Financing for acquisitions, ownership transitions and growth.
A financing conversation starts with understanding the business. Acquisition financing at Capital Row brings our transaction intelligence to that conversation, helping buyers and owners clarify their capital needs, identify financial preparation gaps and explore relevant financing introductions.
Our focus is vertical software and software-enabled services businesses.
What are you financing?
What a financing provider asks first, and what a good answer looks like.
The form on this page asks the same five questions, so the introduction arrives with the answers already in hand.
An acquisition, an ownership transition, growth and working capital, or receivables and assets. The purpose decides the provider, the structure and the paperwork, before any amount does.
Historical adjusted earnings over the debt service after the transaction. A provider underwrites the last fiscal year or the average of the last two, and may not use projections to meet the coverage it requires.
A bank line, an SBA loan, large receivables, equipment. Each one is either collateral or a prior claim, and the provider wants to know which before the first conversation.
Statements that are current, statements that need clean-up, or statements that are behind. The answer sets the timeline: a provider cannot underwrite what is not reconciled.
A signed letter, a target in view, a plan for next year. The stage decides whether the introduction is now or after the preparation work.
A useful financing introduction needs a clear business story.
The form below asks the five questions a financing provider asks first. Where the numbers need work before an introduction, our preparation services can help.
Answer the five questionsWhat an SBA 7(a) acquisition loan requires, as of October 1, 2026.
The Small Business Administration rewrote its procedure for business acquisitions this year. These are the rules a buyer and a seller meet on a 7(a) acquisition loan, taken from the procedure itself. Capital Row is not a lender and does not package or broker loans.
SBA guarantees 75 percent above $150,000, and 85 percent at or below it.
Of total project cost on an initial acquisition, and it cannot be reduced. A seller note counts toward it only on full standby for the term of the loan, and only up to half.
An accredited, independent valuator, engaged by the lender. A valuation prepared for the buyer or the seller may not be used.
A report with a cash proof, from an independent financial professional, for the lender, on an initial acquisition or business expansion.
Historical earnings over all debt service after the transaction, from the last year or the average of the last two. Projections may not be used.
Not as an owner, officer, director or employee. Seller earnouts are prohibited; working capital true-ups are allowed.
SBA, SOP 50 10 8.1, Lender and Development Company Loan Programs, with Technical Policy Updates, effective October 1, 2026, Appendix 15 and Appendix 16. This is information, not advice; the procedure governs, and a lender, an attorney and a certified public accountant should confirm each item before it is relied on.
The full note, with the fees, the ownership rule and what a seller can agree toHow acquisition financing works.
- 1Share the opportunity
Tell us about the business, financing purpose, approximate amount and timing.
- 2Clarify the financing need
We discuss the opportunity and identify information or preparation needed before an introduction.
- 3Explore a relevant introduction
With your permission, we introduce an appropriate financing provider where a potential fit exists. The provider handles its application, underwriting and credit decision.
Buyers, owners and partners with a financing need and a story a lender can read.
The target read before the letter, the equity and the seller note structured to the rules, and an introduction to a provider that lends in the sector.
Earnings read the way a lender will, the gaps in the statements found first, and an introduction when the story holds.
An owner buyout has its own rules on equity and guarantees. The need is read against them before the introduction.
The evidence the lender’s own report will look for, assembled before the application.
What the buyer’s lender will require of you: the valuation, the quality of earnings at $3 million, the seller note on standby, the consulting term.
Capital Row is not a lender and does not package or broker loans. The provider handles its application, underwriting and credit decision.
A financing need, read before it reaches you.
Capital Row introduces financing needs it has already read: the business story, the purpose and amount, the cash flow that supports repayment, and what in the financial information needs preparation first. Software and services companies in the sectors we cover, from $3 million in revenue. The provider handles its application, underwriting and credit decision.
If you lend to or invest in companies like these and want to be on the panel, tell us what you finance, at what size, and in which sectors.
Join the panelRead by a person. Our note for lenders: the borrower’s customers.
Plain answers, then a conversation if you want one.
Is Capital Row a lender or a loan broker?
Neither. Capital Row introduces a financing need it has already read to a financing provider, with your permission. The provider handles its application, underwriting and credit decision.
Will you send my financial information to a lender?
Not through this website, and not without your permission. Sensitive information moves through a controlled workspace under a signed engagement.
Does an SBA loan apply to my deal?
The rules are on this page and in full on the Insights note: the loan limit, the equity injection, the seller note, the valuation, the quality of earnings at $3 million. A lender, an attorney and a certified public accountant confirm each item for your deal.
What if the statements are behind?
Then the preparation comes first. A provider cannot underwrite what is not reconciled, and the introduction waits until the story holds.
Discuss what comes next.
Buying a business? Planning a partner buyout? Funding the next stage of growth?
Start with a conversation about the opportunity and the capital it requires.
Five questions a financing provider asks first. Nothing is sent to a provider without your permission.
Discuss the financing need
Capital Row introduces businesses to financing providers. We do not lend money or make credit decisions. Each provider sets its own eligibility, terms and approval. Our financial preparation does not replace a lender’s underwriting, or a quality of earnings report where a lender requires one.
Please do not send financial documents or confidential information here.
Or write to the desk directly at info@thecapitalrow.com