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
KCultivator Q&A: Mother inspires Davin Gordon to remove ‘can’t’ from the conversation
Editor’s note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The KCultivator Series is sponsored by WeWork Corrigan Station, a modern twist on Kansas City office space. Kansas City’s future depends on whether the business community invests in homegrown talent, Davin Gordon said. “It doesn’t have…
AltCap winner launching its first Rightfully Sewn-label little black dress at TEDxKC Women
Winning $10,000 in this week’s AltCap Your Biz Competition will help Rightfully Sewn expand, Jennifer Lapka said — a move coming on the heels of the social endeavor releasing the first dress under its own label to support the Crossroads-based seamstress training program. “It’s a stylish, well-made LBD (little black dress) that women can wear…
On the TechWalk runway: This is what real KC Women in Tech look like
Tech careers are available to everyone, said Ventura Rangel. Kansas City Women in Technology, a nonprofit dedicated to growing the number of women in technology careers, played host to its second annual TechWalk fashion show, showcasing female tech professionals on the runway, said Rangel, event director for KCWiT. The goal is to inspire young girls…
Lawrence-based Ainstein predicts radar tech will push self-driving automotive advances
From Kansas, Ainstein’s radar technology can have a profound impact on industries across the globe, said Zongbo Wang. “We wanted to design radar that can be very affordable and play different roles in the industry,” said Wang, CEO of the radar tech firm. “Over the past three years, we’ve experienced a time of tremendous growth.”…