Close · Education & Training

Working Capital Adjustments Counsel for Education & Training Acquisitions

When the deal is education and training and the question is Working Capital Adjustments, 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-side / 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 Working Capital Adjustments 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 Working Capital Adjustments actually gets structured.

  1. Set the peg based on a trailing 12-month average, normalized for seasonality.

  2. Define each line item in the schedule, especially deferred revenue and accrued vacation.

  3. Cap the dispute resolution timeline at 30 days post-close.

  4. Build a true-up payment mechanism funded out of escrow.

  5. In education and training, layer in accreditor pre-notification calendar set as part of the Working Capital Adjustments workstream.

The common mistake

Using an unadjusted average that ignores seasonality. You pay twice for the same cash.

Jason's take
"Working capital is where deals are won or re-traded after LOI. Read every line of the schedule."
Jason Powell · Working Capital Adjustments
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
ENGAGE THE PRACTICE

Working Capital Adjustments for Education & Training, on independent sponsor terms.

Independent sponsor counsel that already speaks fluent deal-by-deal economics, structures clean LPAs, and travels with capital markets relationships for what comes after close.