SMEs are a resilient and vibrant sector for every nation in the world. They generate a large share of jobs for the common man; they form the backbone of a nation's economy. Yet financial institutions, including investment banks, have been turning a blind eye towards this segment.

SMERGERS's innovative model is disrupting the Indian investment banking industry by bringing the professionalism of investment banks to the business for sale market. SMERGERS offers a regulated online marketplace for small business owners seeking to finance or sell their business, to connect with investors, acquirers and advisors. The company has been widely referred to as the 'AngelList for SMEs'.

Citing the firm's latest move, SMERGERS' CEO Mr Vishal Devanath remarked, "With our impact in the Indian market, we are excited to bring our platform to the international SME and investor community. When it comes to financing, investment management, buying a business or selling a business, SME business owners are left on their own. Our team has a keen understanding of the critical gaps and competitive landscape of the investment banking/business brokerage space in the countries we are expanding to, helping us provide comprehensive solutions for SME entrepreneurs' next business investment or exit."

With 460 million SMEs in the world prioritizing access to finance as their No. 1 need, SMERGERS plays matchmaker between interested investors/acquirers and business owners, allowing them to interact directly with each other, and then helping conduct the deal by providing full-range ancillary services, including valuation, collateral preparation, due diligence, legal documentation and so on. The platform has over three thousand businesses and members registered and has enabled many successful introductions. "The quality of introductions are far superior to any of the competing platforms that we had used. The best part was that we closed the deal with the first person we met on SMERGERS," said Avneesh, a business owner who runs a small telecom software firm. The platform analyses user information to eliminate unwanted introductions and the risk of dealing with fraudulent members.

In India, the platform is extensively used by SME business owners to connect with business buyers, PE and VC firms, banks, multi-national companies, HNI investors, strategic investors, investment banks/business brokers. The platform also simplifies the process of finding a reliable solution provider to support the deal process. Speaking of their Indian clients, Mr Devanath elaborated, "Many businesses we spoke to stay away from other online business for sale classified marketplaces due to the risk of fraudulent users and information leaks. To combat this problem, we regulate the marketplace to ensure interactions between genuine businesses and investors."

"Technology has no geographical boundaries and it has transformed the way deals are done. We have seen early success with business owners from many other countries registering on http://www.smergers.com and within a span of few days connect with financial and strategic partners. We remain committed to becoming a one-stop investment bank for SMEs across the world. Now businesses, investors and advisors from USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and the UAE can leverage SMERGERS platform for accessing investment banking services," added Mr Devanath.