Capital raise · Multi-Unit Restaurants

Search Fund to Independent Sponsor Conversion for Multi-Unit Restaurants Independent Sponsors

When the deal is multi-unit restaurants and the question is Search Fund to Independent Sponsor Conversion, the structure decisions in the first 30 days outlast the next five years. This is where Jason Powell works.

EV range $8M to $80M EV EBITDA $2M to $14M Audience Independent Sponsor
The deal context

Every multi-unit restaurants acquisition has its own gravity. Search Fund to Independent Sponsor Conversion is the workstream where independent sponsor counsel earns the seat.

The typical multi-unit restaurants platform sits at $8M to $80M EV with EBITDA in the $2M to $14M range. The thesis runs on franchisee roll-up or regional concept acquisition. The franchisor consent letter is the deal. Get it lined up before you spend money on diligence.

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 multi-unit restaurants, layer in franchisor LOI letter requested before market 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.

The capital that opens up post-close, from refinancing to growth equity to strategic exit, runs through a small set of Wall Street relationships. That network is built in.

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

Bring the multi-unit restaurants 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.