Learn why it's always safer to stay on Acquire.com when acquiring businesses.
In all but the rarest exceptions, you have everything you need to transact your acquisition safely on Acquire.com. And while you might think it easier or less time-consuming to move your acquisition off-platform, the reality is usually the opposite – taxing and risky.
Not only have we built time-saving technology that makes acquiring a startup easier (our LOI and APA builders, for example), but you also get a free escrow service to ensure you get the assets you paid for. Add in verification and vetting, and you're in the best place to close.
Why moving off-platform is risky
One of the reasons we built Acquire.com was to create a fair and transparent acquisition process with built-in safety measures protecting you from fraud.
Every conversation, every document, and every on-platform action leaves an audit trail you can refer to later. Our Escrow.com integration pulls your APA details through, saving you time and ensuring your deal closes with all the conditions and terms you agreed to.
Our fair legal wordings means no one can exploit you with terms favoring one side, and our guided acquisition process ensures no last-minute and unexplained changes in your APA. And by using Escrow.com (or one of our other trusted partners), you can close safely.
If you don't think Escrow.com is the right service for your acquisition, email support@acquire.com. We'll arrange another trusted escrow service for free so you can enjoy peace of mind while closing your acquisition.
When you move off-platform, you lose all these safety measures. You're at the mercy of unscrupulous people who may try to defraud you by withholding assets or sending those that aren't fit for purpose or not as they were described to you.
How we protect your acquisition
You only see vetted (and verified) startups
Our curation team evaluates every startup submitted to the marketplace, approving less than half on average (only around 45 percent get listed). If the seller wants to edit their listing after we approve it, the changes must go through our curation team.
US listings now go through business verification with our partner, Persona, and we check addresses of international businesses, too.
This dedication to quality listings is your first protection against scams and fraudsters. We conduct the basic due diligence checks on performance, legitimacy, and credibility so you can spend more time dealmaking – without worrying if the listing is real or not.
We guide sellers through the process (so you don't have to)
You don't want to spend time educating sellers on the acquisition process. Leave that to us. Our in-house M&A and acquisition success teams work with founders to ensure their listings are honest, accurate, and highlight the data you want to see. They also provide ongoing support to ensure sellers are prepared and easy to work with, saving you stress and time.
Your conversations are recorded for referring to later
Disputes are rare on Acquire.com, but when they happen, you can refer to your chat history as evidence to support your case. No one can say, "Oh, I never got your message." We also recommend following up every phone conversation with a written summary just so you're both clear on next steps (this also helps your acquisition move faster).
Escrow guarantees an inspection period of delivered assets
In the closing stages of your acquisition, you'll send your funds to Escrow.com or another of our escrow partners for verification. Then you get an inspection period in which to review and approve the assets your seller sends. Only when you approve these assets (or the inspection period expires) are your funds released, ensuring your satisfaction.
You sign balanced legal wordings that are fair to both of you
Unless you're a lawyer, the legal documents that close your acquisition can feel dense and impenetrable. It's not unheard of for more legally-minded folk to use acquisition documents to exploit the other party. Not cool. But if you use our legal document builders, you and the seller enjoy balanced wordings that offer equal protections and guarantees.
Is it okay to share private contact details?
Sometimes you might need to share contact details with the seller. Maybe you need to get on a call or want to cc an important document to their email address. Limit this as much as you can. When you share private contact details, we'll remind you of the dangers of going off-platform in chat. Just in case.
Still need help?
Please search the help desk again or contact support at support@acquire.com.