Sell Your SaaS Business Privately
Create a private SaaS sale opportunity, complete the HowToBuySaaS review process, activate your approved listing, and explore conversations with eligible acquirers through the private marketplace.
Selling the business?
Use this journey when your objective is to explore the sale of the SaaS business or another acquisition-led exit.
Raising capital instead?
Fundraising follows a separate founder journey. Explore SaaS fundraising.
How a SaaS Sale Opportunity Enters the Private Marketplace
Creating an account does not automatically publish a business for sale. The opportunity moves through onboarding, submission, review, approval and activation before becoming available inside the private marketplace.
Sign up for the HowToBuySaaS private marketplace as a founder.
During onboarding, indicate that your objective is to sell the SaaS business rather than raise capital.
Provide the requested company, product, business model, financial, operational and transaction information.
Prepare the SaaS acquisition listing and submit it for review.
The marketplace team reviews the submission before it is eligible for publication.
If approved, the founder is notified that the opportunity can proceed to activation.
The approved founder purchases the applicable marketplace listing plan. Until activation, the listing remains unpublished.
The approved active opportunity becomes accessible inside the private marketplace according to the applicable access rules.
What the HowToBuySaaS Review Does and Does Not Mean
Sellers and Acquirers Follow Separate Onboarding Paths
Founders create acquisition opportunities. Acquirers complete their own onboarding, provide acquisition preferences and obtain the applicable marketplace access.
Founder side
The founder prepares the opportunity and controls whether to continue conversations with interested parties.
- Founder onboarding
- Private sale opportunity creation
- HowToBuySaaS review and approval
- Applicable listing activation
- Private marketplace publication
Acquirer side
Buyers identify the kinds of SaaS businesses they are interested in and obtain the applicable marketplace access.
- Acquirer onboarding
- Acquisition criteria and preferences
- Applicable marketplace access
- Opportunity discovery
- Internal marketplace communication where available
From Marketplace Interest to Direct Deal Discussions
Once an eligible acquirer expresses interest, the parties may move through private communication, confidentiality, indicative terms, meetings and due diligence depending on the opportunity.
Private deal workflow
Not every transaction follows the same sequence. The steps below describe functionality that may be used as a conversation progresses.
HowToBuySaaS Helps Coordinate the Marketplace Process
Marketplace Access Does Not Guarantee a Transaction
HowToBuySaaS facilitates discovery and communication. Commercial decisions remain with the participating parties.
Review Marketplace Process, Confidentiality and Participation Rules
Selling a SaaS Business Through HowToBuySaaS
Does my SaaS sale listing go live immediately?
No. The opportunity first goes through HowToBuySaaS review. If approved, the founder must activate the applicable listing plan before it becomes available inside the private marketplace.
How do acquirers access opportunities?
Acquirers complete their own onboarding, provide acquisition preferences and obtain the applicable marketplace access.
Does HowToBuySaaS introduce sale opportunities to buyers?
HowToBuySaaS can introduce approved live opportunities to relevant marketplace participants. This does not guarantee buyer interest or an offer.
Can an acquirer send an NDA or LOI?
The private marketplace can support progression through NDA and LOI-related workflows where appropriate during an active deal conversation.
Can marketplace participants message each other?
Eligible users with the applicable marketplace access can use the available internal messaging workflow.
Does HowToBuySaaS arrange meetings?
HowToBuySaaS can help coordinate meetings between founders, acquirers and investors when a conversation reaches the appropriate stage.
Does HowToBuySaaS guarantee that my SaaS will sell?
No. HowToBuySaaS does not guarantee buyer interest, an LOI, valuation, transaction terms or completion of an acquisition.
Who performs due diligence?
Buyers and sellers remain responsible for appropriate financial, legal, tax, technical, commercial, contractual and other due diligence and professional advice.
Considering a Private Sale of Your SaaS Business?
Start the founder onboarding process, choose the business-sale journey and prepare your private acquisition opportunity for review.
