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Solutions  ·  Acquisition Financing

Junior Capital That Closes the Gap on Your Acquisition

ClearLine sits in a subordinated junior position behind your senior lender and funds the piece of the purchase price no one else will cover without taking equity in the business you're buying.

Up to 1x EBITDA

Target and operating company combined

Junior / Subordinated

Sits behind existing senior debt

0% Equity

Non-dilutive you keep the upside

Financing Built for the Last Dollar of the Deal

Most acquisitions stall in the same place: the senior lender and the seller note get you close, and a gap remains. That's the piece we fund.

Position

Subordinated by Design

We take a junior position behind your senior lender and intercreditor accordingly. Your existing bank, SBA, or ABL facility stays exactly where it is we don't disturb the senior structure.

Sizing

One Turn of Combined EBITDA

We typically lend up to 1x EBITDA measured across the target and the acquiring operating company combined so the earnings of the platform you've already built count toward what you can borrow.

Ownership

Debt, Not Dilution

No equity, no board seats, no warrants required. You close the acquisition and keep 100% of the growth you're paying for.

Speed

We Move on Deal Timelines

Purchase agreements have dates on them. We underwrite to the transaction, not to a committee calendar, and coordinate directly with your senior lender and counsel to hit the close.

Underwriting

The Combined Story Matters

We look at pro forma cash flow, customer concentration, integration plan, and the operator behind the deal not a rigid checklist that ignores what the two companies look like together.

Flexibility

Fits the Rest of the Stack

Layers alongside senior debt, SBA 7(a), seller notes, and sponsor equity. If a piece of the stack falls out late, we're often the fastest way to replace it.

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Where Acquisition Financing Fits

Junior capital for the transactions where the senior lender stops short of the full purchase price.

Add-On & Platform Acquisitions

Buy-and-Build Strategies

Fund the gap between senior proceeds and total purchase price

Sizing credits the EBITDA of both the platform and the target

Repeatable structure for serial acquirers doing multiple add-ons

Partner & Equity Buyouts

Ownership Transitions

Buy out a departing partner or minority holder without new equity

Junior debt sized on the company's own combined earnings

Keeps control and future upside with the remaining owners

Management Buyouts

MBO & Succession

Subordinated capital layered behind senior and seller financing

Bridges the equity check the management team can't write

Structured around post-close cash flow, not personal net worth

Seller Note & Closing Gaps

When the Stack Falls Short

Cover an earnout, escrow, or working capital true-up at close

Replace a seller note the seller no longer wants to carry

Fund day-one working capital so the target isn't starved post-close

The Short Version

Junior, subordinated acquisition capital sized at up to one turn of combined EBITDA structured to sit behind your senior lender and close on the timeline in your purchase agreement.

1.0x

Max combined EBITDA

Junior

Subordinated position

No Equity

Non-dilutive

Structure & Terms at a Glance

Indicative parameters. Final structure and pricing are set by the risk profile of the transaction.

Position

Subordinated / junior to existing senior debt

Sizing

Typically up to 1x EBITDA of the target and operating company combined

Use of Proceeds

Acquisition gap funding, partner buyouts, MBOs, earnouts, day-one working capital

Collateral

Junior lien or unsecured, depending on the senior structure and intercreditor

Equity

None required fully non-dilutive

Geography

United States & Canada, industry agnostic

Works Alongside

Bank and SBA senior debt, ABL facilities, seller notes, sponsor equity

Pricing and terms are adjusted per the risk of the transaction.

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From LOI to Funded

A process built to run in parallel with your senior lender and your closing checklist.

01
Send the Deal

LOI or purchase agreement, financials on both companies, and the senior structure you're working with.

02
Sizing & Term Sheet

We size the junior piece off combined EBITDA and issue terms quickly so you can price the rest of the stack.

03
Diligence & Intercreditor

We coordinate directly with the senior lender and counsel so subordination doesn't become the long pole.

04
Fund at Close

Proceeds wired into the closing so the transaction funds on the date in the agreement.

Have an Acquisition Under LOI?

Send us the deal and the senior structure. We'll come back with sizing on the junior piece usually within a day.

Apply Now
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