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.
Nova Premier V1'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 $0. - Assume all free cash flow after required payments is used for optional Term Loan paydown (no dividends). OPERATING ASSUMPTIONS (FY2026–FY2030) Base case: - Revenue growth: 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 5% - EBITDA margin: 14.0%, 15.0%, 16.0%, 16.5%, 17.0% - Capex: 3.0% of revenue - Change in NWC: 0.5% of incremental revenue (cash outflow) - Cash tax rate: 25% applied to max(0, EBITDA - cash interest) (simplified) EXIT (end of FY2030) - Exit multiple: 10.5x FY2030 EBITDA - Exit fees: 1.0% of enterprise value - Mezzanine (including PIK) is repaid at exit. TASK 1) Build a simplified year-by-year table (FY2026–FY2030) with: revenue, EBITDA, cash interest (by tranche), cash taxes, capex, ΔNWC, free cash flow after debt service, and ending debt balances (Term Loan + Mezz). 2) Compute equity IRR and MOIC. 3) Provide a sensitivity table of equity IRR vs exit multiple (9.5x / 10.5x / 11.5x) and exit-year EBITDA margin (16% / 17% / 18%). 4) List 5 underwriting risks and 5 concrete downside protection levers. Keep it concise, but show the math clearly.
Entry Metrics:
| Year | Revenue ($m) | EBITDA ($m) | Cash Interest ($m) | Taxes ($m) | Capex ($m) | ΔNWC ($m) | FCF ($m) | Ending Debt ($m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 972.0 | 136.1 | 115.2 | 5.2 | 29.2 | 3.9 | -17.4 | 649.2 |
| 2027 | 1039.0 | 155.9 | 111.6 | 10.7 | 31.2 | 3.4 | 0.9 | 648.3 |
| 2028 | 1102.0 | 176.3 | 107.5 | 17.2 | 33.1 | 3.0 | 15.5 | 632.8 |
| 2029 | 1157.1 | 190.9 | 102.9 | 22.0 | 34.7 | 2.8 | 28.5 | 604.3 |
| 2030 | 1215.0 | 206.6 | 97.8 | 27.1 | 36.5 | 2.7 | 42.5 | 561.8 |
Calculations:
| Exit Multiple | EBITDA Margin | Equity IRR (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 9.5x | 16% | 13.2% |
| 9.5x | 17% | 16.8% |
| 9.5x | 18% | 20.3% |
| 10.5x | 16% | 18.6% |
| 10.5x | 17% | 22.4% |
| 10.5x | 18% | 26.1% |
| 11.5x | 16% | 23.8% |
| 11.5x | 17% | 27.7% |
| 11.5x | 18% | 31.6% |
Risks:
Protection Levers:
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