Adam Epstein
Verified Expert in Management Consulting
Finance Expert
Los Angeles, CA, United States
Toptal member since April 30, 2020
Adam has 10+ years of experience in finance across PE (Lion Capital), debt financing (Oaktree), and investment banking. He has executed over $2 billion in M&A transactions for both early-stage companies and large enterprises. Having engaged in all aspects of a deal process from sourcing to due diligence to portfolio management and board representation, Adam enjoys the new challenges and relationships associated with freelance work.
Career Highlights
Education Highlights
Case Studies
Portfolio Company Board Presentation
Evaluation of an Electronics Company
Industry Expertise
- Finance
- Retail
- eCommerce
- Financial Modeling
- P&L Forecasting
- Consumer Products
Software Expertise
- Microsoft Excel
Other Expertise
- Debt Financing
- Due Diligence
- Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
- P&L Forecasting
- Private Equity
- Three-statement Modeling
Work Experience
Principal
Lion Capital
- Led or co-led three acquisitions and conducted valuation and negotiation of select opportunities through definitive documentation.
- Advised four portfolio companies, aiding with analysis of results, annual forecasting, development of strategic initiatives, and preparation of management presentations.
- Spearheaded due diligence efforts on over 40 potential investments across the consumer brand sector, including evaluation through comprehensive financial models, industry analyses, and presentation of findings to senior management.
- Implemented a cross-portfolio data-sharing initiative to generate additional digital revenue streams and improve big data analysis.
- Negotiated a $650 million refinancing of Bumble Bee’s capital structure by marketing the company to potential debt investors and leading coordination of due diligence and negotiation of documentation. I was selected to represent Lion Capital on the board of directors.
- Quarterbacked the $400 million acquisition of Global Franchise Group, a franchisor and shared services platform that owns five restaurant brands, in partnership with Serruya Private Equity.
- Spearheaded the $155 million purchase of Paige, LLC, a lifestyle apparel company, including due diligence, purchase negotiations, documentation, and debt financing. I was selected to represent Lion Capital on the board of directors.
- Assisted management of John Varvatos, a men's clothing company, in the development of its financial plan to return to profitability. The plan included the elimination of >$15 million of annual expenses, and I led a $35 million refinancing and negotiation of strategic alternatives.
Associate
Oaktree Capital Management
- Conducted diligence on over 50 potential subordinated debt investment and equity co-investment opportunities. I presented key findings including potential risks and returns, along with investment recommendations, to the investment committee.
- Wrote seven investment committee memoranda to gain final investment approval.
- Advised six portfolio companies, including evaluation of add-ons and potential exits as well as restructurings and associated amendments.
- Completed a $40 million investment in ILC Dover, including diligence on four separate divisions, negotiating debt terms, and providing legal documentation.
- Negotiated out-of-court restructuring of Provo Craft, a consumer products company, and assisted in the build-out of the subsequent management team, budget, and product launch.
- Ranked top-tier in the associate class.
Analyst
Berenson & Company, LLC
- Participated in financial and business due diligence for mergers and acquisitions (buy-side and sell-side) and restructuring transactions.
- Created detailed financial models to conduct various valuation analyses including leveraged buyout, discounted cash flows, sum-of-the-parts, 13-week cash flow, comparable companies, and precedent transactions analyses.
- Organized and participated in the analyst training program and recruited four first-year analysts to join the firm.
- Counseled SDI Media Group, Inc. in the $150 million restructuring of its balance sheet, including the construction of a 5-year projection model and a 13-week cash flow statement.
- Advised the Special Committee of Boston Generating, LLC in the $1.1 billion sale of its assets to Constellation Energy under Section 363 of the US Bankruptcy Code.
- Ranked top-tier in the analyst class.
Education
MBA in General Management
Stanford Graduate School of Business - Palo Alto, California
Bachelor of Science Degree in Applied Mathematics – Economics
Brown University - Providence, Rhode Island
Skills
Finance
Private Equity, Due Diligence, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), P&L Forecasting, Three-statement Modeling, Recapitalization, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Deal Advisory, Financial Modeling, Financial Reporting, Finance Strategy, Comparable Company Analysis, Leveraged Buyout Modeling, Forecasting
Output Software
Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint
Data & Analysis Software
Capital IQ, FactSet, Bloomberg
Geographic Expertise
United States, European Union (EU)
Industry Expertise
Consumer Products, Retail & Wholesale
Other
Debt Financing, Third-party Management, Investment Banking, Restructuring, Legal Documentation, Portfolio Management, Term Sheet Negotiations, Investing, Financing, Acquisitions, Leveraged Buyout (LBO), Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs), Board Presentations, Strategy Planning, Board Reporting, Board Decks, Analysis, Evaluation, Offer Evaluation, Discounted Cash Flow Analysis, Precedent Transaction Analysis, Finance, Modeling, Models, Financials, Microsoft 365, eCommerce, Sourcing, Retail Rollout, New Product Rollout
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