The WHAT: Help you prepare to raise private capital from various investor types including high net worth individuals, angels and private equity investors.

HOW: We comprehensively examine and identify relevant factors contributing to value and opportunity.

We typically present these in a concise and poignant pitch deck with supplemental financial materials

The VALUE ADD: We don’t guarantee a successful raise; but, neither can a large consultancy, managing broker dealer, business broker, or ‘guy that knows a guy.

What we do guarantee is that we will identify both positive and negative drivers that contribute to, or influence your value as typically viewed through the eyes of an investor.

From gathering this information, making changes (if necessary) we help increase your odds of a successful raise at a far lower premium.

Worst Case: our insight can lead to increases in revenue, profitability and brand recognition.

Bast Case I. the raise you think you needed, may not even be required.

Best Case II. We help facilitate a successful transaction

WHAT: Raising capital for pre-revenue ventures is extremely difficult.

It requires the right mix of product, timing, demand, and investor type.

HOW: We have helped companies solicit state grant funds and private equity capital; however, we largely focus on creating a compelling value proposition and increasing your intrinsic value before going to market.

By applying our approach along with a comprehensive understanding of your target audience, and investment audience, we work to identify potential investors early on, saving valuable time, burn rate capital, and road show expenses.

VALUE ADD: Time saved is money earned as defined by the law of opportunity cost.

A failed road show could result in driving off the runway.

Thus we spend less time looking for investors, and more time working on value drivers.

Profitable public companies and mid-market companies borrow institutional capital as a strategy to optimize value.

As do small firms.

This is capital used to grow, research, launch initiatives, make changes, scale up, scale down, etc…

The myth that smaller businesses are ‘too small’ to borrow from large banks is simply not true.

By cultivating banking relationships and supplying GAAP compliant financial information on a regular basis, many banks are receptive to lending capital to small businesses. As early as two years from inception.

VALUE ADD: The right mix of debt to equity can optimize your capital structure and enterprise value.

Our analysis includes a debt to equity review and recommendation.

Read: How much should I borrow?

Angel investors provide capital for startups and early phase businesses

Investment sizes generally range between $50,000 - $2,000,000

We represented a local Charleston South Carolina Angel for nearly 10 years examining various business plans, pitch decks and proposals.

On balance, we recommended making an investment transaction for 1 out of every 10-15 proposals

Approach:

Using our financial analysis, management analysis, market analysis and project analysis approach, we identified and quantified factors influencing present value and future value, to estimate a likelihood of success in addition to insight for shaping an equitable investment transaction

The VALUE ADD:

Based on available data to present day, our recommendations exceeded the performance 90% of all private equity, hedge and venture fund managers.

Returning capital to the fund provided more access to available capital to invest. Providing opportunity to more founders and early stage businesses

The WHAT: High Net Worth (HNW) Individuals often include alternative investments in their investment portfolios. Alternative assets are assets that exclude publicly traded stocks, bonds and cash

Two common alternative assets are real estate and small business ownership.

Our work with HNW individual investors primarily concerns real estate analysis for investment, including building, site, lease analysis, for locating or expanding a business.

We have conducted site analysis, building and lease analysis, project and capitalization budget analysis.

Or business analysis, focusing on profitability, loss, management practices, procurement and/or turn around projects - ascertaining and quantifying levels of repairability

The VALUE ADD: Our recommendations have led to real estate acquisitions, building and construction projects, and job creation.

In addition, solutions for change management, reductions of cost spend and furthering profitability of businesses helped to make one of clients the largest employer in the region- by sector.

The WHAT:

Private investment companies range from private equity and venture capitalists to Angel and small seed investors.

When we work with any PIC, we act as a fiduciary, representing their interests as if they were directly our own.

The VALUE ADD:

Our goal in promoting economic development through access to private wealth capital is not to facilitate as many transactions as possible, but, to ensure that any time an investment recommendation is made, risks are mitigated, and returns are likely (but never absolutely) generated.

As owner operators of small businesses for more than a decade, our ability to judge an investment ties directly into our ability to emphasize with the business being contemplated.

It has been our experience that very few fund managers can attest to the same.

Even though the final valuation of any venture is the final price at which a willing buyer and seller agree, the world of valuations and venture capital is filled with terms and methods that may seem confusing and complex.

We can distill that complexity down into digestible - bite sized figures and facts.

What is the value of knowing your value?

Obtain a greater knowledge of

• company assets

• value drivers

• resale value

• a merger/acquisition negotiation position

To better understand an opportunity, we have made direct and firsthand investments in various technologies including telecom and transportation within the sharing economy.

The VALUE ADD: Expanding our knowledge base of the gig economy has offered unique expertise and unparalleled perspective only an owner can experience.

Commercial construction projects require project planning, pricing, negotiation and execution.

A review of project estimates, sourcing partners / sending requests for proposals, and a detail review of price, cost & spend, schedules, and performance expectations are key for a successful project on-time on-budget

The WHAT: Partnerships break up. It happens.

We have helped distressed partnerships settle business valuation disputes faster and cheaper than a typical partnership agreement may call for

HOW: Let’s call it, “by introducing a fresh perspective” and leave it at that

The VALUE ADD: Time and stress are major factors involved in partnership settlements.

We have mediated partnership disputes for less than the cost of a single business appraisal (where a standard partnership agreement might request up to three)

We have been directly involved in partnership settlements and can relate.

Save time. Save money. Save potential litigation, and most importantly of all, save the business!

The WHAT: Succession planning is a process, and a strategy for replacing a leadership or partner role.

The HOW: Every case is different, but the process can be simplified, and the strategy can be executed in less time at a lower cost than many financial professionals indicate (but not always)

The VALUE ADD: Many variables are at play; however, we emphasis our model plus time and cost savings to create an equitable exit without disruption of the business and risk to remaining stakeholders

The WHAT: Also known as a Confidential Investment Memorandum (CIM) these are marketing documents sent to investors for investment contemplation

The HOW: Using our approach, we consider alternative courses of action as well

The VALUE ADD: CIMs are lengthly, complicated, time consuming and costly documents.

However, sometimes there is a better way.

While examining, researching, and outlining a confidential offering for a technology services company, we discovered alternative choices and courses of action, and presented accordingly.

These choices mitigated risk far more than raising outside capital, saving the founder time, money, and a possible partnership dispute farther down the line.