Startup Acquisition Stories Ep #112 | Making $250,000 on His Second Sale on Acquire.com

Startup Acquisition Stories Ep #112 | Making $250,000 on His Second Sale on Acquire.com

Author: Acquire.com September 19, 2024 Duration: 27:25

Nico Jeannen just made a quarter-million dollar sale a couple weeks ago with the acquisition of his transcription product, Talknotes.

It’s his second sale after a string of roughly 17 startups that have seen increasing success.

Here’s how he made TalkNotes.

One day, Nico was trying to get Google to transcribe a voice note for him when he noticed the quality was poor. He crafted a prototype transcriber using an AI API and posted it on X.com (formerly Twitter) making $700 in just a few days.

He scaled further using his knowledge of SEO gained from previous projects.

Nico realized he didn’t want to spend hours fixing code and doing customer support after one round of bug fixes dipped customer acquisition by 70%. He wanted to sell quickly – before he burned out.

He listed on Acquire and secured an all-cash $200,000 deal in weeks with the help of Ebony on Acquire.com’s support team.

Listen to Andrew and Nico’s interview as they discuss:

  • What Nico has learned about startups after building 17 of them
  • Why Nico accepted a drastic price cut for his sale
  • The dangers of playing buyers against each other

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Want more stories? Access the past 50+ acquisition stories here → https://blog.acquire.com/tag/startup-acquisition-stories-podcast/Thinking about selling your own startup? The number one question is always 'how much can I sell for' and we've got the answers in our biannual valuation multiples reports here → https://blog.acquire.com/tag/acquire-coms-acquisition-multiples-report/

Thinking about buying a startup? Sign up for a free buyer account and browse all the live listings. Upgrade only when you find the right one that fits your acquisition criteria to engage. Get Started → https://acquire.com/buyers/

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Follow the Guest: Nico Jeannen -

Follow the Host: Andrew Gazdecki -

Follow Acquire.com -

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About Acquire.com:

Acquire.com is the largest and most active acquisition marketplace for buying and selling online businesses. Acquire.com is the highest rated platform for both ease and quickness to match buyers and sellers.We cater to all types of online, revenue-generating businesses while producing the highest success rates for SaaS and eCommerce/DTC businesses in the M&A industry. Join over 350,000 entrepreneurs making life-changing connections and deals everyday.



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: 100

Startup Acquisition Stories
Podcast Episodes
Why Clear Execution Made This Acquisition a Sure Thing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:36
Zach Simmons did not approach acquisition as a shortcut. He approached it as a shift in risk.After building companies from scratch, he understood how uncertain the early stages can be. Validation takes time, traction tak…
How Building in Public Turned Trust Into a Clean Exit [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:58
Maxime Berger built BlogBuster in public long before he tried to sell it.With no audience at first, he showed up daily and shared the work as it happened. That consistency created trust before the product ever launched a…
From Zero to a Business Ready to Sell [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:10
Arman Iranpour and Matt Aleali built Appraiva with a clear goal: make the business work before trying to scale it.Instead of chasing growth early, they focused on solving one problem well and building a product buyers co…
Why Waiting Made This Startup Actually Worth Selling [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:04
Samuel Abebe almost sold SpeakerSplit too early, but waiting turned it into a business that buyers actually wanted.Instead of cashing out fast, Samuel focused on building predictable revenue, operational clarity, and a s…
Why Buyers Wanted THIS Design Business [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:20
Eddie Lobanovskiy, David Kovalev, and Phil Goodwin didn’t grow a design agency through hype.They built a subscription design business around systems, clarity, and predictable delivery, and that’s what attracted buyers.Af…
The Playbook Behind 18 Startup Acquisitions [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:30
Stewart Faught has built and sold 18 software companies without venture funding or hype.His path demonstrates how simple tools, focused verticals, and repeatable systems can create tangible outcomes.By focusing on local…
How This Bootstrapped App Got a Fast, Clean Exit [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:08
Seun Oshinaike built Street Tag, a fitness app that turned daily walks into friendly competition and community impact, to make movement fun again.Without VC funding or shortcuts, he grew Street Tag across the UK, proving…
The 48-Hour Rescue That Turned Into a Profitable Acquisition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:54
When a startup shut down overnight, Jesse Tinsley saw an opportunity. In less than 48 hours, he transformed a company that had gone dormant into a profitable and growing business.His founder story demonstrates how swift…
One Simple Habit Made This Startup Easy to Sell [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:39
Growing fast isn’t the only way to succeed. For Jordan Richards, staying consistent was what made his exit possible.His founder story shows how discipline and documentation can turn a small agency into a clean, profitabl…
From Two Small Projects to Profitable Exits on Acquire.com [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:44
Running small projects may not be glamorous. But for Thomas Ulman, it was the smartest way to scale and sell. His founder story shows how improving what already works can lead to clean, profitable exits.He took over Wait…