Podcast
Give It A Nudge: Raghu Rajakumar & Dhanush Ganglani from Eden Exchange
Raghu Rajakumar and Dhanush Ganglani from Eden Exchange join us on the latest episode of Give It A Nudge!
About the guests
Raghu Rajakumar
Founder and CEO at Eden Exchange
Raghu Rajakumar is the founder and CEO of Eden Exchange, a marketplace platform for buying and selling businesses. He built the platform to address the fragmented and opaque process that small business owners face when trying to exit or acquire a business.
Dhanush Ganglani
Managing Director at Eden Exchange
Dhanush Ganglani is the Managing Director of Eden Exchange, responsible for growth and operations. He joined the business after Raghu had established the initial platform, and has been central to expanding the marketplace and its partnerships across Australia.
Episode overview
Raghu Rajakumar and Dhanush Ganglani from Eden Exchange join Steve Grace to discuss building a marketplace for buying and selling small businesses, the challenges of creating liquidity in a fragmented market, how they have expanded the platform through broker and franchise partnerships, and what makes business acquisition an opportunity that is often overlooked by first-time entrepreneurs.
What Eden Exchange does
Eden Exchange is a marketplace that connects people who want to buy or sell businesses. The platform aggregates listings from business brokers, franchise groups, and direct sellers into a single searchable destination. Rather than replacing brokers, Eden Exchange works alongside them, giving sellers broader distribution and buyers a more curated and efficient way to find opportunities across industries and price points.
“Buying an existing business is one of the most underrated paths into entrepreneurship. The hard part of building something from nothing has already been done for you.”
Raghu Rajakumar 5:00
The challenge of marketplace liquidity
Building a two-sided marketplace where both buyers and sellers see enough value to transact is one of the hardest problems in tech. Eden Exchange solved the supply side first by signing on business brokers who brought existing inventory to the platform. That gave buyers a reason to come. With enough buyer intent demonstrated, more sellers and brokers followed. The business now operates across Australia with thousands of active listings at any given time.
“You have to solve one side of the marketplace first. We went after the supply side, the brokers with listings, because without inventory there’s nothing for buyers to search.”
Dhanush Ganglani 10:00
Franchising as a growth channel
A significant portion of Eden Exchange’s listings come from franchise groups looking to sell existing franchise units or recruit new franchisees. Raghu explains that franchise resales are a substantial and underdiscovered segment of business sales: the brand is established, the systems are documented, and the training is available. For first-time business buyers, a franchise resale often represents a lower-risk entry into ownership than starting a business from scratch or buying an unbranded independent.
“Franchise resales are one of the most overlooked categories in business acquisition. You get all the systems, the brand, and often an existing customer base.”
Raghu Rajakumar 15:00
Why more people should consider buying a business
Both Raghu and Dhanush make the case that acquiring an existing business is an underrated path into entrepreneurship. The first-year death rate of new businesses is well documented, but buying an established business with revenue, customers, and processes already in place dramatically reduces early-stage risk. The conversation covers how to evaluate a business for acquisition, what to look for in due diligence, and why cash flow history is the most important variable to understand.
Key takeaways
Chapters
0:00Introduction and what Eden Exchange does5:00Why buying a business is underrated10:00Building the marketplace: supply side first15:00Franchise resales: the overlooked category20:00How to evaluate a business for acquisition25:00Working with brokers as distribution partners30:00Growth plans and expansion35:00Team, culture, and why to join Eden Exchange
Mentioned in this episode
Frequently asked questions
What is Eden Exchange?
Eden Exchange is an Australian marketplace for buying and selling businesses. It aggregates listings from business brokers, franchise groups, and direct sellers into a single platform, giving buyers a searchable destination and sellers broader reach than any individual broker or network could provide on its own.
How does Eden Exchange make money?
Eden Exchange charges listing fees and lead generation fees to business brokers and franchise groups who use the platform to distribute their listings. Rather than taking a commission on transactions, the model is based on access to the buyer demand the marketplace has aggregated.
What are franchise resales and why are they interesting for buyers?
Franchise resales are existing franchise units that a current franchisee is selling. Unlike buying a brand-new franchise or starting a business from scratch, a resale comes with an established customer base, documented operating systems, trained staff in many cases, and the support of the franchisor’s network. They represent a lower-risk entry into business ownership compared to a greenfield startup.
Why is buying a business often better than starting one?
Starting a business from zero requires building customers, systems, brand, and cash flow simultaneously while paying all costs up front. Buying an existing business means acquiring proven revenue, an existing customer base, and established processes. The risk is lower and the time to profitability is typically much shorter, though due diligence on cash flow consistency and the reason for the sale is critical.
How did Eden Exchange build its supply of listings early on?
Eden Exchange approached business brokers as its first supply-side partners. Brokers already had listings and wanted broader distribution for them. By signing brokers onto the platform before actively marketing to buyers, Eden Exchange had meaningful inventory from day one, which gave buyers a reason to visit and return.
Topics discussed
Full transcript
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Show full transcript (50 minutes, 5 sections)
0:00 Introduction and what Eden Exchange does
Eden Exchange is a marketplace for buying and selling businesses across Australia. We aggregate listings from business brokers, franchise groups, and direct sellers into a single platform. Rather than replacing brokers, we work alongside them to give sellers broader distribution and buyers a more efficient way to find opportunities.
10:00 Building the marketplace: supply side first
You have to solve one side of the marketplace first. We went after the supply side: brokers with existing listings. Without inventory there’s nothing for buyers to search. Once we had supply, we had a reason to market to buyers. Once buyer intent was demonstrated, more brokers followed. That flywheel took time to get moving but became self-sustaining.
15:00 Franchise resales
Franchise resales are one of the most overlooked categories in business acquisition. You get all the systems, the brand, and often an existing customer base. These listings have historically been scattered across individual franchise group websites, meaning buyers could not find them easily. Aggregating them into a single searchable platform creates value for both the franchisor and the buyer.
20:00 How to evaluate a business for acquisition
Cash flow history is the most important variable. Consistent, predictable cash flow at a lower revenue is often less risky than high but lumpy revenue. Look at why the owner is selling, how dependent the business is on the founder’s personal relationships, and whether systems are documented. A business that requires the seller to stay for six to twelve months after purchase is a red flag for dependency.
35:00 Team and why to join Eden Exchange
We’re a small team solving a big problem. The business acquisition market in Australia turns over billions every year but lacks the infrastructure to match buyers and sellers efficiently. We’re building that infrastructure. If you’re excited about marketplaces, fintech-adjacent products, and the opportunity to transform how small businesses change hands, Eden Exchange is worth a conversation.
About the host
Steve Grace is the founder and CEO of The Nudge Group, a technology-focused recruitment and advisory business. He has built and scaled companies across Australia and the US, and hosts Give It A Nudge to spotlight founders and operators building something meaningful.
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