Praneeth Maganti
Verified Expert in Management Consulting
Management Consulting Expert
London, United Kingdom
Toptal member since October 20, 2026
Praneeth is a London-based fractional CFO and M&A adviser with 12 years of experience across Credit Suisse, Nomura, J.P. Morgan and Oliver Wyman, where he advised PE funds and corporates on 15+ investments. He has led acquisitions from the buyer's side, raised $1 billion of commitments in 10 months for a music-catalogue buy-and-build, and built Allasso's AI finance platform as its fractional CFO. A London Business School alumnus, he holds the CQF and FRM.
Career Highlights
Education Highlights
Certification Highlights
Expertise
- AI for Finance
- Financial Modeling
- Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
- Fractional CFO
- Fundraising
- Investor Relations
- Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
- Valuation
Work Experience
Freelance Finance, Strategy, & AI Consultant
Blash Advisory
- Worked end to end on a music-rights tech company's acquisitions of a UK broadcast music-reporting business and a Japanese music company: target mapping, financial, commercial and tech due diligence, valuation, structuring, synergies, integration.
- Evaluated data-center targets in the UAE and Oman for a cloud business, assessing power and fiber readiness, Tier III design, PUE, SLA, and lease terms. Built a business plan including capacity roadmap, colocation, IaaS, and GPU-as-a-Service pricing.
- Delivered investor-ready valuations using DCF, trading and transaction multiples, and Seed-to-Series A round comparables for several startups.
- Supported Tanker's UAE growth by developing a driver-based model, managing the data room, targeting investors, and preparing term sheets. Built fund models and investor materials for Eureka Science Ventures' $100 million deep-tech fund.
- Conducted a business and market review of StatusCake, a UK website-monitoring SaaS company. Benchmarked growth levers against peers, shortlisted acquisition targets, and set a strategy roadmap.
- Planned the UK entry of Atlas Alpha, a Danish systematic equity manager, through an FCA appointed-representative host: permissions mapping, regulatory gap analysis, controls pack and go-live plan.
- Built AI engines: one turns a company name into a sourced investment committee pack; another's agents qualified thousands of prospects and ran personalized sequences from the partners' own mailboxes, with every reply drafted for approval.
- Structured the capital stack for real estate projects for a $100 million financing mandate for 2 upscale Puerto Rico hotels (250+ keys, $160 million development cost), with lender-ready projections, DSCR, and sensitivity analysis.
- Automated several companies' back office with live n8n workflows: client emails and meetings logged to HubSpot, inquiry replies drafted with open calendar slots, and a daily AI content engine.
- Developed a client's cash-flow and treasury platform and ran its pre-launch confidentiality audit with AI agents.
Fractional CFO
Allasso
- Partnered with the CEO and founders on strategy, fundraising, and investor liaison, including the $3 million round led by Fuel Ventures, and prepared investor materials.
- Reported monthly and quarterly to the CEO, chairman, and board, including an investor director, on budget vs actuals, cash, runway, pipeline, and renewals, releasing each month only after the CFO sign-off.
- Rebuilt the spreadsheet finance model as a driver-based budget: effective-dated headcount at dated FX, run-rate and cash-timed costs, scenario levers and department budgets.
- Anchored cash and runway to bank statements, committed revenue and secured equity only, and projected SaaS collections contract by contract at signing and renewal.
- Ran the monthly close for 3 entities in 5 currencies at dated ECB rates, covering Geneva payroll, UK PAYE, Portuguese social security, VAT, and contractor costs (168 of 172 Deel payments matched).
- Prepared the UK R&D tax-relief pack, including accounts, computation, CT600, and a tied-out nominal ledger, along with eligibility analysis. Reviewed an ESOP award letter under Swiss law.
- Structured a partnership and investment proposal with a global derivatives exchange group, backed by AI-assisted precedent research with a source and quote for every fact.
- Designed and built Allasso's FP&A platform with Claude Code in about 14 weeks, replacing the spreadsheet model with 30 permissioned modules used by the CEO, CRO, CTO, and finance.
- Implemented 10 close-blocking controls, each testing a derived figure against an independently sourced one, and audited all 838 vendors with 102 AI agents, making 60 corrections after adversarial checks.
- Created an AI finance assistant limited to 15 permission-checked tools and grounded in 1,399 review notes, plus a board-report writer the CEO runs himself from verified facts.
External Advisor – Fintech, Big Data, & AI
Razor Capital
- Advised Razor Capital, a venture capital firm sourcing investments in emerging markets and beyond, on fintech, big data, and AI opportunities.
- Guided founders and startup leadership on growth and scalability, positioning portfolio companies for successful exits.
- Liaised with portfolio companies to track their progress and judge the viability of follow-on investments and exits.
Engagement Manager
Oliver Wyman
- Advised private equity funds and corporates on 15+ investments across multiple sectors through due diligence, valuation, and value creation analysis.
- Conducted commercial due diligence for investors: market sizing, competitive positioning, customer research, and the commercial case behind each investment.
- Led the operations transformation plan for a PE-owned UK automotive-services company with revenue of over £650 million.
- Developed a top-line transformation plan for a UK medical devices manufacturer, identifying around $25 million in initiatives across pricing, product rationalization, and geographic expansion.
- Delivered a strategic refresh for a major UK insurer across its commercial and personal lines in motor, home, and pet insurance.
- Developed the post-deal value creation plan for a global industrial conglomerate after its acquisition of a specialist industrial pump manufacturer.
- Managed teams of consultants and the day-to-day relationship with firm partners and board, and CXO-level client stakeholders.
- Partnered with private equity and venture capital funds, financial institutions, and asset managers on complex challenges in the private capital, digital, data, and AI practice.
- Applied data analytics and Python to commercial due diligence and strategy questions for private equity and corporate clients.
Investments Manager – Founding Team
Bella Figura Music
- Led a $1 billion fundraise (commitments) in 10 months as a founding team member of a private equity buy-and-build in music publishing and recording catalogs.
- Pitched to and built relationships with 100+ potential investors across Europe and the US, running the investment process end to end.
- Translated the catalog acquisition thesis into investor materials: industry research, comps and yield models, and master and publishing valuation frameworks.
- Managed investor diligence and Q&A and negotiated terms, aligning capital commitments with the fund's acquisition cadence and value-creation strategy.
- Oversaw music catalog deals worth over $500 million and managed the deal process end to end, from making offers to post-deal integration.
- Executed 10+ transactions in publishing and recording assets, working with artists based in the US, Europe, and Australia.
- Built deal research reports and LBO and returns models for each incoming deal, the portfolio, and the overall fund.
- Collaborated with board members and investors on corporate strategy and value creation for existing and new investments.
- Doubled revenue collection from the catalogs through AI optimization of collections and claims on YouTube and other digital platforms.
Investment Associate
Razor Capital
- Evaluated technology investment opportunities through due diligence, market analysis, and competitive-landscape assessments to identify high-growth prospects.
- Built detailed segmental forecasts and financial models for businesses in the investment pipeline.
- Conducted post-deal analysis of portfolio companies in emerging markets and contributed to live deals and research.
Associate
JP MORGAN INVEST HOLDINGS
- Valued bonds and derivatives with sophisticated pricing models, ensuring accurate prices aligned with the firm's investment objectives.
- Established consensus prices for OTC derivatives with market participants and vendors.
- Helped develop key market parameters for investment decisions from the consensus OTC derivatives pricing.
Team Lead & Senior Analyst
NOMURA
- Led an analyst team in the Investment Banking Division (IBD) on M&A, equity, and debt capital-raising mandates.
- Built valuation, merger, and LBO models (DCF, trading and transaction comparables) for buy-side and sell-side deals.
- Prepared pitch books, information memoranda, and investor presentations, and coordinated due diligence through closing.
Analyst
Credit Suisse Group
- Supported M&A and capital-raising (ECM and DCM) transactions in the Investment Banking Division (IBD), from pitch to closing.
- Built financial models and valuations (DCF, trading comparables, and precedent transactions) for live deals and pitches.
- Prepared pitch books, company profiles, and sector research for clients and deal teams.
Education
Master of Finance Degree in Investment Management, CFO, and Corporate Finance
London Business School - London, UK
Bachelor of Engineering (Honors) in Mechanical Engineering
Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) - Pilani, India
Master of Science Degree (Honors) in Economics
Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) - Pilani, India
Certifications
Certificate in Quantitative Finance (CQF)
CQF Institute
Financial Risk Manager (FRM)
Global Association of Risk Professionals
Skills
Finance
Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Budgeting, Forecasting, Valuation, Fundraising, Cash Flow, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Equity Raises, Due Diligence, Asset Valuation, Risk Analysis, Value Creation, Quantitative Risk Analysis, Corporate Finance, Financial Modeling, Private Equity, Cash Flow Forecasting, Capital Raising, Discounted Cash Flow (DCF), Capital Structure Analysis, CFO, Capital Structure Optimization, Business Advisory, Project Finance, Credit Risk, Market Research, Pricing Strategy, Financial Reporting, Cash Management, Financial Consolidation, Accounting, Comparable Company Analysis, Data Analysis, Business Intelligence (BI), Finance Strategy
Output Software
Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint
Data & Analysis Software
SQL, PostgreSQL, MATLAB
Industry Expertise
Venture Capital, Asset Management
Other
Investor Relations, Board Reporting, Strategy Consulting, Risk Management, Claude Code, Quantitative Finance, Market Risk, Fractional CFO, Management Consulting, Corporate Strategy, Investment Analysis, Financial Analysis, Leveraged Buyout (LBO), Artificial Intelligence (AI), AI for Finance, Music Catalogue Valuation, M&A Due Diligence (Commercial), Post-merger Integration, Interim CFO, Acquisition Analysis, Payroll & Benefits, VAT Return Preparation, ESOPs, Debt Financing, Data Analytics, Python, Fintech, Big Data, Deal Execution, Excel VBA, Xero, HubSpot, Debt Advisory, Strategy, Claude, n8n, Derivatives, Machine Learning, Quantitative Analysis, Operational Risk, Investment Management, Mathematics, Economics, Econometrics, Statistics, Investment Banking, Business Strategy, Growth Strategy, Market Sizing, Competitive Analysis, Business Transformation, Business Development, Lead Generation, Stakeholder Management, Project Management, Team Leadership, Public Speaking, Negotiation, Strategic Planning, Process Improvement, Management Reporting, Treasury Management, Financial Statements, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Scenario Analysis, Sensitivity Analysis, Corporate Development, Investor Presentations, Pitch Decks, Term Sheets, Investment Research, Portfolio Management, Exit Strategy, Transaction Advisory, Deal Sourcing, Fixed Income, Options, Backtesting, Agentic AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), Prompt Engineering, Workflow Automation, Process Automation, Finance Automation, AI-Powered FP&A, AI Strategy, Dashboards, Data Visualization, Microsoft 365, SaaS, Risk-weighted Assets (RWA), M&A Due Diligence (Financial), Financial Controls & Processes, Complex Account Reconciliations, Go-to-market (GTM) Strategy, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), Month-end Processes, Internal Control, Early-stage Venture Capital, R&D, SaaS Metrics, OTC Derivatives, Multi-currency Accounting, AIM, Mechanical Engineering, Algorithmic Trading, Systematic Trading, Regulatory Compliance, Know Your Customer (KYC), Trading, Commercial Real Estate Finance (CREF), Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)
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