How AppArmor’s Bootstrapped Journey Led to a $40 Million Exit

Bookstrap a business to a successful exit

How AppArmor’s Bootstrapped Journey Led to a $40 Million Exit

“David Sinkinson and his brother founded and operated AppArmor, a mobile app that allows students to alert campus security by hitting one button of their phone. In this episode we’ll hear David talk about his negotiating strategy that doubled the buyers first offer,” shares Sam Thompson a Minneapolis business broker and the president of M&A firm Transitions In Business. “He’ll also talk about their low churn rate and how to turn your customers into raving fans.”

In this week’s Built to Sell Radio episode, John Warrillow interviews David Sinkinson, co-founder of AppArmor. David and his brother Chris created a mobile app that allows students to alert campus security by pressing a single button on their phones. Their journey from developing AppArmor to selling their company for $40 million is packed with insight. 

During the interview, you’ll discover how answering a simple question posed by an acquirer almost cost the Sinkinson brothers $20 million. Learn how they navigated this near-disastrous moment and what steps they took to recover and close the deal successfully. 

In this episode, you’ll also learn how to: 

  • Dodge the question that almost ended up costing David $20 million. 
  • Turn your customers into raving fans. 
  • Unlock the hidden strategy that helped AppArmor fund its growth without outside investors. 
  • Transform one-time app users into dedicated, recurring customers with one simple tactic. 
  • Master the negotiation techniques that secured AppArmor’s $40 million exit. 
  • Achieve an incredibly low customer churn rate with this unexpected approach. 
  • Strengthen your co-founder relationship using the Sinkinson brothers’ key insights. 

Listen Now