I’ve been in the Community Industry since 2014. Today, I focus on Community M&A, acquisition scouting and community investment. I connect community owners, buyers and investors, scout established communities for acquisition and evolving Community M&A. The next event for community professionals where we can meet is Lisbon Community Week, where I’ll be speaking about Communities as investable assets. The best offer I can make today is Tycoon’s ultimate package for €50,000 per year. I have capacity for a maximum of 3 additional companies. My expertise: Community M&A · Acquisition · Valuation · Scouting · Investment · Dealmaking

We talk a lot about AI, growth, automation, acquisition, and building great products. But are we paying enough attention to community? In 2026, products can be copied faster. Content can be generated in seconds. Features can be replicated. But relationships are much harder to copy. A strong community can help a business with: - User retention - Product feedback - Customer education - Advocacy and word-of-mouth growth - Support - Trust and loyalty Yet, some companies still treat community as an afterthought. They invest heavily in acquiring users, then spend very little thinking about what happens after people sign up. For me, community is becoming even more important—not less. As AI and automation continue to change how we work and communicate, genuine human connection may become one of the biggest competitive advantages a company can build. So I'm curious: Is community underrated in 2026? Or are we finally starting to take it seriously? Would love to hear your thoughts. 👇

I first discovered the story of Indie Hackers through this comment from Jakub Pacanda I found it so interesting that I decided to look deeper into the full story behind the acquisition. Indie Hackers has one of the most interesting Community M&A stories. Courtland Allen launched the platform in 2016 to help bootstrapped founders share their revenue, strategies, failures, and lessons publicly. Less than one year later, Stripe acquired it. FounderSold estimates that Indie Hackers was generating around $8,000 in monthly revenue and sold for approximately $2 million, representing a reported 20 times profit multiple. However, the official purchase price was never publicly disclosed. So why would Stripe pay such a large multiple for a young community with relatively little revenue? Because Stripe was not mainly buying cash flow. Indie Hackers had already gathered exactly the people Stripe wanted to reach: founders building online businesses, SaaS products, marketplaces, and other companies that needed payment infrastructure. Stripe acquired the community, its trust, its content, its brand, and direct distribution to thousands of potential customers. Courtland continued operating Indie Hackers inside Stripe instead of the platform being absorbed and disappearing. Then, in 2023, Courtland and his brother Channing bought Indie Hackers back from Stripe and made it independent again. That created a rare Community M&A cycle: Built independently Acquired by a strategic buyer Operated under the buyer for six years Bought back by the original founders Indie Hackers shows why strategic buyers may pay far more than a community’s current revenue suggests. The real value can be the audience, positioning, trust, and access to the exact customers the buyer wants. Do you think Stripe acquired Indie Hackers mainly for the community, the content, or access to future Stripe customers?

We’ve opened several new sections in the Classroom, with the most important one being Talent Scouting. I’ve also shared on LinkedIn why we decided to get into this. If you’re looking for a better job opportunity or community-related projects, take inspiration from my personal intro and we’ll add you to the section, then start matching you with opportunities and selling your services. You deserve a better job and better pay for what is expected of you.

Hey everyone 👋 I’m Edoja Festus, and I’m happy to be part of this community I’m passionate about helping businesses and individuals grow through digital solutions and creative ideas. I also enjoy meeting new people, learning, sharing ideas, and exploring new opportunities. I connected with Jakub on LinkedIn, and I’m glad to be here. Looking forward to learning from you all, sharing my experiences, and connecting with like minded people. Feel free to say hi 👋 I’d love to connect https://www.linkedin.com/in/edoja-festus-0051b0424/