Capital for the gap between what you have and what you need.
We prepare your case, check it the way a lender would, and introduce you to the few lenders whose criteria fit. Facilities from $5 million, typically $10 million to $250 million.
Who this is for
- Companies and sponsors funding an acquisition, recapitalisation, growth investment or dividend where senior debt alone falls short.
- Borrowers whose permanent financing, refinancing, asset sale or equity raise has a credible date but not yet a closing.
- Real asset owners in transition: acquisition, repositioning or completion before a takeout.
Not a fit: facilities under $5 million; a bridge with no credible repayment source; consumer or residential loans.
What we do
- Assess fit. Size, structure, the gap you are bridging, and the date. No documents.
- Engage in writing. NDA and engagement terms, including every fee, before information changes hands.
- Prepare the case. We test the repayment source, the senior-debt constraints and the numbers as a lender would, and assemble the package.
- Introduce. To lenders whose written criteria match, never a broadcast. Shared only in an access-controlled data room under NDA.
- Compare and close. We help compare term sheets, support diligence and manage the process. The lender underwrites and funds.
What lenders will ask for
The package, as a checklist (a secure data room is opened after the NDA):
- Financial statements for two to three years, interim figures and projections
- Sources and uses of funds, and the amount and purpose of the facility
- Senior debt documents and any restrictions on additional or junior debt
- The repayment plan for a bridge, with evidence: refinancing term sheet, sale agreement or equity commitment
- Capitalisation table and ownership
- Valuation support for the business or collateral
- Existing liens and intercreditor arrangements
- Management background and the intended closing date
What drives the structure
| Factor | How lenders usually treat it (typical, varies by lender) |
|---|---|
| Bridge | Value of the collateral relative to the loan, and above all the credibility and timing of the repayment source. Tenors are usually measured in months, up to about two years |
| Mezzanine | Total leverage through the mezzanine tranche, tested against cash flow; where the tranche attaches and detaches in the capital structure; coverage of interest |
| Return | Cash interest, interest paid in kind, fees, and sometimes warrants or other equity features |
| Intercreditor | What the senior lender permits: payment blocks, standstills, amendments |
These describe how the product generally works. They are not terms we offer or a prediction of what a lender would offer you. See the glossary.
Where applications get stuck
- No credible takeout. A bridge with a vague plan to refinance is a hard sell.
- Senior lender consent. Covenants or an intercreditor agreement may limit junior debt.
- Valuation gap. Borrower and lender disagree on what the collateral or the business is worth.
- Timing. The bridge is needed urgently, and diligence is not.
- Equity feature. A mezzanine lender's warrants or equity rights are negotiated late and stall the deal.
- Burden of paid-in-kind interest. It compounds. Model it before you sign.
Fees
Your engagement agreement sets out what you pay and when, before you sign. In short: an underwriting fee at engagement, and an introduction fee payable only if a financing closes with a lender we introduced. The underwriting fee does not guarantee that any lender will offer terms.
Questions
How fast can a bridge close? It depends on your information and the lender's diligence. A complete package shortens it. We will tell you early whether your timeline is realistic.
What if I need both a bridge and permanent financing? We can introduce on both. The bridge lender will want to see the permanent plan.
Does mezzanine mean giving up equity? Not always. Some mezzanine includes an equity feature and some does not. Lenders differ, and we match against that.
Do you lend? No. Lenders underwrite and fund. We introduce.
Who sees my information? Only lenders whose criteria fit, only after an NDA, only in an access-controlled room where every view is logged.
Commercial lending introductions are provided by River Guide Labs, LLC. They are not securities transactions and are not offered through Finalis Securities LLC. Securities transactions are offered only through Finalis Securities LLC, Member FINRA / SIPC. River Guide Labs does not lend, commit capital or guarantee that any financing will be offered. Size ranges are typical, not offered terms and not a record of past transactions.