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IFA26 SCALE, The Franchise Growth & Capital Summit, is a high-caliber event designed to connect franchise brands, capital sources, and strategic advisors in a focused, deal-ready environment. The SCALE acronym captures the event’s core intent: Strategy, Capital, Acquisition, Leadership and Expansion – the dimensions that define a franchise brand’s readiness to grow, partner, or transact. Unlike broad industry conferences, IFA26 SCALE is purpose built for franchisors who are at a meaningful inflection point: those seeking capital to accelerate growth, those exploring partnership or platform opportunities, and those preparing for or actively pursuing an exit.

Featured Event

IFA26 SCALE
November 18th - 19th

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IFA26 SCALE Agenda

*Please note: schedule is subject to change.

IFA26 SCALE

The Franchise Growth & Capital Summit

Wednesday, November 18

Time Session
1:30 pm – 2:00 pm Registration & Coffee Service
2:00 pm – 2:30 pm Welcome
2:30 pm – 3:00 pm Deal Update — Notable transactions in the last 12 months
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm Coffee Break
3:30 pm – 4:15 pm
Concurrent Breakout Sessions
Room 1 · For Franchisors
Preparing for Investment and Making the Decision to Sell
1. Is Your Brand Investment-Ready? What Investors Look for in Emerging Franchise Systems
Covers the fundamentals investors evaluate: unit economics, proof of concept, franchisee success metrics, scalability, and leadership readiness.
2. Building the Financial Story: How to Present Your Franchise Brand to Investors
Helps founders translate their business into a compelling investment narrative including financial projections, growth strategy, and valuation expectations.
3. Scaling for Exit: Preparing Your Franchise System for Institutional Investment or Sale
Focuses on operational maturity, reporting infrastructure, leadership teams, and growth strategies that increase valuation.
Room 2 · For Franchisors
A Step-by-Step Tour Through a Private Equity Transaction
This session will take you step-by-step through a private equity transaction, including:
1. Working with an investment banker to develop a pitch, identify prospective buyers, and determine deal structure
2. Working with your legal team to create base agreements and negotiate with buyers
3. Compiling a complete data room
4. Managing the bid process
5. Negotiating deal terms
6. Selecting a buyer
Room 3 · For Investors
Understanding the Franchise Business Model: What Investors Need to Know
1. Franchising vs. Corporate Stores: How the Economics and Risk Profile Differ
Explains the fundamental differences between franchised systems and company-owned retail models, including capital requirements, revenue streams, margins, and scalability.
2. The Franchisee Investment: Why Operators Are the Real Engine of Growth
Breaks down the financial commitment franchisees make—initial investment, buildout costs, franchise fees, royalties, marketing funds, and working capital—and why franchisee profitability is critical to system health.
3. Unit Economics That Drive Franchise Growth
Focuses on the metrics investors should understand when evaluating franchise brands, including AUV, franchisee ROI, payback periods, development agreements, and multi-unit expansion dynamics.
4:30 pm – 5:30 pm Roundtables
6:00 pm Reception & Dinner — Offsite

Thursday, November 19

Time Session
7:30 am – 8:30 am Breakfast & Roundtables — all attendees
8:45 am – 10:00 am
Breakout Session 1
Room 1 · For Franchisors
Deal Structures and Strategies
1. Private Equity in Franchising: Structuring Deals that Drive Growth Without Losing Control
Explores deal structures, control considerations, minority vs. majority investments, and alignment with investors.
2. Scaling for Exit: Preparing Your Franchise System for Institutional Investment or Sale
Focuses on operational maturity, reporting infrastructure, leadership teams, and growth strategies that increase valuation.
3. Franchise Portfolio Strategies: Multi-Brand Growth, Platform Companies, and Strategic Rollups
Examines how investors build franchise portfolios and how franchisors can position themselves within platform or roll-up strategies.
Room 2 · For Franchisors
What Matters to Investors: From ULE to the Data Room
1. Unit Economics That Attract Investors: The Metrics That Matter Most
Investors closely examine franchise unit performance. This session breaks down the key metrics—AUV, margins, payback periods, franchisee profitability, and development pipelines—that make a franchise system attractive to capital partners.
2. The Data Room Playbook: What Investors Will Ask For Before Writing a Check
Franchisors often underestimate the level of due diligence investors conduct. This session walks through the documents, financials, operational data, franchisee performance metrics, and legal materials investors expect during the diligence process.
3. Partnering with Capital: How to Align with Investors While Protecting Your Brand
Investment can accelerate growth—but misaligned expectations can damage a system. This session explores governance structures, growth expectations, cultural alignment, and how franchisors can build productive long-term partnerships with capital providers.
Room 3 · For Investors
Investing in Franchise Systems: Managing Relationships and Ownership Transitions
1. Buying a Franchise System: What Changes and What Must Stay the Same
Examines how new ownership impacts strategy, leadership, and growth plans while maintaining the operational consistency franchisees rely on.
2. Communicating Ownership Changes to Franchisees: Building Trust and Stability
Provides guidance on messaging, transparency, and early engagement with franchise owners so they understand the vision and remain confident in the brand.
3. Aligning Investors and Franchisees for Long-Term Growth
Discusses governance structures, advisory councils, franchisee relations, and how successful investors build collaborative partnerships with operators.
10:00 am – 10:15 am Break
10:15 am – 11:30 am
Breakout Session 2
Room 1 · For Franchisors
Choosing the Right Capital Partner
1. Choosing the Right Capital Partner: Questions Every Franchisor Should Ask Investors
Not all capital is the same. This session explores the key questions franchisors should ask potential investors about their investment horizon, portfolio strategy, governance expectations, and experience in franchising.
2. Understanding Investor Track Records: What Their Portfolio Companies Can Tell You
A deep dive into how franchisors can evaluate an investor’s history by examining past investments, portfolio brand outcomes, founder relationships, and how the firm behaves during both growth and challenging periods.
3. Term Sheets and Control: What Franchisors Need to Know Before Signing
This session breaks down common deal terms—including board control, growth mandates, exit timelines, and protective provisions—so franchisors understand how investment structures can impact the long-term direction of their brand.
Room 2 · For Franchisors
The Intricacies of a Deal
This session will go into detail on some of the deal terms that are commonly negotiated between the buyer and a seller, including:
1. Board control
2. Growth mandates
3. Noncompetes
4. Nonsolicitation provisions
5. Reps and warranties, including lookback periods and survival clauses
6. Reps and warranties insurance
7. Holdbacks and earnouts
8. Covenants between signing and closing
9. Employment agreements
10. Indemnification provisions
Room 3 · For Investors
Open Time
Unstructured time for networking and meetings.
11:30 am – 12:00 pm General Session & Close — all attendees

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