Mezzanine Financing Concepts
We do offer different concepts of so called Mezzanine financing which presents a way for publicly and privately held companies to attain financing without going public and potentially ceding ownership of their company.
It is a blend of traditional debt financing and equity financing, reaping some benefits of both. Like equity financing, mezzanine financing is an unsecured debt, requiring no collateral to be put up unlike traditional bank loans.
Like debt financing, mezzanine financing is very fluid and does not necessarily involve giving up an interest in the company. Mezzanine financing relies on very high interest rates in the 5 - 10% range to make it profitable.
Unlike a bank loan, mezzanine financing does not hold real assets of a company as collateral; instead, lenders offering mezzanine financing have the right to convert their stake to an equity or ownership in the event of a default on the loan.
A company must demonstrate an established track record in its industry, show a profit or at the very least post no loss, and have a strong business plan for future expansion.Because of these limitations, mezzanine financing is not for every business.
Mezzanine financing is a particularly appealing form of liquidity for owners of privately held companies.
It is traditionally understood that a privately held company simply cannot achieve the same sort of fluid capital flow as a publicly held company, therefore mezzanine financing offers a way to balance that situation without going public.
In addition to the fact that mezzanine financers do not retain an interest in the company except in the event of a default, there is also the important consideration that they actively do not want an interest in the company.
While traditional equity investors are often striving towards some level of control, a displeasing thought to many private owners, with mezzanine financing one can rest assured that the financiers will do what they can to ensure you pay off your debt without resorting to default.
Because of the lack of real collateral, as well as the high speed of lending, mezzanine financing is typically more difficult to receive than a traditional bank loan or equity financing.
However for businesses looking for a quick injection of capital to grow their already successful business, without giving up an interest, mezzanine financing can be an ideal solution.