Two Markets. One Catalyst.
Your bridge to opportunities across India and Europe.
India Catalyst Consulting
Consulting boutique for market entry, partnerships and network. Spezialized in working with startups, SMEs and Mittelstand companies.
India Catalyst Capital
We provide European family offices and institutional investors with tailor-made access to India's high-growth private markets.
Our Mission
We build sustainable bridges between Europe and India – through consulting, capital and networks. Our goal is not just to enable economic cooperation, but to design it in a way that is sustainable and beneficial to both sides.
Why now?
India offers unmatched scale: a 1.4B population, the fastest-growing major economy, and a world-class talent pool. Europe brings capital, technology, and industry leadership—assets India increasingly demands. Trade is at record highs, supply chains are shifting, and cross-border talent flows are accelerating. Indian companies are expanding into Europe; European companies are scaling in India. The result: a rare moment where two markets perfectly complement each other.
Our approach is based on three core pillars:
Long-standing investment and consulting experience
Deep cultural competence and India experience
A resilient, high-level network in business, politics and civil society
India Catalyst in the News
Our History
The founders of India Catalyst have been working together on various projects in science (Innovation Economics), business (Family Office) and volunteering (IGYLF) for over ten years. With the Indo-German Young Leaders Forum (IGYLF), they built a platform in 2016 that is now one of the most important non-governmental initiatives between the two countries.
India Catalyst emerged from this history: the desire to transfer existing cultural competence, network and experience from many projects into a professional structure – accessible to companies and investors.
Team
Dr. Maximilian von Laer
Co-Founder and Managing Director
Lived in New Delhi for several years, speaks Hindi and worked as Chief of Staff in a German family office. He has extensive experience in strategy, investment management and the operational implementation of German-Indian business projects. He also headed the India work of the Bertelsmann Foundation and brings broad leadership experience – both from his own activity as a founder as well as from management roles in external companies, which he accompanied in particular in various growth and scaling phases.
Dr. Florian Ramel
Co-Founder and Managing Director
Built and managed a portfolio of venture capital and private equity funds in a German family office. He brings deep understanding of fund structures, manager selection and portfolio management in addition to long-standing involvement in German-Indian innovation and network formats. This expertise is complemented by extensive experience in business management, which he has gained through consulting and supporting numerous companies in their founding as well as by assuming management positions.