Where to acquire digital assets to scale your startup?
Before we dive into the topic of where and how to acquire digital assets, it's important to clarify what a digital asset actually is. Digital assets are not just cryptocurrencies or NFTs, as they are often mentioned, but can encompass a much broader spectrum. A digital asset can be a website, mobile app, software, database, social media account, online course, or even digital business models. These assets have value because they can generate income, attract traffic, provide value to users, or serve as a foundation for further development.
Why should you acquire a digital asset?
Nowadays, owning a digital asset is one of the best ways to diversify your income, generate passive revenue, or even scale your business to the next level. You can start with a smaller project as a side income alongside your current job, and gradually transition into a full-fledged business that will be scalable and sustainable.
Where to acquire digital assets?
There are several online marketplaces where you can buy or sell digital assets. Below is a list of some of them, along with information about the types of assets you can trade, the number of registered users and verified buyers, and links to their success stories in 2023-2024.
Acquire
Asset types: Websites, SaaS, e-commerce, apps
Registered users: 100,000+
Verified buyers: 25,000+
Founder: Andrew Gazdecki
Founded: 2020
Location: La Jolla, California
AcquireBase (formally known as Whobal)
Asset types: Websites, domains, e-commerce, SaaS
Registered users: 50,000+
Verified buyers: 10,000+
Founder: Atta Comsian
Founded: 2021
Location: Sahiwal, Pakistan
Acquire Community (Pre-launch/product group)
Asset types: Established communities with business potential
Registered users: 100+
Verified buyers: 10+
Founder: Jakub Pacanda
Founded: 2024
Location: Prague, Czechia
Buy and Sell a Business
Asset types: Small and medium businesses, e-commerce, franchises
Registered users: 30,000+
Verified buyers: 5,000+
Founder: Nunzio Presta
Founded: 2012
Location: Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada
BuySellStartups
Asset types: Startups, SaaS, websites
Registered users: 20,000+
Verified buyers: 3,000+
Founder: Jaisal Rathee
Founded: 2023
Location: London, UK
DotMarket
Asset types: Websites, content sites
Registered users: 17,000+
Verified buyers: N/A
Founder: Kévin Jourdan
Founded: 2019
Location: Paris, France
Duuce
Asset types: Blogs, websites, digital content
Registered users: 15,000+
Verified buyers: 2,500+
Founder: Jonas Sluijs (Acquired by The Wisdom Group)
Founded: 2019
Location: Initially U.S.
Empire Flippers
Asset types: E-commerce, SaaS, content websites, FBA
Registered users: 200,000+
Verified buyers: 40,000+
Founder: Justin Cooke, Joe Magnotti
Founded: 2012
Location: Wilmington, Delaware, USA
FE International
Asset types: SaaS, e-commerce, content websites
Registered users: 50,000+
Verified buyers: 8,000+
Founder: Thomas Smale
Founded: 2010
Location: London, UK
Flippa
Asset types: Websites, domains, e-commerce, apps
Registered users: 300,000+
Verified buyers: 70,000+
Founder: Mark Harbottle, Matt Mickiewicz
Founded: 2009
Location: Melbourne, Australia
IndieMaker
Asset types: Startups, SaaS, micro-projects
Registered users: 15,000+
Verified buyers: 2,000+
Founder: Beverley Merriman
Founded: 2019
Location: London, UK
Investors Club
Asset types: Premium websites, SaaS
Registered users: 20,000+
Verified buyers: 5,000+
Founder: Andrej Ilisin (Acquired by Daniel Buetler)
Founded: 2020
Location: [Information not available]
Microns
Asset types: Microstartups, SaaS
Registered users: 5,000+
Verified buyers: 1,200+
Founder: Ilya Novohatskyi
Founded: 2020
Location: Kyiv, Ukraine
MotionInvest
Asset types: Content websites, blogs
Registered users: 12,000+
Verified buyers: 2,500+
Founder: Kelley Van Boxmeer, Jon Gillham, Spencer Haws
Founded: 2018
Location: Canada (operating remotely)
Quiet Light
Asset types: E-commerce, SaaS, content websites
Registered users: [Information not available]
Verified buyers: [Information not available]
Founder: Mark Daoust
Founded: 2007
Location: United States
Side Projectors
Asset types: Side projects, SaaS, websites
Registered users: 7,000+
Verified buyers: 1,500+
Founder:Eric Bae
Founded: 2013
Location: Sydney, Australia
Transferslot
Asset types: Domains, websites, mobile apps
Registered users: 30,000+
Verified buyers: 5,000+
Founder:Cyril Nicodème, Antoine Minoux (Sold in 2019, unknown to whom)
Founded: 2018
Location: France
Trustiu
Asset types: Premium domains, websites, e-commerce
Registered users: 10,000+
Verified buyers: 2,000+
Founder:Nelson Matos Ferreira
Founded: 2018
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Don't get scammed on Fameswap & Swapfam!
It seems they are scams and steal people's digital assets. Source: This thread on Reddit.
This list of marketplaces offers various types of digital assets that can be great opportunities for scaling your business. Each marketplace has its specific focus, and the user community may vary depending on the type of assets offered.
Hope you enjoyed this article !
See ya in the inbox !
Sebastian H. Amieva
Investor / M&A Expert / Mentor