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Apr 7, 2026 · 20m · startup-acquisition-stories

The Listing Fix That Led Utilize to a Successful Exit

Jatin Naroda · 14m spoken Andrew Gazdecki · 3m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions

In this episode of Startup Acquisition Stories, Utilize co-founder Jatin Naroda discusses pivoting to Notion Apps, overhauling their marketplace listing, overcoming cross-border Stripe migration hurdles, and achieving a swift acquisition on Acquire.com.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Andrew holds 19.8% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Andrew as informed peer 4.0 Guest teaching 2.3 Guest disagreement 0.3 Andrew pushing back 0.0
05100:0010:0020:000:56–4:18 · Andrew as informed peer 2/10 The Evolution and Use Cases of Utilize and Notion Apps Andrew asks open-ended discovery questions about the origin of Utilize and its transition into Notion Apps. Jatin explains the no-code product workflows and shares unexpected customer use cases like 40-screen business apps in a collaborative tone.4:19–9:29 · Andrew as informed peer 3/10 Customer Acquisition Channels and Motivation to Sell Jatin explains acquisition channels and the motivation to sell due to burnout and changing market perceptions around AI. Andrew agrees with the rationale and emphasizes that buyer speed often justifies taking a slight price haircut.9:29–14:18 · Andrew as informed peer 5/10 Revamping the Listing and The Living Q&A Strategy Jatin describes building a FAQ document for buyers and getting trapped in a cross-border Stripe migration from Estonia to the US. Andrew labels the document method Acquire's 'Living Q&A' strategy and acknowledges platform documentation must improve around Stripe issues.14:18–17:34 · Andrew as informed peer 6/10 Acquisition Advice: Realistic Pricing and Deal Velocity Jatin shares advice on setting realistic listing prices to spur buyer momentum. Andrew validates this thoroughly using proprietary marketplace data on valuation multiples and bidding competition.0:56–4:18 · Guest teaching 1/10 The Evolution and Use Cases of Utilize and Notion Apps Andrew asks open-ended discovery questions about the origin of Utilize and its transition into Notion Apps. Jatin explains the no-code product workflows and shares unexpected customer use cases like 40-screen business apps in a collaborative tone.4:19–9:29 · Guest teaching 2/10 Customer Acquisition Channels and Motivation to Sell Jatin explains acquisition channels and the motivation to sell due to burnout and changing market perceptions around AI. Andrew agrees with the rationale and emphasizes that buyer speed often justifies taking a slight price haircut.9:29–14:18 · Guest teaching 4/10 Revamping the Listing and The Living Q&A Strategy Jatin describes building a FAQ document for buyers and getting trapped in a cross-border Stripe migration from Estonia to the US. Andrew labels the document method Acquire's 'Living Q&A' strategy and acknowledges platform documentation must improve around Stripe issues.14:18–17:34 · Guest teaching 2/10 Acquisition Advice: Realistic Pricing and Deal Velocity Jatin shares advice on setting realistic listing prices to spur buyer momentum. Andrew validates this thoroughly using proprietary marketplace data on valuation multiples and bidding competition.0:56–4:18 · Guest disagreement 0/10 The Evolution and Use Cases of Utilize and Notion Apps Andrew asks open-ended discovery questions about the origin of Utilize and its transition into Notion Apps. Jatin explains the no-code product workflows and shares unexpected customer use cases like 40-screen business apps in a collaborative tone.4:19–9:29 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Customer Acquisition Channels and Motivation to Sell Jatin explains acquisition channels and the motivation to sell due to burnout and changing market perceptions around AI. Andrew agrees with the rationale and emphasizes that buyer speed often justifies taking a slight price haircut.9:29–14:18 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Revamping the Listing and The Living Q&A Strategy Jatin describes building a FAQ document for buyers and getting trapped in a cross-border Stripe migration from Estonia to the US. Andrew labels the document method Acquire's 'Living Q&A' strategy and acknowledges platform documentation must improve around Stripe issues.14:18–17:34 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Acquisition Advice: Realistic Pricing and Deal Velocity Jatin shares advice on setting realistic listing prices to spur buyer momentum. Andrew validates this thoroughly using proprietary marketplace data on valuation multiples and bidding competition.0:56–4:18 · Andrew pushing back 0/10 The Evolution and Use Cases of Utilize and Notion Apps Andrew asks open-ended discovery questions about the origin of Utilize and its transition into Notion Apps. Jatin explains the no-code product workflows and shares unexpected customer use cases like 40-screen business apps in a collaborative tone.4:19–9:29 · Andrew pushing back 0/10 Customer Acquisition Channels and Motivation to Sell Jatin explains acquisition channels and the motivation to sell due to burnout and changing market perceptions around AI. Andrew agrees with the rationale and emphasizes that buyer speed often justifies taking a slight price haircut.9:29–14:18 · Andrew pushing back 0/10 Revamping the Listing and The Living Q&A Strategy Jatin describes building a FAQ document for buyers and getting trapped in a cross-border Stripe migration from Estonia to the US. Andrew labels the document method Acquire's 'Living Q&A' strategy and acknowledges platform documentation must improve around Stripe issues.14:18–17:34 · Andrew pushing back 0/10 Acquisition Advice: Realistic Pricing and Deal Velocity Jatin shares advice on setting realistic listing prices to spur buyer momentum. Andrew validates this thoroughly using proprietary marketplace data on valuation multiples and bidding competition.

speaking balance: gold is Andrew, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Andrew 12.8% · guest 87.2%0:00 · Andrew 12.8% · guest 87.2%3:00 · Andrew 14.5% · guest 85.5%3:00 · Andrew 14.5% · guest 85.5%6:00 · Andrew 18.5% · guest 81.5%6:00 · Andrew 18.5% · guest 81.5%9:00 · Andrew 33.8% · guest 66.2%9:00 · Andrew 33.8% · guest 66.2%12:00 · Andrew 18.5% · guest 81.5%12:00 · Andrew 18.5% · guest 81.5%15:00 · Andrew 27.2% · guest 72.8%15:00 · Andrew 27.2% · guest 72.8%18:00 · Andrew 11.9% · guest 88.1%18:00 · Andrew 11.9% · guest 88.1%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 11:33 Jatin expresses frustration with Stripe's migration support

Jatin vents his grievance with Stripe, detailing how their support promised an easy account transfer but overlooked a critical blocker.

 Hardest push from Andrew ▶ 9:20 Andrew reinforces the tradeoff between speed and valuation

Andrew strongly reframes the founder's pricing compromise as an optimal strategic decision when buyer intent is high.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 12:00 Jatin educates host on cross-border Stripe account restrictions

Jatin explains the technical nuance that Stripe accounts cannot change country of origin between Estonia and the US, delaying the closing process by weeks.

 Andrew holds their own ▶ 16:58 Andrew breaks down pricing multiples and competitive dynamics

Andrew leverages Acquire's platform data to explain why listings priced realistically create bidding competition and faster deal velocity.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicAndrew as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementAndrew pushing backWhy
The Evolution and Use Cases of Utilize and Notion Apps 2100 Andrew asks open-ended discovery questions about the origin of Utilize and its transition into Notion Apps. Jatin explains the no-code product workflows and shares unexpected customer use cases like 40-screen business apps in a collaborative tone.
Customer Acquisition Channels and Motivation to Sell 3200 Jatin explains acquisition channels and the motivation to sell due to burnout and changing market perceptions around AI. Andrew agrees with the rationale and emphasizes that buyer speed often justifies taking a slight price haircut.
Revamping the Listing and The Living Q&A Strategy 5410 Jatin describes building a FAQ document for buyers and getting trapped in a cross-border Stripe migration from Estonia to the US. Andrew labels the document method Acquire's 'Living Q&A' strategy and acknowledges platform documentation must improve around Stripe issues.
Acquisition Advice: Realistic Pricing and Deal Velocity 6200 Jatin shares advice on setting realistic listing prices to spur buyer momentum. Andrew validates this thoroughly using proprietary marketplace data on valuation multiples and bidding competition.

Statements from this episode (10)

Opinion
Naroda: AI enables infinite customization of software via prompts
“I think it makes more sense today in the world of AI when, you know, you can infinitely customize the software through prompts.”
Jatin Naroda Apr 7, 2026 ▶ 1:22
Insight
Naroda: Product Hunt provides less sales impact nowadays, mainly offering visibility
“Product Hunt helped a little bit. At least it helps less with sales nowadays and just with a little bit of visibility.”
Jatin Naroda Apr 7, 2026 ▶ 4:37
Disclosure
Naroda: Notion Apps founders chose to sell due to six-year burnout
“Mostly for Samir and I, we have been on this journey for six years. So Notion Apps wasn't our first product. It was utilized at App, then it's Notion Apps. And then we thought the business, one, we were both exhausted, we were continuously building and we were…”
Jatin Naroda Apr 7, 2026 ▶ 5:10
Insight
Naroda: Software acquisition pricing is driven by buyer perception of AI replicability
“And I think a lot of buying and selling from what I understood happens based on perception. So if I think I can build this whole product, which might not be true in reality at all, just by white coding, I might not be willing to put money behind it. So it is t…”
Jatin Naroda Apr 7, 2026 ▶ 8:17
Insight
Gazdecki: A buyer's closing speed is often worth a lower price
“Speed from a buyer is huge. If they're willing to move quickly and close fast that's usually almost always worth a reduced price.”
Andrew Gazdecki Apr 7, 2026 ▶ 9:21
Insight
Gazdecki: Maintaining a shared buyer Q&A document builds startup deal competition
“Living Q and A at Acquire, or if you're selling your startup, you put every buyer's questions on one Google document and you just answer the question, keep it there. And then when a new buyer reaches out, you share the document and they go in there and they se…”
Andrew Gazdecki Apr 7, 2026 ▶ 10:52
Insight
Gazdecki: Bundling multiple products in one Stripe account causes severe complications
“A lot of times what we see is founders keeping Multiple products within one Stripe account, and that's a whole new mess on its own.”
Andrew Gazdecki Apr 7, 2026 ▶ 13:25
Insight
Naroda: Price startups slightly below expectations to boost buyer bids
“When you list, list with as much information as you can have a price that is good to attract buyers. So it might be lower than the price that you were imagining, but just a tiny fraction below it so that you can attract more bids.”
Jatin Naroda Apr 7, 2026 ▶ 14:58
Insight
Gazdecki: Acquire.com buyers typically look to pay around 1x multiples
“We know specifically what the buyers on acquire are looking to pay and around one multiples. And if you go outside of that interest is very low compared to if you're within the range or even a little bit below that, because you're right. That's how you create …”
Andrew Gazdecki Apr 7, 2026 ▶ 17:13
Opinion
Naroda: Software engineering is becoming commoditized
“I'm very interested in biology in general, like very interested in some aspects that are hard tech because I've seen software engineering kind of becoming commoditized.”
Jatin Naroda Apr 7, 2026 ▶ 18:03
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