LOI · Education & Training

Independent Sponsor Equity Rollover in Education & Training

When the deal is education and training and the question is Equity Rollover, the structure decisions in the first 30 days outlast the next five years. This is where Jason Powell works.

EV range $8M to $90M EV EBITDA $2M to $15M Audience Buy & Sell-side
The deal context

The economics on a education and training platform deal usually hinge on a handful of structural decisions. Equity Rollover is one of them.

The typical education and training platform sits at $8M to $90M EV with EBITDA in the $2M to $15M range. The thesis runs on private school, training academy, or B2B training platform consolidation. Accreditation continuity is the only thing that matters in the first 30 days post-close.

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 education and training, layer in accreditor pre-notification calendar set 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.

Most independent sponsors solve the closing capital and then run into the post-close capital problem alone. The capital markets relationships that matter at month 18 are part of this practice.

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 education and training 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.