In the selling/buying process, TECH196 plays an important part. The parent firm of TECH196, EDGE196, wants to connect the startup ecosystem all over the world. Our staff are available to address any questions or concerns users may have during the purchasing and selling process in TECH196.

Please email us at info@tech196.com and we will respond as quickly as possible.

After registration, completing the KYC process, and accepting TECH196 Terms and Conditions, a seller logs in and lists their project on TECH196 with appropriate details and documentation attached.

After TECH196 admin approval of the project’s business, marketing, technology, and legal details, an email is sent for listing details, including the associated listing fees.

When the listing fees are paid, TECH196 adds the project to the auction. When the auction opens, buyers can review the project’s details to potentially buy it.

If a buyer is interested in a company, they can register for the bid if the auction is live. To register, a buyer must complete a questionnaire, provide proof of funds, and agree to TECH196 Terms and Conditions.

After completing buyer registration, TECH196 admins must then approve the registration. Upon approval, buyers can start bidding on the companies they’re interested in.

If the reserve price, which is set by the seller, is met during the bidding process, the company has been sold and TECH196 will send an email to the buyer with payment details, KYC verification, and escrow to sign.

Meanwhile, the seller is notified their company has sold over their reserve price via an email. From there TECH196 collects all relevant IP and documents from the seller.

After the buyer completes the payment, KYC, and escrow, the buyer and seller receive payment confirmations, and the money is sent to the seller.

If the reserve price is not met, the seller is notified to either send a counteroffer to the highest bidder, request a relisting of the company during a different auction, or remove their company from the TECH196 platform.

To learn more about the TECH196 process, visit our Help Center here.

Visit the TECH196 registration page to create an account. Fill out the fields in the form, review and accept the TECH196 Terms and Conditions documents and select “Register.” The TECH196 team will review your application and you will confirm your email through a link sent to your registered email. Once approved, login to the platform with your login credentials.

From the homepage of TECH196, users can search for companies within specific categories, including sector, stage, countries, cities, and auction type, including live auctions and upcoming auctions. Sectors include, but not limited to, agritech, biotech, edutech, fintech, healthtech, and more. Stages include, but not limited to, idea, seed, angel, pre-series, and more.

You can also search for companies through the Buy tab in our site navigation. The default view is list, but you can switch it to the map if you’re wanting to focus on a specific country or region in the world. On this page, you can also filter by sector, stage, countries, cities, and auction type.

When a seller lists their company on the TECH196 platform, the listing automatically goes under review by the TECH196 team, and a decision is then made to either accept or reject the listing. If rejected, the project is sent back to the seller for review and editing. If accepted, the project will be listed in an upcoming or current auction.

The auction has a specific start and end time. Once the auction commences, you can begin bidding. When a seller lists their company, they can set a reserve amount, which is the required minimum amount a company can be sold for. If during an auction, the reserve price is not met, the seller can either negotiate with the highest bidder, or pull their project from the auction, relist later, or pull it from TECH196 altogether.

If the reserve price is met by a buyer, then the project is sold to the highest bidder and the two parties are connected by TECH196 to complete the transaction.

TECH196 is not responsible for the transaction of companies between sellers and buyers. We are the connection platform for buyers to more easily find and acquire companies they desire.

When the price of a project is negotiated and finalized, TECH196 emails the seller to submit IP and business documents to the buyer. Simultaneously, the buyer is sent an email with payment deposit details, escrow documents, and will verify their identity through the KYC process.

In the rare case either party does not honor the contractual obligations of the deal, such parties will be barred from transacting on the TECH196 platform. Once money has been exchanged for a project, the sale is final. Resolve any questions or issues with the seller before you pay.

If you find a project that isn't allowed under our rules and regulations, or a seller seems suspicious, email us at info@tech196.com to report it so TECH196 can investigate further. Remember: if you ever find yourself in an emergency or feel that your personal safety is threatened, always contact local police and emergency services first.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@tech196.com or via our contact us form here.

Shop smart

Take a good look at the documents, description, and additional information of the project you’re interested in. Read reviews of the project seller online so you know what to expect.

Research the seller

Read the seller’s profile to get to know more about them, see the ratings and badges they’ve earned, and look at their past companies.

Negotiate prices

If a project’s price is negotiable, the seller’s reserve price can be considered as a rough guideline. Be fair. If you have an idea of the project's value, make a reasonable offer. Be respectful and open to counteroffers.

From the homepage of TECH196, users can search for companies within specific categories, including sector, stage, countries, cities, and auction type, including live auctions and upcoming auctions.

Sectors include, but not limited to, AgriTech, BioTech, EduTech, FinTech, HealthTech and more. Stages include but not limited to, idea, seed, angel, pre-series, and more. You can also search for companies through our “Buy” tab in our navigation site.

The default view is list, but you can switch it to the map if you're wanting to focus on a specific country or region in the world. On this page, you can also filter by sector, stage, countries, cities, and auction type. When you find a project, you’re interested in, click into it to see the companies' details.

Visit our tips for buyers for more information.

From the homepage of TECH196, users can search for companies within specific categories, including sector, stage, countries, cities, and auction type, including live auctions and upcoming auctions.

Sectors include, but not limited to, AgriTech, biotech, edutech, fintech, HealthTech, and more. Stages include, but not limited to, idea, seed, angel, pre-series, and more. You can also search for companies through the Buy tab on our site navigation.

The default view is in the form of a drop-down list, but you can switch it to an interactive map if you prefer to focus on a specific country or region on the world map. On this page, you can also filter by sector, stage, countries, cities, and auction type. When you find a project, you are interested in, click on it to view a company’s details. Expand our tips for buyers FAQ for more information.

After creating an account and going through the onboarding process with TECH196 admin, you’re ready to buy.

The first step is to explore the companies you’re interested in and conduct thorough research on the seller and their documentation and collateral. If you find a project you’re interested in, take note on when the project’s auction will go live for bidding and register for the bid beforehand.

Registration requires TECH196 admin approval, so you don’t want to miss the opportunity to bid before the auction time ends. For your registration approval by admin, you will be required to submit documents, fill out a questionnaire, provide your proof of funds and sign a participation agreement.

After successful completion of the registration process and approval by admin, your continued support will be provided by a relation manager. In this case, you can begin to bid on the company of interest. Note that every project has a pre-determined reserve amount set by the seller. This is the minimum amount needed for the seller to sell without any negotiations. If, however, you do not get approved, the process ends here.

If the reserve is met, a relations managers will send out an email to notify the seller. The relations manager will then collect all relevant IP & documents from both the buyer and seller. After the highest bidder has won the auction, the relations manager will once again get involved and send the buyer an email regarding information on the payment deposit and signatures relating to escrow.

Upon approval, an email will then be sent consisting of the payment link via Stripe and a KYC (Know Your Customer) link via Jumio. They buyer has a limited time period to fulfill the payment formalities and provide signatures. After successful completion of the following mentioned above, the buyer would then receive an Escrow wire transfer link via email.

The last steps involve payment confirmation and finally escrow sending money to the seller. If the reserve is not met, TECH196 will alert all parties and the seller has the chance to accept the offer from the highest bidder or the seller will provide a counteroffer to the highest bidder. If the counteroffer is accepted by the highest bidder, then TECH196 will connect the seller and the buyer. If the counteroffer is not accepted, the project will go back to the auction pool for another auction date.

Yes. Anyone can view uploaded companies and ongoing auctions without creating an account. We call this anonymous mode. In anonymous mode, you won’t be able to see the active bidding and pricing of a project without creating an account.

Navigate to the buyer dashboard here or by clicking “Buy” in the navigation bar. From there, you’ll see various companies for sale at that particular time, as well as, scheduled auctions. At the top, you can filter your search by sector, funding stage, headquarter location, live or upcoming auctions, and more. You can also filter the view of your results by clicking the “List” and “Map” options under the search filter bar. After browsing the companies up for auctions, potential buyers must register for bidding on a company, which users can do by clicking “Register for bid” on the buyer dashboard for the desired company to be purchased. Tips on how to register for a bid can be found here. [Navigation takes the user to the register for bid webpage] Registered users must wait for TECH196 admins to approve their registration. We advise users to register for bids before the auction goes live so they won’t miss the auction window due to registration delays. For more information on how to participate in an auction, visit our article on how to participate in an auction.

Yes. You must submit a refundable participation deposit for each individual asset you’re interested in. The amount of each participation deposit varies from asset to asset. Please review each individual assets display page for the required participation deposit.

Before placing a bid, be sure to review all the due diligence available in the project’s due diligence/document vault, the purchase and sale agreement, and the auction terms and conditions.

If you have additional questions, please contact our team at info@tech196.com.

Within 24 hours, the buyer will be contacted by one of our contract specialists to go through and sign the contract. Remember that the terms of the purchase and sale agreement are non-negotiable.

The earnest money deposit is due within 24 hours of being declared the winning bidder for each project. Closing of the transaction will occur within 24 hours after the purchase and sale agreement has been executed.

Non-institutional investors must provide sufficient proof of funds which demonstrates liquidity and the ability to close the transaction for each asset of interest.

Additional proof of funds may be required during the auction event if your high bid surpasses the amount provided through your proof of funds.

Buyers won’t be able to contact the seller until they are the highest bidder in their project. Only when the auction ends, will the highest bidder be connected to the seller to finalize the details of the company sale.

Create a great post

The companies that sell fastest on TECH196 have great documents, titles, descriptions, and fair prices. If you’ve already posted your project, but it isn’t selling, try updating, adding documentation/video, or revising it.

Best offer = Best price + best buyer

Sometimes an offer really is too good to be true. If a buyer offers full price, but has a low rating, no profile picture, or other red flags, it might not be your best offer. For offers for less money than you want, know that the buyer is trying to negotiate. Let the buyer know it's too low, or just politely decline.

Suggest safe and secure transactions

TECH196 is not responsible for the transaction of companies between sellers and buyers. We are the connection platform for buyers to more easily find and acquire companies they desire. Once money has been exchanged for a project, the sale is final. Resolve any questions or issues with the seller before you pay.

Get a great rating

When the project sells, mark it sold on TECH196, and rate the buyer. Then they can rate you, so buyers can see you’re good to do business with. Unfortunately, not every sale works out. Even when a sale falls through, be a considerate seller. There are always more buyers. If someone stops responding to you without explanation, report them to TECH196.

Create or log into your TECH196 account and click the “Sell” tab in the navigation bar or click the seller dashboard here. From there, you’ll begin adding the basic details of the project or company you’re selling. You must fill out the required fields and we suggest filling more because the more details you share, the more comprehensive your listing will be for potential buyers. After completing this initial step, press “Next” and you’ll be prompted to input the valuation details of your project. You’ll want to be as accurate and transparent as possible because this is a section potential buyers will be most interested in.

The next section is the other company details including the team, project status, number of employees, technical details, etc. While this section is optional, we suggest sellers fill these fields in, so their project appeals to as many potential buyers as possible.

Finally, sellers must submit their business documents, which include: Data flow diagram Database design Use cases System functionality flow details Product audit report Cash flow statement Company registration document Certificate copy of shareholders Certificate copy director Audited financial statements Revenue plan documents Not all documents are required, but TECH196 suggests sellers provide as much information as possible to potential buyers. From there, the user can submit their project for approval from TECH196 admins. Users are redirected to their account dashboard where the status of companies listed are shown.

After approval of the project by TECH196 admins, the project it put up for auction. Potential buyers review the project and bid on the projects their interested in. If the reserve price, which is the minimum price a project can sell for according to the seller, is met during the bidding process, the company has been sold and TECH196 will send an email to the buyer with payment details, KYC verification, and escrow to sign. Meanwhile, the seller is notified their company has sold over their reserve price via an email. From there TECH196 collects all relevant IP and documents from the seller.

After the buyer completes the payment, KYC, and escrow, the buyer and seller receive payment confirmations, and the money is sent to the seller. If the reserve price is not met, the seller is notified to either send a counteroffer to the highest bidder, request a relisting of the company during a different auction, or remove their company from the TECH196 platform.

Navigate to the seller dashboard here or by clicking “Sell” in the navigation bar. From there, you’ll begin adding the basic details of the project or company you’re selling. You must fill out the required fields and we suggest filling more because the more details you share, the more comprehensive your listing will be for potential buyers.

After completing this initial step, press “Next” and you’ll be prompted to input the valuation details of your project. You’ll want to be as accurate and transparent as possible because this is a section potential buyers will be most interested in.

The next section is the other company details including the team, project status, number of employees, technical details, etc. While this section is optional, we suggest sellers fill these fields in, so their project appeals to as many potential buyers as possible.

Finally, sellers must submit their business documents, which include: Data flow diagram Database design Use cases System functionality flow details Product audit report Cash flow statement Company registration document Certificate copy of shareholders Certificate copy director Audited financial statements Revenue plan documents Not all documents are required, but TECH196 suggests sellers provide as much information as possible to potential buyers. From there, the user can submit their project for approval from TECH196 admins.

Users are redirected to their account dashboard where the status of companies listed are shown.

Provide all documentation Documentation is the best suggestion TECH196 has for getting your project sold. Including required and authentic documentation associated with your project allows full transparency for buyers’ consideration.

Learn what documentation you should include here [link to What documentation/collateral should you include? page] Include a video An additional requirement TECH196 has, involves sellers uploading a video to their project’s profile.

A video explaining your project or a recorded presentation of the pitch deck will allow buyers to get more information about the project.

Have clear descriptions When filling out your company details, be as precise and concise as possible.

Clear communication is key to attracting buyers to your project. What you share on your company listing will directly influence whether a buyer believes your company is a good investment or not, so you want to be as transparent as possible.

Keep in mind buyers and sellers receive ratings through the process, so you want to be sure you’re rating is a positive representation of yourself.

When a seller lists their project, they can set their reserve price, which is the required minimum amount a project can be sold for. If during an auction, the reserve price is not met, the project seller can either negotiate with the highest bidder, or pull their project from auction, relist later, or pull it from TECH196 altogether. If the reserve price is met by a buyer, then the project is sold to the highest bidder and the two parties are connected by TECH196 to complete the transaction.

Documentation of your project is important to sell it to buyers. Examples of useful documentation includes, but is not limited to, data flow diagram, database design, use case document, system functionality flow details, company registration document, certificate copy of shareholders, certificate copy director, audited financial statement, revenue plan document, pitch deck, etc. Be sure to retract personal information from all documentation before uploading it to TECH196.

TECH196 is not responsible for improper use of personal information uploaded to our platform. We also suggest any branding collateral or videos explaining your product is useful to share and will result in a higher rating by TECH196 in our listing algorithm.

You will need to register as that entity and provide entity formation documents, good standing certificates and authority resolutions for that entity. Assignments may be allowed but only as permitted under the purchase and sale agreement for each asset. So be sure to read the purchase and sale agreement for the asset you’re bidding on.

Technology sales are final, and purchases are made on an “as-is, where-is" basis. Should you be declared the winning bidder and fail to close the transaction, you may be considered in default and subject to liquidated damages and/or specific performance requirements.