Startup Acquisition Stories with Dani Parra ibanez and Drilon Sqn, Founder of TrustApps

Startup Acquisition Stories with Dani Parra ibanez and Drilon Sqn, Founder of TrustApps

Author: Acquire.com January 30, 2024 Duration: 24:53

Working a nine-to-five can be a great launchpad for a successful SaaS application. Just ask Belgian founders Dani Ibanez and Drilon Sqn. Using their industry experience, they created a review application for Shopify called TrustReviews and sold it for six figures. Dani and Drilon look similar (and even finish each other's sentences) but they've pursued very different careers. Drilon is a software engineer and a cybersecurity consultant for the Belgian government. Dani worked in ecommerce marketing, advertising, and media buying for a handful of big-name clients. When they started brainstorming products to build together, Dani remembered his problems with product review apps from his marketing days. Many review platforms were two years behind on features like video reviews, for example. They built their own application and grew it rapidly through word of mouth and listening to customer feedback. They were proud of TrustReviews but when they got wind of a real-estate flip opportunity in Belgium, TrustReviews was the product they owned that was most easily sellable. They hopped on Acquire unsure they could actually sell TrustReviews but ended up closing the six-figure deal in a staggering two weeks. They walked away with more than enough to close their real estate deal. Listen to their talk with Andrew post acquisition as they discuss: ► Why you shouldn’t grow a Shopify app too quickly ► What to do with a windfall of money. ► The best parts of the Acquire.com Escrow.com integration ► A key feature they added to their website that boosted sales ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Be sure to subscribe to see the newest acquisition stories every Tuesday and gain the knowledge to buy or sell your own online business → https://youtube.com/@acquiredotcom?sub_confirmation=1 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/ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Follow the Guest: Dani Parra Ibanez and Drilon Sqn


Follow the Host: Andrew Gazdecki -


Follow Acquire.com -


▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 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
Startup Acquisition Stories with Alan Li Co-founder of Moxa [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:08
Startup Acquisition Stories with Alan Li Co-founder of Moxa Follow the Guest: Alan Li - ► https://linkedin.com/in/alan-li-711a8629 ► https://twitter.com/alanliberkeley Follow the Host: Andrew Gazdecki - ► https://twitter…
Startup Acquisition Stories with JM Sanchez Co-founder of Studia [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:47
Startup Acquisition Stories with JM Sanchez Co-founder of Studia Follow the Guest: JM Sanchez - ► https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmsanchezbarbera/ ► https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-korneev/ (Partner) ► https://www.stu…
Startup Acquisition Stories with Mark Spera, Co-founder of GrowthBar [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:40
Startup Acquisition Stories with Mark Spera, Co-founder of GrowthBar Follow the Guest: Mark Spera - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-spera-90a62322 https://www.linkedin.com/in/hailey-friedman-44897734 (Hailey Friedman (C…
Startup Acquisition Stories with Josh Kim, Founder of The Cubby [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:03
Startup Acquisition Stories with Josh Kim, Founder of The Cubby Follow the Guest: Josh Kim - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshjiwonkim/ https://thecubby.com/ (SOLD) Follow the Host: Andrew Gazdecki - https://twitter.com/a…
Startup Acquisition Stories with JK Molina, Co-founder of Tweet Hunter [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:50
Startup Acquisition Stories with JK Molina, Co-founder of Tweet Hunter Follow the Guest: JK Molina ► https://twitter.com/OneJKMolina ► https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkmolina/ ► https://tweethunter.io/ (Sold) Follow the Hos…
Startup Acquisition Stories with Moustaid Ayoub, Founder of Fastdok [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:16
Startup Acquisition Stories with Ayoub Moustaid, Founder of Fastdok Follow the Guest: Ayoub Moustaid - https://twitter.com/mstdayoub https://www.linkedin.com/in/moustaidayoub/ https://www.fastdok.com/ (Sold) Follow the H…
Startup Acquisition Stories with Jeff Richards, Founder of Rayneta [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:29
Startup Acquisition Stories with Jeff Richards, Founder of Rayneta Follow the Guest: Jeff Richards - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreyscottrichards/ https://twitter.com/notjeffrichards https://www.linkedin.com/in/britt…
Startup Acquisition Stories with Alex Rainey, Founder of MyAskAI.com [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:32
Startup Acquisition Stories with Alex Rainey, Founder of MyAskAI.com Learn How to Sell Your SaaS From a Founder with 3x Sold Follow the Guest: Alex Rainey - ► https://twitter.com/RaineyAllDay ► https://www.linkedin.com/i…
Startup Acquisition Stories with Noah Bragg, Founder of Potion.so [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:04
From #BuildinPublic to Selling His SaaS for $300,000 Follow the Guest: Noah Bragg - ► https://twitter.com/noahwbragg ► https://www.linkedin.com/in/noahbragg/ ► https://supportman.io/ (Sold on Acquire.com) ► https://potio…