Christopher Rao
Partner | Bengaluru
Practice Area
- M&A
- Private Equity
- Venture Capital
Industry Sectors
- Information Technology
- Financial Services
Education
- National Law School, Bengaluru (1996)
Christopher is a Partner in K Law’s M&A, Private Equity, and Venture Capital practices. He advises clients on inbound and outbound mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic partnerships, general corporate matters, debt financing, and corporate restructuring. With over a decade of experience, he regularly represents clients on intricate issues in sectors such as automotive manufacturing, IT / ITES, infrastructure, financial services, e-commerce, online gaming, education, and healthcare.
In addition to his contributions at K Law, Christopher has also been a part of firms such as Khaitan & Co. and Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co.
- Advised the Coats Group (UK-based industrial thread manufacturer) on acquiring Threadsol and its Indian subsidiary, Intellosol
- Advised General Atlantic on its investments in Absolute Barbeque (a high-value restaurant chain in India) and on acquiring Hexagram Fintech through its portfolio company Kfin Technologies
- Advised Akna Medical (a tech-enabled supply chain platform for the healthcare sector) on acquiring Vardhman Health Specialty (a pharmaceutical products distributor), on its fundraise from LGT Lightstone Aspada, and on its eventual acquisition by PharmEasy (an e-pharmacy company)
- Advised the Sinclair Broadcast Group (US-based Fortune 500 telecommunications and broadcast company) on multiple rounds of investments in Saankhya Labs (an Indian telecommunications company), on acquiring multiple tech businesses in India, and on its divestment in Saankhya Labs in favour of Tejas Networks (a Tata Group-backed broadband and data networking products company)
- Advised Active AI and its promoters on their acquisition by GupShup (a California-based conversational messaging platform), with remaining sellers including Kalaari Capital, IDG Ventures, Chiratae, Vertex Ventures, and Dream Incubator
- Advised Plex Systems (US-based SaaS provider) on the India leg of its global acquisition of Dattus Inc
- Advised Ola Electric Mobility on multiple rounds of fundraises from investors including Tiger Global, Matrix Partners, SoftBank, Hyundai, and Kia
- Advised Eris Lifesciences (an auto parts manufacturer) on acquiring the Indian brands business of Strides Shasun
- Advised BillDesk (an online bill payment service) on acquiring Jocata Financial Advisory & Technology Services
- Recognised as ALB’s Rising Star in 2023
- Member of the Karnataka State Bar Council
- Member of the State of New York, USA
- Authored an article on Key Highlights of Company Law Committee Report 2022, published on Mondaq
- BA LLB, School of Law, Christ University, Bengaluru, 2011
- LLM, Georgetown University Law Centre, Washington, DC, 2014