[chimi]

There is a perception that acquihires are pushed through with pulled favors from venture capitalists looking to get out easy, rather than successful exits earned in the traditional manner. I, myself, wonder if these types of exits are possible for bootstrapped startups like they are for VC funded companies. It'd be neat to see a list of both.

On the plus side, I do think it takes a lot of time, energy, and luck to put together a highly functioning team and that has value -- maybe that's being overvalued too though...

[arohner]

I can tell you from experience, I've turned down several acquihires in the last few months from giant companies, with no VC raised. It can happen if you're bootstrapped.

[chimi]

I don't want to pry too much, but do you have a team? Are these companies looking to hire just you or your IP? I am curious to hear more if you'd like to share.

[arohner]

The team is two founders and a contractor. Without talking specifics, the distinction between acquire and acquihire is IP/revenue/traction. Acquihire means "we don't care about your product, market or IP, but we do need talented engineers who demonstrate they can build".

[joshu]

Acquihires tend to be poor returns for the investors in my experience. The VC interaction is mostly just hoping for a soft landing for the team rather than an actively pursued goal.