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
‘Never settle’: He started small, now Drue Stewart is bringing TikTok-famous food to former Westport Ale House
‘Bigger, better, crazier; Never settle; The building had a dark cloud but we are going to bring new life to it’ Less than a year after opening Holy Brunch KC in Westport — and one small expansion — Drue Stewart is making an enormous leap. He’ll go from 2,000-square-feet on one floor, to a 16,000-square-foot…
Great Jobs KC leaps closer to its $100M goal with massive grant to support adult financial stability
A just-announced $60 million investment by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation marks a significant step in a Kansas City-based nonprofit’s plans to support 50,000 adults on their journeys toward financial stability, said Earl Martin Phalen. The grant to Great Jobs KC serves three priorities outlined within the Kauffman Foundation’s new grantmaking strategy: college access and…
Teens tackle universal pain points: Junior Achievement competition pushes students to pitch biz ideas
A new student innovation competition linked to Junior Achievement not only challenges Kansas City teens to develop business solutions for immediate real-world problems, said Will Bowler; fostering entrepreneurial thinking develops longer-term impacts. “This program empowers them,” said Bowler, a teacher at Olathe East High School, as students wrapped up Tuesday’s 3DE Innovators Showcase at the…
Trio of early stage Kansas City startups tapped to join K-State Accelerator focused on boosting Kansas economy
MANHATTAN, Kansas — Seven startups are expected to begin work this month within the K-State Accelerator, earning funds, training and resources to turn their concepts into successful Sunflower State ventures. Three of the selected companies hail from the Kansas City area, including dScribe AI; 4D Leaders; and Rebound Jerseys. The eight-week, virtual Center for Entrepreneurship…