We’ve built businesses.
Now we help build yours.
Dantaya Advisors was founded by practitioners, people who have built companies from the ground up, navigated markets across India, Japan, and internationally, and experienced firsthand what it takes to scale beyond the founder. We didn’t start as consultants. We started as operators. That distinction shapes everything about how we work.
We are a boutique growth advisory firm working with a carefully chosen clients at any given time. Our team combines strategic thinking with hands-on execution across growth advisory, AI and digital transformation, and business management operations.
We work with growth-stage founders and business leaders in India, Japan, Middle East Asia and other parts of the globe – particularly with those who have passion and vision to build or have built something real and are ready to scale it systematically.
Every engagement is led personally by our senior advisors the same people you meet in the first conversation.
"Growth is not a problem to be solved; it is a structural outcome of the right architecture."
Our Founding Thesis
Dantaya Advisors was founded by practitioners, people who have built companies from the ground up, navigated markets across India, Japan, and internationally, and experienced firsthand what it takes to scale beyond the founder. We didn’t start as consultants. We started as operators. That distinction shapes everything about how we work.
We are a boutique growth advisory firm working with a carefully chosen clients at any given time. Our team combines strategic thinking with hands-on execution across growth advisory, AI and digital transformation, and business management operations.
We work with growth-stage founders and business leaders in India, Japan, Middle East Asia and other parts of the globe – particularly with those who have passion and vision to build or have built something real and are ready to scale it systematically.
Every engagement is led personally by our senior advisors the same people you meet in the first conversation.
"Growth is not a problem to be solved; it is a structural outcome of the right architecture."
Our Founding Thesis
Our Approach
"Successful businesses either do different things or do it differently."
We start by understanding your business as it actually is not as it appears on a presentation. That means conversations with your team, review of your numbers, and an honest assessment of where the real bottlenecks are.
“Many a times they are not where the leader thinks they are.”
From there we build a structured growth roadmap specific, sequenced, and grounded in what your organisation can actually execute. We then work alongside your team through implementation, not from a distance.
Three things set us apart: practitioner-level experience in the markets that matter to you, a globally networked team rooted in India, Japan, and the Middle East, and a philosophy built on a simple conviction — that our success is best measured by the strength of what we leave behind, not the length of our engagement.”
Three beliefs shape everything we do.
Clarity before strategy
Most businesses don't have a strategy problem, they have a clarity problem. We ask the right questions before we offer any answers.
Confidentiality without exception.
Everything shared with us stays with us. No caveats, no exceptions.
Outcome over engagement.
We measure our value by your results, not our activity. Every conversation, every recommendation, every hour — oriented toward one thing: tangible progress for your business.
Why us
Partnerships that drive lasting impact.
Approachable
Senior advisory relationships should feel accessible, not distant. Our clients have direct access to our team across time zones, without intermediaries or unnecessary layers. We believe meaningful partnerships are built through responsiveness, continuity, and being available when critical decisions need to be made.
Candid
We believe the strongest client relationships are built on honesty, not agreement. Our role is to offer thoughtful perspectives, challenge assumptions when necessary, and raise concerns others may avoid. Candour, delivered with clarity and respect, is one of the most valuable qualities an advisor can bring.
Flexible
Every business operates within its own realities, which is why we begin with listening, not templates. While we bring structured methodologies and proven frameworks, our engagement models and advisory approach are adapted thoughtfully to your specific goals, context, and stage of growth.
Authentic
We do not rely on recycled recommendations or generic strategies. Every engagement begins with a fresh understanding of your business, market environment, and unique challenges. Our advice is original, carefully considered, and designed specifically for your situation and long-term objectives.
Our Team
We are a team of seasoned industry practitioners who have built, scaled, and transformed businesses across sectors and geographies, bringing execution-led insight, not just advice.
Ashok Shukla
Chairman
He is a former senior officer of Indian Revenue Services (IRS,) with experience of over three decade with Central Board of Excise and Customs, Govt. of India.
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During his tenure with Govt. of India he has served in various important positions and govt. departments.
Post his retirement, he has advised corporate from India and abroad on tax planning and dispute resolution. He is an expert of indirect taxes and EXIM regulations. An avid social worker and an active member of Rotary Club.
Sanjeet Kumar
Partner
A Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (since 2000) and a Law Graduate from the University of Delhi, Sanjeet brings over 25 years
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of rich experience across Corporate Advisory, Structuring, and Financial Consulting. His expertise spans advisory for new-age startups, MSME growth strategies, and Virtual CFO services.
As a practising Chartered Accountant, he has led statutory, internal, and commercial audits for corporates and banking institutions, alongside advising on taxation and compliance matters. Sanjeet has also served as an Independent Director on the boards of listed and unlisted companies, chaired Audit Committees, and provided turnaround consulting for distressed enterprises, particularly in the power and industrial engineering sectors.
Before establishing his practice, he held senior finance leadership roles, including CFO positions, in organisations with global operations across the automobile, financial, and HR services industries.
Amit Pateria
Partner – UAE & Middle East
Amit Pateria is the Founder and CEO of Repertoire Consulting and Production in Dubai and a veteran media and brand strategist with over 35 years of experience
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in publishing, experiential marketing, and cultural programming in the Middle East. He previously helped launch more than 30 publications with CPI Media Group and founded the Emirates NBD Classics Foundation, presenting nearly 200 classical music performances. At Dantaya Advisors, he leads strategic engagement across the UAE and the broader Middle East.
Dr. Hidetoshi Itoh
Partner
An alumnus of Stanford University, he is a doctorate in Humanities. A member of the Keizai Doyukai, Japan Association of Corporate Executives with over 30 years
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of consulting, advisory, management(including director) experience with global companies, renowned education institutes. He is also IPC member of UN Economic & Social Council, Co-CEO of Japan Entertainment Corporation. He is the CEO of. Aplotech Crypto Asset Exchanges in Estonia, He served as strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company, Certified IT Consultant, committee member of Corporate Venture Capital board and Research Institute of IBM. He was a visiting professor at Waseda University Graduate School of Business, Advisor to Och-Ziff Capital Management listed at New York Stock Exchange, Outside Executive Director of Livedoor Holdings and worked on its business revitalization after its acquisition. He also served as the Co-CEO of Japan Entertainment Corporation in United Kingdom.
Manish Shankar
Partner
He is a former banker turned entrepreneur with over 15 years of professional experience in financial and business advisory specially to MSME customers across India.
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An alumnus of Chicago Booth University is an MBA and has worked with various banks like IndusInd, DBS, Bank of Baroda etc. before jumping on the entrepreneurial band wagon. He has worked extensively with the MSME companies across industries has advised them for wide ranging subjects including financial advisory and fund raising.
Vipul Upadhyay
Consulting Officer
He is a serial entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in building, managing and scaling up companies with global foot prints, especially in India and Japan.
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He is an India-Japan expert and has very closely worked with various govt. departments in India and Japan. He has served & worked with global companies like companies Sojitz, Pasona, Turbolinux, Mitusi Group etc. He is the founding member of India Center, Japan and also a member Executive Board of Global Partnership Summit. He is also a startup mentor and a business incubator.
Sudipta Sengupta
Partner
He is an entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in strategizing, building, growing community, and content-based digital platforms. He has worked with
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some of the biggest media platforms in India including Times of India, Economic Times, BW Businessworld, India Ahead, etc. Sudipta has been a mentor to a wide variety of digital startups and has helped mid to large corporate in their journey for digital transformation, growth hacking, and digital marketing. A regular guest lecturer in many mass communication colleges, he is also a columnist and a trekking enthusiast.
Toru Sakamoto
Senior Advisor (Japan)
Toru Sakamoto is a distinguished India–Japan business and cultural advisor with over five decades of engagement with India. Since his first visit to the country in 1970
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he has maintained a deep association with India’s economic, cultural, and institutional landscape, building extensive relationships across government, industry, and civil society in both countries.
He currently serves as Director of the India-Japan Foundation in Tokyo and as Compliance Auditor at the India Centre (Japan). Over the years, Mr. Sakamoto has been associated with a number of landmark initiatives that have strengthened bilateral cooperation between India and Japan, including the Delhi–Mumbai Industrial Corridor and the Kyoto–Kashi Partnership.
Mr. Sakamoto also leads Mumbai Street K.K., a Tokyo-based consulting firm that facilitates cross-border collaboration between Japanese and Indian businesses. Through his advisory work, he has helped Japanese organisations understand India’s evolving economic landscape and identify opportunities for long-term partnership and investment.
As Senior Advisor to Dantaya Advisors, Mr. Sakamoto provides strategic guidance on Japan engagement, institutional partnerships, and cross-border initiatives aimed at strengthening economic and workforce collaboration between India and Japan.