CIFL
Cedar-IBSi FinTech Lab

ABOUT THE LAB

Founded in 2017, the Cedar-IBSi FinTech lab has been home to 60+ regional technology companies seeking a “soft-landing” opportunity into the MENA and Indian market. The lab is the brainchild of the Cedar Consulting and IBS Intelligence, and has played an active role in accelerating technology companies in areas of go-to-market, POCs with banks, knowledge, and many other strategic areas.

Not many know FinTech the way we do. The lab has mentored global technology companies of different shapes and sizes, each of whom have used membership benefits to learn, partner, and accelerate.

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countries represented

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pages of proprietary research and use cases

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FinTechs accelerated

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year track-record

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regional banking clients
ACCESS INTELLIGENCE VISIBILITY ACCELERATION
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MARKET ACCESS & COLLABORATION

In-person thematic knowledge sessions (peer-to-peer learning) with external subject matter experts and thought leaders (one-to-many format).
In-person thematic round-table discussion with representation from 2-3 regional banks, moderated by Cedar-IBSi senior leaders. The lab members will get a chance to interact with the bankers in-person.
Pre-qualified industry introductions for CIFL lab members to get a foot in the door with the industry players (5% T&C applies).
Digital community access (Virtual community on WhatsApp).
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MARKET INTELLIGENCE

Tailored hybrid one-to-one advisory session by a senior Cedar-IBSi subject matter experts.
In-person Advisory, Training and Masterclass sessions hosted by senior Cedar-IBSi experts.
Complimentary access to the iconic monthly IBSi FinTech Journal.
Exclusive access to the iconic IBSi Galaxy Portal - a self-service insights and intelligence portal, tracking and analyzing the global BankTech and FinTech landscape weekly.
Tailored in-person strategy workshop with Senior Partners organized at lab members’ offices to develop, assess, and implement new market and product growth plans (lab member to manage logistics).

VISIBILITY

Special visibility and promotion at FinTech Happy Hours hosted in multiple cities throughout the year.
Exclusive interviews of leaders covered on the IBSi Intelligence website and digital channel with 1mn+ page views annually.
Leadership coverage on IBSi's exclusive FinTech podcast - IBS Intelligence Podcasts.
Detailed solution demo to Cedar-IBSi’s team and potentially covered in IBSi GALAXY (subscribers include global banks, funds, and consultants).
Banner feature on IBS Intelligence's popular website (1mn+ page views annually) and weekly FinTech newsletter (15,000+ subscribers).
Exclusive access to IBS Intelligence 10+ annual events hosted in the region.
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ACCELERATION

Opportunity to pitch to Cedar-IBSi Capital team for your planned capital raise.
Get access to interesting co-investment opportunities via Cedar-IBSi Capital.
Use of lab physical infrastructure and meeting rooms.
Access to the network of Technology Partner Credits and Global Ecosystem Partner Network.
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LAB TEAM

AMIT JAIN
Partner and Co-Head, IBS Intelligence
MURTAZA SHAIKHALLY
Partner, Cedar Group
SANDEEP AGGARWAL
Account Director
NIOMI PARIKH
Research Consultant

CEDAR-IBSi CAPITAL TEAM

SAHIL ANAND
Founder & Managing Partner
SUBIT SAURAV
Associate Partner
GANESH IYER
Associate
ESHIT SHARMA
Associate

LAB MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES

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MARKET EXPANSION
GLOBAL PRESENCE
ONLINE SUPPORT
COMPANY

ELITE CIRCLE

  • Growth stage enterprise companies looking for building thought leadership and market expansion
COMPANY

STANDARD CIRCLE

  • For early-stage companies looking for validation and expert mentoring
COMPANY

PREMIUM CIRCLE

  • For expansion stage companies looking to scale-up their business and build traction
INDIVIDUAL

INNER CIRCLE

  • For Individual Bankers and Industry Leaders looking to network

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ECOSYSTEM PARTNERS

ECOSYSTEM PARTNERS

$21,000 worth of total benefits for our lab members

TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS

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Partner and Co-Head

AMIT JAIN

Amit is a Partner and Co-Head at IBS Intelligence, where he advises leading global FinTechs, Banks and consulting firms on their market and competitive intelligence needs, and growth strategy. His clients include the world’s leading legacy and emerging FinTech companies including Temenos, Oracle, Finastra, Infosys, TCS, Sopra, ERI, Avaloq as well as leading banks such as Deutsche Bank, APS Bank, RBS, HSBC, Revolut, Starling Bank, Allica Bank, Aion Bank, and Credit Suisse.

Amit also co-chairs IBS Intelligence’s key intellectual properties such as the annual Sales League Table (SLT), Global FinTech Innovation Awards, and Digital Bank Awards. He is also a frequent speaker at major global FinTech conferences, including SIBOS, Money2020, Paris FinTech Forum, and London FinTech Week.

Amit holds an MBA from S.P. Jain and has completed executive education programs at London Business School and Harvard Business School.

Account Director

SANDEEP AGGARWAL

Sandeep is a seasoned business and leader with over 16 years of experience spearheading institutional growth across BFSI sector in India and international markets. He brings deep expertise across financial services with a strong focus on risk management, banking analytics, ESG frameworks and digital transformation.

Throughout his career, Sandeep has held various strategic roles at globally recognised organizations like Quantiphi, CRIF, Dun & Bradstreet, HCL and Wipro. 

A distinguished alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad, Sandeep has completed one year senior management program in General Management and also holds a PGDM in Marketing & E-business from Prin. L. N. Welingkar Institute of Management Development & Research. 

Research Consultant

NIOMI PARIKH

Niomi has a diverse educational background and is a successful business transformation and FinTech consultant. For the last two years, Niomi has played a crucial role in engaging with FinTech Labs members, understanding their needs, and aligning solutions to help them grow. She has worked on various consulting projects, focusing on Change Management, Diagnostic Workshops, Fee Income Strategy, and Vendor Selection for banks and institutions.

She holds a postgraduate degree in Management from ISME School of Management and Entrepreneurship, specializing in Finance with minors in Entrepreneurship. Additionally, she is a Chartered Accountant (Group 1) and has completed her MCOM from H R College.

Founder & Managing Partner

SAHIL ANAND

Sahil comes with almost 15 years of experience in private equity, management consulting and FinTech. He founded Cedar-IBSi Capital in 2023 when he realized that he was slowly becoming a FinTech nerd and had missed more than a few (eventually successful) FinTech investment opportunities while he ran Cedar’s FinTech Labs.

Prior to founding the fund, Sahil spent almost 8 years at Cedar Consulting and IBS Intelligence’s FinTech practices where he worked with regional Banks and FinTechs on their technology strategies. In 2017, he co-created the Cedar-IBSi FinTech Labs, which quickly became known as the only such FinTech ecosystem in the region, and has been home to 60+ B2B FinTech/Banking infra companies.

Sahil began his career on the investments team at Everstone Capital and DSG Consumer Partners, where he worked across deals and industries, and played an active role on the “platformification” of Everstone’s various focus areas along with the fund’s leadership.

Sahil holds an MBA from London Business School, and a BS in Finance from NYU Stern. He serves as a member of the governing board of EO (Entrepreneurs Organization) Mumbai, a global network of leading entrepreneurs across industries. Sahil is also the former Chapter Chair and founding board member for YNG (Young Presidents Organization) Mumbai and serves actively as a NYU Stern Alumni Association Committee Member.

Associate Partner

SUBIT SAURAV

Subit comes with almost 15 years of experience across the investment cycle in the fund business, from deal-sourcing to leading exits. He is also well-versed with the overall Financial Services business model and ecosystem, given his past role at Aavishkar Capital.

Before joining Cedar-IBSi Capital, Subit was with Aavishkaar Capital, a well-known Indian impact VC fund focused on Financial Services and FinTech, where he was responsible for deal evaluation, portfolio, and exit management. He represented the fund in various board roles, guiding and working strategically with the leadership teams.

Subit holds a PGDM diploma from IIM Calcutta and B. Tech degree from IIT Guwahati. He has attended the Strategic Leadership in Inclusive Finance program at Harvard Business School.

Associate Partner

MURTAZA SHAIKHALLY

Murtaza is an Operating Partner at Cedar-IBSi Capital where he advises the fund’s FinTech thesis and goes on to add value to portfolio companies, given his 25+ years in the banking industry. He also plays an important role of leading LP engagement and relationships across the Middle East.

He is an Associate Partner at Cedar Consulting’s Dubai and India offices where he has over 25 years of experience in assisting global banking & government clients in a variety of strategic transformation areas. His Financial Services expertise spans across areas including Balanced Scorecard, strategy formulation, market strategy, business integration, process transformation, among many others.

Murtaza prior’s experience includes time at ANZ Grindlays and Dubai Islamic Bank. He has an MBA degree from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies.

Associate

GANESH IYER

Ganesh comes with past experience of working with startups in founder’s office roles where he drove strategic alignment, managed projects, created operational plans and supported marketing initiatives to strengthen brand positioning.

At Cedar-IBSi Capital, he works across key initiatives in fund investments, ideating deal-sourcing tools, research across FinTech areas, and working with portfolio companies to unlock value leveraging Cedar’s wider platform.

Ganesh holds an MBA from ITM Business School and a B.Com. (Hons.) degree from N.E.S Ratnam College, Mumbai.

Associate

ESHIT SHARMA

Eshit brings experience across venture capital, fundraising, and finance operations. Before joining Cedar-IBSi Capital, he worked with Venture Catalysts, managing fundraising transactions worth over USD 20 million across SaaS, AI, Healthcare, and FMCG sectors, contributing to deal structuring, negotiations, and due diligence.

His earlier roles at Tech Mahindra, Innodata, and Convergys India strengthened his foundation in finance operations, reporting, and analytics. At Cedar-IBSi Capital, Eshit focuses on early-stage investments, driving sourcing, evaluation, and portfolio value creation.

He holds an MSc in Finance from NMIMS, Mumbai, and a B.Com. (Hons.) degree from Amity University, and has cleared CA Inter (Group 1).