Private Equity SaaS Acquisitions: The 6 Types of Buyers

Synopsis

Einar Vollset, founder of Discretion Capital and TinySeed co-founder, breaks down the six categories of private equity buyers active in B2B SaaS: tuck-in buyers (high willingness to pay), platform buyers ($5–10M ARR plus growth needed), and value buyers split into turnarounds, cigar butts, and steals. He explains that PE drives 60–70% of B2B SaaS M&A versus 20–30% from strategics, why DIY founders routinely sell for less than their company is worth, and how to broaden the buyer pool.

Ideas in this episode

• PE-style small business buyouts

  Einar Vollset outlines value-buyer categories like turnarounds, cigar butts, and steals, and advises bootstrapped SaaS founders to broaden their buyer pool since DIY founders routinely sell for less than their company is worth.

• Buy-and-build holding company

  Einar Vollset explains tuck-in and platform PE buyers in B2B SaaS, noting platform buyers typically target $5–10M ARR plus growth, while PE drives 60–70% of B2B SaaS M&A versus 20–30% from strategics.