Backed by 130+ investors, our Fund invests alongside acquisition entrepreneurs who intend to lead and grow their business over time.
The Acquisition Lab Fund is a centralized pool of dedicated capital aimed at supporting majority-owned SBA acquisitions led by Lab members and serves as our capital vehicle for executing our Investor-Backed Search model.
Backed by 130+ high net worth and family office investors, the Fund provides reliable equity throughout the underwriting process. Capital is committed from our investors into a dedicated fund, allowing us to make a commitment quickly and give you confidence.
Unlike other funding solutions, the Fund isn’t a deal-by-deal capital raise. When a transaction meets our criteria, we can commit without uncertainty and close alongside your SBA lender.
Searchers who leverage the Fund will retain a majority stake in their new business and leverage our fractional CFO and accounting services.
The Fund is designed for Operators prepared to take on a full-time role in their business. You’ll be accountable for day-to-day performance, sign the SBA personal guarantee, and take responsibility for long-term outcomes.
This structure is built for acquisition entrepreneurs who want to buy larger businesses while retaining majority ownership. You’ll maintain control of operations and direction rather than becoming a minority partner in your own company.
Our Fund invests exclusively in SBA-financed transactions. Operators must be comfortable working within SBA leverage constraints and pursuing businesses that meet our underwriting standards.
The Fund is best-suited for Operators who value partnership without operational interference and are comfortable with the defined economic terms, reporting cadence, and investor protections that are there to protect against bad actors that can accompany Investor-Backed Search. While investors won’t control daily operations, certain major decisions that can be used by bad actors to defraud investors will require alignment.
Ideal acquisitions demonstrate predictable earnings, clean financial records, and a sensible deal structure. The Fund isn’t a good fit for speculative, turnaround, or structurally challenged companies.
The Fund is structured to preserve Operator control while protecting investor capital.
Typical terms include:
Investor capital receives a preferred return & step-up into common equity
Operators typically retain roughly 70-80% of common equity at close
Investor consent is required for major action, such as new debt, equity issuance, asset sales, or extraordinary expenditures.
We created & support the use of PACT, a standardized baseline for SBA acquisitions involving investors. All Fund deals use this framework as a starting point.
Fund-backed operators receive support from a vetted deal team, access to our community of acquisition entrepreneurs, and ongoing booking and CFO support through Lab Services.
We connect Operators with a preferred network of SBA loan brokers, QoE providers, and M&A attorneys experienced in structured investor-backed acquisitions. Although optional, alignment with this team can improve coordination and reduce friction during closing.
Post-closing, Lab Services provides enterprise-grade financial reporting and fractional CFO support at rates scaled for your business. These services allow Operators to focus on leading the business rather than rebuilding finance and accounting functions.
Fund-backed Operators gain discounted access to our annual Acquire It Summit, perks and discounts, and the Lab’s peer community of acquisition entrepreneurs. The goal is to reduce isolation and provide Operators with a real-world perspective during the transition and early-growth stages of business ownership.
Beyond closing, we also maintain an ongoing partnership through reporting, capital allocation discussions, and major decision support. Operators are never alone, and our structure balances investor protection with owner autonomy.
If you have a deal under LOI or are sending out an LOI, send us the details of the deal for quick feedback!
We structure transactions using PACT, an industry standard framework that we created to reduce friction in SBA-backed deals.