Startup Acquisition Stories

Chanakya Yerneni, an entrepreneur and former corporate SaaS expert, shares his inspiring journey from corporate life to acquiring EssayGrader, an AI tool for teachers. He transformed the struggling startup, boosting its revenue to $1M ARR in just a year. Chanakya emphasizes the importance of understanding customer needs, using effective SEO strategies, and building a product that goes viral. He offers valuable insights on starting with product-market fit and simplifying the acquisition process, making it a must-listen for aspiring business acquirers.

Matt Brenton didn’t build BigPawShop to scale aggressively. He built it to work for real customers, with real margins, and a clear brand identity. What started as a side hustle became a profitable niche eCommerce business selling bold, custom dog collars.In this episode, Matt shares how he grew the brand without paid ads, structured his operations with intention, and successfully sold the business through Acquire.com. He walks through what made the brand attractive to buyers, how he managed the listing, and what a clean, founder-first exit really looks like.You’ll learn:How to run a lean eCommerce brand with strong retention Why emotional products can still be strategic assetsWhat buyers look for in simple, documented Shopify storesHow to prep your business so it sells fast and cleanWhy timing and founder clarity make all the difference3 lessons from Matt’s exit:Keep it focused: a niche product with loyal buyers has real valueDocument everything before you listA buyer who respects your work makes the exit easierWhether you’re running an eCommerce brand or thinking about your own exit, Matt’s story shows how to prepare, sell, and move on with clarity.Follow Matt's journey on LinkedIn

Siyabend Özdemir, who bootstrapped and sold his AI startup Gen PPT at just 18, shares his incredible journey. He discusses how he validated his idea through a real SEO dataset and leveraged a strong presence on X for growth. Siyabend highlights the smooth acquisition process, emphasizing the importance of organizational readiness and the right platform choice. He also reflects on handling burnout and hints at exciting future ventures, proving that age is no barrier to entrepreneurial success.

Christopher Schwab didn’t build Inova Local to chase scale. He built it to solve a real problem: how to support home service businesses with reliable, high-quality remote admin help.What started as a side project quickly became a profitable VA agency—and a company built for flexibility, documentation, and clean operations. In this episode, Christopher shares how he grew the business with intention and sold it through a fast, strategic acquisition.You’ll learn:Why lean, recurring models outperform traditional staffingWhat made remote operations hard to sell before the pandemicHow to prepare your company for a fast, low-friction exitWhat buyers actually care about—and what catches them off guardHow to balance growth, team care, and long-term personal goals3 lessons from Christopher’s exit:Simplicity and documentation make due diligence easyKnow what the business means to you—and what’s nextTake care of your team through the transitionWhether you're scaling a remote service or considering your own exit, this conversation is a playbook for founders who want to build—and exit—with clarity.Listen now to hear how Christopher structured his acquisition and what he's building next.Follow Christopher on LinkedIn

Trevor Lee, founder of Genius Sheets, a thriving product-led SaaS that automates finance reporting, shares his journey from bootstrapping to acquisition. He reveals how strategic partnerships with industry giants like QuickBooks and Microsoft fueled his company's growth. Trevor emphasizes the importance of sustainable customer acquisition, effective pricing strategies, and the criticality of a compelling pitch during buyer negotiations. He also offers invaluable exit tips, highlighting the need for early automation and real user feedback, while teasing his exciting new venture, Myko.

If Christopher Lier could give three key pieces of advice to SaaS founders planning an exit, they would be:Build a focused product that solves a specific problemBe fully transparent during the acquisition processNever settle for a deal you’re not comfortable withChristopher is the co-founder of LeadGen App, a form builder optimized for lead generation. What began as a side project between an SEO expert and a developer in the UK quickly evolved into a profitable micro-SaaS. No venture capital. No big team. Just strong SEO, clear systems, and consistent execution.In this episode, host Andrew Gazdecki talks with Christopher about:How to launch and grow a lean SaaS product from scratchThe importance of SEO, Facebook groups, and direct outreach for acquiring your first usersWhat the acquisition process on Acquire.com looks like, from listing to closingHow documented SOPs and a reliable team streamlined due diligenceWhy selecting the right buyer is about shared vision, not just priceWhether you're bootstrapping, scaling, or preparing to sell a SaaS company, this episode offers actionable insights and hard-earned lessons from someone who’s successfully done it.Listen now and learn what it really takes to build, grow, and exit a micro-SaaS.Follow Christopher’s journey:LinkedIn

If Johann Sathianathen could give two key pieces of advice to founders who want to sell a startup fast, he’d say:Build and sell early—even while working full-timeReinvest stable income to accelerate your startup runwayJohann Sathianathen was just 20 years old when he made his first bootstrapped exit, selling his startup Jars Global through Acquire.com. Before that, he dropped out of college, became the youngest full-time software engineer at Cisco, and used his salary to fund a small team and launch multiple startup projects.Jars began as a side hustle focused on competitive intelligence for e-commerce businesses. As traction grew, Johann listed it on Acquire.com. The selling process was smooth, the deal closed quickly, and Johann walked away with both capital and momentum to go full-time on his founder journey.But for Johann, selling Jars was just the beginning. He believes that a portfolio founder approach reduces risk and multiplies opportunity. By building multiple SaaS startups with lean teams, he maximized his chances of success—and today, he’s scaling a growing portfolio, focused on solving real problems and moving fast.Tune in to the Acquire podcast with Andrew Gazdecki and Johann Sathianathen to discover:How Johann built and sold his startup while still a teenagerWhy becoming a "portfolio founder" changes everythingHow to leverage your salary to bootstrap and scale fasterWhat happens emotionally and financially after your first startup exitJohann is just getting started, and you can follow his journey below.LinkedIn

If Luka Pecavar could give three pieces of advice to founders building and selling micro-SaaS products, he’d say:Build simple tools that solve a specific problemListen to user feedback early and oftenEven small apps can attract serious buyersLuka built a simple but powerful image comparison app called Before and After for the Wix App Market. What started as a weekend side project quickly evolved into a revenue-generating micro-SaaS with thousands of installs. No venture capital, no large team, just clean code and real user traction.When the time came to sell, Luka listed the app on Acquire.com and closed a seamless deal with a buyer who valued the app’s clean architecture and consistent performance.Now he’s using the experience as a springboard into new projects and sharing exactly how he did it.In this episode of the Acquire Podcast with Andrew Gazdecki, Luka Pecavar breaks down:How he launched a profitable micro-SaaS inside the Wix ecosystemWhy app marketplaces like Wix and Shopify are untapped opportunities for indie hackersWhat to expect during a micro-acquisition, from listing to negotiationKey lessons from bootstrapping, scaling, and exiting a niche SaaS productIf you’re building, scaling, or thinking about selling a micro-SaaS, this episode is a must-listen.Follow Luka’s next steps:LinkedIn

When Abdulla Abdurazzoqov Reflects on Selling His SaaS Startup, He Offers These Takeaways:Build organic traffic early with free toolsChoose peace of mind over uncertaintyA strong Product Hunt launch can drive your first paying users fastAbdulla built AIHumanize.com as a solo founder and sold it within just nine months for a six-figure deal on Acquire.com. His platform helped users rewrite AI-generated content to sound more human and bypass AI detectors—attracting a surprising customer base of students and lawyers.The decision to sell came from a desire for financial stability and less stress, especially as he supported his family full-time. Listing on Acquire.com brought over 30 NDAs in the first few days, and after a smooth diligence process, he found the right buyer who understood both the niche and the tech stack.Today, Abdulla is working full-time on his next project: DetectingAI.com, which identifies whether content was generated by AI, already serving over 250,000 users.Tune into the Acquire podcast with Andrew Gazdecki and Abdulla as they discuss: ► How Abdulla built and sold his SaaS in under a year ► Launch strategies that convert free users into paying ones ► What to expect emotionally and financially after an exitFollow Abdulla's journey through the link below:LinkedInFacebook

What does it take to sell a music software startup and walk away with a life-changing payout?Emmett Cooke says it comes down to four things:1. Leveraging existing relationships to acquire your first customers2. Building a product that solves a real pain point but also requires a cultural shift3. Choosing the right buyer who shares your vision4. Selling at the right time, when burnout starts to set inEmmett originally founded his music software company using his experience with e-commerce in music. With a pre-existing contact list, he contacted companies and offereda solution to their customer support problems, solving issues around downloads, emails, and data privacy concerns. Slowly, word of mouth helped grow the business, and Emmet scaled it to over 100 B2B clients and around 360,000 B2C users.But as the business grew, Emmett realized he was losing energy. Between the challenges of managing a growing company, his expanding family, and the stress of providing a service people depended on, he realized it was time to sell. A favorable tax break in Ireland made it the right time to sell.Emmett worked with an M&A advisor, listed the business, and was soon overwhelmed with offers. He chose the buyer who shared his vision, and the deal was closed with an upfront payment, which was crucial for tax reasons.In his conversation with Andrew Gazdecki, Emmett shares insights on:• How leveraging your existing network can help you land your first customers• The challenges of shifting culture in an industry and how to overcome resistance• Why it’s important to sell when you start feeling burnt out, even if the business is still growing• How the negotiation process unfolded, with offers from different industriesEmmett’s journey is far from over, and you can continue following hisprogress through the link below:⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠