One way to get your startup acquired

Here’s one way to get your startup acquired: work with the folks who might acquire you. This is the ultimate soft sell. I can’t find the original post, but I remember reading that MeasureMap had been interacting with the Blogger group inside Google. I’m sure they were just trying to integrate with the Blogger product in the best way possible, but I think their interaction is what inspired Google to buy MeasureMap. I can’t prove it, but I believe the Blogger folks sent the word up the chain that MeasureMap should be part of Google. What a concept! Form a relationship with the right employees within an acquirer, and they may turn out to be your best ally! Just look at Conde Nast’s recent acquisition of Reddit. It’s no coincidence that Reddit had already built them Lipstick, a custom version of the Reddit site based around celebrity news. Sometimes all it takes is one foot in the door.