Hey there,
Andrew here with phase two of our plan to help get more startups Acquire’d.
As you might’ve heard, we’re charging a 4 percent closing fee on all acquisitions from June 7, 2023.
In return, you get:
- An expertly optimized listing that attracts up to 400 percent more buyer interest*
- Expert technology to simplify your acquisition and close faster
- End-to-end support from acquisition pros, including in-house M&A advisors
- A huge marketing push across social media and newsletters to 100,000s of buyers
- Introductions to pro buyers including PE and VIPs whose goals match yours
- Unlimited access to the Acquire Academy and resources that prepare you for exit
- Free escrow through trusted provider Escrow.com to close your acquisition safely
- Guidance through complex exit stages like valuation, due diligence, and escrow
*compared to a non-optimized listing
All that, and more, to boost your chances of a life-changing acquisition by – dare I say it – much more than 4 percent! 🙂
How Does the Closing Fee Compare to the Market?
Depending on where you list or which broker you choose, you could pay up to 15 percent plus a listing fee or retainer. With us, you pay 4 percent flat – and only if you close. Everything else (listing, escrow, support, and more) is free.
Who Pays the Closing Fee?
Sellers pay the closing fee when their acquisition closes. It’s deducted automatically from the buyer’s closing payment through Escrow.com. But if you’ve already listed a startup or are in the process of doing so, here’s how the closing fee will apply (or not):
- If your listing is live on the marketplace on June 6th, 2023, you’ll be exempt from the closing fee.
- If your listing becomes live on or after June 7th, 2023, you’ll be subject to the closing fee.
If you’re in the midst of preparing your listing, please plan accordingly. For any questions about your closing fee status, please email support@acquire.com.
How We’ve Helped 1,000+ Startups Get Acquire’d
Since launching Acquire.com in 2019 (formerly MicroAcquire), our goal has been simple: help more startups get Acquire’d by building the most founder-friendly acquisition marketplace.
Back then, M&A was an exclusive club with its own language and customs. Unless you’d sold a business or closed deals for a living, you never knew how it really worked, which made it harder to get acquired. You might have even put off trying, jeopardizing your exit value.
We’ve worked hard to untangle and streamline the acquisition process to help you sell quickly, easily, and for a life-changing amount of money. In just three years, we’ve:
- Helped over 1,000 founders get Acquire’d
- Built a global community of 200,000+ entrepreneurs
- Streamlined the acquisition process
- Integrated escrow to protect your acquisition from fraud
- Launched the Acquire Academy
- Built a world-class customer success team
- Automated legal documents like LOIs, APAs, and NDAs
- Published market insight reports to help you set asking prices
- Built a recommendation engine that matches buyers to startups
- Vetted and financially verified thousands of buyers
- Assembled a team of in-house M&A advisors
- Earned hundreds of five-star reviews
The only thing missing is dark mode and that damn Twitter handle. 😉
And we’re just getting started!
The closing fee will accelerate us towards our goal of helping more startups get Acquire’d.
Making Acquisitions About You
You don’t need to be VC-funded and IPO to exit for a life-changing amount of money.
The more equity you retain, the more cash in your pocket, and we’ve helped over 1,000 founders exit with a bigger slice of their hard-earned pie.
Join them as we make exit dreams a reality for millions of founders around the world.
Why do you charge a closing fee?
The closing fee helps us build the marketplace, develop the technology, and hire the people to deliver on our promise of helping more startups get Acquire’d.
Are there any other fees to pay?
No, the only fee for selling on Acquire.com is the 4 percent closing fee. It’s still free to list, access all our technology and resources, and get expert help when you need it.
When do I pay the closing fee?
You pay the closing fee from the buyer’s closing payment through Escrow.com. It’s deducted automatically. If you don’t close using Escrow.com, we’ll contact you once you’ve marked your startup as Acquire’d with details of how to make the payment by card or bank transfer.
My startup is already listed – will I still need to pay?
No. If your listing is approved and live on the Acquire.com marketplace the day before we announce the implementation, you won’t need to pay the closing fee in the event of a successful exit.
What improvements can I expect to see in the future?
Our mission is to build the most founder-friendly startup acquisition marketplace. One that’s easy to use, transparent, and that streamlines the acquisition process, helping more startups get Acquire’d. We’ve made big strides towards this goal already but still have a lot more to do. In the future, expect to see:
- New legal document builders
- Better startup and buyer recommendations
- Increased flexibility and customization in dealmaking
- New market insight reports and M&A data
- Customized acquisition guidance that puts you on the path to exit
- A bigger team of customer success managers to help you get Acquire’d
- Better support for complex deal structures
- Expansions to Acquire Academy (and possible accreditations)
- New features and upgrades to the guided acquisition process (GAP)
- And 1,000s more startups getting Acquire’d!
What do I get for the 4 percent closing fee?
Your 4 percent closing fee includes:
- An expertly optimized listing on Acquire.com with help from our customer success team
- Your startup presented to 200,000+ entrepreneurs, including VIP buyers (Platinum+)
- Access to all of our technology, including legal document builders, GAP, and more
- End-to-end acquisition support from experts, including our in-house M&A advisory
- A huge marketing push for your acquisition across social media and our newsletters
- Introductions to buyers whose acquisition criteria match your startup
- Unlimited access to Acquire Academy and our library of blogs, templates, and checklists
- Expert guidance through complex acquisition phases like valuations and due diligence
How does the closing fee compare with the market?
Brokers and other marketplaces charge up to 15 percent depending on deal size. You might pay a listing fee or retainer (monthly fee) on top too.
We keep things simple on Acquire.com. When you sell your business, you pay just 4 percent when you close. And if you don’t sell, you don’t pay.
When will you start charging a closing fee?
The closing fee will apply to all startups listed starting June 7, 2023.
I closed outside of Acquire.com – do I still pay the closing fee?
If you listed your business with Acquire.com on or after June 7, 2023 and later closed your acquisition off-platform with a buyer sourced from Acquire.com, yes, we expect you to pay the closing fee.
The content on this site is not intended to provide legal, financial or M&A advice. It is for information purposes only, and any links provided are for your convenience. Please seek the services of an M&A professional before entering into any M&A transaction. It is not Acquire’s intention to solicit or interfere with any established relationship you may have with any M&A professional.
