About

Buy-side rigor, at the pace of a live process.

The Firm

Why we exist

Akiva StratIQ exists in the gap between two kinds of firm: research vendors who deliver volume without judgment, and advisors who deliver judgment without speed. We were built to hold both standards at once.

How we work is simple to describe and hard to copy. Senior hands on every mandate. Every figure sourced. Every assumption stress-tested. Thinking published under our own name, because a firm that sells defensibility should be willing to be judged by its own standard.

We work from Delhi NCR and operate cross-border, with active work across India and Southeast Asia in M&A, infrastructure, and carbon markets.

Leadership

The people on your mandate.

Ankur Bansal

Co-Founder
LinkedIn

Leads Akiva's transaction advisory and carbon markets practices. He brings over 13 years across investment banking, private equity and financial services, most recently running PE and VC delivery at Acuity Knowledge Partners, where he owned pilot-to-partnership conversions and oversaw capital markets work spanning $150M+ in commitments. His earlier career spans Moody's Analytics, Genpact Investment Banking, and Flyhomes. He holds an MS in Financial Markets and Investments from SKEMA Business School (France) and certifications in private equity, venture capital, and financial research.

Pooja Gandhi

Co-Founder
LinkedIn

Leads the firm's research design and presentation practice. Over 9 years designing investor pitch decks, research materials, and high-stakes corporate presentations, shaping how complex analysis reaches institutional audiences.

Carbon Markets Practice

Sahana K

Carbon Markets Fellow
LinkedIn

Leads the firm's published carbon markets research and is developing Akiva's carbon markets practice and service line, alongside supporting business development for it. Author of The Flight to Quality (June 2026), an institutional analysis of high-integrity carbon frameworks, live on SSRN.

Have a mandate that needs senior hands this week?

Discuss a Mandate

A 30-minute working conversation. No pitch deck.
Prefer to write first? Email ankur@akivastratiq.com