Tending Bonsai
What we buy
A good product deserves a future.
We acquire established digital products: useful tools, apps and content businesses that have earned a place in people's lives. We are drawn to products with a clear purpose, an audience that values them and a business that can be understood.
Sometimes a founder has taken a product as far as they want to. Sometimes the work of running it has outgrown the time they can give it. We look for businesses where a change of ownership can create room for the next stage, while preserving what made the product worth building.
Our approach
An owner for what comes next.
We are former founders with successful exits, now buying businesses to own and operate them. That means thinking about the work after the sale as carefully as the transaction itself.
Understand before we change.
A product's strengths are not always obvious from its financials. We want to know why customers choose it, what they depend on and where the founder's judgment makes a difference. Those things should inform what happens next.
Give the business attention.
Reliable service, clear communication and a product that keeps improving all require steady work. We look for practical ways to strengthen the business, with attention to both the customer experience and the economics that sustain it.
Take responsibility for the handover.
A good transition takes planning on both sides. We work with the founder to understand the moving parts, agree what support is needed and make the transfer of knowledge part of the deal from the start.
Selling to us
A considered process.
A clear next step.
Selling a business brings practical questions as well as personal ones. The conversation should give both sides enough information to make a considered decision.
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Start with the business and your goals.
Tell us what the product does, who uses it and what you want from a sale. We use that first conversation to understand the fit and what matters to you, including your timing and the role you want after a handover.
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Build a shared understanding.
If there is a fit, we look more closely at the business, its customers and how it runs. Sensitive information belongs behind appropriate confidentiality arrangements. We discuss the questions that matter to the acquisition and the work of taking over.
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Agree the terms and the path forward.
An offer should set out the proposed price, structure and expectations clearly. We consider those together, along with the remaining diligence and the steps needed to complete the sale. The terms need to reflect the individual business.
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Prepare for a thoughtful transition.
Before the handover, we agree how the product, accounts and operating knowledge will transfer. We plan for continuity for customers and clarity about the founder's responsibilities, so both sides know what is expected after closing.
Contact
Thinking about what comes next?
You may be ready to sell, or still deciding whether a sale is the right next step. Send us a link to your product, a brief introduction and what you would like us to know about your plans.
There is no need to share confidential documents in an opening email. A little context is enough to begin a useful conversation.