News

Lightyear Capital has acquired Austin-based eCommission Financial Services, a real estate commission, from Milestone Partners. No financial terms were disclosed. Stephens Inc provided financial advice to eCommission on the deal while Pepper Hamilton LLP served as legal counsel.

PRESS RELEASE

Radnor, PA, August 29, 2017 – Milestone Partners (“Milestone”) is pleased to announce the sale of eCommission Financial Services (“eCommission”) to Lightyear Capital LLC (“Lightyear”). eCommission is a pioneer in the real estate commission factoring industry, having financed nearly $1 billion in commission advances since its founding in 1999. Today, the company utilizes proprietary technology and an online delivery model to maximize the speed, transparency and reliability of each transaction.

Milestone acquired eCommission in partnership with management in December 2013. Since that time, the company has executed on numerous growth initiatives, including increased automation of the underwriting process, expansion of the sales and marketing platforms, and the design and launch of a new front-end web platform for both desktop and mobile applications. During Milestone’s investment period, annual transaction activity increased by over 200%.

Milestone Partner Adam Curtin commented, “Sean Whaling and the eCommission team have built a scalable, technology-enabled platform that is unique in the commercial finance industry. It was a pleasure to work alongside them and our operating talent to execute on our growth plan and create a favorable outcome for all involved.”

“Milestone’s relevant industry experience, combined with their flexible and collaborative approach to adding value, created a healthy and fruitful environment,” said Sean Whaling, Founder and CEO of eCommission. “They enabled us to invest in people, technology and marketing to set the stage for future growth.”

Milestone Managing Partner Scott Warren added, “eCommission was an industry-tested and efficient business model when we made our initial investment, and over the past 3.5 years, together we created a distinct technology-enabled financial services platform that is poised to continue its growth under Lightyear’s ownership. We truly enjoyed working with Sean and the management team and are grateful for the support of our operating resources who contributed to eCommission’s success.”

Stephens Inc. served as the company’s financial advisor and Pepper Hamilton LLP served as legal counsel.
eCommission Financial Services (www.ecommission.com), headquartered in Austin, TX, is the most established company in the real estate commission factoring industry. eCommission utilizes proprietary technology and an online delivery model to purchase commissions from real estate agents and brokers to help them better manage their business cash flow. eCommission enjoys alliance partnerships with most major national real estate brands and provides its services throughout the United States.

Milestone Partners (www.milestonepartners.com) is a private equity firm that partners with management to invest in leveraged buyouts and recapitalizations of lower middle market businesses. Milestone pursues companies in tech-enabled services, software, financial services and technology-driven manufacturing sectors. Based in suburban Philadelphia, Milestone was founded in 1995 and is currently investing in new platforms out of its fourth fund.