A trade and or sale is a common way of exit to a trade

Trade

Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...

 buyer. This allows the management to withdraw from the business and may open up the prospect of collaboration on a larger projects.

It normally entails the disposal of a company's shares or assets and even liabilities, in whole or in part. This may refer to a strategic buyer who intends to grow his business or to a financial buyer who wants to generate a financial return on his invested capital at the time of exit. The term Trade Sale is mostly used in the context of Venture Capital and refers to the sale of a company in its early stages.

Trade sales are the most frequently used exit vehicle both in Europe and the US.