Suddenly, it’s great to be a middling consumer startup

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Editor's note: The suitors have been coming one after the other and the founder can’t believe his luck. His words echo with vindication, as if he has won against one too many odds. His company—a consumer startup in a competitive and niche sector—has been around for about half a decade, time which he has spent building, floundering, competing, streamlining his products and, most importantly, knocking on venture capital firms’ doors for money. He would still be doing the same and probably for the next half a decade too if it weren’t for the gods of fortune. In the past two months, the founder has been approached by three recently funded companies modelled after the US-based brand aggregator Thrasio, as well as by two bigger consumer startups and two larger consumer goods corporations, for a possible acquisition. Generous enough terms, complete exits for his investors and a great price. Another similar, small-time founder is in the middle of multiple due diligence reviews being conducted by Indian Thrasio clones. Investment bankers are all over his accounting books like bees on a flower. A third …