UpLevered

I built the PE desk reference I needed in the seat.

UpLevered ran anonymously for its first year. It's mine: I'm Andrew Gallagher - a private equity investor, most recently a Senior Associate at a lower-middle-market fund in Austin, and a former middle-market investment banker. Every guide here reflects deals I actually worked.

Andrew Gallagher headshot

Track Record

Roughly 100 targets screened, 15+ LOIs, 3 closed platform/add-on deals in the $40M–$250M enterprise-value range. The guides on this site are the reference docs I wish I'd had on those deals.

  • Senior Associate, SNH Capital Partners (Austin) - lower-middle-market private equity
  • Investment Banking, Wells Fargo - middle-market / industrials coverage
  • Investment Banking, FORVIS Capital Advisors - middle-market sell-side M&A
  • Nephila Capital - insurance-linked securities
  • Vanderbilt University - Economics

That path covered both sides of the table: originating and screening deals inside a fund, and running sell-side processes as a banker. The guides lean on that overlap - what buyers actually pressure-test, and what sellers actually obscure.

What UpLevered Is For

Worked Examples

Numbers before abstractions

Guides show the bridge, schedule, or deal math instead of stopping at definitions.

Model Patterns

Reusable mechanics

LBO logic, EV bridges, debt schedules, working-capital math, and return attribution you can reapply.

Traps & Checklists

Failure modes, named

The mistakes that quietly kill IRR or blow up diligence, with checklists to catch them.

Career Playbook

Middle-market first

Recruiting guidance for the funds most of PE actually consists of - not just mega-fund on-cycle.

How This Site Is Maintained

Every technical guide moves toward one standard: TL;DR up front, a worked example with real mechanics, the traps that break it in practice, a checklist, related guides, and a visible update log. Pages carry published and updated dates. When something is wrong or goes stale, it gets fixed and logged - see the editorial standards.

If you want help directly, I do 1:1 coaching for PE recruiting and technical prep, and deal-support work for funds and owners. I'm also on LinkedIn, or reach me at [email protected].

Stay Sharp

Deal Flow Bullet - weekly PE frameworks, deal analysis, and career intel for middle-market practitioners. Free, every Friday.