F&I Sentinel

Opportunity

Calera built a relationship with the F&I Sentinel team over many months prior to making an investment, working with the founders to refine their long-term growth strategy.

• Identified opportunities to expand the business beyond captive auto lenders and into the large Tier 1 banking sector 
• Developed a strategy around M&A as a new path for growth 
• Highly aligned approach, with the founders, Stephen McDaniel and Matt Nowels, retaining a 49% ownership stake in the business 

Calera Supported Initiatives

Since the initial investment, Calera has supported F&I Sentinel across several key initiatives:


• Building the Platform: Partnered with the CEO to strengthen the leadership team, including recruiting and hiring key executive talent into a number of newly created roles
• Upgrading the Business Model: Shifted the revenue model to a recurring subscription model, better aligning the business with the long-term success of its clients

• Expanding Service Lines: Extended beyond the company’s core CITADEL offering with the launch of FAIRCalc, which addresses compliance at the back end of the F&I product lifecycle, broadening support across a full range of compliance needs 
• Pursuing Strategic M&A: Led the acquisition of Express Recoveries to further enhance the company’s ability to deliver end-to-end compliance solutions

Results

The investment in F&I Sentinel remains active, but with strong early outcomes and forward momentum:

• Revenue up 35%+ annually since partnering with Calera 
• The company has more than doubled its share of large lender clients and now serves 6 of the top 10 automotive lenders 

• Business well-positioned for the future, driven by improvements to the underlying business model and a go-forward growth strategy

   

  Note: Information as of December 31, 2024.