Ask HN: Tired founders facing acquihire – please advise

Hey! First of all, congrats for making it this far!

I had a startup, but we never were able to secure funding before we folded. We got approached by a company that was both interested in our product and also wanted to invest. When this happened, we've already been doing the startup for 2.5 years, and I was already pretty tired, burnt out, often thinking about opportunity costs, esp. when having beer with "normal" friends. I had a pretty bad feeling about going into this negotiation for a number of reasons, mostly because I was already pretty tired, and at this point we learned a lot about the downsides of the business we were in (enterprise software sales).

But despite this feeling, we agreed with my cofounder that we'd go for it, after all, this is what we had worked towards! It wasn't a bad decision---it was a gamble, and we took it. But for me it would have been better if we didn't take it. The negotiations went on for a year, it was very painful, I became pretty depressed, couldn't sleep, one time for a straight week (!). In the end the other party pulled out of the deal for totally unrelated external reasons, outside of our control, and we folded the company. But also my then-wife left me and I got divorced. I payed a big price for the gamble I took in that last year.

I'm still happy that I did that startup (2009-2012), and I plan to do one again, this time much wiser. But today I would not take that last gamble, I'd call it quits there. If it doesn't work, if it doesn't feel right, then stop.

One good thought experiment is this: imagine you continue on. Then you probably have to hire people at some point. Imagine hiring +3 people. Two have families, kids: they will quit their current job to come to work for you, on your project, at your company. Does it feel right? Imagine them showing up on the first day, and you're their leader, you have to motivate them, etc. Does it feel right?

What do your investors have to say about it?

Hi. I'm a 49 year old software engineer who is still at the startup game -- I started in it when I was 19. If you want to talk this thru with someone who does have life experience and has been thru the startup grinder multiple, multiple times, my email is on my profile. I'd be happy to get on the phone or on skype with you and discuss. Just drop me an email. I've been there brother; it will work out.

You had a ride, enjoyed it and grew tired but did not crash, on the contrary, all is ending level for all parties and you have lined up a new good job thanks to this experience. It is much better an outcome than the great majority of startups, so congrats, quit now and good luck with your new endeavours. There may be another shot down the line, who knows?

You gave no reason at all to reject the offer. And I cannot think of any too.

How an offer for something not even you believe it is worth something can be "low ball"??

Unless you have strong signaling that working at the acquiring company would be a nightmare (more than your current one), sell it now. And consider it fair!

My impression is that your only hesitation is because you are comparing your situation to an hipotetical one where you can cash out a huge payoff of "fuck you money". The situation you dreamed when you founded the startup. Well, forget it and deal with the facts in front of you. To me, the decision seems obvious (and I believe you have a great deal of self-awareness to notice it by yourself once you pass this denial phase of griefing for your business).

Good luck anyway!!