Multi-Unit Expansion Financing

Finance a development agreement rather than a store — one approved facility, drawn per opening, so five stores is not five underwritings. Projects we fund typically run $1,000,000–$5,000,000, approved once and drawn per store as each site opens.

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The Multi-Unit Expansion Reality

A franchisee committed to five stores over three years is not buying equipment five times — they are executing one agreement, and financing it store by store is how a good operator ends up spending the growth years back in underwriting. Every site means another application, another set of terms, and a risk that funding is not in place when a site is. The unit worth financing is the development schedule itself: approved once against the operator and the agreement, then drawn as each store comes up.

What a Development Program Covers

Full equipment packages per store on the development schedule
Kitchen, refrigeration, and production lines to brand spec
POS, drive-thru, and technology standardized across units
Signage, millwork, and interior packages per site
Refresh and replacement within the existing portfolio
Installation, freight, and opening costs per location

How the Draws Work

One approval, funded in phases — the schedule follows the project rather than a delivery date.

1 · Program Approval

The development schedule, the brand's equipment standard, and the operator's existing units are assessed once, and a facility is set against the whole agreement rather than the first store.

2 · Per-Store Draws

Each opening draws its equipment package from the approved facility on its own timeline. No re-application, no renegotiation, and no gap between a signed site and available funding.

3 · Steady State

Stores that have opened are paying while later ones are still being built, so the schedule reflects a portfolio at different stages rather than a single unit's ramp.

Payment Structures

The differentiation: four ways to own the same equipment, engineered to your cash flow. Compare them side by side on our structures page.

Operating Lease

Off-balance-sheet treatment with end-of-term flexibility — return, renew, or purchase. Often the right answer when technology cycles or accounting outcomes drive the decision.

$1 Buyout Lease

Own the equipment for one dollar at term end. Fixed payments, full Section 179 eligibility, and a clean path to ownership.

Seasonal & Step Payments

Payments that follow your revenue curve — lighter in slow months, heavier in peak season, or stepping up as new equipment ramps to full production.

Usage-Based & As-a-Service

Payments tied to hours, output, or consumption. The category Elevex is defining: pay for what equipment achieves, not what it costs.

Learn more about financing structures

How It Works

Three steps from scope to funded.

1 · Bring the Scope

A budget, a floor plan or build spec, and the timeline you're working to. Not a single quote — the whole project, however many vendors it runs across.

2 · Structure the Draws

A finance professional maps the funding to the project's milestones, so money lands when each phase needs it and payments start when the facility earns.

3 · Fund Each Phase

Vendors are paid as phases clear. One approval and one schedule carry the project instead of a separate application every time the scope moves forward.

Common Questions

How is this different from financing each store as it opens?

Sequencing and certainty. Store-by-store means re-underwriting on every site, with terms that can move between openings and funding that may not be ready when a lease is. A program facility is assessed once against the development agreement and the operator's existing units, and each store draws against it, so the constraint on growth is site availability rather than paperwork.

What does the development agreement need to show?

The committed opening schedule and the brand's equipment standard, alongside how the operator's existing stores are performing. Those three together describe the whole program — how many packages, of what, by when — which is what allows one facility to be sized for the agreement instead of the first store.

Can one facility cover equipment from several vendors?

Yes — that is the point of financing multi-unit expansion as a project rather than as purchases. A single schedule can carry equipment from every vendor on the job, so the scope is approved once instead of being re-underwritten each time another supplier is added.

Which parts of a multi-unit expansion qualify for Section 179?

Most business-use equipment placed in service this tax year generally qualifies, financed or purchased outright. Leasehold improvements, real property, and construction costs follow different rules, so a project budget rarely qualifies as a single number. Run the equipment portion on our Section 179 calculator and confirm the split with your tax advisor.

How fast can multi-unit expansion financing close?

Application-only decisions to $1,000,000 come back in minutes for qualified credits. Apply online with your scope and budget rather than a single quote — the draw schedule is built from the project timeline, so the sooner that exists the sooner funding can follow it.

Ready to fund your multi-unit expansion?

Payments built on outcomes, from the team that knows your industry. Equipment sellers: offer financing at the point of sale with CapVex.

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