Rollover Equity
Definition
Rollover equity is the portion of a seller’s proceeds reinvested into the buyer’s new ownership structure instead of taken as cash, leaving the seller with a stake in the business after the sale. Founders selling to private equity typically roll 10 to 40 percent.
In practice
Buyers love rollover because it keeps the operator invested and shrinks the check they must write. For sellers it is a second bite of the apple: the rolled stake rides the next leg of growth and can be worth more than the first sale. It is also, unavoidably, concentrated risk in someone else’s deal.