Debt & Capital Advisory
KitsWest Capital provides independent debt and capital advisory to small businesses, owner-managed companies, and privately held businesses in Vancouver and across Canada and the United States.
We advise on business financing matters including acquisition financing, refinancing initiatives, recapitalizations, growth capital, and broader capital structure decisions. Our role is to help clients evaluate financing alternatives, determine the right structure, manage lender engagement, and execute through closing.
Financing decisions can materially affect value, flexibility, and long-term strategic options. We bring judgment, process discipline, and negotiation experience to situations where the structure and terms of capital matter.
Independent Advice on Business Financing and Capital Structure
Business financing decisions are often among the most consequential decisions a company makes. The right structure can support growth, preserve flexibility, and improve long-term outcomes. The wrong structure can constrain operations, reduce optionality, or create avoidable risk.
We advise businesses ranging from small companies to lower mid-market and mid-market enterprises where the amount, structure, timing, or terms of capital are strategically important. Our focus is on practical advice, disciplined market engagement, and senior-led execution from assessment through closing.
Clear strategy. Competitive process. Negotiated result.
Who We Work With
We primarily work with:
Small businesses, owner-managed companies, and privately held businesses
Founders, shareholders, and management teams evaluating financing alternatives
Growing companies pursuing expansion, acquisitions, recapitalizations, or refinancing initiatives
Select sponsor-backed businesses with complex or time-sensitive financing needs
Common situations include:
Growth and expansion financing
Acquisition and buyout financing
Refinancings and maturity-driven situations
Recapitalizations and partial liquidity events
Capital structure optimization
Covenant pressure or financing constraints
If a financing decision is material, complex, or time-sensitive, we help bring structure and clarity to the process.
What We Do
As an independent debt and capital advisor, we manage business financing processes from initial assessment through closing.
Our role typically includes:
Assessing capital needs, business risk, and existing debt structure
Advising on leverage, structure, and financing alternatives
Preparing lender-ready materials and transaction support documents
Identifying and approaching appropriate lenders and capital providers
Managing a controlled and competitive financing process
Comparing proposals across pricing, covenants, flexibility, amortization, fees, and certainty of close
Negotiating key terms to improve economics and reduce execution risk
Supporting diligence, documentation, and funding through closing
For clients, this means a more informed financing process, greater visibility into alternatives, and less distraction from day-to-day operations.
Types of Engagements
We advise on a range of debt and capital situations, including:
Senior secured credit facilities
Structured and subordinated debt
Acquisition financing
Growth capital
Refinancings
Recapitalizations
Unitranche and private credit solutions
Mezzanine and hybrid debt / equity structures
Alternative and non-bank financing solutions
Distressed financing & turnaround situations
The appropriate financing solution depends on the business, the strategic objective, the timing of the situation, and the degree of flexibility required.
How We Work
1. Assess the Situation
We begin by understanding the company, the financing context, the existing capital structure, and the strategic objective.
2. Define the Financing Strategy
We determine the appropriate structure, leverage, lender universe, and key terms based on the business and the mandate.
3. Prepare and Position
We prepare lender-ready materials that clearly present the opportunity and address credit considerations upfront.
4. Run the Process
We manage lender outreach, discussions, diligence, and information flow in a controlled and competitive manner.
5. Negotiate and Close
We evaluate proposals, negotiate economics and documentation terms, and support the process through funding.
Representative Engagement Examples
The following examples reflect relevant experience of KitsWest professionals in prior advisory roles and are representative of the types of mandates we undertake. Details are simplified and anonymized.
Owner-managed refinancing — Calgary, Alberta
A founder-led manufacturing business was approaching maturity under an existing bank facility with limited flexibility. The engagement involved evaluating cash flow, resetting leverage expectations, preparing lender materials, and running a competitive process with regional banks and private credit providers. The outcome was a refinance with improved pricing, extended maturity, and more appropriate covenant flexibility.
Growth capital mandate — Calgary, Alberta
A services business required capital to fund organic growth and equipment purchases while maintaining conservative leverage. The engagement focused on determining an appropriate debt level, approaching a targeted lender group, and negotiating terms that provided funding while preserving operating flexibility.
Sponsor-backed acquisition financing — Whitehorse, Yukon
A sponsor-backed business required acquisition financing for an add-on transaction under a compressed timeline. The engagement included transaction positioning, lender outreach, proposal comparison, and negotiation of senior and mezzanine facilities designed to balance certainty of close with covenant flexibility.
Recapitalization with multiple shareholders — Vancouver, British Columbia
A business with several shareholders and an existing lender group required a recapitalization to support a partial liquidity event. The engagement involved coordinating with management, investors, and lenders to restructure the capital stack and execute a solution acceptable to all stakeholders.
Why Clients Work With KitsWest Capital
Independent Perspective
We are not a lender and are not tied to any capital provider. Our advice is objective and aligned with client interests.
Process Discipline
We bring structure, preparation, and competitive tension to financing situations where outcomes matter.
Negotiation Focus
We look beyond headline pricing to evaluate covenant package, flexibility, amortization, fees, and execution certainty.
Senior-Led Execution
Experienced advisors remain directly involved from kickoff through closing.
Integrated with Valuations and M&A Advisory
Debt and capital decisions are often closely connected to valuation, transaction planning, and shareholder outcomes.
We regularly integrate our Debt & Capital Advisory work with our Business Valuation and M&A Advisory services so that financing decisions are assessed in the broader context of value, execution, and strategic alternatives.
For some clients, the financing mandate is the engagement. For others, it forms part of a larger decision around an acquisition, recapitalization, shareholder transition, refinancing initiative, or broader strategic review.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you lend capital directly?
No. KitsWest Capital is an advisory firm. We do not lend capital or act as principal. Our role is to advise, structure, and manage the financing process with banks, private credit funds, and other capital providers.
When should a company engage a debt advisor?
A company may benefit from engaging a debt advisor when a financing decision is material to the business, including growth financings, acquisitions, refinancings, recapitalizations, or situations where existing debt terms have become restrictive or unclear. We are often engaged when management wants a more structured process, broader lender coverage, or a clearer understanding of available options.
Can we just go directly to our bank?
Many companies do. We are often engaged when management wants to understand whether terms are competitive, explore alternatives, or run a broader process rather than rely on a single lender conversation. In those situations, independent advice can help improve structure, flexibility, and execution.
Do you work on both bank and private credit transactions?
Yes. We regularly advise on processes involving traditional banks, private credit funds, and alternative lenders. The appropriate financing solution depends on the business, the transaction, the timing, and the client’s objectives.
Can you help with acquisition financing?
Yes. We advise clients on acquisition financing strategy, lender process management, and financing structure for business acquisitions. Depending on the situation, that may include bank debt, private credit, subordinated debt, or a broader capital structure review.
Can you help refinance existing debt?
Yes. We regularly advise on refinancing initiatives where a business wants to improve pricing, extend maturity, increase flexibility, or evaluate alternatives to an existing lender relationship. In these situations, our role is to help assess options, run a structured process, and negotiate terms that fit the business.
What is a recapitalization?
A recapitalization is a financing transaction that changes a company’s capital structure. Depending on the objectives, it may be used to support growth, improve liquidity, fund a partial liquidity event, or restructure existing debt and equity in a way that better aligns with shareholder and business needs.
Do you work with both owner-managed businesses and sponsor-backed companies?
Yes. Most engagements involve owner-managed businesses and management teams, and we also advise select sponsor-backed companies where financing needs are complex, time-sensitive, or transaction-driven.
Discuss a Business Financing Matter
If you are evaluating acquisition financing, a refinancing initiative, recapitalization, growth capital requirement, capital structure review, or broader debt advisory mandate, we welcome a confidential discussion.
KitsWest Capital
595 Howe Street, Suite 306
Vancouver, BC V6C 2T5
Advising small businesses, owner-managed companies, and privately held businesses across Canada and the United States.