Shiyao Investment Ltd

What Shiyao Investment Ltd does

Shiyao Investment Ltd is a boutique investment banking advisory firm founded in 2000 in Hong Kong and Shanghai by Dr. Benoit Rossignol, a former World Bank Group investment officer. The firm provides strategic and financial advisory services, including M&A advisory (buy-side and sell-side), target screening and deal origination, fund raising, company transmission, supply chain advisory, and sector research, with a strict vertical focus on the complete food chain spanning agribusiness, food and beverage processing, food distribution, and related life sciences in Asia (Greater China, Japan, South Korea, India, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia).

The firm operates on a professional services revenue model, charging bespoke advisory fees for customized engagements rather than standardized product pricing; specific fee schedules are not publicly disclosed. Its core technology stack is non-product: Shiyao maintains a proprietary research database accumulated since 2000 across agriculture, aquaculture, animal husbandry, food processing, animal health, animal nutrition, and life sciences, augmented by AI-assisted sector research tools, on-the-ground meetings, and government policy monitoring. There are no APIs, software products, apps, or patents disclosed.

Shiyao's go-to-market is enterprise field sales combined with relationship-driven sales: the founder and a small multidisciplinary team of professionals with technical, scientific, and business backgrounds engage Fortune 500 multinationals (e.g., Nestlé, Driscoll's, McCain Foods, Yinlu), fast-growing mid-market companies, and Asian corporates pursuing cross-border expansion, both inbound into Asia and outbound from Asia. Marketing channels are limited and primarily earned-media based, including professional media appearances, industry conference speaking, a bilingual company blog, and LinkedIn presence, supported by a network of regional partner offices across Asia.

Name

Shiyao Investment Ltd

Legal name

Shiyao Investment Ltd.

Website

https://shiyaoinvestment.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Shiyao Investment Ltd is a boutique investment banking advisory firm founded in 2000, providing M&A, strategic advisory, and fund-raising services to multinational and Asian corporates in the agribusiness, food and beverage, and life sciences sectors across Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investment Banking Advisory

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Industry-Specialist / Sector-Focused M&A Advisory (FSAEAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Finance Advisory (Strategic Finance, Capital Structure & Recaps) (FSAEAGAE), Corporate Finance & Capital Advisory (BPAHADAB)

Keywords

• Investment banking advisory
• M&A advisory services
• Agribusiness consulting
• Food sector advisory
• Corporate finance advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Shanghai

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Strategic Advisory and Consulting: Provides strategic advisory services including initial investment, growth strategy (route to market build up), and corporate finance advisory. Supports clients from early stage through development to post-IPO strategy definition and implementation.
2. M&A Advisory (Buy-Side and Sell-Side): Merger and acquisition advisory services acting as buy-side or sell-side advisor. The firm has closed hundreds of projects including initial projects and bolt-on acquisitions.
3. Target Screening and Deal Origination: Identifies sources of information and potential partners for clients based on unique on-the-ground relationships built over many years in Asia.
4. Research Services: Conducts active sector research leveraging AI technology tools and on-the-ground meetings, following and monitoring latest government plans and policies.
5. Fund Raising: Assists clients in securing necessary financing to reach agreed objectives through various capital-raising activities.
6. Company Transmission Support: Supports owners in identifying and structuring opportunities to transmit the ownership of their family business.
7. Supply Chain Build-up: Active sector research and advisory for supply chain development in the food and agriculture sectors.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Shiyao Investment Ltd is a boutique investment banking advisory firm providing strategic and financial advisory services—including M&A (buy-side and sell-side), fund-raising, target screening, research, company transmission, and supply chain build-up—exclusively to clients in the agribusiness, food & beverages, and related life sciences sectors across Asia, with a historical focus on Greater China and Japan.

Product overview

Shiyao Investment Ltd is a boutique investment banking advisory firm offering a unified suite of professional services focused on the agribusiness, food & beverages, and related life sciences sectors in Asia. The firm's core service portfolio comprises Strategic Advisory and Consulting, M&A Buy-Side and Sell-Side Advisory, Target Screening and Deal Origination, Research, Fund Raising, Company Transmission, and Supply Chain Build-up. These services work together to support clients from early-stage strategy definition through transaction execution (M&A, greenfield investments, joint ventures, licensing) to post-transaction growth and ownership transition. The firm leverages AI-powered research tools and maintains deep on-the-ground relationships across Asia to deliver tailored advisory solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategic Advisory and Consulting Strategic advisory services supporting early-stage, development, and post-IPO strategy definition and implementation through organic and external growth support for clients in agribusiness, food & beverages, and life sciences in Asia.
• M&A Buy-Side Advisory Buy-side mergers and acquisitions advisory representing acquirers in transactions across the agribusiness, food processing, food retail, and life sciences sectors in Asia.
• M&A Sell-Side Advisory Sell-side mergers and acquisitions advisory representing sellers in transactions across the agribusiness, food processing, food retail, and life sciences sectors in Asia.
• Target Screening and Deal Origination Identification and screening of potential acquisition targets and deal opportunities leveraging the firm's on-the-ground relationships built over many years across Asia's agribusiness and food sectors.
• Research Sector research leveraging AI technology tools and on-the-ground meetings, following and monitoring government plans and policies in agriculture, aquaculture, animal husbandry, food processing, and life sciences.
• Fund Raising Corporate finance services focused on securing necessary financing for clients in the agribusiness, food & beverages, and life sciences sectors to reach agreed strategic objectives.
• Company Transmission Advisory support for owners in identifying and structuring opportunities to transmit the ownership of their family business in the agribusiness, food, and life sciences sectors.
• Supply Chain Build-up Active sector research and advisory services to build and optimize supply chain operations across the food and agriculture sectors in Asia.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hundreds of M&A and advisory projects completed over 25 years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• NestléminorOthersLogo displayed on Shiyao Investment's client section, indicating an advisory relationship in the agribusiness/food sector.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• PJT Partners: Independent advisory-focused investment bank with M&A advisory across sectors and geographies including Asia. Comparable to Shiyao in providing strategic M&A and corporate finance advisory, with stronger position on larger-cap transactions.
• Houlihan Lokey: Global investment bank with a leading M&A and financial restructuring practice and dedicated consumer/food coverage. Comparable to Shiyao in providing M&A advisory to enterprise clients, with broader industry coverage and stronger balance sheet for large mandates.
• KPMG (China F&B Advisory): Big Four professional services firm with a sizable China-based Consumer & Industrial Markets advisory practice offering M&A and strategy advisory in F&B. Comparable to Shiyao in serving F&B enterprises on cross-border deals involving Greater China, with significantly broader service portfolio.
• Lazard: Global investment bank with a strong dedicated Food & Beverage and Agribusiness advisory practice spanning M&A and strategic advisory. Comparable to Shiyao in providing F&B cross-border M&A advice, but with far broader sector coverage and global scale.
• Deloitte (China Consumer & F&B): Big Four firm with a dedicated China Consumer Industry practice offering M&A advisory, due diligence, and strategy services to F&B clients. Comparable to Shiyao in advising multinational F&B companies on China/Asia cross-border mandates, with broader service offering and larger team.
• Evercore: Independent investment banking advisory firm with global sector coverage including consumer and food. Comparable to Shiyao in providing strategic advisory and M&A services to enterprises, with substantially greater scale and broader sector remit.

Direct peers

• Rabobank: Global F&B and agribusiness specialist with deep sector relationships and a food-and-agri investment banking practice in Asia. Highly comparable to Shiyao in vertical specialization and sector-driven deal flow, though at substantially greater scale.
• Clearwater International: Independent mid-market corporate finance advisory firm specializing in cross-border M&A across Europe and Asia. Comparable to Shiyao as a boutique advisory firm focused on cross-border mid-market M&A for enterprise clients, with sector overlap in consumer and food.
• BDA Partners: Asia-headquartered investment banking advisory firm focused on cross-border M&A in the mid-market across Asia. Directly comparable to Shiyao as a boutique Asia-focused M&A advisor serving enterprise clients, though with broader sector coverage.
• Lincoln International: Global mid-market M&A advisory boutique with significant Asia-Pacific presence serving corporate and private equity clients on buy-side and sell-side mandates. Comparable to Shiyao in mid-market deal execution and cross-border advisory, with broader sector reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shiyao-investment-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shiyao Investment Ltd