This Founder Sold His Startup, Bought it Back for Pennies, and Resold it on Acquire.com for 5 Figures

This Founder Sold His Startup, Bought it Back for Pennies, and Resold it on Acquire.com for 5 Figures

Author: Acquire.com March 5, 2024 Duration: 31:50

If someone told you they did what you just read in this title, you’d probably think they’d committed a crime.


But Qayyum Rajan’s good fortune was a surprise twist of fate.


Early in 2023, Qayyum sold his business, ESG Analytics, to a private equity firm. But, his acquirer ran out of money and offered the business back to him for next to nothing a few months later.


Qayyum got back in the driver's seat of his startup, spent $10,000 to redesign its website, and then listed it on Acquire.com for another sale.


ESG Analytics was popular with buyers. Its clients were mid-level private equity firms and portfolio managers who needed to evaluate environmental social good (ESG) performance across large numbers of businesses.


No other tool provided affordable ESG industry reports at the time. Within days of listing on Acquire, Qayyam was pitting a handful of small PE buyers against each other in a bidding war.


He finally sold for five figures, spent 20 percent on a vacation for himself and his wife, and set the other 80 percent aside for savings.


Post-acquisition, listen to Qayyum’s Startup Acquisition Stories Podcast episode with Andrew as they discuss:

  • The huge ESG industry problem Qayyum capitalized on
  • The advantages of selling a business multiple times
  • What founders need to do to increase their sale valuation
  • Why future sellers need to be extra careful when applying for a business credit card


Qayyum is just getting started and you can follow him on his journey here:


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Follow the Guest: Qayyum Raja

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
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…