Handmade Ventures

What Handmade Ventures does

Handmade Ventures LLC (also doing business as Handmade VC) is a boutique sell-side M&A advisory firm headquartered in San Francisco, California, that exclusively represents AI and SaaS founders in the sale of their companies. The firm is built around a single persona — technology founders weighing an exit — and delivers an end-to-end process covering acquirer identification and mapping, confidential buyer outreach, narrative/positioning materials, valuation analysis, offer selection, due diligence support, and closing negotiation. Its principal, Isaac Babbs, is a former operating executive at HP, SGI, Macromedia, and Qualcomm who founded the firm after personally experiencing value leakage in his own startup exit, and the firm publicly markets 35+ years of combined team experience across software, infrastructure, and hardware as its primary credential.

The firm operates an active go-to-market model rather than a passive rolodex-based process: it maps the full acquirer landscape for each mandate and runs structured, competitive processes to pressure-test valuations. Securities-related activities are executed through Britehorn Securities, a registered broker-dealer (FINRA/SIPC member) in Denver, CO, with which Handmade maintains a regulatory-only relationship; the two entities are explicitly disclosed as unaffiliated. The firm has no software product, no technology platform, and no proprietary AI/ML tooling; revenue is generated entirely from advisory fees on individual sell-side mandates. Its public track record includes 20+ completed exits spanning 2015-2026, with acquirers including Adobe, Databricks, TransUnion, UJET, EnterpriseDB, Skillshare, Mariner Wealth Advisors, Midwich Group, Materialise, Gympass, Velodyne Lidar, Kaleyra, Mobiquity, ScopeAR, Helm, Beijing Kunlun Tech, and Rakuten.

Customer acquisition is driven by founder relationships, referrals, direct outreach, and a modest content/LinkedIn presence via an "Insights" hub covering valuations, buyer behavior, exit readiness, deal structure, and AI/SaaS trends. Target clients are exclusively AI and SaaS founders considering exits, with deal sizes inferred to fall in the small-to-mid-cap range typical of independent bootstrap and venture-backed software startups. The firm is privately held, founder-owned, and operates with a 1-10 person team.

Name

Handmade Ventures

Legal name

Handmade Ventures LLC

Website

https://handmade.vc

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Handmade Ventures (Handmade VC) is a San Francisco-based boutique sell-side M&A advisory firm that represents AI and SaaS founders through end-to-end exit processes, founded and led by former Silicon Valley operating executive Isaac Babbs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

M&A Advisory Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Buy-Side M&A Advisory (FSAEAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Micro-VC & Angel Funds (FSANAAAI)

Keywords

• Sell-side M&A advisory
• Mergers and acquisitions
• SaaS exit advisory
• AI startup M&A
• Boutique investment banking

Headquarters

HQ city

San Mateo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. M&A Advisory Services: The firm generates revenue through advisory fees for sell-side M&A transactions. Securities are offered through Britehorn Securities, a registered broker-dealer (member FINRA/SIPC).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Handmade Ventures is a boutique sell-side M&A advisory firm and early-stage angel investor group targeting AI and SaaS founders. The firm provides end-to-end M&A advisory including full process management, narrative crafting, acquirer identification and targeted outreach, valuation analysis, offer selection, due diligence support, and closing negotiation. They also make early-stage angel investments in SaaS and software companies. Securities are offered through Britehorn Securities, a registered broker-dealer.

Product overview

Handmade Ventures is a boutique sell-side M&A advisory firm for AI and SaaS founders. They do not offer a software product or technology platform; rather, they provide advisory services including end-to-end M&A process management, narrative crafting, acquirer identification and outreach, offer selection, due diligence support, and closing negotiation. Their service-based offering is delivered by operating executives with 35+ years of combined experience across software, infrastructure, and hardware.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sell-Side M&A Advisory End-to-end sell-side M&A advisory service for founders of AI and SaaS companies considering an exit. Includes full M&A process management, narrative crafting, acquirer identification and targeted outreach, valuation analysis, offer selection, due diligence support, and closing negotiation, delivered through a structured competitive process. Securities execution is handled through Britehorn Securities.
• Early-Stage Angel Investing Angel investment activity in early-stage SaaS and software companies, conducted alongside the firm's M&A advisory practice.

Named customers17 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Union Square Advisors: Boutique sell-side M&A advisor focused on technology, software, and digital media companies. Highly comparable to Handmade Ventures in scope (tech-only sell-side advisory), typical deal size (mid-market), and founder/operator-led positioning.
• Drake Star Partners: Global technology investment bank specializing in M&A for software, digital media, and tech-enabled services. Directly comparable to Handmade on SaaS/software vertical and founder-targeted sell-side advisory model.
• Threadstone Advisors: Boutique investment bank providing sell-side M&A advisory to technology and software companies. Directly comparable to Handmade in vertical specialization, boutique size, and entrepreneur-focused service model.
• Woodside Capital Partners: Technology-focused investment bank providing M&A and private capital advisory to SaaS, software, and digital media companies. Closely matched to Handmade on vertical focus (software), boutique scale, and sell-side mandate mix.
• FOCUS Investment Banking: Middle-market M&A advisor with a dedicated information and technology practice serving SaaS and software companies. Directly comparable to Handmade on vertical specialization and boutique-style, founder-focused engagements.
• Cascadia Capital: Middle-market investment bank with a dedicated technology practice advising software, internet, and digital media companies. Comparable to Handmade on tech focus, mid-market deal profile, and sell-side orientation.
• Armory Group: Boutique investment bank advising technology companies on sell-side M&A. Matches Handmade on tech-vertical concentration, boutique size, and founder-driven client relationships.
• GP Bullhound: Global technology investment bank advising founders on M&A and growth capital across SaaS, AI, fintech, and digital. Comparable to Handmade on AI/SaaS specialization and founder-centric service, with greater geographic reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/handmade-ventures
• Xx.com/handmadevc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments3 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Handmade Ventures