Gaming the System: Suli Ali's Journey from Microsoft to Mobile Game Empire

This week on The Exit: Suleman “Suli” Ali was introduced to the world of business M&A when he was just eight years old helping his father find and buy their family’s first business. However, it wasn’t until years later into his early 20s and his first job at Microsoft that he determined that corporate life was not for him and he answered his calling to a life of entrepreneurship. During this time, the Facebook app marketplace was in its early stages and he went all in on becoming a leader in the Facebook app space. He and his team would go on to build and exit two mobile gaming businesses, Esgut (acquired by SGN) and then TinyCo (acquired by Jam City). Two exits and decades of experience later in building both bootstrapped and VC-backed businesses, he emphasizes the importance of building businesses that will continue to perform through increased competition and marketing costs. Through it all, he hopes business owners will do what he wishes he did for himself: to enjoy the journey as you’re building and growing the business, and not just at the exit. For more details and insights from his entrepreneurial journey, listen to the latest episode of The Exit. Suli Ali is a serial investor and entrepreneur who has started and sold 2 startups with Esgut being acquired by SGN, and TinyCo being acquired by Jam City. Suli has been an angel investor in over 100 startups and LP in 25+ venture capital funds. Through Ali Capital, along with his brother Moiz, Suli has a passion for investing with founders who see a future that few others can see. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sulemanali Website: https://www.ali-capital.co/ X (Twitter) - https://twitter.com/sulemanali For a Free Flippa Business Valuation: https://flippa.com/exit -- The Exit—Presented By Flippa: A 30-minute podcast featuring expert entrepreneurs who have been there and done it. The Exit talks to operators who have bought and sold a business. You’ll learn how they did it, why they did it, and get exposure to the world of exits, a world occupied by a small few, but accessible to many. To listen to the podcast or get daily listing updates, click on flippa.com/the-exit-podcast/