Exploring a “Micro ETA” Investment Pool – Thoughts?
August 11, 2025
by a searcher from University of North Carolina at Charlotte in Raleigh, NC, USA
In traditional search, investors tend to target middle-market acquisitions — leaving the operator pool highly competitive for those deals.
In the self-funded space, many deals are smaller (often SBA 7a) and don’t attract the same investor attention. Yet, given the number of talented ETA operators who go unfunded, there’s no shortage of executive manpower ready to run them.
This makes me wonder:
1) Is there an investor pool dedicated to smaller ETA deals and SBA 7a transactions where the buyer’s equity gap needs to be filled?
2) If not, is this a missed opportunity for investors who want exposure to the ETA model without the high valuations of the middle market?
Has anyone seen this model in action — or is it a white space worth exploring?
from The University of Texas at Austin in Austin, TX, USA
from Duke University in Hillsborough, NC 27278, USA