Founded as an investment banking boutique specializing in mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance, Infinity Financial Group has more than 20 years experience acting as the exclusive agent representing middle-market companies.
The scope of sell-side assignments varies depending on the goals of each business owner. In the past, Infinity Financial Group mandates have ranged from resolving family business succession issues through complete divestitures to providing business owners with liquidity and estate diversification through minority or majority equity recapitalizations. The scope of the firm’s involvement has ranged from full scale representation, in which the firm prepares the Information Memorandum, identifies potential buyers and negotiates the transaction, to special assignments in which the firm may be retained to negotiate a specific transaction with a previously identified buyer or investor.
A typical sell-side assignment involves four phases:
During preliminary discussions prior to its engagement, the firm works closely with the prospective client to bring focus and objectivity to the decision of whether to sell. At this stage, the firm uses its experience in:
A definitive decision to sell and a formal engagement trigger the due diligence stage of the process. The experience that the firm’s investment bankers bring to this process enables them to recognize and capitalize on values that others may not see. The due diligence effort involves:
Infinity Financial Group implements a rigorously planned marketing strategy. The firm prepares a comprehensive confidential Information Memorandum that describes the client’s business and highlights the strengths of the company. Drawing on its extensive network and proprietary database, the firm prepares a well-researched list of potential acquirers that includes strategic buyers, foreign corporations, and private investment groups. Throughout the marketing process, the investment banking team’s goals are to:
Infinity Financial Group stays involved as the client’s adviser, advocate and go-between right through to the final closing and transmission of cash to the seller. The goal is to determine the optimum transaction process and maximize value thus enabling the seller to gain a premium over market multiples and the largest possible “cash at closing”. The firm provides an assessment of each buyer to be certain the submitted Letters of Intent (LOI) match the client’s goals established at the outset and that the buyer has the financial ability to make the transaction. Infinity Financial Group professionals are adept at addressing a wide range of complex issues including seller notes, “buy back provisions”, labor, benefits and environmental issues.
Without proper representation, the transaction price and “cash at closing” can deteriorate rapidly between the LOI and the signing of the Definitive Purchase Agreement. For this reason, Infinity Financial Group always recommends two or three experienced and highly qualified M&A law firms. The client selects the firm he feels will provide professional legal counsel through to Closing. During this critical phase, the investment bankers:
The goal of the Infinity Financial Group investment banker is to expedite the process by charting a safe path through the difficult steps between signed LOI and successful closing. To speed the process, the banker must anticipate problems, provide proven solutions, advise the client on business issues while the M&A law firm advises on legal issues. In this way, Infinity Financial proves its worth and aids the client in attaining his financial and wealth-building goals.
