From Academia to a $28M Exit — and Why Diane Prince Is Building Again (Differently)
Wed Feb 04 2026
What happens when you intentionally build a business to sell — and actually do it?
In this episode of Renegade Ventures, Ellie sits down with serial entrepreneur Diane Prince, who went from failing out of a PhD program to building and selling a staffing agency for $28 million in just six years — and then doing it all over again.
Diane walks us through how she and her co-founder engineered their exit from day one, scaled to $35M in revenue, survived payroll weeks north of $700K, navigated a failed acquisition post-9/11, and ultimately structured a deal that paid out the entire earnout — without staying in the business.
Now, she’s building again — this time with offshore talent, a radically different vision, and a focus on leverage, lifestyle, and fun.
If you’re an acquisition entrepreneur, operator, or founder thinking about scale, exit, or doing it smarter the second time around, this episode is packed with real-world insight.
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What happens when you intentionally build a business to sell — and actually do it? In this episode of Renegade Ventures, Ellie sits down with serial entrepreneur Diane Prince, who went from failing out of a PhD program to building and selling a staffing agency for $28 million in just six years — and then doing it all over again. Diane walks us through how she and her co-founder engineered their exit from day one, scaled to $35M in revenue, survived payroll weeks north of $700K, navigated a failed acquisition post-9/11, and ultimately structured a deal that paid out the entire earnout — without staying in the business. Now, she’s building again — this time with offshore talent, a radically different vision, and a focus on leverage, lifestyle, and fun. If you’re an acquisition entrepreneur, operator, or founder thinking about scale, exit, or doing it smarter the second time around, this episode is packed with real-world insight.