Getting acquired after 13 years of building
Indie Hackers
Igor Debatur is the founder of Uploadcare, a company making millions in ARR. And he just sold it to a strategic partner for a lot of money.
After spending the better part of two decades in the game, he’s learned a thing or two. Here are his learnings about building healthy businesses, acquisitions, and being the head honcho of a large organization. 👇
Focus on one product
James: You’ve been building stuff on the internet for 15 years. What do you wish you had done differently?
Igor: I would’ve never tried to run three companies at the same time, as my co-founder and I tried doing in the beginning. I don’t think it’s a good fit for most people — definitely not for me.
James: Why?
Igor: Every time I succeeded in one business, the other two struggled. They weren't at the stage when I could’ve hired someone to do the work — they needed a founder to work on them every day.
I was spread too thin. And I felt like I was failing all the time, even when one was doing well. The financial results were very unstable.
James: What would you have done differently?
Igor: I would have sold our web development agency on the first day we fundraised for Uploadcare. Or at least put it on hold.
It was scary, but I wouldn’t be scared now, knowing what I’ve learned.
James: Did you eventually set your other companies aside?
Igor: When we noticed that Uploadcare was taking off, I understood that I needed to focus on one product and put everything else on hold. My co-founder agreed and we moved forward. This was hard, but it was the only option.
I still think it was the right thing to do.
James: What happened to the other businesses?
Igor: I sold Whitescape, a web development agency.
RIDERS, a mobile app for action sport participants, had more than a million users, but I put it on hold.
James: Not an easy thing to do.
Igor: No, but it was a major game changer in my life. Also for my teammates and friends. After scaling back, I had more time both for work and life.