Capital deploys too slowly
Opportunities move through the process with too much friction, rework or uncertainty.
Advisory
Design and strengthen the systems that turn capital into investment decisions.
I work where capital, mandate or pipeline already exist, but decision-making remains too slow, too implicit or difficult to execute consistently.
WHEN TO CALL ME
The mandate exists. The capital exists. Execution still underperforms.
Three situations usually signal that the issue is not another instrument, but the investment system itself.
The pipeline does not convert
Activity exists, but too few opportunities become comparable, analysable and investable.
Decisions are hard to reproduce
Criteria, roles or information vary too much across people, committees or transactions.
Senior-led.Specialist-supported.Built for implementation.
Every engagement is led directly by Shaïla Sahai. Where the mandate requires it, selected independent specialists can be mobilised for specific expertise.
Discuss an engagementAreas of intervention
Four interconnected areas of intervention.
These four areas cover the functions that connect an investment mandate to execution. They can be addressed independently or within the same engagement.
Investment systems and decision architecture
Mandate, sourcing, screening, diligence, investment committee, governance and monitoring.
Pipeline and deployment capacity
Eligibility, information quality and the frictions preventing capital from moving.
Institutional capacity and implementation
Operating models, standards, shared tools and capability transfer.
Sustainable finance and impact integration
Climate, ESG, impact and resilience integrated into decisions and monitoring proportionately.
Method
Find the constraint before choosing the instrument.
The priority is to identify where the investment chain is constrained and determine which practical changes will improve its effectiveness. Sustainable finance, climate and ESG run across all four areas.
A fund cannot resolve an insufficient pipeline. A guarantee does not replace due diligence. An ESG framework cannot create governance. I begin by identifying the function that is genuinely missing, then select the tool or mechanism that can address it.
Typical questions
Questions central to investment decision-making.
Why is our capital deploying too slowly?
Review of deal flow, criteria, documentation, decision processes and the cost of underwriting.
How can we attract more private capital?
Clarification of the investor proposition, risk allocation, vehicle and governance.
How do we integrate climate, ESG or impact without slowing decisions?
Selection of material criteria, integration into due diligence and proportionate reporting.
What does our ecosystem need before launching another fund?
Origination, information standards, local intermediation, analytical capacity, coordination and monitoring.
Working together
Every mandate should strengthen decision-making capacity.
Three levels of intervention, calibrated to the maturity of the system and the depth of change required.
Investment Systems Diagnostic
A focused review of the existing system to identify frictions, risks and improvement priorities.
Investment Operating System Redesign
Design of the target architecture: processes, governance, tools, responsibilities and an implementation roadmap.
Investment Capacity & Implementation
Tool deployment, capability transfer and implementation support through to team adoption.
A STRUCTURED ENTRY POINT
When the friction is visible, but not yet located.
In 7 to 10 business days, the Diagnostic tests practices, evidence and breakpoints to identify what is materially affecting decision quality and execution.
Check if this Diagnostic is right for you