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Cashing Out

A handful of Inc. 500 CEOs have sold their companies recently. And while private equity is all the rage, some opted for old-fashioned exit strategies: acquisitions and IPOs. One Inc. 500 company even acquired another. Among the deals:

 

SnapNames No. 471

Acquired by Oversee.net, No. 192

SnapNames CEO Sudhir Bhagwan says his company and Oversee.net can grow together. "When you go to a huge company, you kind of get lost," he says. "This gives us the best path to grow fast."

Limelight Networks No. 179

IPO in June, raising $205.5 million

Limelight (NASDAQ:LLNW) hired a new CEO and CFO last year, partly because they had experience leading public companies. All four founders are still with the company.

Logoworks No. 472

Acquired by Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ) in June

CEO Paul Brockbank will continue to run the business.

Right Media No. 43

Acquired by Yahoo in March

Yahoo (NASDAQ:YHOO) took a 20 percent stake last year, then bought the rest of the company in March for $680 million.

Digital Lifestyle Outfitters No. 41

Acquired by Philips Electronics (NASDAQ:PHG) in May

Founder Jeff Grady says he spent more than a year mulling whether to sell.

Glu Mobile (NASDAQ:GLUU) No. 44

Went public in March, raising $84 million

"We have the same challenges as any of the companies on the Inc. 500," says CEO Greg Ballard. "We're still small, and we're in a market that's only emerging."

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