AnyInc is the latest iteration of a company that entrepreneur Chris Markl started back in January. AnyInc blossomed out of ReStartUp, a business model that got some market validation during an entrepreneurial event at the University of North Florida.
ReStartup’s model was to become a platform for buying and selling startup companies that otherwise may have been abandoned. The problem is we’ve heard this idea before and we know that many people, including Techstars founder David Cohen have dismissed the “ideas market”. In an interview once, Cohen told the interviewer “you know that new startup where people can go with their ideas and sell them” when the interviewer inquired more Cohen dismissed the thought reminding us that ideas are cheap it’s all about execution.
Well enter Restartup now AnyInc. The idea, very similar to GoIdeaCat and Acquire For Pennies, isn’t focused on the idea as much as the companies and startups themselves. It makes sense. A founding team may have become burnt out on ideas with their startup or perhaps they burned through all their money. Most founders would rather see their idea live on somehow rather than discarded like yesterday’s news.
In a phone interview Markl told us that there are plenty of platforms out their for buying and selling small business. “If you want to sell your dry cleaning establishment there’s a place to go, if you want to sell your established website there are places to go” but what about your startups. Mark Cuban backed Apptopia is even a place people can go to sell their already established and published apps as businesses to other app developers or entrepreneurs.
Markl wants to take that kind of approach with AnyInc and add into it small businesses as well. But AnyInc is going to be more than just a website to buy and sell businesses. Markl plans to use his braintrust of advisors and people that he’s worked with in the past, as well as others, to help these new business owners become better business owners. He plans to offer legal advice, accounting advice even real estate and marketing advice to new business owners. At first he will use his own experience and a small circle of people but then he plans to expand his network with other like minded business owners who want to see small businesses succeed.
Markl is making his OneSpark experience as much about AnyInc as it is about people that would likely use AnyInc in what he’s calling an accelerator. During the five day festival the AnyInc team will host speakers, office hours, entertainers and even a dj that will offer business advice, entrepreneurial advice, and entertainment. Markl and his team will also sign users up for AnyInc that are either looking to sell their startups and small businesses or possibly buy one.
As part of the entertainment offerings Jacksonville.com reports that AnyInc will host the first American screening of “The Samaritans” a comedy TV series from Kenya that’s receiving great reviews. “They’ve blown up in the press lately—CNN, Salon, Huffington Post, BBC, etc.”Markl told Jacksonville.com
You can check AnyInc out at Hemming Plaza during OneSpark later this week. You can find out more about their bootcamp here at anyincbootcamp.com