LOI · Veterinary Services

Earnout Structures for Veterinary Services Independent Sponsors

Independent sponsor counsel for veterinary services, focused on Earnout Structures and the deal mechanics that protect sponsor economics and LP alignment.

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

An independent sponsor closing veterinary services transactions in the $8M to $100M EV range has a defined set of moves at the Earnout Structures stage. Most of them are not in a generic M&A textbook.

The typical veterinary services platform sits at $8M to $100M EV with EBITDA in the $2M to $18M range. The thesis runs on general or specialty practice roll-up under an MSO. DVM retention is more valuable than equipment. Underwrite the people, then the practice.

The moves

How Earnout Structures actually gets structured.

  1. Tie the earnout to gross profit or contribution margin, not revenue, to avoid sandbagging.

  2. Cap the earnout window at 24 months. Anything longer is a litigation risk.

  3. Build acceleration on a change of control or buyer-driven operational change.

  4. Name an arbitrator and the accounting standard in the agreement.

  5. In veterinary services, layer in state-by-state CPM analysis filed pre-LOI as part of the Earnout Structures workstream.

The common mistake

Drafting the earnout in three paragraphs. Earnouts are the second-most-litigated provision in M&A.

Jason's take
"If the earnout could be measured by a teenager with a spreadsheet, you wrote it well."
Jason Powell · Earnout Structures
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
WORK WITH JASON

Bring the veterinary services deal. Get Earnout Structures 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.