They Got Acquired - Sold for a 100x multiple 🤯

September 20, 2022
​Read on web​

The company we're about to tell you about sold for a 100x multiple of annual revenue.

100x! 😮

And the coolest part? The founder is a research scientist.

Labber founder Simon Gustavsson built a software that solves a common problem for researchers and engineers, so they can focus on quantum computing experimentation.

The company sold to technology giant Keysight Technologies for a low-8 figure sum.

More on how Gustavsson built and sold Labber👇

👩‍🚀 This founder took a quantum leap with his computing project & sold for 100x revenue

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Behind the business

I almost didn't post this Twitter thread. (Here's the LinkedIn version if that's more your style.)

It felt a little too vulnerable, even for someone who's been writing online for more than a decade.

My husband convinced me it was worth posting, that the upside of being transparent would be more powerful than any potential downside.

So I pushed it live, sharing how much we've spent (through the end of July) since I began working on this company a year ago ($115,000), how much we've earned since launch ($42,000) and how much I've personally invested ($73,000). I also shared how that investment feels scary.

The reason it feels vulnerable is because we're not profitable yet. We are still working hard to get an ROI on that investment.

It's easy to talk about the challenging parts when you're looking back from a successful place. But I'm still in the messy middle.

So I almost didn't share that post. Yet when I did, so many good things happened!

The transparency resonated, and people appreciated that I'd pushed past my discomfort to offer an honest look at what it can cost to start a business.

Some of the wins and opportunities that resulted from that vulnerability:

• Hundreds of new email subscribers
• Inquiries from new sponsors
• An opportunity to write a column for a well-known business publication (which would gain us a 90+ DR backlink)
• Hundreds of new Twitter followers and LinkedIn connection requests
• Messages and comments on both social platforms from people who had heard about what we're building for the first time

Seeing these messages flood my inbox got me thinking about how the details I was hesitant to share are exactly what resonated with all of those people.

The parts that felt hard and true to me didn't push them away; it brought them closer. The transparency made them more invested in our mission. It fostered trust.

So next time I come up against this discomfort, I'm going to ask myself: Is the part you're nervous to share what will resonate most?

Sometimes it's still worth putting those ideas out there, even if you're in the messy middle.

See you next time,

Lexi Grant
Founder & CEO
​They Got Acquired​
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P.S. I like hearing from you. Don't be afraid to press reply and let me know what you're up to and how we can help!

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About us 👋

Our mission is to redefine startup success by showcasing companies that sell for $100K-$50M. Learn more about us or follow us on Twitter.

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