How to Buy Startups Online: Where to Find them & How to Choose Right in 2025

Published by Surges.co | Updated 2025

Buying a startup online is no longer just for venture capitalists or private equity firms — it’s a growing trend among individual entrepreneurs, digital marketers, and bootstrapped founders. Instead of building from the ground up, you can acquire a functioning business with real traffic, revenue, and systems already in place.

Where to Find Startups for Sale

The first step in the acquisition process is knowing where to look. Below are the most trusted online marketplaces where buyers can browse listings, analyze performance, and connect with sellers:

• Flippa: The largest open marketplace for buying and selling online businesses. You’ll find everything from content sites to e-commerce, apps, and Amazon FBA stores. Great for beginners and those on a budget.
• Empire Flippers: A curated, brokered platform with high-quality listings. Every business is vetted for revenue, traffic, and profitability. Ideal for more serious acquisitions, often in the $50K–$2M range.
• Acquire.com: Formerly MicroAcquire, this marketplace focuses on SaaS and tech startups. Good for finding bootstrap-style projects with solid monthly recurring revenue (MRR).
• Microns.io: Great for micro-startups, indie SaaS, and small side projects. Many deals are in the sub-$50K range and ideal for technical founders.

How to Make a Good Choice: What to Look For

Not every online business is worth buying. Here’s what separates a good investment from a potential headache:

• Consistent revenue: Look for stable, recurring income — especially in SaaS and subscription models.
• Organic traffic: A healthy share of SEO traffic is a good sign of demand and lower acquisition costs.
• Simple operations: Consider how many hours per week the business takes to run. Avoid ones overly dependent on the founder.
• Low customer churn: Especially for SaaS businesses, low churn = loyal users and less effort to maintain growth.
• Transferable assets: Ensure domains, ad accounts, IP, and logins are all cleanly transferrable.

The Startup Buying Process: Start to Finish

1. Set a Budget & Criteria: Define how much you’re willing to spend and what type of startup suits your skills and time.
2. Browse Listings: Use filters on Flippa, Empire Flippers, or Acquire.com to narrow down based on revenue, model, age, and price.
3. Request Access: For serious listings, you’ll often need to sign an NDA to view financials and Google Analytics.
4. Analyze Metrics: Look at revenue trends, traffic sources, email lists, SEO rankings, and customer reviews.
5. Ask Questions: Reach out to the seller about why they’re selling, who runs what, and what challenges exist.
6. Make an Offer: You can usually negotiate pricing, earn-outs, and seller support post-sale.
7. Use Escrow: Platforms like Flippa and Empire Flippers offer built-in escrow to protect your funds until all assets are transferred.
8. Transfer Assets: Domain name, hosting, CMS logins, databases, customer lists, payment processor — everything should be migrated securely.
9. Run the Business: After takeover, focus on stabilizing revenue, improving systems, and identifying growth levers.

Post-Acquisition Tips

The real challenge begins after the sale. During the first 30 days of ownership, focus on stabilizing the business. Understand how the systems are structured, and identify any single points of failure.

Make it a priority to secure access to all platforms — including hosting, CMS, email marketing, and analytics tools. Change all passwords and update billing info. Once stable, begin documenting key workflows and assessing areas for improvement. Consider tools like heatmaps or customer surveys to understand pain points and opportunities for optimization.Start by understanding all tools, funnels, and monetization paths.Change all passwords, admin emails, and 2FA settings immediately.Update analytics and heatmap software to track new activity under your ownership.Build a 90-day roadmap with small wins — redesigns, speed boosts, SEO improvements, or new content.

Conclusion

Acquiring a startup online is a powerful way to enter digital entrepreneurship without the slow grind of launching from zero. By using trusted marketplaces like Flippa and Empire Flippers, and by following a step-by-step acquisition plan, you can reduce risk and increase your chances of success.

Whether you’re buying your first content site or scaling a portfolio of SaaS tools, remember: the best acquisitions aren’t just about the numbers — they’re about finding a business you can grow, improve, and thrive with.

How to Spot a Great Deal (vs. a Dud)

Experienced buyers often look for businesses that are under-optimized — not perfect. These “diamonds in the rough” provide upside potential.

• Neglected SEO: Sites with thin content or outdated posts can be turned around with a solid content strategy.
• Weak branding: A logo refresh or UX upgrade can dramatically improve conversion rates.
• Poor monetization: Sites that rely on a single ad platform or affiliate partner are prime for income diversification.
• Manual workflows: Automating processes like customer support or email marketing adds value instantly.

Flippa vs Empire Flippers: Which One Should You Use?

Looking for your first content or dropshipping site? Flippa may be the right fit. Searching for a vetted, profitable asset? Go with Empire Flippers.

Growth Strategies After You Acquire a Startup

Once you’ve acquired a business, the real work begins. Here’s how experienced buyers grow acquisitions fast:

• Double down on SEO: Use tools like Ahrefs to find low-hanging keywords and update thin or outdated content.
• Improve CRO: A/B test key landing pages, CTAs, and pricing tiers to improve conversion rate.
• Expand monetization: Add new affiliate partners, display ads, or even upsell services.
• Retarget existing users: Launch email flows, Facebook retargeting, and abandoned cart sequences.

Want to learn more? Check out our guide on SEO Content Performance.

Final Buying Tips from Real Founders

Here are a few insights we’ve gathered from founders and investors who buy startups regularly:

• “If you can’t explain the business in one sentence, don’t buy it.” – Micro SaaS Investor
• “Always verify with third-party tools. Never trust screenshots alone.” – Empire Flippers buyer
• “I focus on boring businesses. They’re easier to run and less volatile.” – Affiliate site owner
• “Post-acquisition support is worth negotiating. Even 30 days of help can prevent disaster.” – Solo founder

Advanced Due Diligence: What the Pros Look For

Once you’ve narrowed down a target business, it’s time for deep due diligence. This step ensures you know exactly what you’re buying — and helps you avoid expensive mistakes.

• Traffic Consistency: Use Google Analytics or Clicky to check for sudden spikes or drops. Look at top pages, device usage, bounce rate, and engagement time.
• Payment Processor Logs: Ask for direct access to Stripe, PayPal, or Gumroad. Look for refunds, chargebacks, and seasonal fluctuations.
• Customer Lists: Analyze the number of paying users vs. free users, and whether email addresses are verified or stale.
• SEO History: Use the Wayback Machine or Ahrefs to see previous site content and backlink spikes that could lead to future penalties.
• Team & Operations: Clarify how much of the business depends on the seller and whether key contractors or developers are staying on.

Can You Finance a Startup Acquisition?

Yes — and many buyers do. If you’re purchasing a business over $50K, consider the following financing methods:

• SBA Loans (U.S. only): Great for high-value, U.S.-based businesses with clean financials.
• Revenue-Based Financing: Lenders like Pipe or Clearco will front capital based on recurring revenue.
• Seller Financing: Negotiate to pay 60–80% upfront, with the rest spread out over 6–12 months.
• Partnerships: Partner with another entrepreneur and split equity and capital contributions.
• Personal Loans: Use HELOCs or unsecured lines of credit — best reserved for low-risk, high-margin deals.

Legal Checklist Before You Sign

Before wiring money, have a lawyer review your purchase agreement and ensure these boxes are checked:

• Asset Purchase Agreement (APA): Clearly outlines what you’re buying — domain, customer list, IP, etc.
• Non-Compete Clause: Prevents the seller from launching a direct competitor right after the sale.
• IP Transfer: Domain ownership, source code, design assets, trademarks should be transferred in writing.
• Pending Liabilities: Ask the seller to disclose any debts, lawsuits, or unresolved contracts.
• Warranties & Indemnification: Protects you if critical information is later found to be false.

Two Real-World Startup Buying Journeys

Case A – SaaS Acquisition Turnaround: A solo founder acquired a $75K CRM SaaS with 400 paying users. Post-sale, they improved onboarding, added tutorials, and increased MRR by 40% in six months. They used seller financing to close the deal with only $50K upfront.

Case B – Affiliate Blog Exit to Empire Flippers Buyer: A niche blog making $2,500/month via affiliate links was sold for $92K. The buyer updated outdated posts, added schema markup, and launched a lead capture funnel. Traffic doubled within four months.

Final Tips for Long-Term Success

• Document everything: Keep SOPs and transition guides in a shared drive from Day 1.
• Don’t rush improvements: Observe before you optimize. Understand seasonality and user behavior first.
• Join acquisition communities: Groups like Indie Hackers, MicroAcquire Slack, and Reddit’s r/startups offer feedback and deal flow.
• Focus on retention: Improving LTV and churn often matters more than acquiring new users post-purchase.