Close · IT Services & MSPs

Independent Sponsor Seller Financing in IT Services & MSPs

Structuring Seller Financing on IT services and MSPs deals, with the structure protection and capital connectivity an independent sponsor actually needs.

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. Seller Financing 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 Seller Financing actually gets structured.

  1. Anchor seller notes at 5 to 15 percent of EV, with a 4 to 6 year term.

  2. Subordinate explicitly to senior and mezzanine debt with a clear standstill on default.

  3. Price interest at 6 to 8 percent, with cash pay or PIK depending on the senior package.

  4. Build prepayment optionality so refinancing flexibility is preserved.

  5. In IT services and MSPs, layer in MSA assignment review with carve-outs noted as part of the Seller Financing workstream.

The common mistake

Treating the seller note as a hand-shake. Sellers sue on notes more often than on equity disputes.

Jason's take
"A seller note is debt. Document it like debt. Service it like debt."
Jason Powell · Seller Financing
Capital after close

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

Capital after close is where the IRR actually gets made. The right introductions at month nine through month thirty are where this practice works as hard as it does at the LOI.

MONTH 18
Senior refi
MONTH 24
Dividend recap
MONTH 36
Growth equity
YEAR 4–5
Strategic exit
ENGAGE THE PRACTICE

Seller Financing for IT Services & MSPs, 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.