Growing companies
You have a credible plan for growth and need funding that keeps pace with it without overloading the balance sheet.
Capital markets
Investment and lending for private companies that intend to grow, make acquisitions, or change their ownership, arranged on terms you can live with for years.
Capital with conditions
Every dollar of outside capital arrives with conditions attached. Covenants, investor rights, reporting requirements, and maturities shape what a company can do for years after the money has been put to work.
The first question is always what the money will do. Adding capacity, buying a competitor, funding a co-founder’s departure, or retiring costly loans each lead to different providers, and the split between borrowing and new equity follows from the steadiness of your earnings and how much influence over the business you will allow an outsider.
With a plan agreed, we present the company to the lenders and investors best suited to it, so that they compete for the mandate. Each proposal is laid out side by side with our view of its full cost.
Our clients include family companies taking their first outside capital, growing firms funding expansion, and owners financing acquisitions or shareholder buyouts.
Who we work with
Companies with a defined purpose for new capital.
Acquirers
A purchase is in view, and the funding must be committed before your bid goes in.
Owners wanting liquidity
Part of your holding should become cash, or a fellow owner wants out, and you mean to remain in charge.
Capital markets services
Different capital, different obligations. Open any row for the full description.
The path to funding
Expect one to two quarters from mandate to money. The stages, and your role in each, follow.
- 1
Planning
Weeks 1 to 3Purpose and size come first, followed by an honest estimate of how much of the total your earnings can safely carry as debt.
From you: the business plan, the latest accounts, and your stance on sharing control.
- 2
Materials
Weeks 3 to 8Model and presentation are drafted with the hard questions already answered.
From you: working sessions with your controller.
- 3
Marketing
Months 2 to 4Selected banks, funds, and investors are contacted in confidence, with meetings and follow-up managed to a single deadline.
From you: a handful of presentations and site visits.
- 4
Terms
Months 3 to 5Every proposal is ranked by cost, structure, and control, and the best are invited to improve.
From you: a decision on which conditions you can accept.
- 5
Funding
Months 4 to 6Lawyers and accountants on both sides finish diligence and documents with us, so the capital lands on the day promised.
From you: prompt responses and approval of the final documents.
What you can rely on
What every financing client receives from us.
A clear view
Our recommendation on the right form of capital, with reasons.
Competitive tension
Several providers bidding at the same time.
Plain comparisons
Each offer laid out by price and by restriction.
Present at funding
We remain involved until the capital arrives.
Questions about capital
Answers to what owners ask most often before raising money.
Is debt or equity right for us?
The answer turns on the use of proceeds and on how much control you intend to keep. A loan leaves the share register untouched but has to be serviced; an investor’s capital never falls due but buys a voice in major decisions. We put numbers to both.
How much can the company borrow?
Most lenders work from a multiple of earnings, adjusted for the quality of your customers, the predictability of cash flow, and the assets available as security. We test that figure privately before any lender sees the company.
Will we lose control?
Only through a majority sale. In a minority deal the investor holds less than half and usually asks for board representation and consent over a short list of major decisions.
When does private credit make sense?
When a bank will not stretch far enough, move quickly enough, or accept the structure you need. Its higher cost means it should fund an opportunity with a clear payoff.
How long does raising capital take?
A conventional bank facility often closes in ten to twelve weeks. Equity and more complex financings usually need four to six months.
What information will providers ask for?
Historical financial statements, a forecast with its assumptions, detail on customers and management, and a clear account of how the capital will be used.
Should we include our current lender?
Usually, yes. An incumbent lender knows the company and often improves its proposal when it sees genuine competition.
How do you charge?
A monthly retainer during preparation and a success fee when funds are received, both agreed in writing at the start.
Write to Ellsworth Court
A few lines about the business and the step you are weighing are enough to begin. A senior banker replies personally, and nothing you send is shared.
info@ellsworthcourt.coEmail us