TrustMRR FAQ

TrustMRR is a verified startup revenue database and acquisition marketplace. You can list a startup to showcase verified revenue, browse the marketplace, or contact founders to discuss acquisitions.

Yes. Adding a startup to the verified revenue database is free. Optional add-ons are one-time paid upgrades for founders who want more trust, discovery, or sponsor visibility. The Startup Signals Database from the newsletter popup is separate and is billed as a $199/year subscription.

No. You can browse startups, rankings, and marketplace listings without an account. To manage a listing or send offers, you’ll verify your email and access the dashboard.

Click Add startup and connect a supported payment provider with a read-only API key. We verify your revenue and create your startup profile, then you can complete details in the dashboard.

No. The base startup listing is $0. You can add your startup without selecting anything extra. If you choose an add-on, TrustMRR creates or claims the startup first, then opens Stripe checkout for the selected one-time add-ons.

The current one-time add-ons for regular startup listings are Dofollow authority link ($19), Discovery boost ($79), and Side-panel sponsor spot, which starts at $399 for 7 days with longer sponsor packages available in the modal. The authority link helps build trust, the discovery boost improves how your startup appears to TrustMRR's 150,000+ monthly visitors, and the sponsor spot places your startup in sponsor panels across TrustMRR. These add-ons are separate from the paid marketplace tiers used when you list a startup for sale.

No. Add-startup add-ons are one-time payments. The only subscription in this flow is the separate Startup Signals Database offer from the newsletter popup, which is billed at $199/year.

We currently support Stripe, LemonSqueezy, Polar, Paddle, DodoPayment, RevenueCat (for mobile apps), Superwall, and Creem. You need a read-only or scoped read API key from one of these providers to list your startup — there is no other way to add a startup to TrustMRR. We listen to feedback and suggestions for new providers, but there is no guarantee that any additional provider will be supported in the future.

Yes. Open the startup page and use the claim/edit flow, or go to your dashboard and claim ownership there. You’ll verify ownership with your payment provider.

No. You can still claim your startup. Just log into your dashboard, click + Add startup, and connect any restricted (read-only) API key associated with your payment provider account. It will claim ownership of the startup.

Go to Dashboard → My Startups. You can update your name, description, website, logo, category, tech stack, country, and startup insights such as value proposition, problem solved, audience, business type, estimated users, pricing, and additional info.

Yes. In the dashboard, open your startup and use the delete option at the bottom left of the page.

Every founder with a startup on TrustMRR gets a public profile at trustmrr.com/founder/xHandle. The page shows all startups where that X handle is set as the founder (or co-founder) directly on the startup profile — it's based on the startup's X handle field, not your TrustMRR account. To appear on a founder page, make sure the correct X handle is set on each of your startups in the dashboard.

Browse the co-founders page to see startups that are actively looking for a co-founder. You can reach out directly from a startup's profile — your message is AI-moderated and relayed to the founder by email.

Open your startup in the dashboard and enable Looking for a co-founder. You can add a short message describing what you're looking for. Note: a startup can't be on sale and looking for a co-founder at the same time.

Only aggregate revenue metrics (total revenue, MRR, last 30 days revenue, customer and subscription counts). We do not access customer PII.

No. We only store revenue-level aggregates. Personal customer data is never collected. See the details in our Terms of Service.

Yes. The API keys you provide from Stripe, LemonSqueezy, Polar, etc. are read-only and stored securely. We cannot charge your customers or modify your payment account. These keys are managed in your startup dashboard and are only used for revenue verification.

Revenue is verified by syncing directly with your payment provider using a read-only API key. This keeps your numbers trustworthy and up to date.

Revenue syncs run automatically on a regular schedule (typically hourly). If your API key expires, you can update it in the dashboard.

Each payment provider uses its own internal formulas to compute metrics like MRR, churn, and revenue — and those formulas are not publicly documented. TrustMRR reconstructs these metrics as accurately as possible from raw transaction data via the API, but discrepancies of up to 30% can occur depending on the provider and how they handle things like refunds, trials, prorations, and currency conversions. The verified revenue on TrustMRR is still a reliable, independently computed signal — it just may not be a 1:1 match with your provider's dashboard.

Yes. You can link a secondary provider in the dashboard to combine revenue from multiple sources.

Your primary provider is fixed per listing, but you can update the API key or attach a secondary provider later.

Stealth mode hides your startup name, logo, website, and description. Only revenue and MRR metrics are shown publicly, so you can explore interest without revealing details.

Go to your dashboard, open the startup, and edit the profile. Change the name and description to something generic and remove the website URL. Since revenue is tied to your payment provider and can't be faked, your metrics stay verified even with the details hidden.

Here is the high-level flow you will see in the dashboard deal progress:

1. A buyer makes an offer and a conversation opens with the seller.
2. Before the LOI, either side can start an optional mutual NDA for private diligence.
3. Both sides sign a mandatory LOI (letter of intent) to lock in the main terms.
4. The buyer completes due diligence and both sides sign the APA.
5. Before Escrow.com is created, each party confirms the email they use for Escrow.com and chooses whether they are comfortable being included in a public acquisition announcement.
6. TrustMRR creates the Escrow.com transaction and uploads the signed APA when Escrow.com is ready for it.
7. After Escrow.com KYC and instructions, the buyer sends funds and Escrow.com verifies them.
8. The seller transfers the agreed assets, the buyer receives them, and Escrow.com releases funds to the seller.
9. The deal is marked completed and the startup is acquired.

Escrow is handled through Escrow.com after the APA is fully signed. TrustMRR creates the transaction with the agreed purchase price, buyer and seller Escrow.com emails, and APA asset details. Escrow.com asks the parties to complete its checks, tells the buyer when to send funds, verifies the funds, then instructs the seller to transfer assets. After the buyer receives the assets and the conditions are satisfied, Escrow.com releases funds to the seller. We surface escrow status in the dashboard so both sides can track progress.

After a deal closes, TrustMRR may share that an acquisition happened. During the escrow step, buyer and seller each choose whether they are comfortable being included in a public announcement.

We only reveal the startup identity, name, icon, handle, or anything that clearly ties the acquisition to the business if both buyer and seller agree. If both agree, we may share the startup name, public metrics, sale price, and tag the parties when their connected X accounts are verified.

If one or both parties do not agree, we keep the startup identity private. We may still share a generic announcement such as the type of business, sale amount, revenue, or multiple, but we do not reveal the startup name, website/domain, startup X handle, or other identifying details unless both parties opted in.

Profiles show verified total revenue, last 30 days revenue, MRR, customer counts, and active subscriptions. If available, we also show traffic, growth, and profit margin metrics.

Connect DataFast or Google Analytics from your dashboard. Once connected, traffic metrics (24h, 7d, 30d, 12mo) appear on your profile.

Revenue per visitor is your last 30 days revenue divided by last 30 days traffic. It’s a quick efficiency signal for monetization.

Yes. Advanced metrics like churn are available to logged-in users and are currently optimized for Stripe data.

Startup Insights summarize the value proposition, problem solved, audience, B2B/B2C positioning, estimated users, pricing model, and extra context shown on a startup page. They can be AI-generated from public data and then edited by the startup owner.

Go to Dashboard → My Startups, open the startup, and edit the Startup insights section. You can change the value proposition, problem solved, audience, business type, estimated users, pricing, and additional info directly from the dashboard.

TrustMRR captures screenshots of public startup landing pages when a startup is enriched. They help marketplace browsers understand the product before opening an external website. Screenshots are shown on the startup page when available.

Use the search, categories, and tech stack pages to explore startups by niche.

The Open Revenue feed shows verified revenue tweets from founders. To appear, you need at least one verified startup and a post that includes “I made” plus a $ figure. The feed updates every few hours.

You can embed a live badge on your website that updates automatically with your verified revenue. Use the Embed button on your startup page to copy the code.

TrustMRR shares marketplace activity on @trust_mrr on X, including newly listed startups, new deals, trending deals, and other marketplace updates.

Go to the marketplace and click Sell startup, or toggle On sale in your dashboard. You’ll set an asking price and profit margin to create the listing.

Three plans are available: Starter ($29) for a basic listing, Growth ($199) for 5x visibility, a custom card color, and newsletter feature, and Scale ($499) for 20x visibility, newsletter feature, pinned placement for 30 days, buyer matching, and a custom card color.

Starter ($29) lists your startup on the marketplace. Growth ($199) provides a permanent 5x visibility boost, a custom card color, and newsletter exposure. Scale ($499) gives 20x visibility, a custom card color, newsletter exposure, buyer matching, and pins your startup at the top for 30 days.

You need verified revenue (payment provider connection), an asking price, and profit margin for the last 30 days. You can also add a seller message and contact email.

Yes. Enable Anonymous mode to hide your name, website, and description. Only revenue metrics appear publicly while buyers can still submit offers.

Open your startup in the dashboard and edit the listing section. Changes appear immediately on your marketplace card.

Yes. Toggle On sale off in your dashboard to remove the listing from the marketplace.

KYC isn’t required to list, but it unlocks advanced insights and builds buyer trust. It can also speed up escrow steps in active deals.

Two things you can do right now: first, upgrade your listing tier for a visibility boost (Growth gives 5x, Scale gives 20x). Second, drop your asking price by at least 10% — every buyer who saved your startup to their favorites will be notified automatically, which re-engages them without you lifting a finger.

When you reduce your asking price by 10% or more, all buyers who previously saved your startup get an email notification about the price drop. It's one of the most effective ways to restart conversations and generate new offers.

Yes. Go to your dashboard and open the Interested tab on your startup. You'll see every buyer who saved your startup to their favorites, so you know exactly who's watching.

Yes. From the Interested tab in your dashboard, you can initiate a conversation with any buyer who saved your startup. You don't have to wait for them to make the first move.

Open any marketplace listing and click Contact Seller. You’ll send a message and can include an offer amount.

Yes. You can start with just your name and email. We send a verification code to confirm your offer and then open your buyer dashboard.

Offers are reviewed by an AI to filter out low-quality requests. Detailed, realistic messages get delivered faster to sellers.

The seller receives your offer and a chat thread opens in the dashboard so you can negotiate.

Yes. Use the Save button on a listing and your saved startups will appear in your buyer dashboard.

Yes. You can create filter-based or AI alerts that notify you when new listings match your criteria. Alerts are available with the $199/year subscription in the dashboard.

LOI and APA documents support USD, EUR, CAD, AUD, and GBP.

The multiple is asking price divided by annualized revenue (last 30 days revenue × 12).

Every acquisition on TrustMRR is structured as an asset purchase agreement (APA). The buyer pays the full purchase price into escrow, the seller transfers the agreed assets (code, domain, accounts, etc.), and escrow releases the funds once both sides confirm the transfer is complete. This keeps the process straightforward and protects both parties.

Yes. When creating or signing an LOI or APA, you can choose Sign as a company. The document will name your company as the legal buyer or seller, and your personal name will appear as the authorized signer with your title. For example, the buyer can be Example Labs LLC, signed by its manager or authorized representative. If you leave this option off, the documents use your personal legal name as before.

No. TrustMRR only supports a single lump-sum payment through escrow. Structures like paying 50% upfront and the rest after 60 days, earnouts tied to future revenue, or seller financing are not available on the platform. If you need a custom payment arrangement, you would have to handle it outside of TrustMRR.

Escrow.com typically requires identity verification (KYC). After the APA is fully signed and both sides confirm their Escrow.com emails, TrustMRR creates the Escrow.com transaction. TrustMRR then uploads the signed APA to Escrow.com as the Party's Written Agreement when Escrow.com opens those document slots. You can also download the signed APA from your deal's Documents section in the dashboard.

Yes. Use the legal docs generator to create NDAs, LOIs, and APAs, or generate them directly inside an active deal.

Yes. After a buyer has made an offer and before a Letter of Intent is initiated, either the buyer or seller can start an optional mutual NDA from the deal progress panel in the conversation. It is useful when both sides want to exchange private diligence materials first. The NDA template is pre-filled for startup acquisitions, carves out public TrustMRR listing and revenue data, and can be customized with extra clauses, permitted recipients, governing law, and confidentiality terms. It only becomes binding after both parties sign, and signed NDAs can be downloaded from the deal's Documents section.

Before TrustMRR creates the Escrow.com transaction, both the buyer and seller confirm the email address they want Escrow.com to use. If you already have an Escrow.com account, use that same email. Escrow.com can reject or block a transaction when the email on the transaction does not match an existing account for that person. You can update the email before the Escrow.com transaction is created, but not after.

Escrow needs verifiable asset details. If you’re transferring public assets (domains, social accounts, repos, etc.), include their URLs in the APA. Missing or vague asset details can lead to rejection. The APA builder in your dashboard prompts for these URLs to keep everything compliant.

Both parties sign directly inside the deal flow. Signed PDFs are generated automatically for your records.

We integrate with Escrow.com. The buyer funds escrow, assets are transferred, and Escrow releases funds after completion.

TrustMRR charges a 3% marketplace fee, plus Escrow.com fees. Escrow fees are split 50/50 between buyer and seller. Full details are on the fees page.

Currently, TrustMRR’s integrated escrow flow uses Escrow.com.

Common assets include the domain, code repository, database, payment provider account, hosting, brand assets, and social accounts. The APA builder guides you through these.

After escrow is funded, both parties follow a transfer checklist to hand over assets. Once the transfer is confirmed, escrow releases funds to the seller.

The affiliate program lets approved partners share startups for sale and earn a commission when a referred buyer completes an acquisition through TrustMRR and Escrow.com.

Affiliates earn 50% of TrustMRR's 3% broker commission. That equals 1.5% of the final escrow sale price. For example, a $100,000 acquisition can create a $1,500 affiliate commission.

Yes. The final escrow sale price must be at least $10,000 to be eligible for an affiliate payout.

Commissions are only earned after the acquisition completes through the TrustMRR deal flow and Escrow.com releases funds. Clicks, leads, LOIs, and pending deals are not payable until the escrow transaction is complete.

An affiliate shares a tracked startup link. If the buyer visits that link and contacts the seller, TrustMRR uses a first-touch attribution cookie to attach the referral to the buyer's offer, then freezes it on the deal if the parties move to LOI and APA. When escrow completes, TrustMRR creates the commission record. Attribution is normally tied to the specific startup URL you shared, not every startup the buyer may browse later.

Multiple affiliates can share the same startup, but attribution is based on the first qualified lead for a specific buyer and startup. If a buyer contacts the seller through one affiliate's link, that affiliate keeps attribution for that buyer-startup lead. Later clicks from another affiliate do not overwrite it.

A qualified lead is a real buyer who contacts a seller for a startup through an active affiliate link before they already had a thread, offer, saved startup, or active deal for that same startup.

Potential earnings are estimates based on each startup's asking price and the 1.5% affiliate commission rate. They are estimates only. Actual payout is based on the final escrow sale price after completion.

Affiliates can choose PayPal email, Wise email, or manual bank transfer. For bank transfer, TrustMRR can pay USD or EUR accounts and will reach out for account details when a commission is due.

Affiliates must promote startups honestly and personally. Spam, mass unsolicited messaging, fake buyer interest, misleading claims, and ads using TrustMRR branding or TrustMRR brand terms are not authorized. Violations can result in suspended accounts, voided commissions, and removal from the affiliate program.

Spam, fake offers, self-referrals, misleading claims, scraping, paid search abuse on TrustMRR brand terms, or attempts to move deals off-platform can void commissions and disable the affiliate account. For example, if you are selling a startup on TrustMRR, you cannot become an affiliate, share your own affiliate link to that listing, and get the affiliate cut when it sells.

Affiliates manage links, analytics, payout preference, and commissions in the affiliate dashboard.

Start with this FAQ. If you need human support, you can unlock support for $1 from the support button on the affiliate pages.

Go to your dashboard and open the Billing tab to manage listing tier payments or buyer alert subscriptions.

You can cancel subscriptions, update payment methods, and download invoices from the Stripe customer portal. Log in with the email you used on TrustMRR and you'll see all your purchases and active subscriptions.

You can manage notifications, daily deal digest, and weekly best‑deals digest in Dashboard → Settings.

Yes. The TrustMRR Telegram bot sends alerts when new startups are listed for sale. You can start it for free, no TrustMRR account required, and use filters like /price, /revenue, and /multiple to narrow the alerts. Send /stop in Telegram to unsubscribe.

Open Dashboard → Settings and toggle off Daily deal digest. You can also disable the weekly digest there.

Head to Dashboard → My Profile to update your profile and complete identity verification.

In an acquisition conversation, open the conversation menu and click Report user, or use the Report button in the counterparty profile/review card. You can add context and optionally block the user. Reports are reviewed by TrustMRR, and buyers with enough unique reports can have messaging restricted or face further platform action.

Yes. Buyers and sellers only see what you choose to show in My Profile. You can use a business name or alias early on, then share legal details later (for example, after signing documents).

KYC is optional but recommended to build trust and unlock advanced features. We use Stripe Identity to verify you and store only your verification status. We do not store or display government ID document details on your profile.

Use the dashboard for support and deal assistance, or reply to any transactional email you receive during a deal.

You can always review our Terms of Service for details about data use, verification, and marketplace policies.

They are completely different things. Payment provider API keys (from Stripe, LemonSqueezy, Polar, etc.) are what you give TrustMRR so we can verify your revenue — you manage those in your startup dashboard. TrustMRR API keys (starting with tmrr_) are for developers who want to query TrustMRR data programmatically — you create those in the developer dashboard.

Yes. The TrustMRR API lets you query verified startup data programmatically — search and filter startups, or fetch details for a specific startup by slug. Full documentation is available on the API docs page.

Yes. AI assistants can start with llms.txt, which points to AI-friendly TrustMRR resources. Public options include /api/ai for a limited marketplace snapshot and /startup/{slug}.md for public Markdown versions of startup pages. Developers who need filtering, pagination, or full startup detail access should use the authenticated API documented in the API docs.

Sign in and go to the developer dashboard (separate from your regular dashboard). You can create an API key there in one click. Your key will start with tmrr_ and should be kept secret.

Each account can have one active API key at a time. If you need a new one, you can roll your existing key from the developer dashboard — this revokes the old key and generates a fresh one instantly.

Two endpoints are available today:

• List startups — search, filter by category, revenue, MRR, growth, sale status, and paginate results.
• Get startup — fetch full details for a single startup by slug.

Pass your API key as a Bearer token in the Authorization header: Authorization: Bearer tmrr_.... Requests without a valid key return a 401 error.

Standard API keys allow 10 requests per minute. Premium API keys allow 60 requests per minute. Rate limit details are returned in response headers (X-RateLimit-Limit, X-RateLimit-Remaining, X-RateLimit-Reset) so you can track usage in real time.

Go to the developer dashboard and use Roll key to generate a new key (the old one stops working immediately), or Revoke to disable access entirely.