PE Analyst

WHO WE ARE Kautilya is a buy-side M&A advisory firm. We help investors acquire high-quality internet businesses. Our work lives in the gap between great companies and the capital that wants to buy them. We find the deals others miss. We specialise in sourcing "off-market" opportunities, businesses that aren't even officially for sale yet. Our clients aren't looking for what's listed on public marketplaces. They want the founder who's burnt out but hasn't told anyone yet. The operator with three businesses who'd sell one at the right price. The builder who's ready for an exit but doesn't know where to start. Link to our website: https://kautilya-pe.com/ As an analyst at Kautilya, you'll be a full-stack deal operator: Source off-market deals: Hunt for acquisition targets on Reddit, Twitter, Indie Hackers, LinkedIn, niche forums; basically, anywhere founders gather. You'll develop pattern recognition for intent signals: burnout, boredom, portfolio bloat, life changes. Build intelligence dossiers: Research companies, analyze financials, assess founder psychology, identify red flags, and create actionable briefs for our clients. Manage deal flow: Build relationships with founders, negotiate introductions, coordinate due diligence, and move deals through the pipeline. Experiment relentlessly: Test new sourcing channels, develop creative outreach strategies, build systems that scale, and document what works (and what doesn't). This isn't a research role where you make lists all day. You'll own deal sourcing end-to-end: from finding opportunities to getting them across the finish line. You'll learn buy-side M&A, business valuation, founder psychology, negotiation, and the art of finding what's hidden. WHO YOU ARE We're looking for self-starters who thrive in ambiguity and love the thrill of execution. You probably: Get energized by the hunt: You love finding things others can't. You're the person who spent hours down rabbit holes researching random topics just because you were curious. Bias toward action: You'd rather build, test, and iterate than debate and plan. You ship fast, learn fast, and fix fast. Think like an operator: You understand how businesses work because you've built something (a side project, a failed startup, a freelance hustle). You speak founder. Work autonomously: You don't need daily check-ins or detailed instructions. Give you a problem and a deadline, and you'll figure out the rest. Have intellectual honesty: You're comfortable saying "I don't know" and figuring it out. You document your failures as much as your wins. Care about craft: You take pride in your work. Your deliverables are clean, organized, and professional. You know details matter. You don't need to have M&A experience or a finance background. We can teach you valuation and deal structure. We can't teach hustle, creativity, or the ability to find needles in haystacks. WHAT YOU'LL GAIN Skills that compound: M&A sourcing, business analysis, negotiation, founder psychology, pattern recognition; skills that work whether you stay in finance, start a business, or do something else entirely. Real responsibility early: Own your deal pipeline from day one. Source your first acquisition target in week one. This isn't a two-year analyst program where you build models. You'll be doing real work immediately. Exposure to internet businesses: You'll see inside dozens of companies, their financials, operations, growth strategies. It's like an MBA in online business models. Access to a network: You'll interact with founders, investors, operators, and deal-makers across India, US, and EU. Relationships that last beyond this role. Autonomy and ownership: No micromanagement. No hand-holding. No permission needed to try new things. Results matter more than hours logged. WHAT TO EXPECT FROM US Small team, big impact: We're lean by design. Everyone's contribution matters. There's no hiding in a 50-person analyst class. High expectations: We expect excellence, not perfection. Mistakes are fine. Sloppy work isn't. We move fast but never carelessly. Direct feedback: You'll know exactly where you stand. No annual review surprises. Feedback is real-time and specific. Learning by doing: We don't have a training program. You'll learn through actual work, with support when needed but autonomy by default. Results-oriented culture: We care about outcomes, not optics. Work remotely when it makes sense. Take time off when you need it. Just deliver exceptional work. ABOUT THE ASSIGNMENT This assignment is a litmus test for everything we just described. You'll get a real deal sourcing challenge, the same type of work you'd do in the role. No case studies. No hypotheticals. You'll actually hunt for acquisition targets, document your process, and show us your thinking. We've designed this assignment so that even with AI tools, you'll need real proof-of-work, independent thinking, and sound judgment. You're welcome to use AI to accelerate your research or refine your ideas, but it won't be enough on its own. The tasks require curiosity, resourcefulness, and genuine execution. If you enjoy digging deeper, connecting dots, and using AI as a complement; not a crutch, you'll thrive here. Read the full brief below, do the work, and upload your files directly in this form. No Drive links, no sharing settings to get wrong. A FINAL NOTE This role isn't for everyone. If you need structure, clear processes, and predictable tasks, you'll be frustrated here. If you want a prestigious brand name on your resume more than you want to build something, this isn't it. But if you're someone who lights up when given hard problems and space to solve them, who'd rather be building than spectating, who loves the game of finding hidden opportunities; then we should talk. Let's see what you can do.