Connor Tomkies is a seasoned operator turned investor, community builder, and M&A specialist who understands the full arc of the entrepreneurial journey. Best known for scaling SupportNinja to a nine-figure valuation, Connor led the company to become one of the fastest-growing outsourcing solutions in North America, serving category leaders like Coinbase, NerdWallet, and SeatGeek.
Today, Connor helps build Post-Exit Founders, a premier community where entrepreneurs navigate the identity shifts and strategic challenges that follow a major liquidity event. He is also Managing Partner at Operator Equity, where he leads a "founders backing founders" flywheel, taking both majority and minority positions in high-potential businesses. As the host of the Made It Podcast (200,000+ subscribers), Connor interviews the world’s most successful founders on the intersection of exits, identity, and wealth recalibration. He also works with leadership teams to bridge the gap between visionary ideas and operational traction as a certified EOS Implementer.
“Selling your company is the ultimate test of your systems, but the real challenge begins the day after the wire hits. I help founders build businesses that are ready for a premium exit and, more importantly, help them prepare for the life that comes after it.”
Schedule a call with an Exitwise advisor to learn more about engaging Connor to Maximize Your Exit™.
As CEO, Connor Tomkies led SupportNinja to a nine-figure valuation, positioning it as a top-tier tech-enabled service provider. In 2021, he successfully navigated a majority investment from BV Investment Partners, a milestone that validated the company's scalable model and provided significant liquidity for the founding team.
Through Operator Equity, Connor actively manages a diverse portfolio of founder-led businesses. His role involves identifying "diamond-in-the-rough" operations, implementing EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) to drive efficiency, and positioning these assets for secondary exits or strategic acquisitions. His unique perspective as both an operator who "learned the hard way" and a professional investor allows him to see through the noise of a transaction to find the true value drivers.

Give us a call to learn how helpful an Exited Founder can be when selling your business.
Todd Sullivan
CEO, Exitwise
Increase in Sales Price
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Accelerated Time to Exit
This Exited Founder offers personal M&A experience and deep professional networks in their respective industries to help you Maximize Your Exit.™
Every Exited Founder’s goal is to make sure you create the exit you deserve. Engaging is easy!
An Exited Founder is an entrepreneur who has founded or cofounded a company and successfully exited his or her company through an IPO, M&A transaction, recapitalization or secondary share transaction. Exited Founders have joined ExitWise to help their fellow founders maximize their exits.
An Exited Founder brings expertise in building a company, M&A deal-making, a network of potential buyers, and experience navigating complex financial, legal and employment issues. An exited founder can not only be a great personal mentor during your exit process but can also help maximize your company's sale price, reduce risks, and ensure a smoother transaction.
Exited Founders typically offer:
- M&A education Founder Mentorship
- Business valuation advice
- Access to top M&A experts to build your M&A team
- Incredible personal networks with strategic investors and buyers in their industry
- Negotiation skills with potential buyers
- Deal structuring and transaction experience
- Advise on Coordination of legal, financial, and tax professionals
- Assistance with due diligence
- Advice on major personal and professional decisions throughout the M&A process
Our Exited Founders have free access to Exitwise valuation services and have visibility into private transaction data in their industry. Exited founders assist investment bankers that use various methods, such as comparable company analysis, discounted cash flow analysis, and market trends, to assess the value of your business. Exited Founded can also factor in your industry dynamics and your growth potential to help negotiate an optimal sale price on your behalf.
Industry experience: Ensure they have exited a business in your sector.
Track record: Ask about their personal exits and how they have helped other business owners with M&A.
Network: A strong personal and professional network of potential buyers is key.
Communication: Choose someone you can trust and communicate with easily.
Industry Stature: Exited founders bring different levels of credibility to your team which can have a dramatic effect on how buyers value your business.
The process can take anywhere from 6 to 12 months or longer, depending on market conditions, the size of your company, and the complexity of the transaction. Exited Founders absolutely help expedite the process.