Selling a startup shouldn’t require a banker, months of back-and-forth, or a large upfront fee. Acquire.com is a startup acquisition marketplace built to help founders list, negotiate, and close deals while giving buyers access to vetted acquisition opportunities.
Since launching in 2020, the platform has helped founders close 5,000+ deals across 100+ countries, facilitated over $1 billion in closed transactions, and built a network of 500,000+ buyers searching for their next acquisition.
Here’s how Acquire.com works for sellers and buyers, from creating a listing or contacting a founder to due diligence, escrow, and closing.
Key Takeaways
- Sellers get better results when listings are clear, transparent, and supported by clean financials, real metrics, and strong visual assets.
- Buyers stand out by verifying funds, reading the full listing, asking specific questions, and being clear about fit, funding, and timing.
- Acquire.com supports the full acquisition process, from listing and buyer outreach to offers, due diligence, escrow, and closing
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How to Sell a Startup on Acquire.com
Listing a startup on Acquire.com is easy, and for our general marketplace there’s no exclusivity contract. Here is how the process works from the seller’s side.
- Create your listing: Build a profile with key metrics and the reason for selling. Listings don’t go live until the seller is ready. Not sure how to price it? The Acquisition Multiples Report is built on real transaction data and is the best place to start. You can also talk with our team of advisors regarding general market trends.
- Review buyer interest: Qualified buyers send requests to connect once your listing is live. Everything on the public listing is anonymized by default, protecting the business while it’s still operating.
- Move through the acquisition workflow: The Acquire.com team guides sellers through every step: NDA, data room, letter of intent, due diligence, and purchase agreement. The help center has articles and video tutorials for first-time sellers.
- Close securely: Once a purchase agreement is signed, an escrow transaction is automatically created through Acquire’s closing partners. Assets transfer. Funds release. Deal done.
How to Create a Listing That Gets Responses
Most startup listings get ignored, not because the business is bad, but because the listing doesn’t do its job. Here’s what separates listings that generate offers from listings that sit:
- Lead with traction, not vision: Open with numbers: TTM revenue and profit, MRR, retention metrics, YoY growth. Mission statements don’t stop the scroll. Data does.
- Describe the product in one line: Say it like you’re texting a friend. We help Shopify stores recover abandoned carts via SMS. ‘AI-enabled retention vertical optimization’ does not. Clarity beats jargon every time.
- Show the real metrics. Revenue, profit, churn, customer count. The numbers are the value. Hiding them moves buyers to the next listing.
- Make it visual. Upload slides, screenshots, and a short Loom walkthrough. Visual assets build trust faster and speed up offers.
- Proof beats pitch. “$220K ARR from 300 agencies” gets a response. “We’re disrupting AI” gets scrolled past.
What Kills a Listing Before It Starts
The patterns that kill deals before they start are consistent:
- Missing numbers: Transparency builds trust. Opacity kills it.
- Overpriced with no logic: If the data can’t justify the asking price, buyers move on.
- No clear product-market fit: Listings that can’t show customers paying and staying raise too many questions.
- Confusing buzzwords: If a buyer has to work to understand what the business does, they won’t.
How to Buy a Startup on Acquire.com
Buying a startup isn’t just about having the funds. It’s about trust, speed, and clarity. With 500,000+ registered buyers competing for 2,200+ live listings, standing out requires more than “I’m interested.”
What Sellers Actually Care About
Founders want action, not ambition. The questions they ask about every buyer are simple: Can this person close? Do they understand the business? Will this be smooth? Passion statements and AI transformation plans don’t answer those questions. Preparation and clarity do.
How to Stand Out as a Buyer
- Read the full listing before reaching out. Asking questions already in the P&L signals you haven’t done your homework.
- Ask specific questions that reference real metrics: churn, CAC, LTV, and margin trends.
- Explain why this specific business is a fit, not just that it fits a category.
- Be upfront about the funding source and timeline from the first message.
- Communicate even if you are no longer interested. Leave feedback to help sellers understand where you stand.
How to Value a Startup
Valuation isn’t a vibe. It’s a formula. Start with revenue or profit multiples, then adjust based on the data.
- SaaS: typically 3–5x profit or 1 – 3x revenue, depending on the size of the business, growth rate, churn, and founder involvement.
- Agencies and content businesses: lower multiples reflect higher churn risk and revenue that is harder to transfer.
Red flags: one customer representing 80%+ of revenue, one-time revenue spikes, declining traffic, or MRR. A buyer isn’t just acquiring income — they’re acquiring risk.
How to Structure an Offer That Gets Accepted
A strong offer tells a story, not just a price.
- Show how the valuation was calculated. Outline key assumptions expected to be validated in diligence. Sellers respond better to offers that explain the math.
- Keep terms simple. Complex structures create doubt and require more legal work.
- Be specific about funding: cash, loan, or investors. Vagueness about money is one of the most common deal killers.
- Share a clear timeline from LOI to close.
Deal structures that work well on Acquire.com include seller financing, earnouts tied to retention or growth milestones, holdbacks for transition support, and equity rollovers. If a seller believes a buyer will close, they will flex on structure.
What Support Does Acquire.com Offer Sellers?
Acquire.com guides sellers through every step of the process, from listing optimization and buyer vetting to offer review and closing support. For SaaS businesses generating over $1M in annual revenue, Guided by Acquire is an extended service option where our M&A expert team handles marketing, buyer outreach, and coaching on negotiation and running your process so you can have the best chances of succeeding.
M&A Tips From 5,000+ Closed Deals
- Drive conversations forward: Every message should have a clear next step.
- Get the P&L clean before listing: Unclear numbers erode trust before the first call.
- Be upfront about risks: Sellers who address weaknesses proactively build more credibility than those who bury them in due diligence.
- Respond fast: The best buyers run multiple processes simultaneously. Slow responses lose deals.
- Don’t wait until burnout to list: Founders who list while the business has momentum get better multiples. A declining business is a much harder sell.
TL;DR
Sellers: list well, show the numbers, respond fast, close clean.
Buyers: do your homework, explain the fit, and be clear on funding and timeline.
Acquire.com connects both sides with the tools, workflow, and support to take a deal from first message to closing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to list a startup on Acquire.com?
The listing fee is minimal based on your asking price. Our closing fee only applies if you are successful. We only make money when your deal closes. Low listing fees, closing fee upon success, quick timelines to sell, no surprises. We only win when you do.
How long does it take to sell a startup on Acquire.com?
The realistic average is 90 to 120 days from listing to close. That said, depending on deal size, most deals on Acquire.com move faster, typically 30 to 60 days. The biggest factor is preparation: a clean data room, organized financials, and a tight story let you move fast when a serious buyer shows up.
What types of businesses can you sell on Acquire.com?
SaaS, agencies, mobile apps, Shopify apps, content sites, newsletters, ecommerce, Amazon FBA, AI businesses, and more. If it has real revenue, real customers, and clean financials, it belongs. We approve about 13% of submissions. Quality matters.
What is Guided by Acquire?
Guided by Acquire is a premium advisory program where an M&A advisor supports your deal end-to-end. Listing prep, buyer outreach, negotiations, and closing. Instead of wondering, we actively coach on how to bring the most qualified buyers to you. That’s what creates competition and drives better outcomes.
Do I need a perfect business to list on Acquire.com?
No. Deals don’t fail because of imperfections. They fail because of surprises. Clean financials, honest positioning, and a data room that answers key questions upfront. Buyers pay for what’s real.
How do you stand out as a buyer on Acquire.com?
Verify your funds. Complete your profile. Be specific in your first message. Show you’ve read the listing. Respond fast. Ask smart questions. Most buyers don’t do this. If you do, sellers will prioritize you.