Asia focused research insights & advisory, Asia Advisors

Vinay Patel

Asia focused research insights & advisory

Asia Advisors

Asia Advisors is an independent financial advisory and research firm working closely with corporates and institutions to provide consulting solutions & research insights. We provide advisory services including capital solutions, business strategy and investment insights.
Firm is headed by Vinay Patel who has close to two decades of experience in research and business development at large, international investment banks such as HSBC and ICICI Securities. Led research efforts in areas of Macroeconomics, Asset Allocation & Investment Strategy for close to a decade in global & domestic research teams. As a business head in Singapore, advised top global investment management firms & Portfolio managers in Asia for India related investments.
Vinay was recently joined by Swapnil Manish, an investment banker and ex-ecommerce entrepreneur with more than 12 years of experience. Swapnil was the TMT banker at BNP Paribas and was part of several large M&A and ECM transactions (Bharti-Zain, Bharti Infratel IPO, Schneider-Zicom among several others). He's also had a stint as an ecommerce entrepreneur having launched & led Mumbai's first online grocery player.

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul><li>Microsoft acquired LinkedIn for $26.2bn, paying a massive 50% premium over last closing price and surprising competitors &amp; investors alike</li><li>Skeptics point out to Microsoft’s woeful track-record with large deals and the excessive price tag to predict another failure for the Satya Nadella led tech giant</li><li>However, a quick look at LinkedIn’s stock performance over the past year (including the price in February before the crash due to company guidance of lower growth) as well as comparison with a similar large deal (Facebook-WhatsApp) reveals that the price paid is largely in line</li><li>LinkedIn is uniquely positioned with the largest network of professionals. LinkedIn’s Economic Graph along with the 2015 acquisition of Lynda should enable it to connect professionals with job opportunities across the globe as well as equip them with skills required for such openings</li><li>Potential synergies in enterprise collaboration - standard office suite with customization for employee groups (based on roles), intelligent newsfeeds, wholesome CRM experience by integrating Microsoft Dynamics with Sales Navigator</li><li>Potential synergies in advertising - potential integration of LinkedIn search with Bing to open up various ad channels (B2B and B2C) and types (brand building and direct selling) as well as allow Microsoft to leverage the most preferred ad format currently (sponsored updates)</li><li><p>While poor integration strategies have played a spoiler in the past, by allowing LinkedIn to operate independently and given that the deal rationale aligns nicely with Microsoft’s long-term enterprise and cloud strategy, Satya Nadella has made the right moves. Execution of these strategies will hold the key to success</p></li></ul>

Microsoft acquired LinkedIn for $26.2bn, paying a massive 50% premium over last closing price and surprising competitors &amp; investors alikeSkeptics point out to Microsoft’s woeful track-record with large deals and the excessive price tag to predict another failure for the Satya Nadella led tech giantHowever, a quick look at LinkedIn’s stock performance over the past year (including the price in February before the crash due to company guidance of lower growth) as well as comparison with a similar large deal (Facebook-WhatsApp) reveals that the price paid is largely in lineLinkedIn is uniquely positioned with the largest network of professionals. LinkedIn’s Economic Graph along with the 2015 acquisition of Lynda should enable it to connect professionals with job opportunities across the globe as well as equip them with skills required for such openingsPotential synergies in enterprise collaboration - standard office suite with customization for employee groups (based on roles), intelligent newsfeeds, wholesome CRM experience by integrating Microsoft Dynamics with Sales NavigatorPotential synergies in advertising - potential integration of LinkedIn search with Bing to open up various ad channels (B2B and B2C) and types (brand building and direct selling) as well as allow Microsoft to leverage the most preferred ad format currently (sponsored updates)While poor integration strategies have played a spoiler in the past, by allowing LinkedIn to operate independently and given that the deal rationale aligns nicely with Microsoft’s long-term enterprise and cloud strategy, Satya Nadella has made the right moves. Execution of these strategies will hold the key to success

Microsoft - LinkedIn: Will This Be a Fairytale?

Microsoft Corp

Microsoft - LinkedIn: Will This Be a Fairytale?