CORPORATE COUNSEL

Saravanan Rathakrishnan is a Singapore-qualified corporate lawyer specialising in investment funds, private equity (including venture capital), and cross-border M&A. He regularly advises fund managers on the structuring, offering, and regulatory compliance of collective investment schemes, with a particular focus on Singapore VCC platforms and cross-jurisdictional fund arrangements.

He has acted on fund formation and investment transactions involving a wide range of asset classes and jurisdictions, including advising European and Asian fund managers on cross-border mandates across Asia. He also advises Asian ultra-high-net-worth individuals on M&A transactions, single-family office structuring, and investments into private equity and private credit funds.

Saravanan was recognised as a Rising Star for Investment Funds by The Legal 500 in 2024, and named a Leading Associate for Investment Funds in 2025. He was also listed in Private Equity International’s 40 Under 40 (Lawyers) for his work in private equity fund structuring.

His experience includes:

Investment Funds

• Structured private equity, real estate, debt, fixed income, and thematic funds across Asia, Europe, and emerging markets.
• Advised on funds with strategies including ESG, precious metals and mining funds (Central Asia), Indian public equities, early childhood education (Asia), collectible whisky funds, medtech, technology, pre-IPO companies, and multi-asset portfolios.
• Structured and advised on Singapore VCC platforms, cross-border master-feeder structures, and unit trusts.
• Structured multi-sub-fund vehicles targeting differentiated investor strategies, including private debt and BNPL-linked structured finance products.
• Structured private real estate funds focused on:
  • UK real estate
  • Global acquisition and development strategies
  • Luxury resort and hospitality developments in Indonesia
• Acted as Singapore counsel on fund documentation for vehicles domiciled in Singapore, Cayman, India, and Indonesia, including feeder-master structures and money market unit trusts.
• Reviewed offering documents and trust deeds in connection with structured finance vehicles and private capital platforms.
• Advised on the Singapore offering of a French private equity fund.

Advisory work

• Advised an Asian sovereign-linked entity on transplanting trust law and common law principles into its domestic legislation to build a local trust ecosystem.
• Advised Singapore-based endowments and Institutions of Public Character on investment management arrangements.
• Provided regulatory analysis on collective investment scheme classification for alternative assets, including vineyard investments.
• Advised on the structuring and offering of a trade finance fund.

Private Equity & Venture Capital

• Advised on strategic acquisitions, divestments, and joint ventures across the education, mining, chemicals, and logistics sectors.
• Represented European and Asian asset managers, UHNW families, and sovereign-linked entities in cornerstone fund commitments and direct investment transactions.
• Acted for startups and emerging growth companies in venture financings across healthtech, regtech, SaaS, and e-commerce, including complex cross-border fundraising rounds.
• Experience spans both investor-side and founder-side mandates across Asia and Europe.

Beyond his professional interests, he maintains a keen interest in finance, economics, and law and has published legal, economic, and finance works in several journals and publications.