Legal, financial, tax, and governance — structured as one. So deals close clean, cap tables hold, and nothing breaks at the next round.
Deal Value Advised
Startups Served
Investors Served
At the Table
Client Rating
— Adv. Pooja Terwad, Founder & Principal Advisor
Pre-seed and seed stage. You're building - and you need the legal and governance foundations done right from the start.
The term sheet is on the table and you need someone who's been across that table hundreds of times before.
You need counsel on your side of the table — not a firm that also represents the founder across it.
Entity structure, regulatory compliance, and governance — without five vendors and three conflicting opinions.
"Before we move documents, we align incentives. We negotiate from position, not pressure. And we stay at the table for every decision that matters."
Legal, financial, tax, governance — one co-ordinated unit. Not four firms.
Principal advisor from first call to final signature. No handoffs to juniors.
We don't scale through volume. We stay close and stay useful.
Strategy before drafting. Negotiation at the structural level — not in markup.
India, Singapore, Dubai, US, UK — cross-border advisory is core, not add-on.
A curated selection of recent transactions across founder-side, investor-side, and dual-side advisory — from first institutional rounds to cross-border structuring.
Strategic advisory for a low-carbon hydrogen company's first institutional capital round.
Cross-border convertible note structuring with FEMA / FDI compliance for an EV startup.
Deal architecture across consecutive pre-seed and seed rounds — cap table continuity preserved.
Investor-side advisory — proportional protections and conversion clarity in a CCD instrument.
Every deal is unique — but the structural thinking travels across sectors and stages.
View All Deal Diaries
Founder & Principal Advisor
Pooja founded The Startup Gig in 2015 with one conviction: the ecosystem didn't need another law firm — it needed advisory that thinks structurally about deals, ownership, and governance.
Over 11 years, she and her team have worked with 2000+ startups, advised on hundreds of venture transactions, and served 180+ investors directly — building an integrated practice that handles legal, financial, tax, and compliance as one co-ordinated function.
2015 (11+ Years)
Venture Transactions
2000+ Served
India · Singapore · UAE
We listen to the deal context — stage, parties, pressure points. No pitch. If we're not the right fit, we say so.
Map the legal, financial, tax, and governance layers. Identify where the deal is vulnerable.
Before a clause gets drafted, we align expectations. Negotiation at the structural level.
Documents, diligence, data room, filings — one co-ordinated push. Deal closes clean.
Managing Partner at Helix Capital
"I’ve worked with The Startup Gig across multiple investments now, and they’ve become my go-to legal team. They understand exactly how I evaluate deals, anticipate issues before I even raise them, and handle negotiations with a great balance of firmness and practicality. Having that consistency across deals is incredibly valuable."
Co-Founder - House of Alpha
"The more deals we’ve done together, the smoother the process has become. They understand my risk appetite, my negotiation style, and what I care about in a deal. That familiarity makes every new transaction significantly easier."
Founding Partner- 108 Capital
"Having known Pooja for a while and having seen her work up close, I can say they operate with a high degree of professionalism and consistency."
"Their ability to navigate transactions, simplify complex issues, and support founders effectively reflects the kind of legal partner startups truly need."
Pharma Physician-Scientist
"Setting up and scaling in India meant dealing with multiple layers of legal work, especially around contracts and compliance. The Startup Gig supported us across a wide spectrum of agreements, ensuring everything was structured, consistent, and aligned with our global standards."
"What stood out was their responsiveness and ability to keep up with our pace as a growing company. For an overseas founder, that kind of reliable execution is invaluable."
Chief Executive Officer at Lamberton Power
"We engaged The Startup Gig to help structure a joint venture in the sustainable energy space, and their approach went far beyond standard legal support."
"They brought a strong understanding of both the commercial objectives and the regulatory landscape, helping us design a structure that was not only compliant but also aligned with our long-term goals. Their ability to anticipate issues and navigate negotiations made them a valuable partner in the process."
Founder & CEO, Hyurja Fuel Systems Private Limited
"We engaged The Startup Gig during a critical phase of our funding round, and their support made a tangible difference in getting the transaction closed."
"From handling documentation to actively supporting negotiations, they were hands-on, responsive, and solution-oriented throughout. Their ability to balance investor expectations with our interests helped move the deal forward smoothly."
Co-Founder and CEO at Trackier
"What impressed us was their ability to deliver a full set of agreements within strict timelines while maintaining attention to detail."
"It’s rare to find a team that combines speed with precision so effectively."
Co-Founder @ Happi Planet
"In the FMCG space, trademarks are not just legal assets—they are the foundation of the brand. There is absolutely no room for error."
"The Startup Gig handled 30+ trademark applications for us with remarkable precision and consistency. Their process was structured, efficient, and gave us complete confidence that every filing was done right."
Sr. Software Developer
"As a first-time founder raising a substantial round, the process felt overwhelming at times. What truly stood out was how personally involved Pooja ma’am was throughout."
"No matter how many questions I had—even repetitive ones—she took the time to explain every detail with patience and clarity. That level of handholding gave me immense confidence."
"The Startup Gig didn’t just help us close the round—they made the entire journey smooth and far less stressful."
Founder, Armor
"We onboarded The Startup Gig compliance team after a frustrating experience with our previous partners, and the difference was evident from day one."
"The handover was incredibly smooth, despite the volume and complexity of our transactions as a consumer electronics brand. Given the scale we operate at, even small errors can lead to serious GST and TDS implications—and we had already faced that earlier."
"With The Startup Gig, everything feels structured, accurate, and finally under control. We’re now on the right track."
Founder @ Ultramotiv
"We had initially onboarded another firm for our funding compliance, but the experience was disappointing—they were expensive and assigned extremely junior associates to critical parts of our transaction, which made us feel like we weren’t a priority."
"With The Startup Gig, the difference was immediate. The founder herself was actively involved, which gave us confidence that there was real oversight and no scope for error. Their secretarial team handled the compliance aspects efficiently and seamlessly."
"For a startup, having an integrated legal and compliance team like this is invaluable."
Co-Founder & CEO @ BAAS Technologies
"In a sector like aerospace, where transactions are complex and stakes are high, speed usually comes at the cost of precision. The Startup Gig proved otherwise."
"They helped us close our term sheet at lightning speed while ensuring every detail was thoroughly thought through. Their ability to move fast without compromising on quality made a real difference in maintaining deal momentum."
Insuretech and Reinsurance
"We’ve been working with The Startup Gig for over three years now, and the experience has been consistently seamless."
"As an insurtech company based out of Dubai, we needed a team that could understand our evolving requirements and support us reliably over time—and they’ve done exactly that."
"At this point, we genuinely cannot think of working with any other law firm."
Angel Investor
"Negotiating with founders can be tricky—you want protection without derailing the relationship. The Startup Gig handled this balance exceptionally well. They pushed for the right safeguards while keeping the conversation constructive. That’s a rare skill."
AVP @ Alphatron Capital
"As we began evaluating opportunities in India, we were looking for legal counsel that could combine local expertise with global standards—and TheStartupGig delivered exactly that."
"Their diligence was thorough, structured, and highly actionable, whether we were assessing direct startup investments or commitments into other funds. What stood out was their ability to contextualize legal risks within the Indian regulatory landscape while keeping our global investment framework intact."
"They’ve become a trusted partner as we expand our footprint in India."
"As a fund evaluating and executing investments in India, we needed legal partners who could operate at institutional standards while navigating local complexities. TheStartupGig delivered exactly that."
"Their diligence was comprehensive, their advice commercially grounded, and their ability to support both direct investments and fund-level commitments was particularly valuable. They’ve become a reliable extension of our team for India."
Founder THW-The Healthy World | Founder Desi Farms | Founder Laxmi Industries
"Operating in the agritech space means working with a diverse set of stakeholders—core team, on-ground operators, and long-term partners. Designing an ESOP that fairly aligned everyone was critical for us."
"TheStartupGig helped us structure and implement our ESOP in a way that was both practical and scalable. They simplified a complex process, ensured compliance, and helped us create a plan that truly incentivizes long-term value creation."
Co-Founder at Bnwwear
"As a first-time founder raising my first round in the fashion space, I had a lot of questions and uncertainties. TheStartupGig didn’t just handle the legal work—they guided me through the entire process with patience and clarity."
"From explaining terms to negotiating with investors and closing the documentation, they made what felt overwhelming much more manageable. I genuinely felt supported at every step."
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