Vertical SaaS Deals: Post-Close Cap Table Design Done Right
Securities and M&A counsel for independent sponsors designing vertical SaaS transactions, from LOI to close to the capital markets that open up afterward.
Vertical SaaS deals in the lower middle market run a specific playbook. Post-Close Cap Table Design is where the structure either holds or starts to leak.
The typical vertical SaaS platform sits at $10M to $200M EV with EBITDA in the $2M to $30M (or run-rate ARR) range. The thesis runs on platform plus adjacent module acquisitions inside a single end-market. The ARR number on the CIM is rarely the ARR number on the closing balance sheet. Reconcile early.
How Post-Close Cap Table Design actually gets structured.
Reserve a 10 to 15 percent management incentive pool, vesting on time and performance.
Document profits interests in the LLC operating agreement with a clear strike value.
Build anti-dilution mechanics for the rolled-equity sellers, narrowly.
Plan for add-on equity issuances with pre-approved dilution mechanics.
In vertical SaaS, layer in ARR bridge built before LOI signing as part of the Post-Close Cap Table Design workstream.
Designing the cap table for day one only. The cap table you sign at close is the cap table you live with through year five.
"Cap tables are forecasts. Build them for the deal you want in year five, not the deal you signed in week one."Jason Powell · Post-Close Cap Table Design
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.
Related deal pages.
Transaction Fee Structuring for Vertical SaaS
The fee paid at closing to the independent sponsor for sourcing, structuring, and closing the platform deal a…
Working Capital Adjustments for Vertical SaaS
The closing-date true-up that protects the buyer from receiving a business stripped of normal-course working …
Representation & Warranty Insurance for Vertical SaaS
A buyer-side insurance product covering breach of seller representations, reducing seller escrow and indemnit…
Indemnification for Vertical SaaS
The seller's contractual promise to compensate the buyer for breaches of representations, covenants, and spec…
Post-Close Cap Table Design for Healthcare Services
roll-up of physician practices and ancillary service lines
Post-Close Cap Table Design for Home Services
regional roll-ups of HVAC, plumbing, and electrical operators
An LOI on the desk, a vertical SaaS target, and a Post-Close Cap Table Design 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.