Navigating the SaaS Transition

Chanakya Yerneni didn’t want another promotion. He wanted freedom—and the chance to build something of his own.

After a decade in enterprise SaaS, he quit corporate, browsed Acquire.com, and bought a small AI grading tool for teachers. It had $5K MRR, no SEO, and no real growth engine.

Twelve months later, that product—EssayGrader—is on track to hit $1M ARR.

In this episode, Chanakya shares how he evaluated listings, rebuilt the product from scratch, and scaled an EdTech SaaS with product-led growth and word of mouth.

You’ll learn:

• How he picked the right SaaS to acquire
• Why talking to 400+ customers changed everything
• What made the product go viral in schools
• How to approach SEO from zero and win
• Why founder fit matters more than perfect metrics

3 lessons from Chanakya’s exit journey:

1. Start with PMF, not just profit
2. Build for a customer you deeply understand
3. A clean, focused process beats complexity every time

Whether you’re buying your first startup or scaling your next, this episode is a playbook in clarity, conviction, and customer-first growth.

Follow Chanakya’s journey on LinkedIn.