Bitcoin – The Investor vs. The Acquirer
November 9, 2017 |
Want to increase the value of your business by up to 71%?
Take the 13-minute survey and get your Value Builder Score
About this episode
Subscribe:
Back in 2013, Dave Ripley became fascinated with Bitcoin. The cryptocurrency market was gaining notoriety and Ripley and a friend decided to start Glidera, a company focused on creating tools to help developers integrate cryptocurrency.
Ripley and his partner applied for and won a spot in Techstars, an accelerator that takes between 6% and 8% equity in the businesses they accept in return for access to an intensive start-up curriculum and a network of advisors.
They sold another chunk of the company to a group of Techstars advisors and finally sold the whole business to Kraken, one of the world’s largest bitcoin exchanges. In this episode, you’ll learn:
- The difference between pitching your company to an investor vs. an acquirer
- Why Bitcoin is growing as an alternative to the world’s fiat currencies
- How accelerators like Techstars work
- How not to get taken advantage of in the incestuous world of angels
Ripley was able to sell his business just three years after starting it because he knew from the start who the likely acquirers for Glidera would be. Do you know the natural buyers for your business? If not, we’ll develop a list together in Module 11 of The Value Builder System™—complete Module 1 here.
About Our Guest
We’re constantly on the prowl for interesting stories from owners who have sold their businesses. We look for owners who have sold a business that was generating $1 million or more in revenue, who are willing to share their story candidly with our community. Forbes ranked Built to Sell Radio one of their top 10 podcasts for entrepreneurs and we have more than 100,000 downloads, so your story will get shared with a great community of like-minded owners. Nominate yourself or someone you know today.
Related to this topic
The Atheist Bible Salesman Who Sold His Company for 5X Revenue
Trevor McKendrick had created the best-selling Spanish-language Bible app when he was approached about an acquisition. The offer was 3.5x revenue but Trevor got them to 5x with a combination of chutzpah and a knack for reading the fine print.
How Much Are Your Employees Worth To An Acquirer?
Impact LABS had no hard assets and little intellectual property, so why would ContextLabs want to acquire them for millions?
Once Bitten, Twice Shy: The (Real) Reason Jay Gould Sold Yashi for $33M
Jay Gould co-founded Yashi, a platform that helped advertisers buy ads on video content. Yashi grew to more than $25 million in revenue and more than $5 million in EBITDA when Gould received an offer of $33 million from Nexstar Broadcasting. The offer represented around 6 x EBITDA and Gould was conflicted. He knew he could probably get more, but he had also seen how quickly a successful company can go to zero.
The Acquisition of the Company Behind Chicago Bulls Sunglasses
If you own Chicago Bulls sunglasses—or sunglasses from just about any other NBA team—you owe your eyewear to Jason Bolt.
Lessons from Home Depot’s Acquisition of a $100 Million Juggernaut Blinds.com
Jay Steinfeld started selling blinds online in 1993. The e-commerce pioneer went on to build Blinds.com into a $100 million category killer before Home Depot decided enough was enough and made Steinfeld an offer he couldn’t refuse.
In this episode, Stephan Spencer details three strategies he pursued to withdraw from his business’s day-to-day operations. By 2010, he was able to take a six-month sabbatical which ultimately lead to a sale in 2010 with only a six-month earnout.
From Food Stamps To A Seven-figure Exit
While Michael Pedone survived off of food stamps as a kid, he dreamed of living a lifestyle where money wasn’t scarce. Fast-forward a few decades, and Pedone sold his first company for $1.2MM.
How to Get Negotiating Leverage When You’re Desperate
Chris Muench started C-Labs in 2008 to go after the burgeoning opportunities presented by the Internet-of-Things (IOT).
How To Get Acquired By Facebook (Twice)
The market for digital assistants is booming. Apple has Siri, Amazon has Alexa and Google has Google Assistant. Now, thanks to Charles Jolley, Facebook has Ozlo, a digital assistant designed to outsmart Siri and Alexa at their own game.
A strategic acquisition is a different animal. The strategic acquirer will place a value based on how much more of their product they can sell, which is exactly what Business Objects did when they bought Next Action Technologies, for 8X revenue.
From Nothing to $25 Million in 12 Months
SnapSaves was created by Buytopia, which has a deal-of-the-day business model similar to Groupon. Started by Michele Romanow and her partners in Buytopia, the idea was to let shoppers snap a picture of their grocery receipt using the app.