Close · Education & Training

Education & Training Mezzanine Debt & Capital Stack: An Independent Sponsor's Counsel

Independent sponsor counsel for education and training, focused on Mezzanine Debt & Capital Stack and the deal mechanics that protect sponsor economics and LP alignment.

EV range $8M to $90M EV EBITDA $2M to $15M Audience Independent Sponsor
The deal context

An independent sponsor closing education and training transactions in the $8M to $90M EV range has a defined set of moves at the Mezzanine Debt & Capital Stack stage. Most of them are not in a generic M&A textbook.

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 Mezzanine Debt & Capital Stack actually gets structured.

  1. Target senior leverage at 3.0x to 3.5x EBITDA, mezzanine at 1.0x to 1.5x on top.

  2. Negotiate an intercreditor agreement that does not throttle the operator.

  3. Structure mezzanine with PIK toggle and warrants priced into the IRR model.

  4. Confirm covenant headroom of at least 20 percent at close.

  5. In education and training, layer in accreditor pre-notification calendar set as part of the Mezzanine Debt & Capital Stack workstream.

The common mistake

Letting the lender pick the intercreditor terms. Those terms decide what the operator can do on day 180.

Jason's take
"The capital stack is a contract, not a spreadsheet. Read every page of every term sheet."
Jason Powell · Mezzanine Debt & Capital Stack
Capital after close

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

Refinancing, recaps, growth rounds, and the right strategic conversation eighteen months early are all downstream of relationships that take years to build and minutes to use.

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

Bring the education and training deal. Get Mezzanine Debt & Capital Stack done right.

Direct counsel from a securities and M&A attorney with billions in structured transactions, the independent-sponsor-native playbook, and the capital markets network that opens up post-close.