Arvid Kahl
@arvidkahl Canada212K followers
Sold FeedbackPanda, wrote Zero to Sold, built Podscan in public (acquired 2026)
Podscan, FeedbackPanda
exit story · 2019 · saas founders
How Arvid Kahl Sold FeedbackPanda to SureSwift Capital (2019)
FeedbackPanda was built by Arvid Kahl and sold to SureSwift Capital in 2019 for Seven figures (undisclosed). At the time of the sale it made ~$55K MRR.
Key facts
- Buyer
- SureSwift Capital ↗
- Year
- 2019
- Price
- Seven figures (undisclosed)
- Revenue at sale
- ~$55K MRR
- Years operated
- 2 years
- Channel
- —
Why they sold: Arvid Kahl has said he was close to burnout and that the founders wanted to diversify, since nearly all of their wealth was tied up in the business.
The story of FeedbackPanda
FeedbackPanda was a SaaS tool that helped online English teachers write and manage student feedback quickly. Arvid Kahl and his partner Danielle Simpson, herself an online ESL teacher, started it as a weekend prototype in 2017 and it became profitable within weeks.
Growth came almost entirely from word of mouth in online teacher communities. The two founders ran it without employees or outside funding, reaching about 5,000 customers and roughly $55K in monthly recurring revenue within two years.
In June 2019 they sold the company to SureSwift Capital for an undisclosed seven-figure sum. Both founders stepped away afterwards; Kahl went on to start The Bootstrapped Founder blog and podcast and wrote Zero to Sold and The Embedded Entrepreneur about the experience.
Lessons Arvid Kahl shared
- 1.Pick a niche first, then find its most critical problem and solve that one problem with a focused tool.
- 2.Reach customers through the communities and channels they already use.
- 3.Automate and streamline operations so the business does not depend on the founders' daily presence, which also makes it sellable.
Paraphrased from the maker's public posts and interviews (see sources).
The maker
See the FeedbackPanda product page or Arvid Kahl's full profile for everything they have built since.
Other exits by Arvid Kahl
Podscan
→ Audiohook · 2026
Arvid Kahl said Audiohook had already been a close partner and customer, and that joining it gave Podscan resources to build the roadmap much faster than he could alone.
by Arvid Kahl
Related exit stories
Same buyer, category or sale channel as FeedbackPanda.
Docparser
→ SureSwift Capital · 2018
Moritz Dausinger said his personal situation had changed and the risk grew as the business got bigger, and he had long seen a sale of a small-to-medium SaaS as an ideal outcome.
by Moritz Dausinger
Storemapper
→ SureSwift Capital · 2017
Tyler Tringas wanted to diversify his income away from a single business, lock in a win, and focus full-time on his next project.
by Tyler Tringas
Mailparser
→ SureSwift Capital · 2016
Selling had been one of Moritz's goals from the start. As the business grew, so did his personal risk, and with no outside investors he felt no pressure to go big. He also described the money as life-changing security.
by Moritz Dausinger
MeetEdgar
→ SureSwift Capital · 2021
After about seven years running MeetEdgar, Roeder wanted to focus fully on her newer company, Paperbell, a software business for coaches.
by Laura Roeder
Sources
- thebootstrappedfounder.com — thebootstrappedfounder.com/from-founding-to-exit-in-two-years-the-feedbackpanda-story/
- theygotacquired.com — theygotacquired.com/saas/feedback-panda-acquired-by-sureswift-capital/
Facts are taken from the maker's and buyer's public statements and press coverage. Prices and revenue are shown only when publicly stated; self-reported figures are not independently verified.
Keep exploring
FeedbackPanda acquisition FAQ
Who bought FeedbackPanda?
FeedbackPanda was acquired by SureSwift Capital in 2019 from Arvid Kahl.
How much did FeedbackPanda sell for?
FeedbackPanda sold for Seven figures (undisclosed), as publicly stated. At the time of the sale it made ~$55K MRR.
Why did Arvid Kahl sell FeedbackPanda?
Arvid Kahl has said he was close to burnout and that the founders wanted to diversify, since nearly all of their wealth was tied up in the business.
How long did it take FeedbackPanda to get acquired?
FeedbackPanda was sold about 2 years after launch.
What did Arvid Kahl learn from selling FeedbackPanda?
Pick a niche first, then find its most critical problem and solve that one problem with a focused tool. Reach customers through the communities and channels they already use.