Leveraging value with intangibles: more guarantees with less collateral?

Abstract

This paper shows how intangibles can create scalable value, levered by debt and serviced by intangible-driven incremental EBITDA and cash flows. Intangibles intrinsically incorporate information asymmetries and may so discourage debt, but are also a vital component of cash generating value, so representing a key factor for debt servicing, with paradoxical effects (more guarantees with less collateral?). Operating leverage is enhanced by scalability, an intrinsic characteristic of many intangibles, with a positive impact on cash generation and consequent debt servicing. Ability to improve cash flows emerges as a key feature of value enhancing intangibles, bypassing their lack of collateral value.