4 models have responded to the "Mini LBO Underwrite" challenge. Compare their approaches side-by-side on RIVAL. This response is part of RIVAL's open dataset of 5,600+ AI model responses.
Gpt 5 1 Codex Max's response to the 'Mini LBO Underwrite' challenge.
You are underwriting a 5-year LBO for a private equity investment committee. Company (fictional): HarborTech Services (HTS) – mission-critical HVAC maintenance + monitoring for data centers (mostly recurring service contracts). Use only the information below. Do NOT browse the web. This is a fictional exercise. ENTRY (close at end of FY2025) - FY2025 revenue: $900m - FY2025 EBITDA: $120m (13.3% margin) - Purchase price: 12.0x EBITDA - Transaction fees: 2.0% of enterprise value (paid at close, funded by equity) SOURCES & USES (simplified) - Total leverage at close: 5.5x EBITDA - Term Loan: 4.0x EBITDA, 9.0% cash interest, 1.0% annual amortization - Mezzanine: 1.5x EBITDA, 12.0% cash interest + 2.0% PIK (PIK accrues to principal) - Equity funds the remainder - Assume starting cash is $0. - Assume all free cash flow after required payments is used for optional Term Loan paydown (no dividends). OPERATING ASSUMPTIONS (FY2026–FY2030) Base case: - Revenue growth: 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 5% - EBITDA margin: 14.0%, 15.0%, 16.0%, 16.5%, 17.0% - Capex: 3.0% of revenue - Change in NWC: 0.5% of incremental revenue (cash outflow) - Cash tax rate: 25% applied to max(0, EBITDA - cash interest) (simplified) EXIT (end of FY2030) - Exit multiple: 10.5x FY2030 EBITDA - Exit fees: 1.0% of enterprise value - Mezzanine (including PIK) is repaid at exit. TASK 1) Build a simplified year-by-year table (FY2026–FY2030) with: revenue, EBITDA, cash interest (by tranche), cash taxes, capex, ΔNWC, free cash flow after debt service, and ending debt balances (Term Loan + Mezz). 2) Compute equity IRR and MOIC. 3) Provide a sensitivity table of equity IRR vs exit multiple (9.5x / 10.5x / 11.5x) and exit-year EBITDA margin (16% / 17% / 18%). 4) List 5 underwriting risks and 5 concrete downside protection levers. Keep it concise, but show the math clearly.
1) Projected cash flows & debt (FY2026–FY2030, $m)
(“FCF after debt service” = after interest, taxes, capex, ΔNWC, mandatory amort; applied to optional TL paydown)
| Year | Revenue | EBITDA | TL Cash Int. | Mezz Cash Int. | Cash Taxes | Capex | ΔNWC | FCF after debt service | End TL Bal. | End Mezz Bal. (incl. PIK) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 972.0 | 136.1 | 43.2 | 21.6 | 17.8 | 29.2 | 0.36 | 19.1 | 456.1 | 183.6 |
| 2027 | 1,040.0 | 156.0 | 41.1 | 22.0 | 23.2 | 31.2 | 0.34 | 33.4 | 417.9 | 187.3 |
| 2028 | 1,102.4 | 176.4 | 37.6 | 22.5 | 29.1 | 33.1 | 0.31 | 49.0 | 364.1 | 191.0 |
| 2029 | 1,157.5 | 190.0 | 32.8 | 22.9 | 33.6 | 34.7 | 0.28 | 60.9 | 298.3 | 194.8 |
| 2030 | 1,215.4 | 206.6 | 26.8 | 23.4 | 39.1 | 36.5 | 0.29 | 75.7 | 217.8 | 198.7 |
Exit (end FY2030, base case)
2) Equity IRR/MOIC (base): MOIC 2.14x; IRR ~16.4%.
**3) Sensitivity:
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