When corporate parent IAC sought to sell the struggling subscription service, Reich offered no cash but gave them a minority stake. This non-traditional deal, effectively 'idiot insurance' for IAC in case of success, allowed Reich to take control and pivot the company creatively.
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Serial acquirer Lifco improves post-acquisition performance by having sellers retain an ownership stake in their business. This goes beyond typical earn-outs, keeping the founder's expertise and incentives aligned with the parent company for long-term growth, rather than just hitting short-term targets.
BroBible's parent company, Woven, remained focused on complex direct ad sales. This created an opportunity for the founding team to buy the site back and immediately implement a programmatic advertising strategy as its core business model, unlocking a massive, previously neglected revenue stream.
After selling her company, Create & Cultivate, to a private equity firm, founder Jacqueline Johnson opportunistically repurchased the business for a lower price. This rare maneuver demonstrates a savvy understanding of market timing and negotiation with institutional buyers.
At 18, Alex Marechniak acquired his first business with minimal capital by negotiating an "earn out" with the sellers. This seller-financing structure allowed him to pay for the business using a percentage of its future revenue, proving lack of capital isn't a barrier to ownership.
After being acquired by Woven Digital, BroBible was neglected as the parent company focused on other assets. Recognizing its untapped potential, especially with the rise of programmatic ads, the original staff banded together to buy the company back when Woven began selling its holdings.
When COVID revenue dropped to zero, SkillVari's founder seized the opportunity to buy out their India-centric, impact-focused Series A investors for 50% of their original $1.2M investment. This strategic move regained control and aligned the cap table with their new global, software-first vision.
When corporate parent IAC couldn't sell the underperforming CollegeHumor, Sam Reich proposed a $0 acquisition where IAC retained a minority stake. This structure allowed them to bet on his vision without further investment, while he gained full control to execute a radical turnaround.
When the pandemic decimated their hardware business, SkillVari's founders bought out their investors for 50 cents on the dollar. This move gave them freedom to pivot to a software-led model and capture all subsequent upside, turning near-zero revenue into a $1.5M run rate.
Supercell engineered a unique acquisition deal with SoftBank. They sold a 51% majority stake, providing liquidity to early investors, but negotiated to have all creative and operational control contractually returned to the founding team. This provided capital without sacrificing their culture or independence.
Two founders rejected a $20M acquisition offer they felt was too low. After successfully pivoting their business during the pandemic, they returned to the same buyer and received a doubled offer of $40M with better terms. This shows how patience and focusing on business performance can dramatically improve an exit outcome.
