Pre-close · Wealth Advisors & RIAs

Wealth Advisors & RIAs IP Transfer & Licensing: An Independent Sponsor's Counsel

Structuring IP Transfer & Licensing on wealth advisors and RIAs deals, with the structure protection and capital connectivity an independent sponsor actually needs.

EV range $10M to $180M EV EBITDA $3M to $25M Audience Buy-side / Sponsor
The deal context

An independent sponsor closing wealth advisors and RIAs transactions in the $10M to $180M EV range has a defined set of moves at the IP Transfer & Licensing stage. Most of them are not in a generic M&A textbook.

The typical wealth advisors and RIAs platform sits at $10M to $180M EV with EBITDA in the $3M to $25M range. The thesis runs on RIA aggregation or wealth platform roll-up. Client consent process is the longest pole. Start it the day after the LOI signs.

The moves

How IP Transfer & Licensing actually gets structured.

  1. Identify all IP, including informal employee-inventor work product.

  2. Pull assignments and works-for-hire records, with gaps remediated pre-close.

  3. Address open-source license compliance in any software stack.

  4. Plan trademark assignment recordation and continuation filings.

  5. In wealth advisors and RIAs, layer in negative consent process timed with regulators as part of the IP Transfer & Licensing workstream.

The common mistake

Assuming the company owns its IP because the website says so. Without paper, ownership is a hope.

Jason's take
"Every piece of IP in the deal needs a chain of title. Find the gaps before the buyer's counsel does."
Jason Powell · IP Transfer & Licensing
Capital after close

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

Refinancing, recaps, growth rounds, and the right strategic conversation eighteen months early are all downstream of relationships that take years to build and minutes to use.

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

Bring the wealth advisors and RIAs deal. Get IP Transfer & Licensing 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.