Capital raise · Logistics & Distribution

Search Fund to Independent Sponsor Conversion Counsel for Logistics & Distribution Acquisitions

Converting Search Fund to Independent Sponsor Conversion on logistics and distribution deals, with the structure protection and capital connectivity an independent sponsor actually needs.

EV range $12M to $140M EV EBITDA $3M to $22M Audience Independent Sponsor
The deal context

Every logistics and distribution acquisition has its own gravity. Search Fund to Independent Sponsor Conversion is the workstream where independent sponsor counsel earns the seat.

The typical logistics and distribution platform sits at $12M to $140M EV with EBITDA in the $3M to $22M range. The thesis runs on regional acquisitions of brokerages, 3PLs, and last-mile operators. Fuel-volatile years make for clean entry multiples. Read the math, not the narrative.

The moves

How Search Fund to Independent Sponsor Conversion actually gets structured.

  1. Reset economics: traditional 25 percent carry tranches do not translate cleanly to deal-by-deal.

  2. Renegotiate investor rights so single-deal commitments do not carry fund-style governance.

  3. Document the conversion with new entity formation, not just an amendment.

  4. Refresh the cap table to reflect deal-specific co-investment, not pooled fund commitments.

  5. In logistics and distribution, layer in earnout indexed to gross margin, not revenue as part of the Search Fund to Independent Sponsor Conversion workstream.

The common mistake

Trying to convert mid-search. The original investors expect their committed-capital economics; the conversion has to be deliberate and consensual.

Jason's take
"Search and independent sponsor look similar from outside and are different inside. Convert with paper, not assumption."
Jason Powell · Search Fund to Independent Sponsor Conversion
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
WORK WITH JASON

Bring the logistics and distribution deal. Get Search Fund to Independent Sponsor Conversion 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.