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Runscope acquisition falls through

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Re: Runscope acquisition falls through

#21

Post by gopherstew »

johns wrote: post #20
stephenitis wrote: post #19

Was there a better way to line up a acquisition process that didn't endanger all the employees jobs?

This was a really tricky balance. We could have let some people go earlier to extend runway and maybe give us more time to optimize an exit, but at the cost of morale and perhaps a subsequent talent drain. We also knew the people were going to be a focal point for an acquisition so the more good people we could keep around, the better our value to an acquirer. All things considered we ultimately choose to hold on to…

> All things considered...

This sounds like an impossible balance to the detriment of people.

Re: Runscope acquisition falls through

#23

Post by joshmn »

johns wrote: post #5

This post is getting more attention then intended but I'll be back later tonight after my hockey game to answer any questions. I do just want to state unequivocally that we do not intend to shut down, we're still growing and are as sustainable as ever. Customers don't need to worry about us disappearing.

Hey, let me be the first to say welcome back to the land of 10,000 traffic cones. The fun is just getting started. Hopefully you'll stay clear of the impending traffic mess that is the west burbs as of, according to MnDOT... 6 hours ago.

Thanks again for our call in December :)

Re: Runscope acquisition falls through

#25

Post by ericcholis »

johns wrote: post #5

This post is getting more attention then intended but I'll be back later tonight after my hockey game to answer any questions. I do just want to state unequivocally that we do not intend to shut down, we're still growing and are as sustainable as ever. Customers don't need to worry about us disappearing.

John, congrats on being a new dad...I'm one as well. Having a kid affords you an interesting sense of clarity and vision. For me, it's allowed me to look further down the road and make better decisions for my family's future..not just mine.

Also, I'm sure the Wild will beat the Blackhawks in the playoffs this year....I'm just sure of it.

Re: Runscope acquisition falls through

#26

Post by stephenitis »

johns wrote: post #20
stephenitis wrote: post #19

Was there a better way to line up a acquisition process that didn't endanger all the employees jobs?

This was a really tricky balance. We could have let some people go earlier to extend runway and maybe give us more time to optimize an exit, but at the cost of morale and perhaps a subsequent talent drain. We also knew the people were going to be a focal point for an acquisition so the more good people we could keep around, the better our value to an acquirer. All things considered we ultimately choose to hold on to…

Thanks for sharing this perspective.

It's a testament to the the tools and infrastructure that your team built that a two man team can keep Runscope in a cash positive holding pattern. If this is rock bottom then Runscope is far more resilient than the sea of other non revenue generating companies in this environment. again. props for being open. hope you get to share more lessons as time heals.

Re: Runscope acquisition falls through

#27

Post by jneal »

zaroth wrote: post #16

How am I just learning about Runscope? This service is fantastic. I just signed up for free, they have a really smooth onboarding process, I now have a free API monitor pinging my API from multiple geographic locations and verifying correctness of the return value, they are generating some neat reports, and it looks like they even have a control I can publish/iframe with a nice graphical history. I mean, this is almo…

Runscope is a great service. I learned about it around a year and a half ago and utilized it to monitor and log an API I was building to act as midware betweens a user-consumed IOS app and an android administrative app for a huge event ('the big game'). It really helped us because we were on such a tight time line. I can't count how many times there was an issue with one of the two apps and I was able to quickly track it down and notify the proper team so they could fix the issue.

Re: Runscope acquisition falls through

#28

Post by baus »

It is interesting that the founder has decided to leave SF. It is getting to the point in the Bay Area that PG's concept of "ramen" profitability is becoming just a dream as costs continue to skyrocket. I think we are going to see the industry start to fan out geographically in the next couple years.

Re: Runscope acquisition falls through

#29

Post by napoleond »

johns wrote: post #5

This post is getting more attention then intended but I'll be back later tonight after my hockey game to answer any questions. I do just want to state unequivocally that we do not intend to shut down, we're still growing and are as sustainable as ever. Customers don't need to worry about us disappearing.

Hey John, I just wanted to say thanks for providing an awesome service. We're happy customers.

I know how hard it can be to have a business go through tough times, but it sounds like you've got a lot of options and I wish you and Runscope the best.

Re: Runscope acquisition falls through

#30

Post by zeemonkee3 »

baus wrote: post #28

It is interesting that the founder has decided to leave SF. It is getting to the point in the Bay Area that PG's concept of "ramen" profitability is becoming just a dream as costs continue to skyrocket. I think we are going to see the industry start to fan out geographically in the next couple years.

Isn't the problem that VCs insist on companies locating near Sand Hill Road?
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