From Minecraft STEM Programs to a Business Exit

From Minecraft STEM Programs to a Business Exit

Author: Acquire.com June 16, 2026 Duration: 12:10

Mike Blackwell did not set out to build a business around Minecraft.


What started as coding classes evolved into Code Knights, an education company built around Minecraft STEM programs, library partnerships, and community learning.


As demand grew, the business expanded across multiple states and eventually became an acquisition opportunity. Mike later sold Code Knights through Acquire.com.


You'll hear:

  • How Minecraft helped create demand for educational programs
  • Why library partnerships became a growth engine
  • What made Code Knights attractive to buyers
  • How Mike positioned a niche business for acquisition


3 Lessons from the Code Knights Acquisition:

  1. Build Around Demand: The strongest opportunities often come from what customers already want.
  2. Create Valuable Assets: Partnerships, curriculum, and infrastructure made the business more attractive to buyers.
  3. Make the Business Easy to Understand: Clear positioning helped buyers see the opportunity.


For founders, this episode shows how a focused business can grow from a simple idea into a successful startup exit.


Follow the Guest

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Mike Blackwell

Code Knights



Behind every successful startup acquisition, there's a story-a complex mix of strategy, emotion, and paperwork that rarely gets discussed openly. Startup Acquisition Stories, from the team at Acquire.com, pulls back the curtain on those real-world transactions. Each episode features founders and entrepreneurs who have personally navigated the process of selling or buying a business through their platform. You'll hear them recount the nuanced decisions that don't make it into press releases: the challenging conversations around valuation, the subtle art of vetting the opposite party, and the critical, often overlooked, steps after the handshake. This podcast digs into the practicalities of due diligence, structuring terms, and managing the transfer of assets, all the way through to escrow and the crucial post-deal transition. It’s a grounded, detail-oriented look at the mechanics of a business exit or expansion, straight from the people who’ve lived it. For anyone curious about the actual path to a deal, beyond the theory, this series offers a rare archive of lived experience and hard-won advice.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Startup Acquisition Stories
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