When I first came across Matt online, he wasn’t talking theory—he was executing.
Ten acquisitions. Three million in new revenue. A growing team and a playbook that’s repeatable.
In this episode of Agency Acquisitions & Exits, Matt, founder of Rapid Dev, shares how he built a modern development agency through accessible, fast, and strategic M&A, starting with $25K bets and scaling into a portfolio that now dominates the no-code ecosystem.
From No-Code to No Limits
Rapid Dev began as a development agency built entirely on the no-code movement, platforms like Bubble and Flutterflow that made it possible to build apps 10x faster at a fraction of the cost.
Instead of competing with traditional dev shops, Matt leaned into the new wave of visual development and built an agency around speed, value, and efficiency.
But what really made his growth exponential wasn’t no-code, it was M&A.
The First Bet: Buying Into Ecosystems
While most founders start with hiring and marketing, Matt started with acquisitions.
Not full agencies at first. His earliest deals were tiny, opportunistic, and targeted.
He bought templates, plugins, and product portfolios from developers inside the Bubble ecosystem, assets that already had traction, downloads, and visibility.
“Sure, I could’ve built those things from scratch. But they already had three years of reputation and reviews. So I bought them.”
Each acquisition increased visibility, authority, and deal flow.
Within months, Rapid Dev owned 80% of the Bubble template market, a monopoly in one of the fastest-growing no-code ecosystems.
Scaling the Playbook: From Bubble to Flutterflow
Success inside Bubble brought a new realization: the ecosystem itself had become the ceiling.
To keep growing, Matt needed new ecosystems, new channels, and new clients.
His solution? Buy the premier agency in the next ecosystem.
Instead of spending years rebuilding credibility from scratch, he acquired a leading Flutterflow agency whose founders were ready to move on after 12 years in the business.
It was a perfect example of Matt’s now-proven pattern:
- Identify an emerging ecosystem.
- Acquire the leader.
- Integrate systems and scale.
“You don’t need to grind for three years. You can skip the line if you’re willing to buy your way in.”
Finding Deals Through Relationships
Matt doesn’t cold-call or send mass emails.
He just talks to other founders. Constantly.
“I love talking to agency owners. Most are tired, burned out, or plateaued. They want progress. They want out. Eventually, they call me.”
He calls them “burnt toast founders”, owners who’ve spent 6–10 years in the business, still profitable but drained.
Those are the best acquisition targets because the business still has value, but the founder doesn’t want to keep running it.
And Matt’s not shy about being transparent. His best deals come from competitors he talks to regularly.
“My best friends are competitors. We text every week. Everyone wins when we share notes.”
Acquiring Talent Through M&A
The best hires don’t come from recruiters, they come from acquisitions.
In small businesses, elite talent often hides inside companies that never scaled. M&A unlocks access to these professionals: leaders, engineers, and managers, who thrive once they’re plugged into a bigger system.
One of Matt’s acquired founders now runs one of his portfolio companies. Another became an executive leading a major service division.
“You can’t hire that kind of talent off the street. You buy it.”
Heads I Win, Tails I Don’t Lose Much
Matt structures deals with one rule in mind: asymmetrical risk.
He pays small amounts up front and ties the rest to performance-based earnouts: a “they pay me, pay you” model.
If the clients stay, everyone wins.
If they leave, no one gets hurt.
“Every deal can be the right deal if you structure it right. It’s not about buying perfect businesses, it’s about buying opportunities.”
Integration as a Growth Engine
Not every acquisition gets absorbed into Rapid Dev’s main brand.
Some remain standalone “storefronts” with their own websites, sales motions, and funnels, but they all feed into the same delivery system behind the scenes.
It’s like owning multiple listings on Google that all lead to the same backend team.
“Customer acquisition is the hardest part of any services business. So we bought the storefronts that already had demand.”
Breaking Systems to Grow
One of Matt’s larger acquisitions added 33% headcount overnight and broke nearly everything.
Instead of resisting the chaos, he embraced it.
“If you have goals, you can’t achieve them as the person you are today. You have to break something to become someone new.”
That deal forced him to redesign systems, processes, and leadership capacity. His team grew stronger and hungrier.
Building a Company That Builds CEOs
Matt doesn’t just grow his business, he grows leaders.
At every team retreat, he tells his managers:
“If you’re with me for the next 20 years, you’ll be running a company. When I stand on stage in front of 200 people, I’m looking at my next CEOs.”
M&A isn’t just his growth strategy, it’s his people development model.
The Lesson
M&A isn’t reserved for the big players.
It’s the most efficient way to solve business problems—at any size.
Matt started small. $25K deals. Tiny assets.
Now, ten acquisitions later, he’s built a diversified portfolio, expanded into multiple ecosystems, and created a repeatable playbook for exponential growth.
“You don’t need to be special to do this. I grew up on a farm. I just decided to start buying.”
Listen to the full episode
Hear how Matt turned 10 acquisitions into a diversified digital portfolio, why small bets compound into big wins, and how he’s building a company designed to make M&A accessible to every founder ready to scale.
▶️ Listen to the full episode.
