Stage 12 · Ownership Engine · By invitation
Equity Partners
In a small number of cases each year, we take a direct 10–30% stake in your business and work alongside you toward a seven- or eight-figure exit.
Three structures, all direct
Equity-for-services: our fees are discounted 50–100% in exchange for 10–20% equity, vesting against delivered work. Co-investment: Keystone's own cash invested alongside yours. Operate-for-equity: you fund the acquisition fully, we operate the scaling for 20–30%. In every structure the equity is a direct stake in your specific operating company — never a fund, never pooled money.
How we choose
We target equity in only 5–10% of client deals each year, using a published scorecard: purchase price $300K–$3M, $100K+ seller's discretionary earnings, 3+ years of operating history, a scaling lever our team genuinely owns, and a committed operator. Independent valuation, written vesting, and drag/tag and buy-sell provisions from day one.
What this is not
This is not an investment product. We never pool client funds, never take custody of your capital, and never promise a return. It's an operating partnership documented by a term sheet your attorney reviews before anything is signed.
Fees & structure
Published, like everything else
Equity Partners
Structures described openly and governed by independent valuation, written vesting, and attorney-reviewed definitive documents.
What we never promise
We never promise returns, exits, or valuations. Businesses can decline as well as grow. Every equity engagement is documented for your attorney's review before signature.