startup-acquisition-research

Startup acquisition research

Screen candidates against the buyer's constraints and identify what still needs verification. Separate payment-provider-verified revenue, seller claims, automated summaries/scores, and your calculations.

Setup

Set CRAWLORA_API_KEY to your key from crawlora.net. Run the bundled scripts/crawlora.sh from this skill directory or by absolute path. It sends x-api-key to https://api.crawlora.net/api/v1; keep the key in the environment. Read reference/endpoints.md for TrustMRR live tools, stored records/history, and website research.

Screen, refresh, inspect history

1. Translate the brief into asking-price range, recurring/non-recurring model, customer type, category, operating requirements, and evidence requirements. Do not impose an arbitrary deal score or investment recommendation.
2. Discover exact dataset labels through /datasets/trustmrr/facets, then search /datasets/trustmrr/search with on_sale=true, status=active, and relevant filters such as max_asking_price, min_mrr, or target_audience. Dataset category labels and live /trustmrr/categories slugs need not be identical.
3. Retrieve /datasets/trustmrr/items/{slug} and refresh serious candidates with /trustmrr/startup/{slug}. Verify current sale status/asking price and record any disagreement with the stored snapshot. /trustmrr/acquire and /trustmrr/marketplace provide discovery snapshots, not an exhaustive census.
4. Read /datasets/trustmrr/history/{slug} with optional inclusive UTC from/to dates and limit (max 1000). Points are oldest first; a limit selects the most recent points in the range. Newly observed businesses can return an empty or short series. Do not invent earlier history or treat missing dates as zeros.
5. Compare MRR, trailing-30-day revenue, all-time revenue, asking price, and growth with their dates and definitions intact. Consecutive revenue_30d points overlap: summing them does not produce monthly or annual revenue. If calculating price / (12 × MRR), label that denominator explicitly; do not assume the upstream multiple uses the same formula. Zero/unknown denominators produce an unavailable multiple. MRR=0 need not mean a non-recurring business has no revenue. Merchant-of-record volumes need separate interpretation.
6. Inspect the actual product and public pricing via /web/scrape where needed. Convert gaps into diligence questions: profit/costs, refunds, retention, customer concentration, founder workload, ownership, and transferability. Those facts are not established by revenue verification or an AI summary.

scripts/crawlora.sh /datasets/trustmrr/search \
  on_sale=true status=active max_asking_price=100000 page_size=5
# Resolve a slug from results before requesting its live detail and history.

Evidence and output

Return a candidate table with source links, business/model, current sale status, asking price, dated revenue metrics, history coverage, explicitly defined calculations, fit rationale, discrepancies, and open diligence questions.

• Payment-provider verification is not a financial audit, profit verification, or proof that the business can be transferred. See TrustMRR's FAQ for the platform's verification and marketplace context.
• Asking prices are seller requests, not completed transaction prices. Upstream deal scores and sponsored placement are discovery signals, not independent value.
• Recorded growth can reflect a small baseline, a promotion, or changing coverage. Present observations without projecting guaranteed future returns.
• Bound search to page_size<=100, the 10,000-result window, and the brief. Back off on 429, retry transient 5xx once, stop on 401/403, and check application code. Research does not place offers or contact sellers.