Funding · Financial Services

S45 raises $5 million seed funding from RTP Global

By Startup Enthusiast · 28 March 2026

What they do

S45 is an AI-native investment bank targeting middle-market companies in India

The company raised $5 million in a seed round led by RTP Global last year

It uses AI agents to automate workflows and accelerate IPO journeys for SMEs

S45 was founded in early 2025 by Deepank Bhandari, Pankaj Harlalka, and Aman Singh.
The startup raised $5 Mn in seed funding from RTP Global last year.
It operates as an AI-native investment bank for Indian middle-market companies.
The firm aims to expand access to growth capital and accelerate IPO journeys.
It automates manual workflows using AI agents to serve clients ignored by large banks.
The team consists of around 12 people working on the platform.
Deepank Bhandari leads distribution and capital markets with experience in private equity and banking.
Pankaj Harlalka brings 20 years of merchant banking and IPO expertise to the venture.

S45 targets mainboard SME IPOs in the ₹50-500 Cr range.
This segment is often ignored by large traditional investment banks.
The startup leverages technology to solve inefficiencies in capital market workflows.
Founders combine deep industry experience with strong technical backgrounds.

S45 provides investment banking services tailored for small and medium enterprises.
It focuses on helping companies prepare for initial public offerings (IPOs).
The tech stack includes three layers for data intelligence and workflow automation.
It ingests structured and unstructured capital markets data and historical records.
The system screens potential customers in roughly 90 minutes versus 10 days traditionally.
Evaluators can assess 40-50 companies per month compared to 3-4 typically.
Verification of DRHP capital structure sections takes one day instead of weeks.
The platform handles financial documents, filings, and disclosures automatically.
Revenue generation comes from facilitating capital raising and IPO processes.