Similar businesses sell at 1.4x to 7.5x SDE. Compare live listings and connect with sellers.
National transaction benchmarks for online and technology business businesses.
Under $500K
$500K to $2M
Over $2M
A variety of factors can cause businesses to trade outside this range, including earnings quality, operational transferability, key-person risk, growth trajectory, and geography, so a listing priced above or below the typical multiple usually reflects real differences in the underlying business.
Cofounder & CEO
Key diligence, valuation, financing, and transition considerations for buyers evaluating online and technology business acquisitions.
Do not rely on a profit-and-loss screenshot. Get read access to the payment processor, the ad accounts, the bank, and analytics, and reconcile reported revenue against processor payouts for at least the trailing twelve months.
Most online businesses depend on one channel: search, paid social, a marketplace, or an app store. Ask what share of revenue rides on it and what a ranking or policy change would do.
For subscription and SaaS models, gross and net revenue retention matter more than the top line. Growth on new customers while existing ones churn is worth far less than the headline.
A handful of accounts or a single manufacturer can carry the whole business. Quantify what happens if the largest customer or supplier walks.
Identify who owns the code, the domains, the ad pixels, and the key integrations. Founder-built systems with no documentation are a transition risk you price in, not ignore.
Many small online businesses are one person doing content, fulfillment, and support. Get specific about what the seller does each week and what it would cost to replace them.
Answers to common buyer questions for this market.
