“You know what it takes to start a company/business ?…. It takes a lot of courage, proper planning, and knowledge about a particular stream as well as the current technologies like Cloud, AI, ML, etc. The CEO of
PE Front Office, Mr. Anup Kumar Adlakha has gathered all the strength as well as a good set of employees to make his company on the top list”.
ABOUT COMPANY
PE Front Office was founded in February 2013 with the goal of delivering cutting-edge technological solutions for Alternative Investment Management. PE Front Office offers a comprehensive and integrated suite of products developed with a focus on the front and middle office processes for alternative investment management – Private Credit/Debt, Private Equity, Venture Capital, Fund of Funds, Real Estate Funds, Limited Partners, and Fund Admins.Their solution is available in a cloud-based subscription model and can also be deployed on the client’s IT Infrastructure.From the humble start in Gurgaon, they have now grown their presence across several market segments and locations in India, Africa, Europe, the UK, the USA, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Their software is being used by more than 100 asset management firms across 15 countries.
KEY PERSON & ROLE
The CEO Mr. Anup Kumar Adlakha along with Ankur Agarwal founded PE Front Office in 2013. He has more than 29 years of experience in providing solutions and consulting in IT services, 17 of which are in the Alternative Investment Management industry. Earlier, he worked as the Chief Technology Officer for a large Europe-based PE fund where he was responsible for streamlining the IT strategy and ensuring IT solutions services for the global user base.
Mr. Ankur Agarwal has more than 22 years of experience in defining, designing, and implementing large and complex business IT systems across various industry domains, including Private Equity, Insurance, Travel, Media, and Telecom. Prior to co-founding PE Front Office, he worked with a leading PE firm as their Enterprise Architect and with Sapient Corporation, India as their Senior Technology Manager. In 2013, Ankur authored a book titled “Enterprise Technology in Private Equity”, published by PEI Media, London.
ABOUT CLIENTS
PE Front Office has over 100 Alternate Asset Management firms across 15 countries that include India, Africa, Europe, the UK, the USA, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
ABOUT DOMAIN
PE Front Office is cost-effective, fast, responsive, and promises the shortest implementation cycle in the industry using Agile methodology. They use a flexible framework that lets them tailor the software to meet the customer’s specific needs. Their approach is to communicate in the customer’s specific terminology, comprehend the business processes, map it to available functionalities and customize the solution if needed. They can also integrate with other information source systems easily.Additionally, they are responsive to feedback from product demos as well as existing users. They make an effort to upgrade the software based on the feedback received. This process of continuous improvement helps them stay ahead of the curve and meet and exceed customer expectations.
COMPANY GOAL
PE Front Office is focused on solving the business problems for their customers and becoming the preferred SaaS provider for Alternate Asset Management firms. They are in a dynamic business landscape, where staying abreast of technological trends is essential for growth. As a technology solution, they also understand the importance of R&D so that the software solution can be cutting-edge and deliver superior value for their customers while remaining simple and user-friendly.
CHALLENGES FACED DURING THE PANDEMIC
The pandemic was a challenge for all businesses where remote working became the overnight new normal. PE Front Office team was able to stay connected during the Covid pandemic. Different teams like Product, Sales, Marketing, and Finance coordinated remotely using virtual meetings to ensure the successful implementation of PE Front Office for various private equity and venture capital firms.The PE Front Office team has an excellent repertoire of IT expertise, domain knowledge in private equity, and experience in global operations. They are experts in handling both front and back-end operations and thanks to the team they could function normally during the pandemic.
TECHNOLOGIES AND THEIR IMPACT
As a technology firm, they understand the impact of new immersive technologies on businesses. These technologies are helping customers to understand offerings better and offer enhanced customer experience by allowing them to walk through the entire product/service in a simulated environment. When customers relate better to the benefits of the offering, it usually generates more successful business outcomes. As companies move toward digital transformation, immersive technologies are bound to play a critical role in the working of enterprises.
REWARDING THINGS ABOUT THE INDUSTRY
PE Front Office is in a niche industry where their software is making a huge contribution to making life easier for alternate asset management companies. Knowing that they are making a meaningful difference to these firms that were badly in need of technological support is gratifying in itself. Their goal was to solve a particular business problem in a specific sector of the vast investment universe, and they are succeeding in their objective. They hope to extend this to as many enterprises in that sector worldwide as they move forward.
SUCCESS TO MR. ANUP KUMAR ADLAKHA
Success is not a particular milestone, it is the thrill of seeing dreams come true as you move along in your professional life. When you build an enterprise from scratch, every milestone indicates success, but you just keep moving toward the next one. The pleasure is in the journey itself and as long as you enjoy that, reaching the destination is a matter of time.
PLANS FOR 2023
PE Front Office is focused on continuous improvement. This includes both, improving the way they work and the way they deliver business outcomes. They hope to keep improving their product and look forward to expanding their presence in the USA and Europe regions.
CHALLENGES TO OVERCOME
The alternative investment industry is a niche sector that is facing technical issues. The lack of proper software was a deterrent to smooth working. Creating a software solution was the easy part, however, getting alternate asset management companies to use them was the tricky one. But once PE Front Office found its first few customers, it was an easy ride as they had happy customer experiences to speak for them. This is true for all new start-ups. Once you establish the quality of your offering and deliver great customer experiences, there is no looking back.
STRATEGIES FOR SECURITY THREATS
Cybersecurity threats are a risk to all enterprises, and they need to take appropriate measures to protect their data. PE Front Office’s clients deal with their customer data, and it is imperative that they have a safe environment for the storage and utilization of data. In fact, this is why PE Front Office offers a cloud subscription model whereby each customer can host the software in their own virtual personal cloud exclusive to them. When it comes to security, PE Front Office believes in a zero-trust policy.
RECOMMENDATION TO CEOs
Knowing your customers’ needs and preferences is key to creating a great customer experience. Once you tailor your offerings to meet their needs, what you need to do is raise awareness about your brand offerings. Being visible is essential for being successful in a digital world. Develop a comprehensive digital marketing strategy so that your target audience can understand your products and engage with you better. Focus on creating a smooth and seamless experience. Whether it is online or offline, the experience you deliver must delight your customer. Gather insights about your customer preferences and engage with them on the platform of their choice. If you are in B2B, opt for LinkedIn or Twitter to reach out to your target audience. Make sure you highlight the business problems that your offering solves. Have a website that is easily navigable and grabs the viewer’s attention in seconds. From start to finish, the viewer must enjoy the experience to have a successful conversion. It all boils down to having deep insights into your customer preferences and tailoring your offering accordingly.
FUTURE ENDEAVOURS
PE Front Office is focused on technological innovations, so they will move ahead with newer improved versions of their offerings that will help in delivering superior value to their customers. Their focus is on becoming the market leader by delivering best-in-class solutions in the alternative asset management space.
ADVICE TO THE LEADERS
Mr. Anup Kumar
Adlakha stated “If you are passionate about anything, you should strive to make it a reality. When you look around, you will see gaps in business needs and the solutions available to them. If you have the skill sets to make a material difference in business processes, you should explore setting up a business enterprise. Never kill your entrepreneurial spirit.”.
