We share stories of companies that sell for $100,000 to $50 million, revealing insights that lead to life-changing exits. We believe in lifting up founders who don't follow the Silicon Valley narrative.
Our mission is to redefine startup success.
Silicon Valley tells us success means selling for hundreds of millions of dollars, a result of fast growth at all costs and raising lots of venture capital.
But for many entrepreneurs, there’s a more likely and more appealing option: a smaller yet life-changing exit, accomplished through thoughtful, sustainable growth while retaining ownership through bootstrapping or minimum funding.
We tell the stories of entrepreneurs who play in this space, offering resources and guidance. Because not every founder wants to build a unicorn.
I’m our company founder, Alexis Grant. I went through two such exits in six years, and both times I was hungry for more data, more relevant advice, and more examples of success that looked like mine. After selling my second content business in 2021, I set out to build what was missing. This podcast episode shares more about why I built They Got Acquired.
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Our approach to storytelling and data-collection stems from our founder’s background in journalism and experience growing content companies. We value accuracy and lean on experts for information.
For some deals, details are private and confidential, and we might not have every data point. Yet we’ve found that through a combination of original reporting — going directly to the source, typically the founder — and thoughtful aggregation of information across the web, we can paint a picture of the company and the deal that’s insightful.
When we combine all of these stories, we form a whole we believe is worth pursuing: a new narrative around acquisitions of online businesses. That’s where the magic happens.
While we cover any deals that meet our criteria (primarily online, sold between $100K-$50M since 2017), we go out of our way to share stories that aren’t highlighted elsewhere, founders who have deviated from the Silicon Valley narrative. That includes women-led and bootstrapped businesses, and companies that have taken the “calm” approach to building. Here’s more on our approach to reporting.
A Spotlight on Tech’s Invisible Start-ups
The New York Times
March 1, 2022
How to sell a business for under $1M
Meridian
July 2022