Kevin Roberts
Verified Expert in Finance
Finance Expert
Dallas, TX, United States
Toptal member since June 27, 2022
Over the last 20+ years, Kevin has closed 46 M&A deals totaling several billion in value. He started his career at leading investment banks—Bank of America and Merrill Lynch—and respected private equity firms—Trinity Hunt—advising clients ranging from $1-billion companies to startups and investment firms to family offices. Kevin joined Toptal mainly to leverage his capabilities in M&A and strategic finance, aiming at helping talented entrepreneurs and investors achieve their growth objectives.
Career Highlights
Education Highlights
Case Studies
Expertise
Work Experience
Managing Director
Fidelitas Capital Partners
- Leveraged my significant experience and continuing activity in private equity investing. Helped clients achieve their corporate growth strategies via mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and other strategic financial alternatives.
- Closed nine acquisition and growth capital transactions. Represented $200 million in transaction value and $25 million of capital raised. Completed other projects involving interim CFO services, modeling, and transaction capability development.
- Co-sponsored the buyout of an early growth-stage SaaS customer engagement solutions provider. Led the financial due diligence and collaborated on fundraising, raising eight million dollars of equity to finance the buyout and fund growth strategy.
- Advised an industrial automation distributor on its merger with an industry peer to form a robust Rockwell Automation channel partner worth $240 million. Guided the client to a more profitable transaction structure and significant ownership stake.
- Advised a one billion dollar network deployment company on a $35 million acquisition while entering the fast-growing in-building wireless networking market. Identified irregularities in inter-company accounting that systematically understated EBITDA.
- Advised a free-standing emergency and urgent care services provider on the capital needed for an organic facility expansion strategy. Helped the client gain scale more quickly through an M&A strategy, closing two ten-million dollar acquisitions.
- Acted as interim CFO of a free-standing emergency and urgent care services provider. Managed severe cash issues arising out of post-acquisition integration missteps. Tightly worked cash flow to ensure patient safety and conserve cash for payroll.
- Acted as the interim CFO managing the wind-up of a private equity firm's troubled portfolio company. Held weekly cash forecasts, oversaw remaining customer collections, settled unsecured creditor claims at a discount, and repaid the secured lender.
- Built a cash flow model for an $82 million cogeneration project providing 56 megawatts of outsourced, on-site power and heat. Allowed a refinery to sidestep costly CAPEX to replace aging steam boilers. Eliminated open flaring of excess process gas.
- Advised a family office seeking to become an active private equity investor. Endowed the family office investment team with investment and due diligence playbooks and critical analytical tools.
Corporate Structuring and Taxation Expert (via Toptal)
Australian Family Trust Acquiring U.S.-Based eCommerce Company
- Advised the trustee of an Australian family trust on the US and cross-border tax ramifications of acquiring a US-based eCommerce company.
- Planned a US-based investment holding company structure to accommodate current and future investing activities and minimize tax burden on a global basis.
- Reviewed the proposed definitive purchase agreement for the eCommerce acquisition and assisted the client in negotiating improvements in the representations and warranties, indemnification, and remedies benefiting the buyer.
Finance Advisor
Automotive-focused SaaS Company
- Advised the founder on the M&A and tax aspects of prospective transaction structures to re-domicile an operational German GmbH entity and parent company into the United States for the purposes of capital raising.
- Assisted with decisions regarding and practical aspects of configuring and capitalizing a Delaware C corporation, as well as go-forward equity incentive compensation structures.
- Redrafted the bylaws and initial board resolutions to remedy prior decisions that were suboptimal.
Fractional CFO
Industry-focused Social Media Startup
- Advised the company founders on fundraising strategy, valuation, offering structure, and their investor pitch.
- Resolved open issues in the ownership structure, strengthened the company's accounting processes, and reclassed historical financial results to better facilitate long-range forecasting and due diligence by prospective investors.
- Assisted the founders in launching a $1.5 million equity capital raise.
Fractional CFO
Multi-location Restaurant Company
- Completed a stalled transition of seven distinct accounting entities to QuickBooks Online.
- Corrected and reconciled P&L and balance sheet accounts and transactions dating back to 2021.
- Identified nearly $70,000 in missing cash collections and vendor overpayments–able to collect $60,000 where discovery was still timely.
- Supervised an accounting team of three as I rebuilt the company's accounting processes to be scalable and time-efficient as well as to produce reliably correct financial results; trained the team in best practices to ensure reliable accounting data.
- Reported consolidating and consolidated financial statements for 2022 and YTD June 2023 and restarted regular monthly financial statement reporting.
- Coordinated with the company's external CPA firm in filing extensions on the company's 2022 tax returns while the accounting system transition and reconciliation project was ongoing.
- Improved the decision-making power of the company's financial statements by selectively augmenting the chart of accounts, as well as designing more insightful FP&A analytics.
- Assisted the client with other finance and operational projects, including the renewal of a key facility lease and quarterbacking a transition to improve health, dental, and vision benefit coverages.
M&A Buy-side Expert
Market Research Company
- Advised the client in its carve-out and acquisition of the predictive markets business unit of the seller.
- Executed a preliminary due diligence program and negotiated a letter of intent with consideration comprised of 50% cash at closing and 50% in two successive one-year earnouts.
- Led a due diligence team comprised of client staff from the finance, HR, and IT functions, as well as external accounting due diligence subject matter experts.
- Identified accounting irregularities that led to a 42% decrease in TTM Adjusted EBITDA and re-negotiated a letter of intent with a $500,000 decrease in cash at closing.
- Assisted the finance workstream with financial due diligence and led the negotiation of a net working capital mechanism in the purchase agreement.
- Oversaw the legal drafting process and assisted the client in planning day 1 post-closing integration action items.
Principal
Strait Lane Capital Partners
- Led the expansion of the firm's deal sourcing activity, relationships, and messaging strategy. Established new relationships with more than 2,000 deal professionals at more than 300 top-tier middle-market firms and regional M&A advisors.
- Accelerated the firm's deal flow dramatically, with nearly 50% of deal flow coming from relationships new to the firm.
- Acted as the firm's initial point of contact for new investment opportunities. Instituted a more responsive deal triage process characterized by candid, thoughtful feedback to promote strengthened deal sourcing relationships.
Director
Cotton Creek Capital
- Managed this $80 million investment fund, overseeing fund-level management and decision-making, as well as directing the efforts of the investment team.
- Assembled and led a team of five investment professionals and implemented the firm's investment decision-making processes.
- Spearheaded investment teams that negotiated, structured, handled due diligence, and closed eight platform and add-on investment transactions, deploying $18 million of capital in transactions with an aggregate value totaling $33 million.
- Led the firm's investment in a $35 million aerospace chemicals distribution and supply chain services company. Launched value-creation initiatives, including M&A growth, as a board member, negotiated a larger credit line and recruited a stronger CFO.
- Oversaw an investment in a consolidator of north Texas' portable sanitation market. Provided board-level oversight for six add-on acquisitions with an aggregate value of $8.5 million at a blended purchase multiple of around 4.5 times EBITDA.
- Built and maintained a fund-level cash flow model for planning and decision-making regarding the timing of capital calls, expense budgeting, expected future investments and exits, the consequent impact on cash management, and net returns to the LPs.
Principal
Trinity Hunt Partners | Hunt Capital Group
- Led the sponsor team on two UK-based add-on acquisitions by the firm's platform company in specialty fasteners, gaskets, and machined parts, creating a global organization and growing the company from $6 to $38 million in EBITDA in just two years.
- Directed the due diligence effort on the firm's carve-out from a law firm of a $72 million provider of default, administrative foreclosure, and bankruptcy case management services for residential mortgage servicers.
- Executed and closed $13 million in equity investments at an early-stage provider of custom data centers that returned 3x MOI on exit. Maintained a complex liquidation waterfall across multiple investment rounds and co-investors while on the board.
Analyst
NationsBanc Capital Markets
- Advised clients on the successful closing of four sell-side transactions across a wide variety of industries, including industrial manufacturing, homebuilding, building materials manufacturing and distribution, and long-term care.
- Completed two fairness opinion engagements in support of buy-side and sell-side M&A transactions.
- Advised a family-owned construction equipment dealer on the execution of an acquisition growth strategy seeking to diversify the business into related equipment lines.
Education
MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurial Management
The Wharton School - Philadelphia, PA
Bachelor's Degree in Finance and Economics
Spears School of Business – Oklahoma State University - Stillwater, OK
Skills
Finance
Leveraged Buyout Modeling, Discounted Cash Flow (DCF), Entrepreneurial Finance, M&A (Buy-side), Private Equity, Due Diligence, Valuations, 13-week Cash Flow, Financial Modeling, Growth Equity, DCF Valuation, Value Creation, M&A (Sell-side), Fundraising, Cash Flow Modeling, Revenue & Expense Projections, Transaction Modeling, Three-statement Modeling, FP&A, Forecasting, M&A Modeling, M&A, Financial Reporting, Cash Flow, Profit & Loss (P&L), Deal Analysis, Credit Analysis, Valuation Modeling, Private Equity Valuation, Accounting, Investment Return Scenario Analysis, ROI, Working Capital Management, Cash Flow Forecasting, Fund Structure, Structuring of Funds, Credit/Debt, Seed Fundraising, Startup Funding, Investment Memoranda, Data Analysis, Investment Thesis Consulting, Interim CFOs, Cash Management, Capital, Convertible Notes, Equity Offerings, Pricing, Fund Management, Corporate Finance, Capital Structure Optimization, Capital Structure Analysis, Finance Strategy, Profitability Analysis, Internal Financial Reporting, Business Advisory, Lending, Rollups, Taxation, Business Taxation, Intercompany Accounting, Revenue Modeling, Series A, Budgeting Consulting, Financial Advisory, P&L Forecasting, Accounting Consolidation, Financial Accounting, M&A Earn-out Agreements, Project Finance Consulting, M&A, International Taxation, Fairness Opinion Reports, Valuations
Output Software
Excel Development, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel Development, Stripe Payments, Microsoft Development, Smartsheet
Data & Analysis Software
Quickbooks, Intuit QuickBooks, Microsoft Access Development, NetSuite
Industry Expertise
Venture Capital, Industrials, Real Estate, Early-stage Startups, Entertainment & Leisure, Institutional Investors, Retail & Wholesale, Franchises, Telecommunications, Corporate Structure, Commercial Real Estate Analysis, Energy, Residential Real Estate
Geographic Expertise
United States
Other
Leveraged Finance, Leveraged Buyout (LBO), Deal Sourcing, Deal Structuring, Term Sheet Negotiations, Letters of Intent, Investment Strategy, Transaction Advisory, Transactions, Fundraising, Board Decks, Investment Analysis, Term Sheets, Investment Research, IRR, Financial Analysis, Customer Analysis, Gross Margins, Investments, Shareholders' Agreement (JVA), Deal Review, Term Sheet Advisory, Presentation Design, Operating Models, Financing, Cash Flow Management, Cap Tables, Business Analysis Consulting, Startup Development, P&L Analysis, Pitch Deck Consulting, Business Modeling, Business Modeling, Business Strategy, Reporting, Spreadsheets, Private Equity, Due Diligence, Modeling, Loans & Lending, Debt Financing, Business Plan Consulting, Underwriting, Waterfall Modeling, Excel 365, SaaS, Business Services, Excel, Scenario Analysis, Manufacturing, Exit Strategy, Acquisitions, M&A Due Diligence (Financial), Partnerships, Small & Medium-sized Enterprises (SME), Business Loans, Financial Forecasting, SME/SMB Financing, Logistics & Warehousing, Investment Committee Advisory, Excel Development, Advisory, Design Consulting, Complex Account Reconciliations, Revenue Analysis, Financial Statements, Carve-out Planning, Subscription Pricing, SaaS, B2B Design, Enterprise SaaS, Part-time CFO, Employee Stock Options, Small Business Management, Sales Purchase Agreements, Design Strategy, Fractional CFOs, Capitalization Tables, Business Evaluation, Business Partnerships, Investment Banking, M&A Analysis, M&A Strategy, Executive Consulting, Exit Planning, Business Process Consulting, Revenue Recognition, Stripe Development, Cash Flow Analysis, Month-end Processes, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Financial Reporting Dashboards, Growth Marketing, Growth Strategy, Financial Ratios, Fundraising Strategy, P&L Management, Consolidation, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Bookkeeping, Business Planning, Business Development, Commercial Lending, Business Consultant, Executive Coaching, Inventory Management, Supply Chain, Equity Investment, Board Presentations, Performance Analysis, Payroll & Benefits, Competitive Strategy, Asset Purchase Agreements, Early-stage Venture Capital, Economics, Finance, Corporate Governance, Transition Service Agreement (TSA), Interim CFOs, Relationship Building, Relationship Management, Board of Directors, Microsoft Teams Development, Analysis, Live Entertainment, Monte Carlo Simulations, Infrastructure, Limited Partnerships, Capability Build-out, Process Design, Team Building, Team Mentoring, Integration, Accounting System Migrations, US GAAP Accounting, Investor Agreements, Power Generation, Precedent Transaction Analysis, Data Rooms
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