Quantum Advisors Private Limited (“Quantum”/”QAS”) was founded by Ajit Dayal as India’s first institutional equity research house in January 1990, eighteen months before the first significant set of reforms announced that allowed the Indian economy to break out of the ‘Hindu’ rate of growth.
The name ‘Quantum’ originates from the Quantum theory in physics and Planck’s constant ‘h’: the amount of energy required to take an electron from a lower level of orbit to a higher level of orbit. We were determined to take the then closed and archaic Indian capital markets from a lower level of orbit to a higher level of orbit.
Quantum Advisors pioneered a quantitative as well as qualitative analytical approach to equity investing in India, providing – for the first time – consistently applied valuation metrics to evaluate investment opportunities in India’s emerging stock markets. Over the years, Quantum Advisors has continued and enhanced its tradition of extensive financial analysis and value investing, as it has evolved into an investment advisor and asset manager.
Quantum Advisors has acted as an independent advisor and local partner in India for many well-known institutions. In its formative years, Quantum Advisors had a successful joint venture with Jardine Fleming (with over USD 1 billion invested in the Indian stock markets) and acted as sub-advisor to the Walden Nikko India Ventures Fund (1996-1998), the Prolific India Opportunities Fund (1996-1998), and Hansberger Global Investors, Inc (1998-2004).
While the Indian stock markets have progressed over the past decade from rudimentary exchanges with little transparency and limited liquidity to highly liquid, better regulated and technologically advanced markets, a long-term fundamentals-driven investing style is as important today as it was almost 20 years ago, when Quantum Advisors initially formulated its investment strategy. As one of the first portfolio managers to adopt a fundamental approach to investing in Indian equities and having worked with leading fund managers in the United States, Europe, and Asia, Quantum Advisors has positioned itself to help international investors to capitalize on the investment opportunities in the Indian markets while being apprised of some of the unique risks associated with such opportunities.
Quantum is currently registered as a Portfolio Manager with SEBI, an Investment Adviser with the SEC, and a Restricted Portfolio Manager with the Canadian Provinces of British Columbia (BCSC), Ontario (OSC), and Quebec (AMF). In addition, Quantum provides investment advisory services to its affiliate QIEF Management LLC, based in Mauritius.
Disclaimer: Registration with the above regulators does not imply any level of skill or training