LOI · B2B Services

Equity Rollover Counsel for B2B Services Acquisitions

Securities and M&A counsel for independent sponsors structuring B2B services transactions, from LOI to close to the capital markets that open up afterward.

EV range $8M to $90M EV EBITDA $2M to $18M Audience Buy & Sell-side
The deal context

B2B Services deals in the lower middle market run a specific playbook. Equity Rollover is where the structure either holds or starts to leak.

The typical B2B services platform sits at $8M to $90M EV with EBITDA in the $2M to $18M range. The thesis runs on recurring revenue service platform with bolt-on operators. Most B2B services deals look better in the CIM than in the data room. Skip the CIM, ask for the contracts.

The moves

How Equity Rollover actually gets structured.

  1. Anchor on 15 to 25 percent rollover for a clean alignment story.

  2. Treat rollover as tax-deferred under Section 351 or 721 where the structure allows.

  3. Document tag-along and drag-along rights at the rollover level, not just at the LP level.

  4. Cap exit veto rights for rolled equity to avoid future deadlock.

  5. In B2B services, layer in MSA assignability mapped customer-by-customer as part of the Equity Rollover workstream.

The common mistake

Rolling at the wrong entity level, triggering an immediate tax event on what was supposed to be deferred.

Jason's take
"Rollover is the cheapest alignment tool on the table. Use it; do not abuse it."
Jason Powell · Equity Rollover
Capital after close

The deal is one thing. The capital that opens up after close is another.

The capital that opens up post-close, from refinancing to growth equity to strategic exit, runs through a small set of Wall Street relationships. That network is built in.

MONTH 18
Senior refi
MONTH 24
Dividend recap
MONTH 36
Growth equity
YEAR 4–5
Strategic exit
TALK TO JASON

An LOI on the desk, a B2B services target, and a Equity Rollover question worth a real conversation.

Twenty minutes of practitioner-grade input from a securities attorney whose first move is to read the deal, not the engagement letter.