Matt Watson scales third startup to exit; shifting full capacity to his tech services company
July 8, 2024 | Nikki Overfelt Chifalu
At Capacity is returning to the company where it all began; the SaaS platform recently sold to CAMP Digital, co-founder and serial entrepreneur Matt Watson confirmed.
Details of the sale were not disclosed, but the exit comes just 16 months after Watson and Meg Stapleton launched At Capacity.
Click here to read more about the exit.
Matt Watson, At Capacity, Full Scale
The catalyst for At Capacity — a smart advertising platform geared toward small business owners who offer home services like plumbing, HVAC, and electrical work — was developed when Watson joined Edina, Minnesota-based CAMP Digital in May 2022 as its EVP of Software Development and worked alongside Stapleton.
“This was a great example of working with an existing company that has ideas but they don’t have the ability to execute on them internally,” Watson explained. “Meg and I were able to partner with CAMP Digital to take their idea and get it to market. We were so successful at it that they decided to buy the company back to keep it as their own strategic advantage in the market.”
“More entrepreneurs should look to partner with existing corporations to help them take their ideas and bring them to market,” he added.
The sale marks the third startup exit for Watson, who is also the co-founder of Full Scale and host of the Startup Hustle podcast. Following the $147 million sale of VinSolutions in 2011, he sold his second venture — the APM solutions startup Stackify LLC — to privately owned Huntington Beach, California-based Netreo in 2021.
Editor’s note: Full Scale is a financial supporter of Startland News. Matt Watson is expected to be featured at Startland News’ next Innovation Exchange event — July 17 at Plexpod Flashcube — as part of a conversation on entrepreneurial expertise. Click here to register.
“It is hard to believe, honestly,” Watson noted. “Successfully creating any kind of tech company is hard. Somehow I have started and exited three SaaS companies, plus I own Full Scale which is doing great with 300 employees.”
“The biggest difference [with At Capacity] was the short timeframe,” he continued, noting the short but productive interlude between its founding and sale.
Watson plans to remain involved in assisting the CAMP Digital team with the At Capacity product, he said, but his primary focus will be on Full Scale — a tech services company that helps client businesses build teams of software engineers.
“I started At Capacity before I knew I was going to buy out my business partner at Full Scale and become the CEO,” he explained.
RELATED: Serial entrepreneur Matt Watson completes strategic buy-out of Full Scale
Featured Business
2024 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Visualize Kansas City’s digital divide with this new Smart City tool
A canyon between those with consistent access to computers and the Internet and those who don’t, the digital divide is often discussed in the abstract. However difficult to conceptualize in a broad scale, the digital divide in Kansas City has real economic, cultural and social implications in our community. That’s why the City of Kansas…
Legal review: Supreme Court’s unanimous patent troll ruling, effects on KC
A recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court is being hailed as a significant blow to so-called patent trolls. Supreme Court justices unanimously ruled on Monday that patent infringement lawsuits may only be brought against defendants in the state in which the company is incorporated. The ruling dings “patent troll” plaintiffs that shop the country…
Focusing on fun, 1Week KC returns with Startup Crawl, yard games
A week long celebration of Kansas City entrepreneurship plans to build community among area innovators and residents with a festive atmosphere focused on fun. Featuring a startup pub crawl, a yard games tournament, educational events and more, 1Week KC is set for June 16 to 23 with events throughout the metro area. Previously presented by…
KCMO offers FAQ on its prospective Airbnb, Homeaway regulations
On Monday, the City of Kansas City, Mo. released newly-proposed rules on how it may regulate home-sharing services like Airbnb and Homeaway. City officials are planning to introduce the proposed ordinance at the Kansas City Planning Commission on June 6. After that, the proposal will head to the Kansas City Council, where it will likely…