Acquisition strengthens CarPool as the platform for early-stage franchisors and expands Franchise FastLane’s vertically integrated franchising ecosystem

OMAHA, Neb., March 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Franchise FastLane, the leading franchise development organization, announced today that it has acquired Franchise Creator, a leading franchise consulting firm, specializing in turning businesses into successful franchise brands. This acquisition represents a significant step in Franchise FastLane’s strategy to build an integrated growth platform supporting franchisors from concept through scale.

Acquisition strengthens CarPool for early-stage franchisors and expands Franchise FastLane’s franchising ecosystem

Franchise Creator has built a strong reputation working with emerging brands at the earliest stages of their franchising journey and helping founders validate their models, prepare for franchising, and establish strong foundations for growth while working with them as they continue their systems for support. When combined with Franchise FastLane’s development engine and CarPool’s coaching, training, technology and support platform, the acquisition creates a true end-to-end pathway.

“This acquisition represents an exciting step in Franchise FastLane’s evolution,” said Tim Koch, President & COO of Franchise FastLane. “We are building more than a franchise sales organization, we are building the first end-to-end franchise services business, capable of working with brands from their formation through maturity. Franchise Creator’s best-in-class ability to identify and guide early-stage brands is a powerful complement to FastLane, and more significantly, it strengthens CarPool as the operating service for early-stage franchisors.”

Franchise Creator will continue operating with its current focus on early-stage brand identification and support, while benefiting from Franchise FastLane’s scale, infrastructure, and development capabilities.

“From day one, Franchise Creator has been about helping founders turn great ideas into real, viable franchise brands,” said Hossein Kasmai, CEO & Founder of Franchise Creator. “Franchise FastLane shares that same belief, and they bring the resources, experience, and platform to help our clients go further, faster. This partnership allows us to stay true to who we are while expanding what’s possible for our team and the founders we serve.”

The combination is expected to drive higher-quality brands into FastLane’s development pipeline, improve brand readiness and sales performance, and expand CarPool’s addressable market through earlier engagement with franchisors.

“Our goal is to equip brands from the earliest stages of franchising through maturity with the development expertise and infrastructure they need to grow responsibly,” said Koch. “Franchise Creator strengthens our ability to meet brands where they are, improve readiness, and ultimately drive better development outcomes. With the right support in place, founders can focus on what matters most – building a great business and cultivating successful franchisees.”

Franchise FastLane is backed by Southfield Capital, a lower middle market private equity firm focused on building market-leading businesses.

“This acquisition aligns perfectly with Franchise FastLane’s long-term strategy of building a differentiated, vertically integrated platform across the franchising lifecycle,” said Josh Sylvan, Principal at Southfield Capital. “By expanding upstream into early-stage brand creation and readiness, Franchise FastLane is strengthening its recurring revenue profile, improving brand quality entering development, and building a more durable enterprise.”

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.*

About Franchise FastLane:
Franchise FastLane is a leading franchise development company trusted by emerging brands across the country. Since launching in 2017 as a fully outsourced development service, FastLane has helped thousands of entrepreneurs get into franchise ownership, changing lives and communities along the way. CarPool utilizes Franchise FastLanes’ proven process and technology and is its own coaching, training, and support service designed for brands that want to control their own development speed and pace in house.

About Franchise Creator:
Franchise Creator is a leading franchise consulting firm, specializing in turning businesses into successful franchise brands. The company has helped launch and grow hundreds of franchise systems across a wide range of industries. Franchise Creator provides end-to-end franchise consulting services including franchise strategy, marketing, sales, and operational manuals to help brands expand nationally and internationally through franchising.

About Southfield Capital:
Southfield Capital is a private equity firm focused on investing in and building lower middle market companies through operational excellence, growth initiatives, and strategic acquisitions.

Media Contact: Jessica Cahill, Fishman Public Relations, [email protected], or 847-945-1300