Thirteen years is a long time.
Long enough for excitement to settle into responsibility. Long enough for early assumptions to be questioned. Long enough to realise that what looks simple from the outside is often shaped by years of quiet learning on the inside.
When I look back today, I don’t see the journey of a platform. I see a journey that began much earlier — at a time when my wife, Priya, and I were not founders, not entrepreneurs building an ecosystem, but working professionals based in the United Kingdom, trying to navigate something deeply personal.
Our family-owned pharmaceutical business in Uttarakhand had been built with years of effort, relationships, and sacrifices. Like many family businesses, it carried history and emotion, not just numbers. When the time came to explore an exit, we assumed there would be structured support and guidance available.
What followed was very different.
There was no clear place to begin. No single, structured way to reach the right audience. We tried attending events, connecting with experts, speaking to those who had sold businesses before us, and even spending money on newspaper advertisements. Each step required effort and hope. Each step also came with uncertainty.
What stayed with us throughout that phase was a quiet but persistent question:
Is there really no better way for serious business owners and investors to find each other?
That question did not disappear once the immediate transaction journey moved forward. It stayed with us. It made us reflect on how fragmented, opaque, and exhausting the process was — not just for us, but for many others across India.
IndiaBizForSale was born from that lived experience.
Not from a grand vision, and not from a desire to build something fashionable. It emerged from confusion, trial and error, and the realization that the absence of structure creates unnecessary friction for everyone involved.
The early years were full of learning. There was no manual. We were building while listening, improving while making mistakes, and slowly understanding what business owners actually needed versus what we assumed they needed.
Around 2017–18, during those formative years, IndiaBizForSale participated in an accelerator program at the Centre for Innovation, Incubation, and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) at IIM Ahmedabad, where we were awarded a grant.
While the funding helped, the real value came from the discipline it introduced — sharpening our thinking, questioning our assumptions, and reinforcing our commitment to solving a real, long-term problem rather than chasing short-term outcomes.
Over time, IndiaBizForSale began to take shape as a shared space — a place where intent could exist without pressure, and where discovery did not depend entirely on chance.
But this journey was never about just the two of us.
If there is one thing thirteen years has made clear, it is that companies are not built by ideas alone. They are built by people — people who show up, who care, who take responsibility, and who stay present through uncertainty.
Over the years, many individuals have been part of this journey. Some stayed for long chapters, some for shorter ones. Some worked quietly behind the scenes, some during our most demanding phases. Each contributed in their own way.
Priya and I have seen team members immerse themselves in understanding user challenges, adapting to market changes, and learning from every interaction. From the first conversation with a user to preparing necessary documents, the effort has always gone beyond “tasks.”
There has been genuine ownership — a willingness to learn, to improve, and to serve with sincerity.
As the ecosystem evolved, so did our understanding of what business owners truly needed.
In 2022, we formally launched IBGrid, our investment banking boutique, to go beyond being a platform and take responsibility for the entire journey — from initial preparation to strategic closure.
This step was not about doing more; it was about doing things more thoughtfully and end-to-end, especially for complex transactions that required deeper involvement.
That decision, too, was shaped by years of observation, guidance, and experience we had accumulated along the way.
As of 9 January 2026, IndiaBizForSale has grown into a community of over 150,000 professionals, including 50,000+ investors and buyers, 15,000+ businesses and startups, and 14,000+ advisors, VCs, PEs, family offices, founders, and working professionals.
We have seen 1,000+ deals reach closure, with significant value still moving through the ecosystem.
But numbers only tell part of the story.
What stays with me are the individual journeys — legacy business owners finding the right next chapter, founders navigating uncertainty with more clarity, and investors discovering opportunities that align with their long-term thinking. Each journey is different. Each one is personal.
We are not a 50- or 100-person organization. And yet, with a small, committed group of people, we have been able to support a large and diverse ecosystem. That has reinforced a belief we hold strongly: responsibility matters more than scale, and intent matters more than speed.
As I reflect on these thirteen years, gratitude stands above everything else.
Gratitude for the users who trusted us with some of the most important decisions of their lives.
Gratitude for every team member — past and present — who carried this journey with honesty and care.
Gratitude for the lessons that came from mistakes, patience, and persistence.
This milestone is not a finish line. It is simply a moment to pause, reflect, and recommit.
We remain committed to serving with the same sincerity, curiosity, and dedication that shaped our beginnings — and to continuing this journey with humility and responsibility.
Thank you for being part of it.
—
Bhavin Bhagat
Co-Founder, IndiaBizForSale