Startup Acquisition Stories

If someone told you they did what you just read in this title, you’d probably think they’d committed a crime. But Qayyum Rajan’s good fortune was a surprise twist of fate. Early in 2023, Qayyum sold his business, ESG Analytics, to a private equity firm. But, his acquirer ran out of money and offered the business back to him for next to nothing a few months later. Qayyum got back in the driver's seat of his startup, spent $10,000 to redesign its website, and then listed it on Acquire.com for another sale. ESG Analytics was popular with buyers. Its clients were mid-level private equity firms and portfolio managers who needed to evaluate environmental social good (ESG) performance across large numbers of businesses. No other tool provided affordable ESG industry reports at the time. Within days of listing on Acquire, Qayyam was pitting a handful of small PE buyers against each other in a bidding war. He finally sold for five figures, spent 20 percent on a vacation for himself and his wife, and set the other 80 percent aside for savings. Post-acquisition, listen to Qayyum’s Startup Acquisition Stories Podcast episode with Andrew as they discuss: The huge ESG industry problem Qayyum capitalized on The advantages of selling a business multiple times What founders need to do to increase their sale valuation Why future sellers need to be extra careful when applying for a business credit card Qayyum is just getting started and you can follow him on his journey here: LinkedIn His new business: http://www.nuuventures.com/ Twitter ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Follow the Guest: Qayyum Raja https://twitter.com/qayyumrajan https://www.esganalytics.io/how-it-works (SOLD) Follow the Host: Andrew Gazdecki - ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/agazdecki⁠/⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/agazdecki/​⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://acquire.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Acquire.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/acquiredotcom/⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/acquiredotcom/⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@acquiredotcom/⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@acquiredotcom⁠⁠⁠⁠ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ About Acquire.com: Acquire.com is the largest and most active acquisition marketplace for buying and selling online businesses. Acquire.com is the highest rated platform for both ease and quickness to match buyers and sellers. We cater to all types of online, revenue-generating businesses while producing the highest success rates for SaaS and eCommerce/DTC businesses in the M&A industry. Join over 350,000 entrepreneurs making life-changing connections and deals everyday.

Venture-backed startups often fail, but M&A can salvage them. Wil Schroter shares his experience of buying failing startups and making 50 times ROI. Topics include knowing when to sell, restructuring a startup for desirability, and the challenges of acquiring distressed companies.

Working a nine-to-five can be a great launchpad for a successful SaaS application. Just ask Belgian founders Dani Ibanez and Drilon Sqn. Using their industry experience, they created a review application for Shopify called TrustReviews and sold it for six figures. Dani and Drilon look similar (and even finish each other's sentences) but they've pursued very different careers. Drilon is a software engineer and a cybersecurity consultant for the Belgian government. Dani worked in ecommerce marketing, advertising, and media buying for a handful of big-name clients. When they started brainstorming products to build together, Dani remembered his problems with product review apps from his marketing days. Many review platforms were two years behind on features like video reviews, for example. They built their own application and grew it rapidly through word of mouth and listening to customer feedback. They were proud of TrustReviews but when they got wind of a real-estate flip opportunity in Belgium, TrustReviews was the product they owned that was most easily sellable. They hopped on Acquire unsure they could actually sell TrustReviews but ended up closing the six-figure deal in a staggering two weeks. They walked away with more than enough to close their real estate deal. Listen to their talk with Andrew post acquisition as they discuss: ► Why you shouldn’t grow a Shopify app too quickly ► What to do with a windfall of money. ► The best parts of the Acquire.com Escrow.com integration ► A key feature they added to their website that boosted sales ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Be sure to subscribe to see the newest acquisition stories every Tuesday and gain the knowledge to buy or sell your own online business → https://youtube.com/@acquiredotcom?sub_confirmation=1 Want more stories? Access the past 50+ acquisition stories here → https://blog.acquire.com/tag/startup-acquisition-stories-podcast/ Thinking about selling your own startup? The number one question is always 'how much can I sell for' and we've got the answers in our biannual valuation multiples reports here → https://blog.acquire.com/tag/acquire-coms-acquisition-multiples-report/ Thinking about buying a startup? Sign up for a free buyer account and browse all the live listings. Upgrade only when you find the right one that fits your acquisition criteria to engage. Get Started → https://acquire.com/buyers/ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Follow the Guest: Dani Parra Ibanez and Drilon Sqn https://twitter.com/Daniparraibanez https://twitter.com/DrilonSqn https://reviews.trustapps.co/ (SOLD) Follow the Host: Andrew Gazdecki - https://twitter.com/agazdecki​ https://www.linkedin.com/in/agazdecki/​ https://acquire.com Follow Acquire.com - https://twitter.com/acquiredotcom https://www.linkedin.com/company/acquiredotcom https://www.tiktok.com/@acquiredotcom ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ About Acquire.com: Acquire.com is the largest and most active acquisition marketplace for buying and selling online businesses. Acquire.com is the highest rated platform for both ease and quickness to match buyers and sellers. We cater to all types of online, revenue-generating businesses while producing the highest success rates for SaaS and eCommerce/DTC businesses in the M&A industry. Join over 350,000 entrepreneurs making life-changing connections and deals everyday.

Martin Galovic, Founder of FanMetrics, shares his coding journey and how he built FansMetrics.com, the biggest long-term search engine, eventually selling it for seven figures. The chapter also discusses their journey in creating a website that gained massive attention, tips for founders looking to sell their businesses, generating multiple offers, managing finances, and building relationships with AI using acquire.com.

Startup Acquisition Stories with Ken Savage, Founder of Product Launch Pro ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Follow the Guest: Ken Savage - https://twitter.com/kensavage https://www.linkedin.com/in/kensavage/ https://productlaunchpro.com (SOLD) Follow the Host: Andrew Gazdecki - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/agazdecki⁠/⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/agazdecki/​⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://acquire.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Acquire.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/acquiredotcom/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/acquiredotcom/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@acquiredotcom/⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@acquiredotcom⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ About Acquire.com: Acquire.com is the largest and most active acquisition marketplace for buying and selling online businesses. Acquire.com is the highest rated platform for both ease and quickness to match buyers and sellers. We cater to all types of online, revenue-generating businesses while producing the highest success rates for SaaS and eCommerce/DTC businesses in the M&A industry. Join over 350,000 entrepreneurs making life-changing connections and deals everyday.

Startup Acquisition Stories with Yahia Bakour, Co-founder of Stock Alarm ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Follow the Guest: Yahia Bakour - https://twitter.com/mynameisyahia https://www.linkedin.com/in/yahia-bakour/ https://stockalarm.io/ (SOLD) Follow the Host: Andrew Gazdecki - ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/agazdecki⁠/⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/agazdecki/​⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://acquire.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Acquire.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/acquiredotcom/⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/acquiredotcom/⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@acquiredotcom/⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@acquiredotcom⁠⁠⁠⁠ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ About Acquire.com: Acquire.com is the largest and most active acquisition marketplace for buying and selling online businesses. Acquire.com is the highest rated platform for both ease and quickness to match buyers and sellers. We cater to all types of online, revenue-generating businesses while producing the highest success rates for SaaS and eCommerce/DTC businesses in the M&A industry. Join over 350,000 entrepreneurs making life-changing connections and deals everyday.

Startup Acquisition Stories with Justin Vanderheide, Founder of Swimgen ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Follow the Guest: Justin Vanderheide - https://twitter.com/Jayvanderheide https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinvanderheide https://swimgen.net/ (SOLD) Follow the Host: Andrew Gazdecki - ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/agazdecki⁠/⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/agazdecki/​⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://acquire.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Acquire.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/acquiredotcom/⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/acquiredotcom/⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@acquiredotcom/⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@acquiredotcom⁠⁠⁠⁠ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ About Acquire.com: Acquire.com is the largest and most active acquisition marketplace for buying and selling online businesses. Acquire.com is the highest rated platform for both ease and quickness to match buyers and sellers. We cater to all types of online, revenue-generating businesses while producing the highest success rates for SaaS and eCommerce/DTC businesses in the M&A industry. Join over 350,000 entrepreneurs making life-changing connections and deals everyday.

Startup Acquisition Stories with Harinderpreet Singh, Founder of MicMonster ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Follow the Guest: Harinderpreet Singh ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/harinderpreet/ https://listenmonster.com/ https://micmonster.com (sold) Follow the Host: Andrew Gazdecki - ⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/agazdecki⁠/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/agazdecki/​⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://acquire.com/⁠⁠⁠ Follow Acquire.com ⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/acquiredotcom/⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/acquiredotcom/⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@acquiredotcom/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@acquiredotcom⁠⁠⁠ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ About Acquire.com: Acquire.com is the largest and most active acquisition marketplace for buying and selling online businesses. Acquire.com is the highest rated platform for both ease and quickness to match buyers and sellers. We cater to all types of online, revenue-generating businesses while producing the highest success rates for SaaS and eCommerce/DTC businesses in the M&A industry. Join over 350,000 entrepreneurs making life-changing connections and deals everyday.

Startup Acquisition Stories with Salvatore Aiello, Co-founder of DimeADozen ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Follow the Guest: Salvatore Aiello ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/dested/ ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicapowers/ (Co-founder) ⁠⁠https://www.dimeadozen.ai/ (SOLD) Follow the Host: Andrew Gazdecki - ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/agazdecki⁠/⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/agazdecki/​⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://acquire.com/⁠⁠ Follow Acquire.com ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/acquiredotcom/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/acquiredotcom/⁠⁠ ⁠https://youtube.com/@acquiredotcom/⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@acquiredotcom⁠⁠ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ About Acquire.com: Acquire.com is the largest and most active acquisition marketplace for buying and selling online businesses. Acquire.com is the highest rated platform for both ease and quickness to match buyers and sellers. We cater to all types of online, revenue-generating businesses while producing the highest success rates for SaaS and eCommerce/DTC businesses in the M&A industry. Join over 350,000 entrepreneurs making life-changing connections and deals everyday.

Startup Acquisition Stories with Simon Thompson, Founder of Podseeker ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Follow the Guest: Simon Thompson https://simonthompson.co/ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/cory-lynch-94b85785/⁠ ⁠https://solodrop.com/⁠ (SOLD) Follow the Host: Andrew Gazdecki - ⁠https://twitter.com/agazdecki⁠/ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/agazdecki/​⁠ ⁠https://acquire.com/⁠ Follow Acquire.com ⁠https://twitter.com/acquiredotcom/⁠ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/acquiredotcom/⁠ https://youtube.com/@acquiredotcom/ ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@acquiredotcom⁠ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ About Acquire.com: Acquire.com is the largest and most active acquisition marketplace for buying and selling online businesses. Acquire.com is the highest rated platform for both ease and quickness to match buyers and sellers. We cater to all types of online, revenue-generating businesses while producing the highest success rates for SaaS and eCommerce/DTC businesses in the M&A industry. Join over 350,000 entrepreneurs making life-changing connections and deals everyday.