Episode Description
Chanakya Yerneni didn’t want another promotion. He wanted freedom—and the chance to build something of his own.
After a decade in enterprise SaaS, he quit corporate, browsed Acquire.com, and bought a small AI grading tool for teachers. It had $5K MRR, no SEO, and no real growth engine.
Twelve months later, that product—EssayGrader—is on track to hit $1M ARR.
In this episode, Chanakya shares how he evaluated listings, rebuilt the product from scratch, and scaled an EdTech SaaS with product-led growth and word of mouth.
You’ll learn:
- How he picked the right SaaS to acquire
- Why talking to 400+ customers changed everything
- What made the product go viral in schools
- How to approach SEO from zero and win
- Why founder fit matters more than perfect metrics
3 lessons from Chanakya’s exit journey:
- Start with PMF, not just profit
- Build for a customer you deeply understand
- A clean, focused process beats complexity every time
Whether you’re buying your first startup or scaling your next, this episode is a playbook in clarity, conviction, and customer-first growth.
Follow Chanakya’s journey on LinkedIn.