Pre-close · IT Services & MSPs

Real Estate Carve-Outs for IT Services & MSPs Independent Sponsors

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

EV range $8M to $100M EV EBITDA $2M to $18M Audience Buy & Sell-side
The deal context

The economics on a IT services and MSPs platform deal usually hinge on a handful of structural decisions. Real Estate Carve-Outs is one of them.

The typical IT services and MSPs platform sits at $8M to $100M EV with EBITDA in the $2M to $18M range. The thesis runs on MSP platform with regional or vertical-specific bolt-ons. An MSP at 70% recurring revenue trades at one multiple, at 90% trades at a different one. The mix is the deal.

The moves

How Real Estate Carve-Outs actually gets structured.

  1. Separate operating real estate into a single-purpose entity pre-close.

  2. Document an arm's-length lease with renewal options and assignment rights.

  3. Address title, survey, and environmental on each parcel.

  4. Coordinate the real estate close with the operating company close.

  5. In IT services and MSPs, layer in MSA assignment review with carve-outs noted as part of the Real Estate Carve-Outs workstream.

The common mistake

Leaving the real estate inside the operating company. The buyer pays a higher multiple than the real estate deserves.

Jason's take
"Real estate trades at a different multiple than the business. Separate it, lease it, manage it."
Jason Powell · Real Estate Carve-Outs
Capital after close

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

After close, the call list for refinancing, recapitalization, and growth equity gets short and known. Jason carries that list.

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 IT services and MSPs target, and a Real Estate Carve-Outs 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.