Financial sponsor

A financial sponsor is a private equity investment firm, particularly a private equity firm that engages in leveraged buyout transactions.^[1]

Sponsors and management

In addition to bringing capital to a deal, financial sponsors are expected to bring a combination of capital markets expertise, various important contacts, strategies for operational improvement, and the experience of owning leveraged companies.^[2] As the owners of the company, financial sponsors rarely manage a company directly and are most active in issues relating to the company's capital structure and balance sheet as well as strategic initiatives including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and management restructurings. The company's CEO and other senior management maintain responsibility for day-to-day operational issues.

Sponsors and other investors

Various investor classes look to the financial sponsor to generate value in a company as much as the management or operations of the company. In particular, debt providers are willing to extend credit in the form of bank loans, high-yield debt and mezzanine capital based in part on the reputation of and relationship with the financial sponsor.

Additionally, many companies owned by financial sponsors will raise equity in the public markets through an initial public offering or (IPO) as a means of exiting an investment. Public investors will seek to align their own interests as much as possible with those of the financial sponsor by limiting the financial sponsor's ability to sell shares and managing the use of proceeds from the offering. Various studies have been conducted to evaluate the impact of financial sponsor ownership on the performance of IPOs.^[3]

See also

• Private equity
• Private equity firm
• Leveraged buyout

References

Private equity and venture capital
Basic investment types	Buyout Venture Mezzanine Growth Secondaries Equity co-investment
History	History of private equity and venture capital Early history of private equity Private equity in the 1980s Private equity in the 1990s Private equity in the 2000s
Terms and concepts	Buyout Financial sponsor Management buyout Divisional buyout Buy–sell agreement Leveraged recapitalization Dividend recapitalization Venture Angel investor Business incubator Post-money valuation Pre-money valuation Seed money Startup company Venture capital financing Venture debt Venture round Structure Private equity firms and funds Limited partnership Limited liability company Carried interest Management fee Publicly traded private equity Business Development Company Venture capital trust Private investment in public equity (PIPE) Pledge fund
Investors	Corporations Institutional investors Pension funds Insurance companies Fund of funds Endowments Foundations Investment banks Merchant banks Commercial banks High-net-worth individuals Family offices Sovereign wealth funds Crowdfunding
Related financial terms	AUM Cap table Capital call Capital commitment Capital structure Distribution waterfall EBITDA Envy ratio High-yield debt IPO IRR Leverage Liquidation preference M&A PME Taxation of private equity and hedge funds Undercapitalization Vintage year
Private equity and venture capital investors Private equity firms Venture capital firms Angel investors Portfolio companies

Corporate finance and investment banking
Capital structure	Convertible debt Exchangeable debt Mezzanine debt Pari passu Preferred equity Second lien debt Senior debt Senior secured debt Shareholder loan Stock Subordinated debt Warrant
Transactions (terms/conditions)	Equity offerings At-the-market offering Book building Bookrunner Corporate spin-off Equity carve-out Follow-on offering Greenshoe Reverse Initial public offering Private placement Public offering Rights issue Seasoned equity offering Secondary market offering Underwriting Mergers and acquisitions Buy side Control premium Demerger Divestment Drag-along right Management due diligence Managerial entrenchment Minority discount Pitch book Pre-emption right Proxy fight Post-merger integration Sell side Shareholder rights plan Special situation Squeeze out Staggered board of directors Stock swap Super-majority amendment Tag-along right Takeover Reverse Tender offer Leverage Debt restructuring Debtor-in-possession financing Financial sponsor Leveraged buyout Leveraged recapitalization High-yield debt Private equity Project finance
Valuation	Accretion/dilution analysis Adjusted present value Associate company Business valuation Conglomerate discount Cost of capital Weighted average Discounted cash flow Economic Value Added Enterprise value Fairness opinion Financial modeling Free cash flow Free cash flow to equity Market value added Minority interest Modigliani–Miller theorem Net present value Pure play Real options Residual income Stock valuation Sum-of-the-parts analysis Tax shield Terminal value Valuation using multiples
List of investment banks Outline of finance