Route Legal - Mumbai
(2024-06 - 2024-06)
- Researched FDI policy restrictions for investments from bordering countries under FEMA 1999 and foreign investment in Alternative Investment Funds.
- Analysed regulatory concerns surrounding private treaty sales of secured assets under SARFAESI.
- Analysed corporate and regulatory provisions including Significant Beneficial Ownership under the Companies Act, 2013 and classification issues under the Trade Marks Act, 1999.
- Reviewed commercial documentation including purchase orders, Letters of Continuing Guarantee and Power Purchase Agreements; prepared due diligence summaries from Letters of Award.
- Researched compounding procedures under Section 441 of the Companies Act, 2013.
Intern - Wipro Enterprises - Bangalore
(2023-06 - 2023-07)
- Conducted legal research on FEMA, civil litigation and regulatory compliance under the FSSAI Act.
- Assisted in research relating to acquisitions of international entities and cross-border technology transfers, including automatic and government approval routes.
- Assisted with corporate legal research across ongoing matters.
Intern - NovoJuris Legal - Bangalore
(2022-12 - 2023-01)
- Researched RBI NBFC Master Directions and P2P Lending Platform Directions, 2017; prepared compliance checklists under both frameworks.
- Conducted research on Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016 and 2018.
- Authored an article analysing the European Cyber Resilience Act.
