Have questions on how Acquire.com curates our marketplace? Find your answers here
How do you vet/check / audit listings?
Here at Acquire.com we pride ourselves on the quality of our marketplace listings. We have strict criteria that bring in startups that we believe will flourish and have the opportunity to go further with a number of our buyers.
That said, we DO NOT perform an in-depth analysis of seller due diligence on any or our startup listings. We do not make representations, warranties, or guarantees of any kind regarding sellers or their listed startups. Instead, we pass the baton to buyers to take the time and perform their own due diligence to make sure a company is the right fit for them.
Acquire.com is always here to help no matter what! If you’d like to learn more about our role, please see our Buyer and Seller Terms of Use
Does my Startup qualify for listing on Acquire.com?
That is a great question! Although we wish we could qualify all listings, Acquire.com amplifies listings that we believe will receive buyer attention and therefore make the acquisition process much more rewarding for all involved.
To see if your business is a good fit for Acquire.com please check out our handy article
to learn more: What Types of Startups Can You List on Acquire.com?
What startups do you currently list?
That is a great question! Although we wish we could help all kinds of businesses get acquired, Acquire.com specializes in five main startup models: SaaS, eCommerce, Shopify Apps, Mobile Apps, and Marketplaces.
Our listing criteria are as follows: all listings must have a secure SSL-certifiable website that explains the product well, must currently be operating and revenue-generating with few exceptions made for pre-revenue SaaS-specific sellers, and must have justifiable usage of price multiples that will be verified through our curation team.
To learn more about what types of startups we currently list, head over to our article that talks about just that! What Types of Startups Can You List on Acquire.com?
Which startups do you currently make exceptions and list sometimes?
Because we see acquisitions as a two-way success story, we do make exceptions for pre-revenue SaaS startups on an as-needed basis.
Pre-revenue startups must be SaaS-specific with an asking price under $25,000. The product must be helpful, interesting, niche, or have many active users along with an active and secure website.
The demand for pre-revenue startups fluctuates on Acquire.com so we tend to be stricter on qualifying pre-revenue, but don’t worry our curation team will be with you every step of the way!
What startups do you not currently list?
We hate saying no! But alas, we must deny entry to startups with whom we, unfortunately, do not specialize.
Acquire.com does not list brick-and-mortar businesses, franchise “opportunities,” or MLM commission systems. We also do not list companies seeking investments or partial acquisitions or qualify startups with broken websites or non-operational app store links. Additionally, we do not list any business pertaining to the adult entertainment industry, weapons industry, or gambling industry.
To read up on startups we do not currently list, please visit our resource article: What Types of Startups Can You List on Acquire.com?
Do you list companies that don’t have any customers OR revenue?
That is a great question! Unfortunately, Acquire.com only lists startups generating revenue from customers. If your startup is pre-revenue, your best chance at qualifying on our platform would be to find just a few paying customers. This way, your exit price will be much more meaningful, and it will be much easier to find a serious buyer.
I was rejected for not verifying my ID. Help?
Acquire.com is a highly curated marketplace. Our community counts on us to maintain fairness, transparency, and confidence in the listings, including taking additional steps to verify startup ownership.
Please log into your seller account, click View full profile, and then complete the steps to verify your profile.
Once you’ve verified your profile, please reply to this email, and we’ll take another look
We hope you understand and appreciate our extra care. 🤙
Can I list my pre-revenue startup?
We don’t usually list pre-revenue startups unless they hit some pretty strict markers. Pre-revenue startups must only be SaaS, priced under $25,000, interesting or useful or niche, have active customers, and must have a decent SSL-certified website explaining the product well.
Additionally, our curation team has the final decision on whether we can list your pre-revenue startup. With that said, you’re not guaranteed a listing even if you believe your startup checks all the boxes. Our goal is to help all startups garner attention from buyers and the best way to achieve this is to take into account our curation team and how we vet.
I submitted a pre-revenue startup and it got rejected. What happened?
I am sorry to hear that your pre-revenue startup was rejected. Unfortunately, most pre-revenue startups are not accepted on Acquire.com. Our policy entails some pretty strict criteria: only SaaS, priced under $25,000, is interesting or useful or niche, has active customers, and has a decent SSL-certifiable website explaining the product well.
Our buyer community is also quite particular about pre-revenue startups, so we are extra selective with this in mind to ensure all listings get buyer attention. We only want the best for our founders! If your pre-revenue startup is not in a place to be verified we recommend generating some revenue and then reaching back out to us to get your business acquired.
But you’ve listed other pre-revenue startups, want me to show them to you?
Thank you for your email! Yes, that is correct, we do make occasional exceptions when it comes to listing pre-revenue startups. However, it’s only when a pre-revenue startup includes IP or novel Code.
If your listing is still getting rejected under the direction of our curation team, we recommend generating some revenue to increase your chances of passing out criteria checklist.
But I DO Have customers
Hey, that is AWESOME news! To move forward with the vetting process, please connect your Google Analytics metrics. When you’re done, reply to this email and we'll let our curation team know to take another look.
Can I sell only my technology (website and domain)?
Thank you for your chat! Since within these guidelines, you would only be selling a website and domain and not the customer base, your listing would fall under our “pre-revenue" category.
Pre-revenue listings must meet the following criteria: only SaaS, priced under $25,000, is interesting or useful or niche, has active customers, and has a decent SSL-certifiable website explaining the product well.
If you'd like to move forward with your listing, we ask that you adjust your asking price to under $25,000 and edit your business description to indicate exactly what your future buyer would be acquiring.
What is my startup worth?
We actually have the in-house tools to give you data-driven insights on your business valuation. All you have to do is connect your Stripe metrics to your Acquire.com profile. This is great for Saas! Check it out here.
If you would like to manually calculate your valuation, we have just the information you need! Check out these articles to learn more
As a bonus, we also recommend you come to grips with how buyers value startups. Our founder and CEO, Andrew, has a great video explaining the various ways to evaluate your startup. Check it out here
All of these resources give you a good starting point on where you should take your asking price.
What types of businesses have a high chance of getting acquired?
At the moment, our highest in-demand listings are SaaS and Shopify apps. We're working on a much more in-depth write-up about what we're seeing. Stay tuned for our newsletter next month!
When will my startup be featured in the newsletter?
Once approved by our curation team for a newsletter blast, please allow 2-4 weeks for your startup’s turn in the newsletter! You will receive an email 48 hours in advance confirming your newsletter spot.
Can I sell my business Ideas?
Sounds interesting! As much as we would love to help you, we are more focused on startups that are currently operating and generating revenue from customers. I would recommend checking out Flippa.com, they may be able to help you with your specific business venture.
Can I list my Amazon FBA business? Shopify app?
Yes! We have many buyers interested in acquiring these types of businesses. To get started, please submit your listing for our curation team to review.
Can I sell a portion or shares of my startup?
Here at Acquire.com we unfortunately do not support the transfer of fractional shares of ownership. We are prohibited by the SEC from advertising or facilitating deals that are fractional, and we don't do licensing deals for the same reason.
Although we wish we can help you, we do know of some others who can.
If you are interested in closing a fractional ownership deal, we recommend you try Flippa.com. Similarly, if you’re looking for investors but wish to retain control of your startup, check out AngelList.com.
Can I list multiple apps for sale?
Our product team is currently working on a feature to allow multiple listings under one account, but for now, you'll need a separate account for each listing.
If you're looking to sell all apps as a bundle you can edit the current listing and add the details for each app in the description.
Alternatively, if you want to list them separately and use the same email address, just add “+appname” before the “@” on your seller account and you will receive communications for both accounts to the same email address. Example: Andrew@example.com and Andrew+Seller@example.com will both deliver to Andrew@example.com.